Alexander Volkanovski. Photo by Getty Images All the best MMA fighters on the planet are currently plying their trade at the UFC. That’s according to Insider’s latest list which ranks the top combat athletes.
Alexander Volkanovski is No. 1 in the sport. Keep scrolling for the complete list.
LAS VEGAS — UFC has hit some snags when it comes to their premier fighters. It remains unclear if or when the former two-weight UFC champ Conor McGregor will return to the Octagon, while one of the consensus MMA GOATs, Jon Jones, has not competed since February 2020. There are, though, some killers who remain on the premier MMA firm’s roster, including Alexander Volkanovski who stole the show at UFC 276 to cap a thrilling International Fight Week.
Volkanovski slots in at No. 1 on Insider’s list of the best male athletes in all mixed martial arts, but he’s followed by other top-tier fighters capable of leapfrogging him should he take his foot off the gas. Israel Adesanya, Francis Ngannou, and Charles Oliveira are also forging extraordinary legacies of their own and are dominating their respective divisions at middleweight, heavyweight, and lightweight.
Then there’s one of the most intimidating combat athletes of the new generation — Khamzat Chimaev — who is fresh off a Fight of the Year-type war with Gilbert Burns, and could continue his trajectory to the top. One person who could derail the Chimaev hype is UFC welterweight Kamaru Usman, who Insider also regards as one of the finest fighters on the planet. Keep scrolling to see our complete list of the best men’s athletes in all MMA.
No. 10 — Dustin PoirierDustin Poirier strikes Conor McGregor. Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLCName: Dustin Poirier.
Nationality and style: American MMA fighter. Age: 33. Weight class: Lightweight.
Pro MMA record: 28 wins (14 knockouts, seven submissions, and seven decisions) against seven losses. Accolades: Former interim UFC lightweight champion with a 2-1 trilogy win over Conor McGregor and numerous other top tier wins over Dan Hooker, Max Holloway, Eddie Alvarez, and Justin Gaethje. No.
9 — Khamzat ChimaevKhamzat Chimaev gets animated before one of his fights. Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLCName: Khamzat Chimaev. Nationality and style: Russian-Swedish wrestler.
Age: 28. Weight class: Welterweight. Pro MMA record: 11 wins (six knockouts, four submissions, and one decision).
Zero losses. Accolades: Undefeated up-and-coming fighter who did not lose a round until he produced a Fight of the Night MMA classic alongside Gilbert Burns at UFC 273. His other UFC wins include finishes over Li Jingliang, Gerald Meerschaert, Rhys McKee, and John Phillips.
No. 8 — Aljamain SterlingAljamain Sterling stares down the camera. Photo by Getty ImagesName: Aljamain Sterling.
Nationality and style: American wrestler and jiu jitsu player. Age: 32. Weight class: Bantamweight.
Pro MMA record: 21 wins (two knockouts, eight submissions, 10 decisions, and one disqualification) against three losses. Accolades: UFC bantamweight champion and former Cage Fury Fighting Champion with two wins over Petr Yan and other big wins against Cory Sandhagen. No.
7 — Jiri ProchazkaJiri Prochazka submits Glover Teixeira. Photo by Getty ImagesName: Jiri Prochazka. Nationality and style: Czech striker.
Age: 29. Weight class: Light heavyweight. Pro MMA record: 29 wins (25 knockouts, three submissions, and one decision) against three losses and one draw.
Accolades: UFC light heavyweight champion and former Rizin light heavyweight champion with wins over Vadim Nemkov, Muhammed Lawal, Dominick Reyes, and Glover Teixeira. No. 6 — Deiveson FigueiredoDeiveson Figueiredo wins the UFC flyweight championship.
Photo by Getty ImagesName: Deiveson FigueiredoNationality and style: Brazilian MMA fighter. Age: 34. Weight class: Flyweight.
Pro MMA record: 21 wins (nine knockouts, eight submissions, and four decisions) against two losses and one draw. Accolades: Two-time and current UFC flyweight champion with a 1-1-1 trilogy over Brandon Moreno and two wins over Joseph Benavidez. No.
5 — Francis NgannouFrancis Ngannou kicks coach Dewey Cooper. Photo by Hannah Foslien/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLCName: Francis Ngannou. Nationality and style: Cameroonian striker.
Age: 35. Weight class: Heavyweight. Pro MMA record: 17 wins (12 knockouts, four submissions, and one decision) against three losses.
Accolades: UFC heavyweight champion with big wins over Alistair Overeem, Cain Velasquez, Junior dos Santos, Stipe Miocic, and Ciryl Gane. No. 4 — Israel AdesanyaIsrael Adesanya creates epic walk-outs.
Photo by Getty ImagesName: Israel Adesanya. Nationality and style: New Zealand-Nigerian counter striker. Age: 32.
Weight class: Middleweight. Pro MMA record: 23 wins (15 knockouts and eight decisions) against one loss. Accolades: UFC middleweight champion with wins against Anderson Silva, Kelvin Gastelum, Yoel Romero, Paulo Costa, Jared Cannonier and two victories over Robert Whittaker.
No. 3 — Charles OliveiraCharles Oliveira is a specialist when it comes to fighting on the ground. Photo by Getty ImagesName: Charles Oliveira.
Nationality and style: Brazilian jiu jitsu player. Age: 32. Weight class: Lightweight.
Pro MMA record: 33 wins (nine knockouts, 21 submissions, and three decisions) against eight losses. Accolades: UFC lightweight champion with top-tier wins over Justin Gaethje, Dustin Poirier, Michael Chandler, Tony Ferguson, and Kevin Lee. No.
2 — Kamaru UsmanKamaru Usman is one of the best MMA fighters around. Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty ImagesName: Kamaru Usman. Nationality and style: Nigerian-American wrestler.
Age: 32. Weight class: Welterweight. Pro MMA record: 20 wins (nine knockouts, one submission, and 10 decisions) against one loss.
Accolades: UFC welterweight champion with two wins over Jorge Masvidal, two wins over Colby Covington, and victories against Gilbert Burns, Tyron Woodley, Rafael dos Anjos, Demian Maia, and Leon Edwards. No. 1 — Alexander VolkanovskiAlexander Volkanovski — the pound-for-pound king in MMA and UFC.
Photo by Getty ImagesName: Alexander Volkanovski. Nationality and style: Australian MMA fighter. Age: 33.
Weight class: Featherweight. Pro MMA record: 25 wins (12 knockouts, three submissions, and 10 decisions) against one loss. Accolades: UFC featherweight champion with a trilogy of wins over Max Holloway, as well as victories against Chan Sung Jung, Brian Ortega, Jose Aldo, and Chad Mendes.
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From: insider
URL: https://www.insider.com/who-are-the-best-fighters-in-mma-ufc-today-2022-7
