# The 37 Greatest American UFC Fighters of All Time

> A few of these champions fought before the UFC had weight classes; others collected belts within the last couple of years. Title defenses, upsets and staying power all count here.

*By YPB Team · Published November 5, 2026 · https://youpick.best/ranking/the-37-greatest-american-ufc-fighters-of-all-time*

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## Current results (no votes yet)

1. **Jon Jones** — score 1000/1000
   Won the UFC light heavyweight title at 23 in 2011, made 11 successful defenses of that belt and added the heavyweight title in 2023.
2. **Brock Lesnar** — score 692/1000
   Former WWE and NCAA wrestling champion who took the UFC heavyweight title from Randy Couture in 2008 in only his fourth pro MMA fight.
3. **Nate Diaz** — score 581/1000
   Stockton fighter who won The Ultimate Fighter 5 and submitted Conor McGregor at UFC 196 in 2016.
4. **Kayla Harrison** — score 546/1000
   Two-time Olympic judo gold medalist who won the UFC women's bantamweight title from Julianna Peña at UFC 316 in 2025.
5. **Stipe Miocic** — score 507/1000
   Ohio firefighter who won the UFC heavyweight title in 2016, set a division record with three straight defenses and regained the belt in 2019.
6. **Chris Weidman** — score 507/1000
   Knocked out Anderson Silva at UFC 162 in 2013 to win the middleweight title, then beat Silva, Lyoto Machida and Vitor Belfort in defenses.
7. **Robbie Lawler** — score 507/1000
   Won the UFC welterweight title from Johny Hendricks in 2014 and kept it with defenses against Rory MacDonald and Carlos Condit.
8. **Aljamain Sterling** — score 507/1000
   Won the UFC bantamweight title in 2021 and set a division record with three defenses, against Petr Yan, T.J. Dillashaw and Henry Cejudo.
9. **Randy Couture** — score 507/1000
   Hall of Famer who won the UFC heavyweight title three times and the light heavyweight title twice between 1997 and 2007.
10. **Dominick Cruz** — score 464/1000
   Won the WEC bantamweight title in March 2010, became the first UFC bantamweight champion by beating Scott Jorgensen at WEC 53 after the promotions merged, then regained the UFC belt from T.J. Dillashaw in 2016.
11. **Rose Namajunas** — score 464/1000
   Two-time UFC strawweight champion who beat Joanna Jędrzejczyk in 2017 and won the belt back with a head-kick knockout of Zhang Weili in 2021.
12. **Tony Ferguson** — score 464/1000
   Ultimate Fighter 13 winner who put together a 12-fight UFC winning streak and won the interim lightweight title in 2017.
13. **Dustin Poirier** — score 415/1000
   Louisiana fighter who won the interim UFC lightweight title from Max Holloway in 2019 and beat Conor McGregor twice in 2021.
14. **Max Holloway** — score 415/1000
   Hawaiian who won the UFC featherweight title from Jose Aldo in 2017 and knocked out Justin Gaethje in the final second at UFC 300.
15. **Matt Hughes** — score 415/1000
   Two-time UFC welterweight champion who made seven title defenses across his reigns in the early 2000s.
16. **Ken Shamrock** — score 360/1000
   Won the UFC Superfight Championship in 1995 and was inducted with Royce Gracie as the first members of the UFC Hall of Fame in 2003.
17. **Sean O'Malley** — score 360/1000
   Won the UFC bantamweight title by knocking out Aljamain Sterling at UFC 292 in 2023.
18. **Tyron Woodley** — score 360/1000
   Knocked out Robbie Lawler for the UFC welterweight title in 2016 and defended it four times.
19. **Daniel Cormier** — score 360/1000
   Won the UFC light heavyweight title in 2015 and the heavyweight title from Stipe Miocic in 2018, holding both belts at once.
20. **Henry Cejudo** — score 360/1000
   2008 Olympic wrestling gold medalist who beat Demetrious Johnson for the flyweight title in 2018 and added the bantamweight belt in 2019.
21. **Miesha Tate** — score 360/1000
   Submitted Holly Holm at UFC 196 in March 2016 to become UFC women's bantamweight champion.
22. **Rashad Evans** — score 360/1000
   Winner of The Ultimate Fighter 2 who knocked out Forrest Griffin at UFC 92 in 2008 to become light heavyweight champion.
23. **BJ Penn** — score 360/1000
   Hawaiian who won the UFC welterweight title from Matt Hughes in 2004 and later reigned as lightweight champion from 2008 to 2010.
24. **Justin Gaethje** — score 360/1000
   Arizona native who won the interim UFC lightweight title from Tony Ferguson in 2020 and the BMF belt from Dustin Poirier in 2023.
25. **Belal Muhammad** — score 296/1000
   Chicago native who won the UFC welterweight title from Leon Edwards at UFC 304 in Manchester in 2024.
26. **Julianna Peña** — score 296/1000
   Ultimate Fighter 18 winner who submitted Amanda Nunes for the bantamweight title in 2021 and regained the belt in 2024.
27. **Ronda Rousey** — score 296/1000
   First UFC women's bantamweight champion, who made six title defenses and was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in 2018.
28. **Rich Franklin** — score 296/1000
   Former math teacher who won the UFC middleweight title from Evan Tanner in 2005 and defended it twice.
29. **Tito Ortiz** — score 296/1000
   UFC light heavyweight champion from 2000 to 2002 who made five title defenses and joined the Hall of Fame in 2012.
30. **Benson Henderson** — score 296/1000
   Took the UFC lightweight title from Frankie Edgar in 2012 and defended it three times.
31. **TJ Dillashaw** — score 223/1000
   Two-time UFC bantamweight champion who upset Renan Barão in 2014 and regained the title from Cody Garbrandt in 2017.
32. **Frank Shamrock** — score 223/1000
   First UFC middleweight champion in 1997, a division later renamed light heavyweight, who defended the belt four times before leaving unbeaten in the promotion.
33. **Demetrious Johnson** — score 223/1000
   Inaugural UFC flyweight champion in 2012 who made 11 consecutive title defenses, a UFC record.
34. **Cain Velasquez** — score 138/1000
   Won the UFC heavyweight title from Brock Lesnar in 2010 and took it back from Junior dos Santos in 2012.
35. **Chuck Liddell** — score 138/1000
   Took the UFC light heavyweight title from Randy Couture in 2005, made four defenses and entered the UFC Hall of Fame in 2009.
36. **Holly Holm** — score 138/1000
   Former world boxing champion who knocked out Ronda Rousey with a head kick at UFC 193 in 2015 to win the bantamweight title.
37. **Frankie Edgar** — score 138/1000
   Upset BJ Penn for the UFC lightweight title in 2010 and held it through rematches with Penn and Gray Maynard.

Tags: usa, ufc, fighters, mma