10 Best MMA Fighters of All Time, Ranked By Skill

Highlights

• Hall of Famekicking off our list with Amanda Nunes,#2513;The Lioness#2513; retirement as champion in 2023 solidifies her GOAT status.
• Nearly Top 3 Henry Cejudo was a force to be reckoned with in MMA until his surprise retirement, leaving fans wondering what could have been.
• Two-Weight Champion #2520;DC#2520; displayed rare skill in two weight classes but his rivalry losses kept him from the top spot in the GOAT debate.

When it comes to professional sports, there are few things that fans love to do more than debate and rank greatness. That’s the case for the world of the UFC and MMA as well. Since the start’s rise in popularity in the 90s, there have been too many incredible fighters to count.

However, not every great fighter is rated equally. These ten fighters stand amongst the pack, as the greatest to ever step into a cage or ring. While it’s hard to rank all these legends, we did our best to rank the best MMA fighters of all time by skill.

10 Former UFC Women’s Bantamweight And Featherweight Champion Amanda Nunes

‘The Lioness’ Was So Far Ahead Of Her Peers

We’re kicking off this list with the great Amanda Nunes. ‘The Lioness’ had a bit of a mixed start to her career, but got the chance to face Miesha Tate at UFC 200 after a three-fight winning streak. That shot against ‘Cupcake’ was all Nunes needed.

She smashed Tate inside of one round, and then Ronda Rousey as well. She then went on to defeat many more legends, such as Cris Cyborg, Valentina Shevchenko, and Holly Holm. When she was finally upset by Julianna Pena in 2021, she quickly returned to dominate in the rematch and retired as champion in 2023.

9 Former UFC Flyweight and Bantamweight Champion Henry Cejudo

‘Triple C’ Was Unstoppable Until His First Retirement

Henry Cejudo could’ve easily ended his career in the top three of this list if he didn’t retire out of nowhere. The Olympic wrestler entered the sport with a lot of hype but was seemingly directionless after back-to-back losses to Demetrious Johnson and Joseph Benavidez.

‘Triple C’ then went on to have one of the greatest runs in MMA history. Cejudo dispatched of Wilson Reis, Sergio Pettis, Demetrious Johnson, T.J. Dillashaw, Marlon Morales, and Dominick Cruz. However, he took a three-year hiatus after defeating ‘The Dominator’, and hasn’t been the same since.

8 Former UFC Light-Heavyweight And Heavyweight Champion Daniel Cormier

‘DC’ Is One Of The Greatest Of All-Time In Two Different Weight Classes

Daniel Cormier really is a few losses away from being the GOAT. ‘DC’ debuted in Strikeforce as a relatively unknown prospect, but got into the infamous heavyweight Grand Prix as an alternate. That was the shot Cormier needed, as he went on to win the tournament as an underdog.

He later headed to the UFC and won gold at light-heavyweight, as well as heavyweight. While Cormier came up short in rivalries with Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic, he’s still an all-time great.

7 Former WEC And UFC Featherweight Champion Jose Aldo

The King Of Rio Was Unbeaten For A Decade

Jose Aldo’s longevity and greatness aren’t discussed enough honestly. The Brazilian started 7-1, and then proceeded to win 18 fights in a row, and won WEC and UFC gold in the process. However, Aldo’s winning streak was snapped by Conor McGregor in 2015.

Aldo was undeterred, however. He quickly re-won the gold against Frankie Edgar and remained a top contender at featherweight, and even bantamweight until his retirement in 2021. Earlier this year, Aldo exited retirement and has more of a chance to grow his legend.

6 Former UFC Lightweight Champion Khabib Nurmagomedov

‘The Eagle’ Retired Undefeated At 29-0 In October 2020

Khabib Nurmagomedov is somewhat hard to rank in the GOAT discussion. He retired right in the middle of his prime, and while he had big wins he hadn’t defeated several fighters fans wanted to see him face.

However, Nurmagomedov’s resume, and dominance are unmatched. He lost a grand total of two rounds in his career, to Conor McGregor and Justin Gaethje. However, he beat both and also dominated the likes of Dustin Poirier, Edson Barboza, and Rafael dos Anjos.

5 Former UFC Welterweight And Middleweight Georges St-Pierre

‘Rush’ Is One Of The Most Well-Rounded Fighters Ever

Georges St-Pierre’s legacy is that of a fighter that refused to take no for an answer. He came to the UFC in 2004 as a hyped prospect but quickly lost to Matt Hughes. However, he continued working and beat him in the rematch to become UFC champion.

He quickly lost the gold to Matt Serra, but again, dominated him in the rematch. After his second bout with ‘The Terror’, St-Pierre remained undefeated for the next six years. He then took a long hiatus from MMA, returned in 2017 in a bigger weight class no less, and became champion.

4 Anderson Silva Is The Greatest Striker in UFC History

‘The Spider’ Had The Longest UFC Title Reign Of All-Time

Anderson Silva’s brilliance is still wild to reflect upon today. He came to the UFC in 2006, after being Cage Rage middleweight champion. ‘The Spider’ was already in his early 30s by then, and time was ticking. So, he made the most of his time.

Silva captured UFC gold almost instantly and went on to defeat legends such as Dan Henderson, Rich Franklin, Chael Sonnen, Forrest Griffin, and more. Even today he continues to build upon his legacy, by defeating the likes of Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. in the boxing ring.

3 Demetrious Johnson Could Do It All In The Octagon

‘Mighty Mouse’ Holds The Record For Most Consecutive Title Defenses

It’s taken quite a long time for Demetrious Johnson to get his flowers in the MMA community. Even during his dominance in the UFC, many fans, and even Dana White, couldn’t get behind him. That’s a shame, because ‘Mighty Mouse’ might very well be the most talented fighter ever.

The flyweight great defeated legends such as Henry Cejudo without even breaking a sweat. Not only does he have the most consecutive title defenses in UFC history, but after being traded to ONE Championship in 2019, he won the gold there too.

2 Fedor Emelianenko Was Unstoppable For A Long Time

‘The Last Emperor’ Is The Greatest To Never Fight In The UFC

Fedor Emelinaneko is the greatest fighter to never compete in the UFC and there isn’t a close second. The Russian suffered his first career stoppage due to a cut in 2000 and then embarked on a historic 27-fight winning streak. Along the way, he won PRIDE gold and defeated multiple legends.

Emelianenko had his winning streak snapped in 2010 by Fabricio Werdum, but remained competitive until his second retirement in 2024. Despite never fighting in the UFC, he defeated many former champs including Frank Mir, Rampage Jackson, Andrei Arlovski, and more.

1 Jon Jones Is The Greatest Fighter Of All-Time

‘Bones’ Is The Current UFC Heavyweight Champion

Jon Jones is a bit hard to rank in a couple of different aspects. He’s had several controversial wins, he’s failed many, many drug tests, and has a lot of outside-the-cage issues. However, if we’re discussing strictly fighting, nobody is better.

In his prime, Jones outstruck the strikers and outwrestled the wrestlers. Even in his late 30s, he’s continuing to build his case for being the GOAT, as the UFC heavyweight champion.