Many long-time mixed martial arts fans often wonder about who are the best UFC fighters of all time. Well, look no further because we have you covered with a rundown of the 10 top competitors to ever grace the Octagon.
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Bookmark this page and come back over the next few months as we expand our list and include other stars who are often in the greatest UFC fighter of all time debate. Without further ado, let’s get to the list.
Some may question the level of competition UFC icon Chuck Liddell faced during his illustrious career. However, he competed in a very different era where sports science didn’t have quite the influence and wrestling dominated the game. Yet, “The Iceman” and his deadly right hand overcame all of that.
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He was one of the sport’s first crossover stars with a style and aura that mirrored Mike Tyson. Furthermore, his fights and wins over legends like Tito Ortiz and Randy Couture elevated the UFC to new heights and helped to establish the brand as a legitimate source for elite-level talent in the fight game.
There is no question that Daniel Cormier is one of the best UFC fighters of all time. He is one of just eight in promotion history to hold belts in two weight classes and is among only three athletes that was able to defend both.
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He has a hit list that includes MMA legends like Dan Henderson, Frank Mir, Stipe Miocic, and Alexander Gustafsson, and his only losses in the UFC were against two other fighters on this list. Both are the greatest ever in their divisions.
Amanda Nunes is one of the best UFC fighters of all time because she is the greatest female fighter in the sport’s history. “Lioness” fought every elite combatant in the divisions she competed in and in most cases absolutely obliterated them.
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Her victories over Cris Cyborg and Ronda Rousey will be on highlight reels forever, and she set a gold standard for female competitors in any fight sport. She was a once-in-a-generation talent and an icon of women’s sports.
While there will always be a debate on who is the greatest UFC welterweight ever if Kamaru Usman is your preferred choice it is hard to argue against him. Especially after he started his Octagon run with fifteen straight wins and six in title fights.
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Yet, what truly makes him special is his ability to evolve from a wrestling and cardio-dominant fighter to a complete MMA competitor. There is little he can’t do and he showed it by beating top talents like Jorge Masvidal, Colby Covington, Tyron Woodley, and Gilbert Burns. Usman lost only a few rounds during his peak period and that is why he is one of the best UFC fighters of all time.
Stipe Miocic is the best UFC heavyweight of all time, full-stop. Yes, he wasn’t perfect and suffered a few losses during his run in the Octagon. However, there is no division more volatile and harder to maintain relevancy than heavyweight. Yet for a decade he was an elite talent in the division as he scored wins over legends of the sport like Cormier, Fabricio Werdum, and Junior dos Santos.
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What really makes Miocic special is he was able to do so without being a gifted athlete and was often the underdog in some of his biggest wins.
Demetrious Johnson is the greatest flyweight in MMA history and it isn’t even close. There was little Johnson couldn’t do in a cage, and if not for a lack of finishes, he would be at the top of this list. What also makes “Mighty Mouse” a true UFC legend is he reigned over the 125-pound division for six years with honor, respect, and grace. In many ways, he was the perfect MMA athlete.
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Anderson Silva is not just one of the very best UFC fighters of all time, but he is the king of MMA in Brazil. “The Spider” was one of the few fighters whose legend was so impressive many of his foes were beaten even before they reached the cage. While he had several head-scratching moments during his UFC career, he was a truly awe-inspiring talent that many fight fans pick as the greatest pound-for-pound striker the sport has ever seen.
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In the end, age was what finally brought Silva down, and not a man could beat him in his prime.
Khabib Nurmagomedov was not an athlete as gifted as St-Pierre, Silva, Johnson, or Jones yet he dominated on a level that none of them ever did. During his 13 fights in the Octagon he never lost a round and rarely even had difficult moments. He was an absolute force of nature in the best division of the sport.
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“The Eagle” fought nearly every elite fighter of his era and beat them all definitively, including Conor McGregor, Dustin Poirier, and Justin Gaethje. He was a part of the biggest fight in UFC history and he won it. Enough said.
Canadian Georges St-Pierre was his homeland’s greatest fighting export and the best ambassador in the sport’s history. Like Johnson, he was an honorable assassin who dominated one of the promotion’s toughest divisions with respect and grace. Rarely did he lose a round during his peak.
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Yet, what cemented his amazing legacy was knocking the retirement rust off after four years away and moving up in weight to be one of the elite eight fighters to win belts in two divisions.
Jon Jones is the best UFC fighter of all time, while also being one of its most controversial. There are some who will question his place in the sport due to failed drug tests, but it is nevertheless hard to overlook his absurd resume during his run in the UFC.
He beat multiple former champions and future Hall-of-Famers, and on several occasions made it look easy. He added to his legacy in 2023 when he made a long-awaited move up to heavyweight and easily dispatched Ciryl Gane to become the latest fighter to win championships in two divisions.
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If a fight fan was creating the perfect fighter in the latest UFC video game, it would likely end up looking like Jon Jones.