Imagine stepping into a locked cage where one mistake can knock you unconscious and one perfect move can etch your name into history. This is the world of mixed martial arts (MMA), a sport that blends wrestling, boxing, kickboxing, judo, jiu-jitsu, and other hybrid techniques into the closest legal approximation to real hand-to-hand combat. Only the most dangerous fouls, such as eye gouges and groin strikes, are off-limits. In this unforgiving arena, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) stands at the center. The largest organization of MMA since its founding in 1993, UFC has transformed MMA from a fringe spectacle into a global phenomenon, producing athletes whose skills, toughness, and strategic brilliance redefine what the human body can do.
Determining the greatest UFC fighters of all time is more than counting belts. It requires dominance, strength of competition, and their influence on the sport itself. This essay delves into ranking the top 10 UFC fights according to:
Performance and dominance measured by title wins, consistency, and control over their weight classes.
2.Impact of the sport measured through the promotion and the change of general techniques over the sport that the fighters brought
These factors are general indicators for determining great fighters, and other factors, such as the fact that fighters in the heavyweight division are harder to maintain their title shot wins than the lower weight classes, can be implied. Also, only fighters who held at least one UFC title are considered, as championship status represents the pinnacle of MMA excellence.
Jon “Bones” Jones
Often called the Michael Jordan of MMA, Jones boasts an almost perfect record of 28 wins, 1 loss, and 1 no contest in his record. He was a former light-heavyweight and heavyweight champion in UFC, and has 16 UFC title shot wins, the largest number of title shot wins in the history of UFC. Jon has been showing his dynamic performances by dominating his opponents, making the most strongest fighters in the division, such as Daniel Cormier and Stipe Miocic, look easy to win against. Jones is not only capable of using various techniques such as grappling and striking, but also capable of using techniques adapted to his unique physical features: having an 84.5-inch long reach, height, great cardios, and exceptional strengths. The unexpected elbows that come from a long distance, long guards with long reaches, combinations of wrestling faints with striking, clinch with long arms when the opponents break his striking distance, and the most rigorous takedown defences all combined and used with his extraordinary fight IQ make him the greatest UFC fighter of all time.
George “The Rush” St-Pierre (GSP)
A symbol of discipline and evolution, GSP has a record of 26 wins and 2 losses, including 12 title wins. More remarkably, he avenged both of his losses in dominant rematches, showing his ability to learn and adapt. GSP has competed in the welterweight division, one of the most competitive divisions in UFC. GSP blended his karate-style striking with dynamic jabs, kicks, and double-leg takedowns, followed by his explosive strengths. Although he came from a striking background, he sometimes out-wrestled world-class grapplers like Jon Fitch and Jon Fitch and Josh Koscheck. He even won a middleweight title after three years of absence in UFC fights, cementing his legacy as the greatest welterweight fighter.
Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson
At 27 wins, 4 losses, 1 tie, and 12 title wins, the Mighty Mouse ruled the flyweight division. If MMA were jazz, DJ would be a virtuoso, flowing seamlessly between striking, wrestling, scrambling, and submissions. As implied in his ringname, his movement in the octagon was like a slick mouse hunting its prey. DJ was capable of using almost every technique in MMA, with a consistent flow of moving on to the next step of techniques. DJ sometimes ridiculed his opponents by imitating the opponent’s fighting style during the fight. Some might say that his opponents were comparatively less competitive than opponents in other weight divisions. However, DJ actually fought with some legitimate fighters such as Henry Cejudo, and even though his weight division was less competitive than others, it can’t diminish his exceptional persistence of reigning for 6 years as a champion.
Anderson “The Spider” Silva
Known as “The Spider,” Silva has a record of 34 wins, 11 losses, 1 no contest, and 11 title wins. He was a creative striker, knocking out opponents with kicks and punches out of nowhere. He covered his flaw in takedown defenses with his impenetrable strikes with no guards, mocking his opponents. Although Silva had some losses after his downfall due to his shin injuries, caused in the fight against Chris Weidman, he was nearly unbeatable during his prime, reigning for 2457 days as a champion, which is the longest reigning time in UFC.
Jose “Junior” Aldo
Before Conor McGregor’s 13-second overshadowed his legacy, Algo reigned over the featherweight division with 32 wins and 10 losses, including 8 title wins. His explosive leg kicks and rush toward the opponent without any fears in his eyes demolished the contenders into KOs. Aldo was not a champion who tried to avoid any hard fights; rather, he was both a champion and a challenger who survived in the most intense combat sports organization until his late 30s.
Alexander “the great” Volkanovski
With 27 wins, 4 losses, and 7 title wins, he was a featherweight UFC champion who reigned in the cage. It’s hard to doubt that his ring name doesn’t fit him. Volkanovski is well-rounded with fast jabs, leg kicks, and grappling, accompanied by a fastest step in the featherweight. Furthermore, Volkanovski is a great strategy-executioner; he prepares a suitable plan for his opponents and razes them. His three victories over Max Holloway, another all-time great, and achieving the champion belt after getting 2 consecutive knockouts demonstrated his excellence.
Stipe Miocic
Heavyweight is the most unpredictable division; however, Miocic stabilized the ground with his consistent wins, achieving 20 wins, 5 losses, and 6 title wins. He was a heavyweight champion who fought against various UFC veterans like Daniel Cormier and Junior Dos Santos. Harmonized with his strong NCAA D1 wrestling and the golden glove boxing background, he performed a style with indestructible offense wrestling and boxing with reliable punch power. In UFC, heavyweight is the hardest weight class to persistently stay in the top, since most of the fighters in heavyweights rely on the striking and ko power rather than stable grappling. Considering the fact that he had 6 title wins and stayed as a top contender in the heavyweight division makes him one of the greatest of all time in UFC.
Merab “The Machine” Dvalishvili
The human cardio machine. Dvalishvili, 21 wins, 4 losses, and 4 title wins, still reigns as a bantamweight champion of the world. Bantamweight is historically one of the most competitive divisions, yet Dvalishvili overwhelms opponents with relentless pressure, chain-wrestling, and superhuman stamina. With his rigorous sambo backgrounds and cardios, he reminds people that cardio is the most crucial ability that the champions have to acquire. Unlike Dominick and Sterling with comparable title counts, Merab showed absolute control with every win with unanimous decisions.
Khabib “The Eagle” Nurmagomedov
He has the perfect record of 29 wins and 0 losses with 4 title wins. Khabib’s lightweight champion legacy remains significant despite “only” 4 title wins. Nurmagomedov started a new era of MMA, establishing a well-structured Dagestani hand-cuff system technique into MMA which allows to control opponents in the cage and keep them in unfavorable positions, ultimately leading to winning a whole round. Also, he was the trigger of a continuous influx of numerous Russian fighters like Islam Makhachev and Magomed Ankalaev to UFC. Those fighters from Russia are having some spots as top-contenders in modern UFC roster, utilizing their unique grappling techniques. With his huge influence and remarkable legacy in UFC, he is often regarded as the greatest fighter of all time, even with a shorter career.
Conor “The Notorious” McGregor
McGregor has achieved 22 wins and 6 losses, including 2 title shot wins. However, he is not simply defined by the statistics. The immense promotional power of UFC, precipitated by his presence, is irrefutable. McGregor became the UFC’s first simultaneous two-division champion, known for sniper-like counterstriking and psychological warfare that dismantled opponents before they stepped into the cage. He fascinated the viewers with his phenomenal performances and trash-talkings. Furthermore, he even became the world’s highest-paid athlete in 2021, receiving 180 million dollar payouts. Love him or hate him, the UFC would not be what it is today without Conor McGregor.
These ten fighters have each demonstrated their excellence through their dominance, consistency, and impact on the sport. While their fighting styles, weight classes, and characteristics differ from each other, they share a common trait: the ability to elevate the level of MMA by showing their dynamic capacity. Their sublime fights inside the octagon affected numerous people outside the octagon to have motivation and idols. The fighters in the list might change over time; however, the octagon remembers greatness, and these ten names will echo through its history for decades to come.
By: Dowon Ahn
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