MMANEWS.COM Staff Writer</B><BR><BR>
It?s one thing for a fighter to step into a cage (or ring) and test their physical and mental fortitude in the face of another determined foe. Standing tall and refusing to succumb to a violent onslaught is a completely different story. It takes a special breed to absorb significant punishment and not so much as waver. For one, a fighter must possess an ability to withstand offensive damage without losing consciousness; this is a gift that few men are born with. Second, the ability to fight through adversity while maintaining a never-say-quit attitude is essential; if a fighter doubts his own capabilities, he?s likely in for a long night should he be tapped to collide with an aggressive opponent. Anytime a man emerges with both of these qualities, he stands to either a, earn tremendous success, or b, become a hum punching bag likely to face health issues post-career.<BR><BR>
While not every competitor on this list is a top flight competitor, there?s no doubt that each man has proven himself remarkably durable. These are men who aren?t likely to be knocked out, aren?t likely to be submitted, and rarely, if ever, fold in the eye of the storm. In short, this is a small selection of fighters who absolutely refuse to broken or bettered.<BR><BR>
<B>Roy Nelson:</B> ?Big Country? may very well be the toughest man alive. Roy?s now made a career of taking hellacious beatings and hanging in there for the long haul. At UFC 117, then contender, now champion Junior dos Santos easily abused Roy for fifteen full minutes. Time and again ?Cigano? ripped at the head and body of Nelson, who did little more than take the aggression and? well he simply took the beating delivered. Roy was in fact, the first man to force dos Santos to fight the distance inside the octagon. But Roy would go on to engage in more than one horrendous affair; at UFC 130 Frank Mir fed Nelson a steady diet of punches kicks and knees en route to a lopsided decision; at UFC 143 Fabricio Werdum turned Nelson into a bloody mess, utilizing a vicious Thai plumb and powerful knees to the face. Through it all, Roy?s refused to quit. He rarely falls, and if he does, he?s back up in moments, ready to take whatever aggression comes his way.<BR><BR>
<B>BJ Penn:</B> Like Nelson, BJ Penn can take what?s thrown at him and keep on coming. One of the hardest heads in the business, Penn?s noggin has taken some monstrous shots, but few ever so much as faze the determined Hawaiian. In fact, in 26 professional bouts, Penn?s only been stopped by two men: Matt Hughes (whom he holds two victories over) and consensus number one welterweight on the planet, Georges St. Pierre. It seems you can take a baseball bat to the grill of Penn and it?s only going to ignite anger, and a brutal jab. If you enjoy the old school boxing method of defending punches with the forehead, you?re likely a huge fan of ?The Prodigy?, as he?s taken the method, and implemented it in nearly every single one of his fights.<BR><BR>
<B>Frankie Edgar:</B> Frankie Edgar isn?t immune to power punches; he?s just got the resolve of an age old warrior who?s never contemplated defeat. After being leveled early by Gray Maynard at UFC 125, ?The Answer? somehow managed to avoid the finish, shake the cobwebs and rally to earn a draw in his second defense of the lightweight title. Given how close the bout was, Edgar was assigned the task of engaging in an immediate rematch with Maynard. Again, Frankie took some punishment, but it wasn?t close enough to actually stop the New Jersey native; rather, Edgar would go on to completely starch Maynard in the fourth round of their third (the pair first met in 2008, with no title on the line) fight to put a definitive end to an engaging rivalry. After tasting the power of heavy hitters like BJ Penn and Gray Maynard, Frankie?s proven that he?s not one to crack when things get hot.<BR><BR><!--more-break-->
<B>Mark Hunt:</B> With the exception of a shocking flash knockout at the hands of Melvin Manhoef, Mark Hunt just doesn?t succumb to strikes. This man?s cranium may well be filled with concrete, because it?s damn near impossible to knock the guy out; a fact that the world learned throughout Hunt?s K-1 kickboxing days. Whether you?re a power puncher a la Alistair Overeem, or an absolute sharp shooter in the vein of Fedor Emelianenko, if it isn?t a submission assault, it?s not likely to render Mark Hunt defenseless. If you need any proof of how tough this beast is, take a look at Mark?s bout with Mirko Crocop at Pride Shockwave 2005; Hunt takes one of Filipovic?s feared high kicks, flush to the face, and only grins and continues moving forward.<BR><BR>
<B>Nick Diaz:</B> The Stockton bad boy is arguably the toughest man to ever compete in the history of this sport. What?s so amazing is the fact that it seems Nick actually wills himself to overcome everything thrown in his direction. Whether eating a flush punch from the heavy handed Paul Daley, a bevy of leg kicks from ?Cyborg? Santos, or a precise kick to the face from Carlos Condit, this gentleman just refuses to go away. What?s more admirable, is the fact that Diaz seems to have zero qualms with taking some damage if it creates the opening for him to retaliate. When the term ?tough guy? is tossed about, Nick Diaz should be the first face to pop into mind!<BR><BR>
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