- Jon Jones, Georges St-Pierre, Anderson Silva, and Demetrious Johnson are among the fighters who are in the conversation as the greatest UFC fighter.
- Islam Makhachev is currently the best pound-for-pound UFC fighter.
- The biggest UFC fight in history was the lightweight title fight between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor in 2018.
The UFC is undoubtedly the best MMA organization in the world right now because 80% of the best fighters in the sport are signed with them. Due to this, they also booked the best possible fights where they match the biggest names against each other.
But throughout its over three decades in the business, who is the greatest fighter the UFC has produced? And what is the biggest fight that they have created? Find out below.
Who Is the Greatest Fighter in UFC?
The answer to the question of who is the greatest fighter in the UFC is very subjective, especially considering different factors such as the weight class, number of title defences, and others. But fans and pundits often mention four names in the GOAT conversation: Jon Jones, Georges St-Pierre, Anderson Silva, and Demetrious Johnson.
The return of the GOAT 🐐@JonnyBones is your first nominee for #UFCHonors Fan Choice Submission of the Year!
[ Voting starts Dec. 27th | B2YB @ToyoTires ] pic.twitter.com/irb9Bexafs
— UFC (@ufc) December 9, 2023
These four MMA legends have cleared out their respective weight classes and successfully defended their UFC titles multiple times. Jones is the only active fighter among the four, and he’s still a fan favourite whenever his UFC odds are available at BetMGM’s online sportsbook.
A recent name who was included in this list is former undisputed UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, who retired in 2020 with a perfect 29-0 professional record, including 13 victories under the Las Vegas-based promotion.
Who Is the Number 1 MMA Fighter?
As of September, reigning UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev is the world’s No. 1 pound-for-pound MMA fighter. He has dominated the 155-pound division since October 2022, when he became the divisional king and defeated Charles Oliveira.
Closely following Makhachev on the list are UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira, who sits in second place, and UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones, who is No. 3. UFC featherweight king Ilia Topuria and UFC middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis round off the top five in the pound-for-pound list.
What Was the Biggest Fight in UFC History?
The biggest fight in UFC history in terms of pay-per-view buys was the UFC lightweight title match between Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor in October 2018 when they headlined UFC 229 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
That match generated 1.4 million PPV buys and earned over $180 million in revenue. “The Eagle” submitted the “Notorious” in the fourth round of the championship bout, and some post-fight shenanigans added more flavour and entertainment to fans.