I've always said that Fedor is the p4p best. There are a lot of variables that need to be looked at when determining the p4p best. Fight record, skill level, athleticism, mental toughness, adaptability, and IMO fighting bigger fighters than yourself. When looking at all of these, Fedor stands out the most. I think the thing that stands out most about him is that no one has "realistically" beat him yet. In all his years in MMA, there has not been a man to be able to figure out how to beat or finish him.....he is that good. That's why he has the best fight record in the p4p list.
His skill level is also top notch. He is a true mixed martial artist. I have more respect for guys that have a really good mix of KO's and submissions. He has 8 KO's and 16 submissions, which means he is a danger anywhere.
I think Fedor is also the best at mental toughness. In all his fights, I've never seen him lose his temper, panic, or look like the fight has been taken out of him. He comes in with a great game plan every fight and executes it pretty damn good.
His adaptability is excellent too. If his game plan isn't working the way he wanted it, he adapts to his oppenents weakness and exploits it. I'm fairly certain that his game plan was to constantly take Cro Cop town and gnp him when they fought. But when he realized that he was outstriking the deadliest heavyweight striker, he kept it on the feet for a great portion of the fight.
In the p4p list, there isn't anyone that even comes close to Fedor when it comes to fighting bigger fighters. I know BJ even fought heavyweight a while back, and Silva has fought at 205 a couple times. But Fedor is the smaller guy at least 95% of the time. Quite often, he is outweighed by 20-30 pounds. Think about it, that would be like BJ fighting the worlds best middleweights almost every fight. And we saw how much weight and strength comes into play when the worlds best 155er goes up one weight class to take on the worlds best at 170. Size and strength do play a part. And for the smaller fighter like Fedor to win every single time, is saying a lot.
There is also one other important thing here I want to mention that no one seems to realize. All the fighters on this list except Fedor, travel around and train with many of the best fighters in the world. Fighting out of camps like Greg Jackson, ATT, or AKA allows a fighter to train with many other prominent fighters.....that allows you to learn from them and grow as a fighter. Most of the fighters will bring in another fighter outside of their camp to help them train for a fight. Or they will travel to another gym to learn from other fighters. Fedor does not do this. He has always trained with pretty much the same guys at his gym. How he can continue to stay the best without learning from other fighters or camps, is beyond me. That's just another testament to how good he really is.