In the long history of the UFC, there have been many phenomenal fighters. However, the MMA community often disagrees on who they think is the best of all time. This is a list of the top 10 fighters ever to enter the octagon under the UFC.
#1 Jon Jones (27-1)
Jon Jones is the current heavyweight champion and was the light heavyweight champion from 2011 to 2021 before he vacated the belt and took a two-year break. While having one loss on his record, Jones has never actually lost a fight. His one loss was a disqualification loss for throwing an illegal elbow in a beatdown of Matt Hammill. Jon “Bones” Jones had a famous rivalry with Daniel Cormier in the light heavyweight division where Jones won both fights, one by decision and one by TKO.
With 15 wins, Jon Jones has the record for most title fight victories and is often considered the most dominant fighter of all time. He holds victories over wrestlers like Daniel Cormier, Lyoto Machida, Glover Teixeira, Alexander Gustafsson, Vitor Belfort, Chael Sonnen, Rampage Jackson, and Shogun Rua.
Georges St-Pierre.
#2 Georges St-Pierre (26-2)
Georges St-Pierre was considered to be the greatest fighter of all time for a long time, due to his pure dominance and stranglehold on the welterweight division. GSP has the record for most title defenses and most control time in his division’s history. Title defenses over guys like Matt Hughes, BJ Penn, Nick Diaz, and Josh Koscheck made him one of the most beloved, yet dominant champions ever.
Following his retirement in 2013, GSP returned four years later and moved up a weight class to fight Michael Bisping for what would make him the fourth man to hold two divisional titles.
Demetrius Johnson at weigh-ins for the WFC.
#3 Demetrius Johnson (25-4-1)
Perhaps the most skilled fighter of all time, Demetrious “Might Mouse” Johnson held the UFC flyweight championship for 6 years before he finally lost to Henry Cejudo. Johnson was elite on all levels but had unmatched skills on the ground. He had 32% of his wins by submission and was never submitted in his professional career as well as never being knocked out in the UFC.
It is no understatement to say that Demetrious Johnson ran through the flyweight division. His reign was so dominant that the UFC almost shut down the division because there was a lack of contenders.
Anderson Silva.
#4 Anderson Silva (34-11)
Anderson Silva is widely regarded as the best striker in UFC history, known for his ability to throw unpredictable strikes out of positions that nobody else could. He also holds the record for the longest win streak ever in the UFC at 16 wins. Silva was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in July of 2023.
Silva holds the record for most wins in the middleweight division and title defenses. According to a poll in 2023, Anderson “The Spider” Silva is the most dominant fighter of all time.
He famously defeated another UFC Legend in a hall of fame fight Chael Sonnen in a Hall of Fame fight via triangle choke. He would have lost the fight if he didn’t get the finish.
Alexander Volkanovski in the octagon.
#5 Alexander Volkanovski (26-4)
Alexander was one of the most dominant champions ever seen in the featherweight division. Volkanovski ran through his division with contenders like Max Holloway three times, Yair Rodriguez, The Korean Zombie, and Brian Ortega.
With a four-year reign, he cleared out the entire division and saw nothing but success.
This was until he moved up a weight class to fight Islam Makhachev and lost. However, many UFC fans believe Volkanovski won the first fight and he was robbed of his champ status. He then fought Islam again on short notice but was unfortunately knocked out.
Volkanovski is seen as one of the most beloved fighters of all time, and his ranking here only represents.
Aldo at a UFC press conference with the championship belt.
#6 José Aldo (31-8)
Before Volkanovski rolled along, Jose ‘Junior’ Aldo was seen as the obvious greatest featherweight of all time, and his resume showed that. From 2006 to 2016, Aldo didn’t lose a single fight. During this 18-fight win streak, Aldo was rarely injured and commonly defended his belt against top contenders.
Aldo’s most fearsome attacks were his vicious leg kicks which could make any living human limp, and his legendary body shots. When it came to finishing fights, Aldo was a merchant, finishing just about every contender that he faced during his peak.
Aldo, like many other legendary fighters, fought for too long. He was knocked out a few times in the final years of his career, and he famously lost his 10-year winning streak at the hands of Conor McGregor. Despite this, he is still adored by fans all over the world because of his intensity, efficiency, and lethal skill set.
Cormier after winning his second belt in the UFC.
#7 Daniel Cormier (22-3)
Daniel ‘DC’ Cormier is an incredibly accomplished amateur wrestler and MMA fighter in the light heavyweight and heavyweight divisions. He was an Olympian in the former and a two-division champion in the latter. He was known for his suffocating wrestling, great slams, and intense rivalries. One such rivalry was with Jon Jones.
Cormier is the only male UFC fighter to simultaneously defend championships held in two separate divisions. He won his first UFC championship in 2017 after Jon Jones announced he was taking time off. Although he lost this belt to Jones, the bout was overturned to a no-contest and Cormier got his belt back. Cormier defended said belt once before challenging the then heavyweight champion, Stipe Miocic, where Cormier knocked him out in the first round.
Although he ended up losing his next two fights to Miocic, Cormier retired as one of the most well-known and dominant fighters of his generation.
Usman on top of the cage after winning his fight.
#8 Kamaru Usman (20-4)
Kamaru Usman has become underrated in recent times. However, given a few years’ time, it’s almost guaranteed that Usman will be remembered as one of the most punishing and unbeatable fighters of the modern era.
A relentless wrestler, Usman first captured UFC gold in 2019 after demolishing Tyron Woodley. Usman also proceeded to defend the title 5 separate times in a division considered to be one of the toughest in the sport. Kamaru also holds the second-longest win streak in UFC history with 15 wins in a row.
Though many view wrestling as a boring style in MMA, Usman always makes sure to mix in some career-ending power punches that always kept his opponents on their feet, which made it much easier for Kamaru to pulverize them.
Unfortunately, in a routine title defense against Leon Edwards in 2022, Usman ate a head kick in the final minute. Had it not landed, Usman would still be a champion today. However, since the kick landed, Usman’s reign is only a memory.
Max Holloway sitting with his arms crossed.
#9 Max Holloway (26-7)
Max Holloway is known for his work on his feet, and is know as the best volume striker ever seen in the UFC. As of Apr. 4, he holds the records for most significant strikes landed and total strikes landed. Holloway also holds records for longest win streak, most finishes, and total wins in the featherweight division.
Max Holloway rose to stardom when he knocked out Jose Aldo in 2017, and a few months later won the featherweight championship. Holloway won 13 consecutive fights from 2014 to 2018 before finally losing to Volkanovski. Before he was defeated he was tied for the 3rd longest win streak in UFC history.
The only real blemishes on Holloway’s career are his three losses to Alexander Volkanovski. Because Holloway always beat the other upcoming contenders, there was nobody else to fight between the two, so when they met, Volkanovski walked away as the champion all three times.
Max Holloway remains possibly the most entertaining fighter in UFC history, and it only helps that he’s one of the greatest of all time.
Cain Velasquez in the octagon celebrating after a win.
#10 Cain Velasquez (14-3)
The greatest UFC heavyweight of all time, Cain Velasquez was feared for his excellent cardio and his ruthless style. At his peak, Velasquez was hardly challenged because of his aggressive approach. Cain famously ran through contenders like Bigfoot Silva, Brock Lesnar, Junior Dos Santos, and Travis Browne.
Aside from his relentless pace, Cain Velasquez finished almost everyone he faced. He made top contenders seem like rookies because of the way he dismantled people. While he did get knocked out in his first title defense against Junior Dos Santos, Cain proceeded to knock him out once and beat him by decision after that.
Velasquez’s UFC career was riddled with injuries throughout his 15 fights in the promotion. Following a 3 year layoff, Cain faced a rising Francis Ngannou who would be a future champion. While he lost this fight, his dominant victories defined his career.
Cain Velasquez is a future Hall of Famer that cannot be denied.
As stated earlier, there are so many legends in the history of the UFC. Of course, there were great fighters that were left off this list, but the greatest fighters are best represented by the legacy that they leave in the cage. These ten have left it all in the cage, and some may even continue to succeed in the promotion.