The UFC has been bringing the highest level of mixed martial arts action to the world for over 30 years, featuring an extensive roster of fearsome fighters and legendary trailblazers like Randy Couture and Chuck Liddell. While a lot of fights have been forgettable, a few have gone down as some of the best fights ever in the sport.
Adesanya is one of the most exciting fighters to watch in MMA history and has faced a who’s-who of 185lbers. He’s been able to take down many of his opponents and consistently deliver striking masterclasses, proving too slick for his competitors to deal with.
Kamaru Usman is a perfect example of a’superstar’ who started out as a wrestler but developed into a competitor who could stand and trade with top strikers. His evolution into the complete fighter he is today has been impressive, and he may even be on his way to becoming the top pound for pound king in the world at this point in time.
Demetrious Johnson has had a stranglehold on the flyweight division for several years, and while it’s true that he has outclassed his competition up to this point, it wasn’t until Henry Cejudo beat him in their rematch that we really saw him challenge. The former Strikeforce champion is one of the most complete fighters in the history of MMA, and he’ll probably be around for years to come.
Amanda Nunes has arguably one of the greatest careers in women’s MMA, and it’s tough to imagine her not holding two titles at this point in time. She’s fought the best of the best and collected wins against them all, and outside of avenging losses to the likes of Holly Holm or Carina Sandow, there isn’t much more for her to accomplish.
Matt Hughes is the greatest pure wrestler of all-time, and he has been a huge part of popularizing the UFC. His high motor kept his opponents on the defensive most of the time, and he never quit until the bell was rung.
Daniel Cormier is a legend of the UFC, and he is also one of the only four fighters to hold titles in two different weight classes at the same time. Cormier hung up his gloves earlier in 2020 and finished with 22 wins and four losses, but there is no doubt that his record was one of the best to come out of the UFC.
Alexander Volkanovski is another of the most impressive featherweights in MMA and the UFC, having won 20 straight fights and defeating the current two-division king, Max Holloway, three times. He is now the longest-reigning featherweight champ in MMA history and will be a serious contender for the lightweight title at some stage in the future.
Islam Makhachev is a Dagestani fighter who has risen through the ranks at an astonishing rate, and has become a major star in his native country due to his impressive grappling skills. He has used his wrestling to defeat some of the biggest names in the sport, and he will look to add his name to this list when he battles Leon Edwards for the welterweight belt next month.