With the curtains drawing on 2025, we thought a closer look at the best to ever do it would be a good place to start. But therein lies a problem. How do we call someone the Greatest of All Time? The yardsticks are stubbornly subjective. To some, influence matters the most, while others focus on overall achievements in the sport, regardless of the influence. Still, we all can agree that the greatest MMA fighters of all time is a topic that leads to some interesting conversations. So, as we approach the end of 2025, let’s have that much-needed conversation.

As MMA fans, we’ve seen many fighters rise, then fall so hard that people barely remember them today. Yet, some fighters have stood the test of time and remain at the center of the discussion whenever the greatest is debated. Then there are other warriors who are still active, but have already entered the GOAT talk. With that in mind, here’s our top 10 list of the greatest MMA fighters.

10. Max Holloway and Jose Aldo 

Well, we’re starting big with two featherweight legends. Honestly, picking between Jose Aldo and Max Holloway was never going to be easy. Both are icons of the sport, so it felt right to give the 10th spot to both of them.

When it comes to ruling a division with an iron fist, not many fighters did it like ‘The King of Rio’. During his four-year reign as champion, Aldo beat just about every featherweight put in front of him, until Conor McGregor knocked him out at UFC 194 in just 13 seconds. It was a brutal and humiliating loss, but did Aldo go into retreat mode? Not at all.

Top Stories

Arman Tsarukyan Back in Play as Justin Gaethje Staph Infection Rumors Causes Fan Panic Before Paddy Pimblett Fight

Conor McGregor Gives Floyd Mayweather Two Options to Fulfill MMA Rematch Promise

Justin Gaethje Addresses UFC 324 Cancellation Concerns Over Staph Infection

Sean O’Malley Says UFC White House Victory Could Push Him Toward Retirement

Jon Jones vs. Daniel Cormier 3 Announced in a Surprising Move by UFC Legends

The Brazilian legend found his way back to the top by winning the interim title at UFC 200 against Frankie Edgar. However, that reign did not last long, as Max Holloway defeated him twice in a row to establish himself as the new king of the 145-lbs division. Much like Aldo before him, it looked like ‘Blessed’ would sit on the throne for a long time. But Alexander Volkanovski eventually won the trilogy and changed the course of Holloway’s career.

Moving forward, Holloway did manage to capture the BMF title, but he never quite found his way back to the featherweight crown he once held. But he found a new niche at lightweight with wins over Justin Gaethje and Dustin Poirier. Jose Aldo, meanwhile, made the move down to bantamweight and found moments of success there. Still, repeated setbacks eventually pushed him toward retirement, not once, but twice, at 135 lbs.

09. Valentina Shevchenko 

At this point, if you ask who comes next after Amanda Nunes in terms of the female UFC GOATs, it has to be Valentina Shevchenko. For those who don’t know, ‘Bullet’ was an accomplished Muay Thai fighter and kickboxer even before entering the UFC, and that combat experience translated perfectly into MMA.

Shevchenko started her career as a bantamweight and even fought Amanda Nunes twice, including a title fight at UFC 215. After realizing she was undersized, ‘Bullet’ moved down to the flyweight division and eventually defeated former 115 lbs champion Joanna Jędrzejczyk to win the vacant flyweight belt.

After capturing the 125 lbs title, the Kyrgyzstani defended her belt seven times, setting a new record. However, Alexa Grasso became her kryptonite, first defeating ‘Bullet’ at UFC 285 and then fighting her to a highly controversial draw in their rematch at UFC Fight Night: Noche. With two fights not going her way, Shevchenko found herself on the back foot, but she settled the debate at UFC 306 by defeating Grasso.

The flyweight queen reclaimed her throne and continued to assert her authority by beating top contender Manon Fiorot at UFC 315 in Canada. Still, her most significant and celebrated victory came at UFC 322, where Shevchenko completely stunned Zhang Weili, stopping ‘Magnum’ from ever getting close to her belt. 

Across her two runs, ‘Bullet’ defended her title nine times in the flyweight division and tied Amanda Nunes for the most total championship fight appearances with 11. 

08. Fedor Emelianenko    

In our list, Fedor Emelianenko makes the first entry as one of the greatest MMA fighters who never fought in the UFC. However, the Russian faced some of the most terrifying and well-known UFC fighters during his time in Pride FC, Strikeforce, and Bellator. And guess what? He decimated them all.

Known for his relentless, action-packed fighting style, ‘The Last Emperor’ became ultra-famous for his Pride battles against Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira, Mark Coleman, and Mirko ‘Cro Cop’, an absolute killer lineup. Fedor went 14-0 in Pride, captured the heavyweight title, and cemented his name among the legends of the sport.

That said, it’s also true that Fedor’s run after PRIDE was underwhelming at times. Still, he delivered some memorable performances, including his win over Brett Rogers to claim the Strikeforce heavyweight belt. The Russian also made his presence felt in Bellator by defeating former UFC fighters like Chael Sonnen and Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson.

Based on his dominance outside the UFC and victories over several well-known fighters of his era, ‘The Last Emperor’ earns the eighth spot on our list. Next?

07. Amanda Nunes

The greatest female fighter of all time’s crown once belonged to Ronda Rousey. However, Amanda Nunes’ rise changed everything. Nobody in their wildest dreams imagined another woman could match ‘Rowdy’s career, let alone surpass it. But ‘The Lioness’ did exactly that, and she did it with total domination.

She started her bantamweight reign by defeating Miesha Tate at UFC 200, and from there, there was no stopping her. Nunes defended her belt five times in her first run as champion, beating legends like Ronda Rousey, Valentina Shevchenko, and Holly Holm. The Brazilian star then moved up and defeated Cris Cyborg to capture the featherweight title, becoming the first woman in UFC history to win belts in two divisions.

Even though Amanda Nunes had already written her legacy into the history books, she made it even more special by defending both belts multiple times, and doing it simultaneously, something no other UFC fighter had ever done before. That’s what made her reign so unique. However, even in this incredible career, ‘The Lioness’ faced a setback. At UFC 269, Julianna Peña pulled off one of the biggest upsets in history by submitting Nunes.

Fired up after the loss, the 135 lbs queen got her revenge at UFC 277 with a one-sided, dominant performance against ‘The Venezuelan Vixen’ to reclaim her crown. Nunes then defended her title one more time against Irene Aldana at UFC 289 before calling it quits. At present, the female GOAT is set to return to face current champion Kayla Harrison in the co-main event of UFC 324 on January 24. With her being so high here, you bet we’ll be tuning in to watch her return to the ground she once ruled.

06. Demetrious Johnson   

If there’s any conversation about dominant reigns, Demetrious Johnson’s flyweight run gets mentioned the most alongside Jon Jones. In some cases, ‘Mighty Mouse’s reign in the flyweight division even gets more votes for total dominance than Bones’, and that speaks to the level of terror ‘DJ’ imposed as the 125 lbs champion. Interestingly, he didn’t even start his UFC career as a flyweight.

Johnson entered the UFC as a bantamweight and clashed with Norifumi Yamamoto in his debut, winning via unanimous decision. After another win, ‘DJ’ earned a shot at Dominick Cruz for the 135 lbs title, but ‘The Dominator’ handed him the second loss of his career. The weight was a big factor here.

As a result, soon after, ‘Mighty Mouse’ dropped down and won the flyweight tournament by defeating Joseph Benavidez at UFC 152, kickstarting his historic run in the division. Following that victory, Johnson went on to defend his title an unbelievable 11 times, setting the record for the most consecutive title defenses in UFC history.

In total, ‘DJ’ fell short of Jon Jones’ overall 13 title defenses, but the divisional edge stayed with the former flyweight king. While ‘Bones’ defended the belt eight times consecutively at light heavyweight, his remaining defenses came after he returned from suspension.

Although Johnson had one of the most impressive runs ever, his reign of terror eventually came to an end at the hands of Henry Cejudo. Nevertheless, the former flyweight champ chose to move on and became a champion once again in ONE Championship. So, all in all, ‘Mighty Mouse’ wasn’t just the king of one promotion, but two. If that doesn’t speak greatness, then what does?

05. Anderson Silva 

Remember UFC Fight Night 5? ‘The Spider’ made his grand entrance into the UFC by knocking out Chris Leben with a vicious knee to win the middleweight title eliminator. After that finish, many believed the Brazilian would eventually become a phenom. That guess was spot on.

Anderson Silva became the 185 lbs champion in just his second fight, scoring another highlight-reel knee knockout against Rich Franklin at UFC 64 and earning Knockout of the Year. That moment only marked the beginning of the Brazilian’s dominance over the middleweight division.

From 2006 to 2012, over six years, Anderson Silva defended his belt 10 consecutive times, a record second only to Demetrious Johnson’s 11 straight defenses. On top of that, ‘The Spider’ extended his win streak to 16, a mark only Islam Makhachev has matched so far and still has a chance to break. However, everything changed at UFC 162, when Silva’s career took a massive hit.

He lost to Chris Weidman twice, first by knockout and then by suffering a horrific leg break. Silva’s struggles continued as he went 1-9 in his attempts to reclaim the belt. During that stretch, he also tested positive for PEDs twice, which led to suspensions from competition. That’s why he ranks fifth on this list, below Khabib and Islam.

04. Khabib Nurmagomedov  

‘The Eagle’s case as the greatest fighter of all time often comes down to his record and overall impact on the sport. Khabib Nurmagomedov boasts an undefeated 29-0 record, which remains an extremely rare achievement in the sport of MMA. Although Jon Jones is technically undefeated as well, the blemish from the Matt Hamill fight will always stay on his record.

However, Khabib’s GOAT argument goes far beyond his pro-MMA record. It’s also about how dominant he was in his prime. The Dagestani fought almost every valid contender at their peak, including Conor McGregor, Dustin Poirier, and Justin Gaethje, and steamrolled through them all. The man rarely lost rounds. That’s an entirely different kind of fighter and a different kind of career. The only real resistance ‘The Eagle’ faced came against Gleison Tibau at UFC 148, yet he still secured a unanimous decision win.

Michael Johnson rocked Khabib at UFC 205, marking one of the few moments where the Dagestani legend appeared briefly vulnerable. Even then, ‘The Eagle’ quickly took control and dominated the fight.

When it comes to the former lightweight champion’s place among the greatest ever, there’s hardly any doubt. However, the biggest complaint fans have about his reign is that Khabib retired too early. At the time, his long-awaited fight against Tony Ferguson had become one of the most anticipated matchups in MMA history, only to be canceled five times.

Furthermore, Charles Oliveira was on the rise during that period, and fans wanted to see how ‘The Eagle’ would fare against a BJJ master. While Islam Makhachev largely answered that question by beating ‘Do Bronx’ at UFC 280 with ease, the curiosity still lingers to this day—a few more wins and he would’ve been at the tippy top of the list. Would Khabib’s legacy have looked different if he hadn’t retired after defeating Gaethje? Guess we’ll never know.

03 Islam Makhachev   

Many UFC fans would find this pick highly surprising, as not many would name Islam Makhachev among the all-time greatest MMA fighters just yet. But while it’s true that the Dagestani icon is still active in the UFC, it’s equally noteworthy that he has already surpassed many legends in terms of accomplishments.  

For the unversed, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Benson Henderson, and B.J. Penn defended their titles three times in the 155 lbs division. After Islam defeated Renato Moicano at UFC 311, he overtook all three legends by defending the belt four times at lightweight. Moreover, the Dagestani achieved something even ‘The Eagle’ couldn’t.

He won gold in another division. After Islam Makhachev defeated Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 322, he created history by becoming the 11th two-weight champion in the promotion, joining contemporary fighters like Ilia Topuria and Alex Pereira, who had achieved this feat before him. But what separates the reigning 170 lbs champ from them? They didn’t defend their title four times before moving up. And that’s not all.

Makhachev’s reign grows even stronger as he tied Anderson Silva’s record of a 16-fight win streak in the UFC. With one more victory, the Dagestani would surpass ‘The Spider’ as well. On top of that, he has just one career loss against Adriano Moraes back in 2015, which now feels like a misstep, as he holds a dominant 28-1-0 record.

So, as the 34-year-old has already broken most records aside from remaining undefeated, he earns the third spot on our list of the greatest MMA fighters of all time, ahead of Khabib, who comes next.

02. Jon Jones

UFC CEO Dana White considers Jon Jones the greatest of all time, and for valid reasons. When it comes to pure résumé, nobody holds a candle to what ‘Bones’ has achieved in this sport.

At the age of 23, Jones defeated Maurício ‘Shogun’ Rua at UFC 128 to become the youngest UFC champion. He then went on to defend the 205 lbs championship eight times during his first reign and three times during his second, over a span of nine years from 2011 to 2020, facing a killer’s row that included Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson, Rashad Evans, Alexander Gustafsson, Daniel Cormier twice, and Dominick Reyes.

Following his extraordinary run at light heavyweight, ‘Bones’ eventually conquered the heavyweight division as well, as he defeated Ciryl Gane at UFC 285 and defended the belt against Stipe Miocic at UFC 309. However, as impressive as Jones’ run in both divisions was, his status as the greatest often gets questioned because of multiple controversies, especially his failed PED tests during his light heavyweight run.

Because of those controversies and multiple failed drug tests, he can’t be called the greatest ever, despite having a record and corresponding accomplishments that scream GOAT. So if not Jon Jones, then who is the best to ever do it? Well, there’s only one name that reigns supreme over all others.

01. Georges St-Pierre

Any list of the greatest MMA fighters of all that doesn’t have Georges St-Pierre at the top, in our opinion, is suspect. This is a man who shaped the landscape of Canadian martial arts. He made his debut in the UFC in 2004 against Karo Parisyan at UFC 46, and after just one win in between, ‘Rush’ fought Matt Hughes for the vacant welterweight title at UFC 50. Although he lost that fight, ‘GSP’ eventually lifted the 170 lbs belt at UFC 65 by avenging his loss against Hughes.

Although ‘Rush’ became the new UFC welterweight champion, his reign didn’t last long, as Matt Serra defeated ‘GSP’ at UFC 69 with a first-round knockout. That loss was humiliating for St-Pierre, so he bounced back with a staggering knockout victory over Serra at UFC 79.

Following that win, St-Pierre went on to defend his belt nine times in the welterweight division against names like B.J. Penn, Carlos Condit, Nick Diaz, and Johnny Hendricks. His dominant run made history, as those nine title defenses became the most in the 170 lbs division and the second-most wins in UFC title fights, trailing only Jon Jones with 13.

With that legacy intact, ‘Rush’ decided to step away from the sport due to health issues, only to return four years later to add another belt. On November 4, 2017, St-Pierre fought Michael Bisping for the middleweight championship and won via rear-naked choke to secure yet another title. However, the Canadian legend couldn’t continue his run in the 185 lbs division, as ulcerative colitis took that chance away from him. If he’d have continued, the Canadian MMA great would’ve had a few more names added to his long list of best opponents.

For those reasons, Georges St-Pierre gets the top position on our list.