Top 10 Most Exciting UFC Fighters
This weekend's co-main event will feature what is presumed to be one of the most exciting fights of the year, Justin Gaethje vs. Rafael Fiziev. These two men have made names by scoring knockouts in nearly all their wins and putting on a show in the process.
To highlight two of the most exciting fighters on the current roster, let's take a look at 10 of the most exciting fighters still fighting right now.
10. Tony Ferguson
Tony Ferguson is a fan favorite for one main reason; he goes to war. Whether it be a bloodbath victory or a losing effort, Ferguson is always there to entertain the fans.
Tony Ferguson made a name for himself by winning The Ultimate Fighter Season 13 and earning knockout wins in every leg of the tournament bracket. However, his historic TUF run was just the beginning of his exciting career, as he would go 15-1 (5 KO, 5 SUB) to start his UFC run.
Ferguson's flashy style of mixing all the arts effortlessly with spinning attacks, rare submissions, and great wrestling made the fans tune in, but on top of all this was the heart he displayed in the Octagon. Opponents could not rock Ferguson without him leaping into a roll to spring back to his feet and keep the fight going.
Although now on a little losing stint, we still love to watch the excitement Tony Ferguson brings into the cage.
9. Amanda Nunes
Amanda Nunes is easily the greatest female mixed martial artist of all time, and her numerous victories in the UFC have cemented her status as such. Nunes has an impressive record of 22-5, with 14 of those wins coming by way of knockout. Her greatness is a massive part of what excites the viewer; her ability to knock women out or dominate them makes her a draw among fans.
Nunes has excitingly defeated many top-ranked fighters, including Ronda Rousey, Cris Cyborg, and Holly Holm. Her victories have been characterized by her explosive power, technical proficiency, and ability to finish fights early.
One of Nunes' most impressive wins came in 2019 when she moved up a weight class to challenge Cris Cyborg for the Featherweight title. In a massive upset, Nunes knocked out Cyborg in spectacular fashion in just 51 seconds, becoming the first woman to hold UFC titles in two weight classes simultaneously.
After taking her first loss in 7 years at the hands of Juliana Peña, she redeemed herself in a big way, returning to dominate the new champion over all 5 rounds, dropping Peña a record-breaking 3 times throughout the fight.
Nunes has defeated every female champion from Flyweight to Featherweight (Besides Nico Montaño) and does not look to be losing again any time soon.
8. Yair Rodriguez
Yair Rodriguez's exciting fighting style has made him a standout fighter in the UFC. From upward elbows to jumping round kicks, Rodriguez is as flashy as they come.
The creativity on display when Rodriguez fights is pivotal to his success. We rarely see a young fighter with such a diverse arsenal, but Rodriguez has it locked down.
Rodriguez's knockout wins have earned him a reputation as one of the most exciting fighters in the UFC, but even if he doesn't get the knockout, he still entertains with edge-of-your-seat action.
Rodriguez's most impressive finish came when he faced The Korean Zombie in 2018; after what looked like a fight of the year contender, Rodriguez landed an upward elbow with 1 second left in the fight, which left Zombie unconscious on the canvas. Many people regard this as one of the greatest UFC knockouts of all time, myself included.
In Rodriguez's most recent outing, he faced Josh Emmett for the Interim Featherweight title and scored a second-round submission to get his first UFC belt. The unification bout with champion Alexander Volkanovski is scheduled to take place at UFC 290, and I know I can't wait for it.
7. Michael Chandler
Michael Chandler's UFC run has been one of the most exciting of all time, and he's only 5 fights into it. But even before his UFC tenure, Chandler has been putting on fight-of-the-year fights since he started in MMA. During Chandler's Bellator run, he engaged in 2 of the best fights of all time against Eddie Alvarez and became one of the most talked about fighters outside the UFC.
In Chandler's UFC debut, he faced Dan Hooker and won by impressive knockout in the first round. Following this, Chandler was set up for a shot at the vacant title against Charles Oliveira in his second fight in the UFC. Chandler would, unfortunately, come up short on the title shot, but not after giving the future champion a run for his money.
Chandler was then scheduled to face Justin Gaethje in an immensely anticipated fight featuring 2 of the most explosive lightweights in the division. This fight lived up to expectations as the 2 went to war and earned themselves Fight of the Year in 2021, with Gaethje winning the unanimous decision.
Chandler would return with a Knockout of the Year finish against Tony Fergusson, where he landed a viral front kick that left Fergusson face-first on the canvas.
Finally, Chandler's most recent fight saw him engage in a Fight of the Night winning battle against Dustin Poirier, where the usual Michael Chandler showed up ready for war. The 2 went toe-to-toe, throwing strikes back and forth, ultimately with Poirier scoring a third-round submission.
Michael Chandler's UFC run has been like no other; he has shown up dedicated to entertaining the fans and putting on a show. Every time Chandler walks to the cage, you can expect fireworks.
6. Justin Gaethje
Justin Gaethje had one of the most exciting debuts of all time when he faced Michael Johnson in one of the best fights of all time in 2017. Both men came out swinging, looking for the knockout. Gaethje was rocked early but overcame adversity to score the knockout in round 2. Now that the fans had a taste of Gaethje's fighting style, we couldn't wait to see more.
Gaethje would follow up this debut with performance bonus after performance bonus, racking up a record-setting 6 bonuses in a row to start a UFC career. Of Gaethje's 10 UFC fights, 6 have earned him Fight of the Night and 2 Fight of the Year.
Gaethje's style has become a fan favorite after one of the most exciting careers in the UFC, which draws in more and more fans every time he puts on the gloves.
5. Max Holloway
Max Holloway is a fighter with a devoted following of fans, and justifiably so. Every time Holloway fights, he puts on entertaining and enticing performances. The self-proclaimed "best boxer in the UFC" has had a 10-year career within the UFC, beginning with a relatively rocky start to his run; after a loss to an up-and-coming Conor McGregor, Holloway went on a 13-fight win streak that won him the Featherweight title and 3 title defenses.
After losing the title to Alexander Volkanovski, Holloway returned with back-to-back Fight of the Night performances against Calvin Kattar and Yair Rodriguez.
Holloway's unbreakable chin has gained him notoriety among the fans; after 30 fights, Holloway has not been knocked out once.
Max Holloway is an all-around fun fighter inside and outside of the Octagon, and regardless of who he fights, he brings the number 1 version of himself into the cage. With a main event spot against Arnold Allen in April, we are excited to see how it goes down.
4. Charles Oliveira
It would be crazy to make a list of exciting fighters and not include the all-time finishes leader, all-time submissions leader, and all-time bonuses leader; that man is Charles Oliveira.
Oliveira has 12 Performance of the Night bonuses and 6 Fight of the Night bonuses, for 18 bonuses in total, putting him tied at the top with Donald Cerrone. Oliveira currently holds 16 submission wins in the UFC, the most in company history, and 3 KO/TKO finishes, 19 total finishes, again the most in company history.
The insane heart that Oliveira has shown in fights is inspiring, as are the crazy comebacks he has pulled off. But not only has he made comebacks mid-fight, but he also made an entire career comeback after an average UFC run; then something just changed for the Brazilian, and no one could finish him; he was scoring win after win until he got to 8-in-a-row and earned a title shot.
The 3 title fights that followed were some of the most exciting in UFC history, scoring comeback wins in all three.
After losing his title to Islam Makhachev in his most recent outing, Oliveira is still determined to regain his gold. He will face Beneil Dariush at UFC 288 for the number 1 contender spot.
3. Jon Jones
Most fans place Jon Jones in the number 1 spot of greatest of all time, and with his most recent win in the next weight class up for the Heavyweight title, it's hard to deny.
Jon Jones has only one loss on his record, and although it's a loss, it certainly isn't a defeat. In his only loss, Jones was in the mount position raining down shots onto Matt Hamil when he threw 2 illegal 12-to-6 elbows, and the referee stopped the bout. Jones got up thinking he had won, but when Bruce Buffer read the verdict, Jones had been disqualified for illegal strikes.
Jones' record currently sits at 27-1-1 (10 KO/TKO, 7 SUB) with 9 bonus awards. Every time Jones fights, you can expect greatness to be on display.
Jones is also an entertaining and exciting trash-talker on the microphone, being one-half of the biggest rivalry in the UFC with Daniel Cormier. The 2 men talked back and forth for months before their 2 fights, where neither man showed respect to the other. Jones would win both fights, with the second by head-kick knockout, which was later overturned to a no-contest after Jones tested positive for a banned substance.
We are excited to see where Jones goes from here now that he is the world's Heavyweight champion. With talks of a first defense against Stipe Miocic, Jones can cement his spot as the greatest.
2. Conor McGregor
Conor McGregor is the reason majority of fans are watching today. He introduced so many of us to this incredible sport and all it offers. McGregor is exciting inside and outside the Octagon and always enters trying to land the left hand.
McGregor's power is on another level; his record-setting 13-second knockout to win the Featherweight title against José Aldo put this on display. When McGregor's left-hand lands clean, his opponents usually wind up on the canvas. But the power is not the only thing that sets up his knockouts; his timing and precision with counter shots are his bread and butter.
A dominant force in the Octagon, McGregor scored 6 UFC wins in a row with 5 knockouts to earn a title shot. But the knockouts were just the tip of the iceberg for getting fans to tune in. McGregor could talk effortlessly in promoting his fights, going viral in many interviews and media appearances.
McGregor's most famous bouts have been against Nate Diaz, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Dustin Poirier, and a boxing match against Floyd Mayweather.
In his most recent fights, he faced Dustin Poirier back-to-back, losing the first by TKO and the second by doctor stoppage due to a broken tibia he received during the fight. McGregor has not fought since this injury but is expected to return against Michael Chandler after a new season of The Ultimate Fighter featuring the 2 men aires.
You can always count on McGregor to deliver hilarious lines and spectacular knockouts. This season of TUF should be incredible, and we are all waiting anxiously.
1. Anderson Silva
Anderson Silva is a fighter with all types of finishes and submissions. Silva holds the record for the most Knockout of the Night awards at 7, a record he will likely keep forever as these awards have since been changed to "Performance of the Night." On top of his knockout bonuses, Silva also has 2 Submission of the Night awards and 5 Fight of the Night awards.
Although not the type of fighter to engage in a back-and-forth brawl, Silva's finishes are what make him so exciting. Silva has incredible knockouts over Stephen Bonnar, Chael Sonnen, Yushin Okami, Vitor Belfort, Forrest Griffin, Rich Franklin, and Chris Leben. Ranging from front kicks to one-punch knockouts, Silva has done it all and to some of the best in the world.
Silva most recently faced Jake Paul in an exhilarating boxing fight that seemed like the 47-year-old could have been winning until he was knocked down in the final round. However, Jake Paul would go on to win the decision and show respect to the veteran. Regardless of the result, it was evident that Silva still had some fight left in him, and we shouldn't count him out so soon.
No matter where Anderson Silva goes from here, whether he fights again or retires to live a simple life, he will always be one of the best and an inspiration to millions.
