"The Unbeatable"

It happens about 2 or 3 times every year in the world of MMA. It happens in every sport every year without fail. I like to call it the hype factor. In MMA, it's that chain of events that happen consecutively in a short period of time that makes a fighter seem unbeatable. This fighter doesn't have to be undefeated...instead just string together a handful of wins in dominant fashion. At the moment, there are many fighters who are being hyped as unbeatable, sometimes deserving and sometimes not. What makes this such a strange phenomenon is the fact that those on top of the heap can tumble to the bottom in a matter of seconds. Let's take a look at some of the most famous "unbeatables" the mma world has ever seen and how they rose to the top and eventually fell to the bottom.

Royce Gracie

To most die hards, this guy was the first person they ever looked up to as a fighter. A 6 foot, 175 pound average looking gentleman who dismantled his opponents in a timely fashion all the while wearing his trademark white gi. Ahhhhh, those were the good 'ole days. Royce burst onto the MMA scene at UFC 1 and won all three of his matches by submission in a combined time of about 5 minutes. Art Jimmerson, Ken Shamrock, and Gerard Gordeau were all the first to find out what Gracie Jiu-Jitsu was all about. The takedowns were methodic, the transitions were smooth, and the submissions were pretty much unknown at the time. It was literally a gut-wrenching experience as Royce's opponents did not know what was happening until it was too late. As a fan, I hadn't a clue about the guard, mount, or the dreaded rear naked choke. As a fighter, no one knew what to do besides swing for the fences and hope you don't get taken down. After a night of dominance at UFC 1, Royce returned to the octagon and put away 4 opponents in under 10 minutes to be crowned the Ultimate Fighting champ and seemed to be untouchable. It was believed at that time that nobody, and I mean NOBODY could beat Royce in a no holds barred match! Bring on Tyson, Ali, Karelin...not a person would be able to do a thing to this 6 foot wonder!

Royce's "unbeatable" shell cracked at UFC 3 when he encountered Kimo Leopaldo. Kimo, although enjoying the spotlight at the moment thanks to the UG, was completely unknown at the time and was deemed Royce's next victim. Bulging with muscle, Kimo carried a cross to the octagon and awaited his chance at dethroning the jiu-jitsu kingpin. While most believed the fight would be over quickly and easily, most were wrong. Royce was tested by a stronger, gutsier fighter than he had ever faced before. Although he eventually subbed Kimo with an armbar, the damage had been done. Royce was barely able to stand after the fight as he had literally given all he had in the gas tank to extend Kimo's arm. When Royce entered the octagon for his next fight against Canadian psycho Harold Howard, he was obviously spent and had nothing left for his opponent. The towel was thrown in and he was given his first "loss". While the shell had cracked, he quickly patched things with another 3 wins at UFC 4 to again show his dominance and regain his "unbeatable" status. At UFC 5, however, that status would suffer another blow.

It was the first ever superfight in the UFC and it was the biggest match the sport had ever witnessed! Although Royce had beat Ken 2 years prior this match would be no easy feat. Ken had been fighting in the Pancrase organization to prepare him for this match with Royce and subsequently showed the world that his submission defense had improved. Ken took Royce down and grounded and pounded him for 25 minutes. Back then, kiddies, there were no rounds. After the 25 minute period ended there was a 6 minute overtime period. The Shamrock takedown could not be stopped and Royce was forced to eat Ken's fist from guard yet again. Although the fight was officially declared a draw, the after fight pics showed that Royce had suffered much more damage than Ken. Yet Again, Royce's "unbeatable" status took a hit.

While Royce would go on to lose yet again by corner stoppage in a marathon match against the aptly named "Gracie Killer" Kazushi Sakuraba, the unbeatable shell was absolutely obliterated on May 27, 2006. The Staples Center in Los Angeles was the setting for Royce's fall...his opponent was Matt Hughes. Out with the old in with the new could have been the theme for the night. Hughes took Gracie down, mangled his arm in a straight armbar, transitioned to mount with ease, and beat Royce Gracie until "Big" John McCarthy had no choice but to stop the action. While Royce would never tap and proved he has one tough dude, his reign at the semi-top of the hill was over for good. No more could he be considered a dangerous opponent for anyone, now he was a fighter who used to be at the top of the food chain and was now just a mediocre opponent and someone the sport had outgrown. The fans of MMA followed suit with their thoughts and Royce disappeared into the background until he was suspended by the CSAC for steroid use after his decision victory over Kazushi Sakuraba. While he is a legend in the sport, he is no longer one of "The Unbeatable".

Mark "The Hammer" Coleman



Mark Coleman has seen his ups and downs in the sport of MMA. Coleman won the first ever UFC Heavyweight Tournament in 1996 and dispatched of Moti Horenstein, Gary Goodridge, and Don Frye to take the coveted belt home to Columbus, OH. He was the first dominant wrestler the sport had witnessed and was yet again billed as "unbeatable". His success brought another appearance at UFC 11 just 2 months later as he steamrolled Julian Sanchez and Brian Johnston to win 2 more fights and another belt in the octagon. He wasn't just at the top of the food chain, he was the food chain...well, for another year at least. Coleman asserted his dominance in impressive fashion when he submitted Dan "The Beast" Severn with a neck crank/choke at UFC 12 but would soon be exposed by a brilliant kickboxer. Maurice Smith used good takedown defense, crisp striking, and superior cardio to map out a plan to defeat "The Hammer". After 21 minutes of hard-fought action, Smith had his hands raised as the victor. Coleman's shell was cracked but not broken when he stepped in to fight Pete Williams at UFC 17. Williams forced the fight to overtime, conserved more energy than Coleman, and landed the most famous head kick the UFC had ever seen which consequently separated Coleman from his senses. After 4 straight losses, Coleman was widely believed to be a has-been, washed up, and even called the worst nickname in MMA...the dreaded "tomato can".

What happened next was unheard of. After spending more than 2 years at the bottom of the heap, Coleman quickly climbed back to the top and won his next 6 fights and the historic Grand Prix title in Pride. Suddenly, he was considered one of "The Unbeatable" again. His destruction of Allan Goes is absolutely vicious so if you haven't seen that one, buy the DVD! Just as quick as he climbed to the top, unfortunately he fell yet again. After his 6 fight win streak, he's gone 4-5 with his most notable losses being against "Minotauro" Nogueira (once by triangle armbar in '01) and two to Fedor Emelianenko (both by armbar in '04 and '06). Coleman did recently get a much needed win against Stephan Bonnar at UFC 100 and I can't wait to see "The Hammer" back in action soon!

Fedor Emelianenko

This man needs no introduction and unlike the other 2 fighters I've covered, this man is still at the top of the heap! Fedor slowly climbed his way to the top and methodically worked for his "#1 Fighter in the World" status. Fedor started his MMA career in the Rings organization and later gained stardom in the Pride organization. While he looks like a nice guy and doesn't seem too menacing, once you've seen this guy fight you'll think otherwise. He's calm and collected under pressure and never seems to believe he is in trouble. Striking, takedowns, submissions...they're all strengths in his game. To this point, Emelianenko has been beaten only once (by a bad cut) and seems to have a strong game wherever the fight may take place. He has been given the impossible task of staying in "The Unbeatable" group for his entire career. At this point, he would be the favorite in any fight and for good reason. Nearly every MMA fan will tell you he is the best fighter in the world and will not be beat. However, how long can Fedor stay on top of the heap?

While he was originally slated to face the #2 heavyweight in the world, Josh Barnett, we all know that this fight is no longer taking place. The two names being seriously considered at this point are Vitor Belfort and Brett Rogers. While both opponents have a shot at defeating "The Last Emperor", we all know those chances are very slim. If Fedor has trained seriously and comes prepared, I don't see someone beating him for a long, long time. However, and this is a big however, Fedor can't stay atop the mountain forever. Whether it be August 1st or years down the road, Fedor's unbeatable status will crumble. An opponent will defeat him and I believe in convincing fashion at some point within the next couple years. When this happens the fairweather fans will shift towards the next big thing and Fedor will be left behind to climb the mountain on his own. The biggest question at this point is: Who's going to beat Fedor? We'll talk about that at another time!

Who else is currently being pushed as a part of "The Unbeatable" club? Brock Lesnar, Shane Carwin, Cain Velasquez, Georges St. Pierre, Anderson Silva, Miguel Torres, and Lyoto Machida to name just a few. All of these athletes have one thing in common and it's what I call the gravity principle. What goes up must come down. I could write this exact same article in 2 years and I'd bet some serious cash that at least 4 of the 7 fighters listed above have either fallen to the bottom or had their unbeatable shell cracked. And you can be sure that there will be 4 more hungry fighters being pushed as the next big thing to take their place. That is the great thing about MMA. No one fighter will ever have to hold the weight of "The Unbeatable" club on their shoulders alone. There will always be fighters climbing to the top, sliding to the bottom, and floating somewhere between success and failure at all times. The sport of MMA is gorwing by leaps and bounds and no one really knows how big it will be in a matter of years. I do know one thing...it's a great time to be an MMA fan! Thanks for reading everyone, I really appreciate your support!

Until Then...