The UFC has become one of the biggest sports in the world, growing astronomically from its first event in Denver, CO back in 1993. The sport has created legends and given a platform to some of the greatest athletes the world has ever seen, and is definitely at the pinnacle of performance right now. We reviewed the last 20 years and assembled the greatest fighters to ever grace the Octagon. These are the 30 greatest UFC fighters of all time.
30. Brock Lesnar
Who knows what would have happened with Lesnar’s career if he had gone straight to MMA. He was the second fighter ever to win a UFC title in his fourth professional fight. He is the only man to earn consecutive wins over three reigning UFC champions and is tied with Randy Couture and Tim Sylvia for most consecutive heavyweight title defenses.
29. Vitor Belfort
Belfort is currently ranked #4 middleweight in the world and is a former light heavyweight champion. He has won eight of his last ten fights which highlight a career that includes such prominent opponents as Anderson Silva, Randy Couture, Chuck Liddell, Rich Franklin, Tito Ortiz, Wanderlei Silva and Dan Henderson.
28. Jens Pulver
Pulver was the first UFC lightweight champion and holds the distinct honor of being one of only two fighters to defeat BJ Penn in the lightweight division. He also went on to coach “The Ultimate Fighter 5.”
27. Forrest Griffin
Griffin was the winner of the first season of “The Ultimate Fighter” and went on to capture the light heavyweight championship. While he has fought in numerous high-profile battles, his fight against Stephan Bonnar in 2005 is considered by many to be the fight that broke the UFC into the mainstream in the U.S.
26. Urijah Faber
The former featherweight champion who recently dropped down to the bantamweight (135 lbs.) category has had victories over Ivan Menjivar, Eddie Wineland and Jeff Curan. He is also the only man to defeat the current UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz.
25. Benson Henderson
Henderson has enjoyed victories over Clay Guida and Frankie Edgar on his way to the UFC lightweight championship. He then beat Edgar again to defend his title. He also held the WEC lightweight title from October 2009 to December 2010.
24. Jose Aldo
The UFC featherweight champion has defended his title four times and is currently on a 14-fight win streak as he hasn’t lost since 2005. Pound for pound he is considered one of the best current fighters in the sport today.
23. Quinton “Rampage” Jackson
Jackson is one of the most recognizable faces in UFC history and for a good reason. His fights against Wanderlei Silva and Forrest Griffin were named best fights of the year in 2004 and 2008. He also unified the UFC light heavyweight and Pride middleweight championships.
22. Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic
The 2006 Pride Open Weight Grand Prix champion is known as one of the greatest strikers in the history of the UFC. He has amassed 20 wins by KO or TKO including victories over Kazuyuki Fujita, Josh Barnett and Mark Coleman.
21. Shogun Rua
Rua was the UFC light heavyweight champion and won the Pride Grand Prix tournament in 2005, where he defeated Rampage Jackson, Rogerio Noguieira and Ricardo Arona. He is also the only man to have back-to-back knockout wins over UFC Hall of Famers, when he KO’d Mark Coleman and Chuck Liddell.
20. Wanderlei Silva
With his impressive unbeaten streak from 2000-2004, Silva dominated the heavyweight division with multiple Pride championships and two wins over Rampage Jackson. He is also a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Carlinhos Gracie.
19. Rashad Evans
Evans won season two of “The Ultimate Fighter” and went on to be the third winner to capture a UFC title when he won the UFC light heavyweight championship. His bout against Chuck Liddell in 2008 ended with what most considered the knockout of the year.
18. Bas Rutten
The former UFC heavyweight champion finished his career on a 22-fight unbeaten streak with 21 wins and 1 draw, including two different victories over Frank Shamrock.
17. Dan Severn
With a UFC record of 70-13-7, Severn is truly one of the legends of the sport. He won the UFC 5 tournament and was the last fighter to hold the UFC Superfight championship. Severn was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame at UFC 52.
16. Cain Velasquez
Velasquez is the first Mexican-American to win any heavyweight championship in mixed martial arts. His biggest victory came at UFC 121 when he defeated the champ, Brock Lesnar, who had been completely unstoppable before the bout.
15. Lyoto Machida
The former UFC light heavyweight champ is known for his background in Shotokan karate. He has trained in it under his father since he was 3 years old. He single-handedly revived interest in karate after his victory over Rashad Evans in 2009.
14. Frank
Mir
The most incredible part of Mir’s career was the amazing comeback he made after a motorcycle accident in 2004. He tore the ligaments in his knee and shattered his femur only a couple of months after winning the UFC title from Tim Sylvia. Many thought he would never return to the Octagon, but after two and a half years of rehab he won a UFC interim title and has gone 6-4.
13. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira
The Brazilian Jiu Jitsu champion was a force in the UFC along with his brother Rodrigo for years. His most notable wins have been against Tito Ortiz, Rashad Evans, Dan Henderson and Guy Mezger.
12. Rich Franklin
Franklin held the UFC middleweight championship with two successful title defenses during his career. His resume includes fights with superstars such as Anderson Silva, Dan Henderson, Vitor Belfort and Forrest Griffin. He also won a Fight of the Night award for his impressive victory over Chuck Liddell at UFC 115.
11. Ken Shamrock
Known as “The World’s Most Dangerous Man,” Shamrock enjoyed an illustrious career in the UFC including becoming the first UFC Superfight Champion when he defeated Dan Severn at UFC 6. He also holds the record for the longest fight in UFC history, which lasted an incredible 36 minutes at UFC 5.
10. Dan Henderson
Henderson’s resume is stronger than just about anyone in the history of the UFC. His only losses have come against the top names in the UFC while he holds victories over Wanderlei Silva, Vitor Belfort, Ryo Chonan, Antonio Nogueira, Fedor Emeilanenko, Yuki Kondo and numerous more. He is also the only fighter to ever knock out Renzo Gracie.
9. Tito Ortiz
One of the most decorated fighters in UFC history, Ortiz holds the record for most successful light heavyweight title defenses, most consecutive defenses, most light heavyweight championship fights, most light heavyweight championship fights won, and most light heavyweight championship rounds fought.
8. Chuck Liddell
Liddell dominated the light heavyweight division for over 11 years and was the first UFC fighter to ever appear on the cover of ESPN the Magazine. His career includes victories over Tito Ortiz, Randy Couture, Wanderlei Silva and Vitor Belfort, with a two-year reign as the light heavyweight champion.
7. Royce Gracie
One of the trailblazers of MMA, Gracie was the first inductee into the Hall of Fame in 2003. If you need any proof of his skills and abilities, check out UFC I when Gracie defeated three different opponents in one night, a feat completely unheard of now in the sport.
6. BJ Penn
It’s no surprise how dominant BJ Penn has been in the UFC seeing how he earned his BJJ black belt in three years, a task that usually takes more than 10 years to achieve. Penn is the only fighter to ever win both the lightweight and welterweight titles, as well.
5. Matt Hughes
Considered the greatest welterweight fighter in the history of the UFC, Hughes was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2010 and defended the welterweight title an amazing seven times. His fights with BJ Penn are some of the most exciting his weight class has ever seen.
4. Randy Couture
One of the most recognizable faces in the sport, Couture is the oldest fighter to ever win a title, as he defeated Tim Sylvia at age 43. The Hall of Famer is a three-time UFC Heavyweight Champion and also held the light heavyweight title twice. He also gets extra points for being one of “The Expendables.”
3. Jon Jones
If he keeps fighting the way he has, in a few years Jones will be a strong argument for the best fighter of all time. The current light heavyweight champ has successfully defended his title five times already and is the youngest fighter in UFC history to hold a title. Interestingly enough, Jones has said that he learned many of his moves from watching YouTube videos.
2. Georges St. Pierre
The two-time and current welterweight champion won the title from Matt Hughes at UFC 65 and boasts wins over BJ Penn, Jon Fitch, Josh Koscheck, and Thiago Alves, just to name a few. He has also won 11 straight fights, going unbeaten for the last four years.
1. Anderson Silva
No one in the UFC has ever been more dominant than Anderson Silva. Originating from Brazil, “The Spider” holds the all-time record for most consecutive wins and the most title defenses in the UFC. There is not a more dominant striker in the sport than Silva.
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