# The 10 Greatest Pride FC Middleweight Fighters

> Knockout artists, Olympic grapplers and fan-favorite showmen who lit up Japan's grandest ring all jostle for the top spot. Who reigns supreme?

*By YPB Team · Published June 17, 2026 · https://youpick.best/ranking/the-10-greatest-pride-fc-middleweight-fighters*

---

## Current results (3 votes)

1. **Wanderlei Silva** — 66.67% (2 votes · score 1000/1000)
   The Axe Murderer, Pride's inaugural and longest-reigning middleweight champion known for ferocious knockouts.
2. **Kazushi Sakuraba** — 33.33% (1 votes · score 753/1000)
   The Gracie Hunter, a beloved Japanese pro-wrestler-turned-MMA legend.
3. **Murilo Bustamante** — 0% (0 votes · score 726/1000)
   A technical Brazilian Top Team veteran and former UFC champion who competed in Pride.
4. **Mauricio Rua** — 0% (0 votes · score 652/1000)
   Shogun, who won the 2005 Middleweight Grand Prix with relentless, dynamic striking.
5. **Kazuo Misaki** — 0% (0 votes · score 565/1000)
   A skilled Japanese fighter who won the 2006 Welterweight Grand Prix and faced the elite.
6. **Alistair Overeem** — 0% (0 votes · score 339/1000)
   A hard-hitting striker who rose through Pride's middleweight ranks before moving up.
7. **Quinton Jackson** — 0% (0 votes · score 339/1000)
   Rampage, a powerful slam artist who waged one of MMA's greatest rivalries with Wanderlei Silva.
8. **Antonio Rogerio Nogueira** — 0% (0 votes · score 339/1000)
   Lil Nog, a slick boxer and judoka who battled the division's best.
9. **Dan Henderson** — 0% (0 votes · score 339/1000)
   An Olympic wrestler who knocked out Silva to become Pride's only simultaneous two-division champion.
10. **Hidehiko Yoshida** — 0% (0 votes · score 339/1000)
   An Olympic judo gold medalist who became a Japanese MMA star in Pride.

Tags: japan, fighters, mma, pride fc
