Who are the Best UFC Fighters in the World Right Now?

All fighters train to be the very best

But there is a way of determining who the best pound-for-pound UFC fighter is. Looking at their particular skill sets and fight records, we can figure out who are the most electrifying octagon warriors.

Alexander Volkanovski

This Australian fighter actually started off as a welterweight in MMA before switching to the featherweight division – where he has fought during his time in UFC. After initially winning a prestigious Fight of the Night award at UFC 232 in 2018, he then went on to claim the featherweight title a year later.

He has now defended that title on four separate occasions and is preparing for another defense in February of next year when he faces another name on this list – Islam Makhachev. Volkanovski has a record of 25 wins and just one loss – there is a good reason why his nickname is simply ‘The Great’.

Israel Adesanya

A former champion boxer and kick boxer, ‘The Last Stylebender’ is now one of the best UFC fighters on the planet and was the middleweight champion until this month when he was defeated by Alex Pereira at UFC 281. We can probably expect a rematch fairly soon.

Adesanya is known as one of the finest strikers in the organization, both offensively and defensively. The Nigerian-New Zealander’s only previous defeat in MMA was when he made the move up to light heavyweight in 2021. It will now be interesting to see how he returns from his most recent setback.

Francis Ngannou

Ngannou is the current UFC heavyweight champion, after defeating Ciril Gane at the beginning of 2022. But it is unclear whether the Cameroonian-French fighter will return to defend his title once again. He has been beset by injuries throughout 2022 but has also stalled on a new contract with the organization.

Ngannou believes that he is not being paid enough as a UFC fighter and has considered a move to professional boxing. He certainly has the punching ability to make switch codes and has been rumored to have been singled out by Tyson Fury for what would be a definite best-selling championship bout.

Many fighters have experience of other disciplines - such as kick boxing

Kamaru Usman

The Nigerian Nightmare is another UFC fighter that has only recently lost his title after a long winning streak catapulted him up the rankings. After originally claiming the welterweight belt in 2019, Usman defended his title on five occasions before losing out to Leon Edwards at UFC 278.

That loss was Usman’s first since 2013, when he was just starting out in MMA. He has previously excelled as a freestyle wrestler as both a college student and as a professional. Usman will now look to reclaim his title – although he could switch to a career in the movies after appearing in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.

Islam Makhachev

This Russian fighter has already been name checked here as the next opponent of Alexander Volkanovski. But it is he who is the current lightweight champion, defending his title. That’s because he has just beaten UFC legend Charles Oliveira at UFC 280 in Abu Dhabi.

A former Sambo competitor, Makhachev boasts a 23-1 UFC record and is looking to cement himself as one of the greatest ever fighters in the lightweight division. Since entering UFC he has consistently proved to be one of the rising stars and is now enjoying his time in the limelight.

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