Sherdog’s Top 10: Greatest British Fighters

7. Ian Freeman

The original pioneer of British MMA Ian Freeman finishes seventh on this list. Freeman was a limited fighter even by the standards of early 2000s MMA. He had good boxing but lacked kicks or even a defense against them, had equally porous defense against punches and was a poor grappler. Freeman began his career 7-0, with a knockout over Travis Fulton gaining him an invite to the UFC. There, he was submitted in Round 1 by Scott Adams, who curiously never fought again. Freeman won his next three against light competition but then lost his next four, all by stoppage. Nor were these top fighters, but relative journeymen in Bob Schrijber, Osami Shibuya, Valentjin Overeem and Stanislav Nuschik. Freeman then won a rematch against Nuschik and defeated Brazilian NHB legend Carlos Barreto by decision. It was then that Freeman won the fight of his life, and the reason he is on this list. Against a very cocky 23-year-old upstart called Frank Mir, who 4-0 at the time, Freeman survived Mir's attempts to submit him early and punished him with ground-and-pound, garnering a stoppage at the end of the first. This would be Freeman's last success in the UFC though, as he was then knocked out by a 4-3 but improving young fighter called Andrei Arlovski in under 90 seconds and then had an ugly draw against Vernon White, who had gone up to heavyweight. Freeman continued having success outside the UFC, only losing by knockout to Melvin Manhoef.

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