It started out with Royce, then continued on with Ruas, Sperry, Carson Gracie team, Arona and adcc, then BTT and Chute Box, etc.
Currently the top 3 champion-spots are held by Brazil. Silva, Noguiera and Belfort.
Fedor is hw champ for Pride. Brazil still has the top fighters.
And I'm only scratching the surface.
lol, why does Nog still count?
The most prestigious chemapionships in MMA are (I'll use the Nevada weight classes or their close approximation):
Pride HW, Pride MW/LHW, UFC HW (vacant), UFC LHW, UFC MW (vacant), UFC WW, UFC LW (vacant), Shooto WW vacant), Shooto LW, Shooto 145lbs, Shooto 135, Shooto under 125 (note that Shooto goes a bit lighter, but Nevada stops here and 155 is really 154 in Shooto, etc.). Even though the UFC doesn't have 145, 135, and under 125 they are real weight classes.
Russia has 1 one of those titles (albeit the MOST prestigious of all of them) in Fedor.
Silva, Belfort, Shoalin, Pequeno gives Brazil 4 titles.
USA has Penn for 1 title.
Japan has 2 (but I forget the names of the 135 and 125 guys).
Brazil>Japan>Russia=USA??? (not sure about that)
4 of the 12 most prestigous titles are vacant right now!
Team Quest will hold some more belts by the end of the year.
didn't Nog and CroCop fight for the interim title? That means that Fedor and Nog both hold the title until their rematch, no?
Russia will win the GP.
Belfort isn't champ of anything
Belfort holds the UFC LHW title, sandman. Keep up to date.
Nog holds the interin Pride HW title.
Fedor is good, but he is only one russian compared to 1/2-dozen other Brazilians that hold the prestigious titles.
The problem is that many great Russian fighters never get the chance to fight in the Pride or UFC. For every good Russian fighter than fans in the U.S. hear about, there are three more that are just as good or better that fade into obscurity.
I don't think any one country should be considered the best but Brazil was doing Vale Tudo first and still has the only true Vale Tudo event at a world class level.
The best fighters from Russia, Japan, U.S.A.. etc. rival the best fighters in Brazil.
I love MINO but Fedor is true champ and is bad matchup for MINO.
Arlovski will take Sylvia i think. Biggest fight yet for both.
"and still has the only true Vale Tudo event at a world class level"
Maybe except Finnfight
Belfort=paper champion
Surprising response from your father.
ttt