For this list, I’m aiming to be sorta objective, but allowing some of my personal opinions in too.
My ranking leans toward more traditional criteria: overall record, championship wins, length of time at the top, quality of opposition, and how complete each fighter looked in their prime. I also give some weight to entertainment value and impact on the sport. Résumés matter most, though they cannot capture every part of how good someone was.
With that in mind, here are my current top five:
- Anderson Silva
- Fedor Emelianenko
- Demetrious Johnson
- Georges St-Pierre
- Jon Jones
5. Anderson Silva
Silva’s win streak, title defenses, and style make him one of my all-time favorites.
His middleweight reign is one of MMA’s defining runs—16 straight UFC wins and 10 consecutive title defenses. He also created iconic moments like the front kick against Vitor Belfort, the last-round submission of Chael Sonnen, and the matrix dodging against Forrest Griffin.
Silva brought actual art into martial arts performances at the highest level of competition, dodging and flowing like it was a choreographed dance.
His later career fights still had competitive moments against younger fighters too. In his fight with Michael Bisping at age 40, he came close to finishing with a TKO. His fight against Israel Adesanya showed flickers of past greatness. In my opinion, these fights improved his legacy, even if they hurt his record.
4. Fedor Emelianenko
Fedor’s résumé includes wins over Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira, Mirko Cro Cop, Mark Coleman, Kevin Randleman, Tim Sylvia and Andrei Arlovski. He ruled PRIDE’s heavyweight division and often beat opponents who were considerably larger than him.
He was a complete fighter with fast hands, strong throws, dangerous ground-and-pound, and submissions. The fact that he weathered the storm of the heavyweight division’s high knockout rate to achieve a 28-fight win streak proves Fedor’s level of skill and durability.
Questions remain because Fedor never fought in UFC, and a few major matchups never happened. Still, he faced enough elite heavyweights across PRIDE, Affliction and Strikeforce to build one of MMA’s strongest careers.
3. Demetrious Johnson
Demetrious Johnson may be the most technically complete fighter ever.
He could strike, wrestle, scramble and submit opponents without treating those skills as separate parts of his game. His transitions were unusually smooth, and he could adjust his approach depending on what a fight required.
Johnson made 11 consecutive UFC flyweight title defenses—a record at the time. He beat a wide range of challengers and made great fighters look several steps behind him. His flying armbar against Ray Borg remains one of the best finishes in UFC history,
Following his run in UFC, Johnson proceeded to go 5-1 in ONE Championship. There, he avenged his one loss to Adriano Moraes with back-to-back rematch victories, reclaiming and defending the belt.
Division depth is the main thing holding DJ’s legacy back. Flyweight was still young during much of his reign. He beat strong opponents such as Joseph Benavidez, John Dodson, Henry Cejudo and Kyoji Horiguchi, but the division did not have the same history or depth as the light-heavyweight and welterweight divisions ruled by Jones and GSP.
A ranking based mostly on skill could put Johnson first, but without higher-profile wins, he lands in third place for me.
2. Georges St-Pierre
Georges St-Pierre has probably the safest GOAT case.
He finished his career 26-2, dominated a strong welterweight era and avenged both of his losses. Matt Hughes submitted him early in his career, and GSP later beat Hughes twice. Matt Serra pulled off one of the biggest upsets in UFC history, and GSP controlled the rematch from start to finish.
GSP’s greatest strength was his ability to build the right game plan for every opponent. He came from a karate background and developed one of the best wrestling games in MMA. He could take down strikers, outstrike wrestlers and control dangerous grapplers without giving them many chances to work.
His welterweight résumé includes wins over Matt Hughes, BJ Penn, Jon Fitch, Josh Koscheck, Carlos Condit, Nick Diaz and Johny Hendricks. He rarely looked reckless or spectacular for the sake of it. He consistently found the most effective way to win.
His return against Michael Bisping also deserves credit. Moving up a weight class after a four year layoff and winning another championship is a remarkable feat, even against an older competitor.
A fan who values consistency, professionalism and a cleaner overall legacy can reasonably put GSP first.
1. Jon Jones
In my opinion, Jon Jones is the GOAT.
His competitive résumé is difficult to match. He became UFC’s youngest champion, dominated a deep light-heavyweight division and beat several generations of elite opponents. His wins include Daniel Cormier, Maurício Rua, Lyoto Machida, Rashad Evans, Quinton Jackson, Vitor Belfort, Alexander Gustafsson and Glover Teixeira. He later added a heavyweight title and defense over some of the greatest and most skilled heavyweights of all time—Ciryl Gane and Stipe Miocic.
Jones had no major weaknesses. He could wrestle and submit elite wrestlers, control fights from the clinch, strike from long range and improvise with elbows and kicks that most fighters rarely used. His reach gave him an advantage, but his ability to understand distance and adapt during fights made that advantage much more valuable.
His official loss came by disqualification against Matt Hamill after Jones landed illegal downward elbows in a fight he was dominating. It counts on his record, but I do not treat it as evidence that Hamill beat him in any meaningful competitive sense.
Jones is essentially undefeated in that respect.
PED use creates the biggest problem with his case. Failed tests and overturned results belong in the discussion, and part of me thinks they should remove him from consideration entirely. MMA also has a long and murky history with PEDs. Jones certainly isn’t the only one who’s been caught doping, so for better or worse, I’m largely overlooking that factor in this list.
Jones has the strongest case based on record, opposition, championships and skill. His PED history places an asterisk on his record, but if it weren’t for that, his place at the top would be almost indisputable.
Honorable Mentions
Alexander Volkanovski
Volkanovski is one of the two closest fighters to inclusion.
His featherweight run included three wins over Max Holloway, along with victories over José Aldo, Brian Ortega, Chan Sung Jung and Yair Rodríguez. He showed elite footwork, cardio, tactical awareness and the ability to adjust across different styles.
His first fight with Islam Makhachev also helped his reputation. Even in defeat, Volkanovski showed that his skills translated against a larger elite champion.
Losses to Makhachev and Ilia Topuria are why he sits below Silva. They do not erase his title reign, but they make his peak feel less untouchable than the fighters above him. He remains close enough that another strong stretch could move him back into the top five.
Islam Makhachev
Islam is right beside Volkanovski among the closest honorable mentions.
He combines Khabib’s control-heavy grappling style with a broader striking game and a greater willingness to adapt between opponents. His wins over Charles Oliveira and Volkanovski established him as more than Khabib’s successor.
Islam’s case now depends mainly on time. He has the skill and major victories required for a GOAT argument. He needs more years at the top and more elite title wins to catch fighters whose championship résumés span longer periods.
Among active fighters, he is the closest to entering the highest tier.
José Aldo
Aldo had an incredible run and deserves serious consideration based on longevity alone. He ruled featherweight for years, carried the division from WEC into UFC and defended his title against several generations of contenders.
His later defeats lower him on my personal list. McGregor, Holloway, Volkanovski and others beat him, and I also suspect prime versions of McGregor, Volk and Topuria would give him major problems.
Khabib Nurmagomedov
Khabib has one of the best cases based on dominance.
He retired 29-0 and finished his career by submitting Conor McGregor, Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje. Opponents knew exactly what he planned to do and still could not stop it.
His championship run was shorter than those of the fighters in my top five. He had three successful UFC title defenses and retired before age or decline could test him.
A ranking focused on who looked most unbeatable would place him higher.
Conor McGregor
McGregor falls short of the traditional GOAT candidates because he never defended an undisputed UFC title and had a much shorter elite run.
That being said, his biggest moments compare with anyone’s.
Knocking out Aldo in 13 seconds ended a decade-long unbeaten streak. Beating Eddie Alvarez made him UFC’s first simultaneous two-division champion. Those performances changed the sport and showed one of the highest striking peaks MMA has seen.
A list based on influence, star power, and historic moments would move him near the top.
Amanda Nunes
Nunes has the strongest women’s GOAT case in my view.
She beat Ronda Rousey, Cris Cyborg, Miesha Tate, Holly Holm, and Valentina Shevchenko twice. She won titles in two divisions and defeated most of the other major champions from her generation.
Valentina may be the more complete technician. Nunes has the better résumé and greater accomplishments, so I rank her higher overall.
Valentina Shevchenko
Shevchenko’s technical range puts her close to Nunes. She can strike, wrestle, counter and control opponents from nearly every position.
Her smaller size mattered in the Nunes matchups, which makes the head-to-head results less definitive in a pound-for-pound discussion.
Ilia Topuria
Topuria’s career remains too young for the top group, though his skill level gives him an early place in the conversation.
His boxing, power, composure and grappling make him one of MMA’s most complete current fighters. Beating Volkanovski gave him a career-defining result.
He needs years of defenses and elite wins before matching the historical résumés above him, but he’s well on his way.
Alex Pereira
Pereira achieved an enormous amount in a short period. He won UFC titles in two divisions after already becoming a two-division GLORY kickboxing champion.
That makes him one of the most accomplished combat-sports athletes of his generation. In MMA alone, his game has never looked as complete as Jones, GSP or Johnson. His run also remains too short for a top-five placement.
His case resembles McGregor’s: historic achievements and major star power. He entered the UFC late, and although that may limit what he’s able to do in his MMA career, he’s still in the conversation of greatest fighters.
Summary of Rankings
- Jon Jones: Deepest title résumé in MMA history, undefeated in championship fights, and champion at light heavyweight and heavyweight.
- Georges St-Pierre: Two-division champion with dominant tactical wrestling and every loss avenged.
- Demetrious Johnson: Most complete technical skillset in MMA history with eleven consecutive title defenses.
- Fedor Emelianenko: Historic 28-fight unbeaten streak ruling PRIDE against elite heavyweights.
- Anderson Silva: Peak striking precision with sixteen straight UFC wins and ten title defenses.
Strongest MMA Fighter of All Time
Physical strength in MMA depends heavily on weight class, but if we evaluate functional grappling power, raw physical force, and clinch control, several fighters stand out across eras.
At heavyweight, Brock Lesnar and Shane Carwin used pure physical mass and suffocating top pressure. Francis Ngannou brought unprecedented punching power and immovable defensive wrestling later in his reign. Fedor Emelianenko regularly out-muscled heavyweights who outweighed him, and Jon Jones controlled elite heavyweights and Olympic wrestlers through leverage, clinch framing, and functional strength.
In lower weight divisions, Yoel Romero stood out for explosive Olympic wrestling strength, and several fighters reported that hitting him felt like striking concrete. Khabib Nurmagomedov showed a rare level of grip strength and pressure, pinning world-class grapplers who knew his takedowns were coming.
Do you agree?
You can test your own theories in GOATMMAKER. Build a fighter from the strengths of MMA legends, run the result through the game, and see whether it agrees with you. The roster is still being balanced, so please let me know if you think the game gets a stat wrong.