The 13 Best MMA Pressure Fighters of All Time

Relentless forward marches, bottomless cardio, and suffocating styles define fighters who never let an opponent breathe. Who's the best?

1

Cain Velasquez

The cardio-machine heavyweight who buried opponents under nonstop forward movement and volume.

1000pts

2

Khabib Nurmagomedov

The undefeated lightweight king whose smothering pressure and chain wrestling broke every opponent.

952pts

3

Justin Gaethje

The leg-kicking brawler who presses forward into firefights with reckless intensity.

898pts

4

Tony Ferguson

'El Cucuy,' famed for a suffocating pace, awkward angles, and constant forward attacks.

734pts

5

Jose Aldo

The featherweight legend who combined pressure striking with crippling leg kicks.

467pts

6

Merab Dvalishvili

The bantamweight champion with seemingly bottomless cardio who outworks foes for 25 minutes.

467pts

7

Daniel Cormier

The Olympic-level wrestler who pinned foes to the cage with relentless clinch pressure across two divisions.

467pts

8

Nate Diaz

The iron-chinned fan favorite who applies constant boxing pressure and late-round volume.

467pts

9

Marlon Vera

'Chito,' the Ecuadorian who grinds opponents down with steady, accumulating pressure.

343pts

10

Max Holloway

The featherweight great who walks foes down behind relentless, record-setting striking volume.

343pts

11

Wanderlei Silva

'The Axe Murderer,' the Pride legend who stalked opponents with ferocious forward aggression.

190pts

12

Frankie Edgar

The undersized dynamo who overwhelmed bigger foes with constant movement and pace.

190pts

13

Dustin Poirier

The Louisiana fan favorite who presses forward behind heavy hands and relentless combinations.

190pts