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The UFC or the Ultimate Fighting Championship has its champions but among them, there are champions of champions. These fighters are known as the best pound per pound fighters in the sport.
Here are the Top 10 pound for pound fighters in the UFC:
Daniel Cormier
Daniel Cormier is the current UFC heavyweight champion and the former UFC light heavyweight champion. DC won the UFC heavyweight title by knocking out Stipe Miocic at UFC 226 in July 2018. In doing so, he became the second of three fighters to hold two UFC titles simultaneously and the first fighter ever to defend both titles. The 40-year old former Division I NCAA wrestler was a member of the 2008 US Olympic wrestling team but was pulled from competition due to a serious illness. Before fighting in the UFC, Cormier was the King of the Cage champion and Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix champion. Cormier was supposed to retire last month but he postponed his retirement for a possible big money fight with former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar. That bout is reportedly being eyed for August this year.
Jon Jones
Jon Jones is the current undisputed UFC light heavyweight champion, winning the belt for the third time after knocking out Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 232 last December 29, 2018. Considered as one of the greatest mixed martial artists of all-time, Jones is the youngest UFC champion in promotion history. He first won the UFC 205-pound title at the age of 23 when he knocked out the legendary Mauricio “Shogun” Rua at UFC 128. He defended the title a record 8 times before he was stripped of the title due to legal woes. Jones won the title a second time by knocking out Daniel Cormier at UFC 214. That win was overturned to a no-contest after Jones failed a drug test and was suspended. He returned to reclaim the belt against Gustafsson last year and successfully defended it against Anthony Smith last January at UFC 235. Jones is the only fighter to beat Daniel Cormier, beating DC two times although one of those wins was overturned to a no-contest.
Khabib Nurmagomedov
Khabib Nurmagomedov is the reigning undisputed UFC lightweight champion. The 30-year old from Dagestan is undefeated in MMA with a record of 27-0 with 8 knockouts and 9 wins via submission. In one of the most anticipated fights in UFC history, Nurmagomedov submitted Conor McGregor inside of four rounds at UFC 229 last October 2018. The event stands as the highest grossing PPV event in UFC history with a total of 2.4M PPV buys, Before the UFC, Nurmagomedov was a two-time world champion in Combat Sambo. He is the first Russian and the first Muslim to win a UFC world title. Khabib is currently serving a nine-month suspension for his involvement in the post-UFC 229 brawls. The suspension is retroactive to October 6, 2018, and he is expected to be back this coming August reportedly against interim UFC lightweight champion Dustin Poirier.
Henry Cejudo
Henry Cejudo is the smallest and lightest fighter on this list. He is the current UFC flyweight champion. He won the belt by becoming the first man to defeat Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson. Johnson had 11-consecutive title defenses which included a win over Cejudo in 2016. Instead of making a title defense, Cejudo’s next fight after winning the belt was a super fight against then UFC bantamweight champion T.J. Dillashaw. Cejudo moved up in weight and went on to score a shocking first-round knockout of Dillashaw. Dillashaw was later suspended for two years by the USADA for violation of the UFC’s drug policy. Cejudo is a former freestyle wrestler and former 2008 Olympic gold medalist. Cejudo is booked to fight Marlon Moraes at UFC 238 on June 8, 2019, for the vacant UFC bantamweight title.
Max Holloway
Max Holloway is the undisputed UFC featherweight champion. Max was the youngest fighter on the UFC roster when he made his debut in 2012 when he replaced an injured Ricardo Lamas at UFC 143. After losing to Conor McGregor in 2013, Holloway picked up 13 consecutive victories. During that streak, he won the interim UFC featherweight title by stopping Anthony Pettis at UFC 206. One fight later, he became the undisputed featherweight champion after knocking out featherweight great Jose Aldo at UFC 212. Holloway asserted his dominance in the featherweight division when he knocked out Aldo during their rematch at UFC 218. Holloway attempted to win the interim UFC lightweight belt earlier this month at UFC 236 but he lost a five round decision to Dustin Poirier.
Amanda Nunes
Amanda Nunes is the UFC women’s bantamweight and featherweight champion. Nunes is the first woman in UFC history to become a two-weight division champion and the first woman to hold two UFC belts simultaneously. The Lioness won the UFC women’s bantamweight title by submitting Miesha Tate at the iconic UFC 200 in 2016. In her first title defense, Nunes knocked out former champion Ronda Rousey in just 48 seconds, retaining her belt and retiring Rousey as well. After another successful title defense against the rugged Raquel Pennington, Nunes moved up in weight to challenge the feared Cris Cyborg for the UFC women’s featherweight belt. Nunes knocked out Cyborg in 51 seconds to become the UFC’s first female two-division champion.
Kamaru Usman
Kamaru Usman is the current UFC welterweight champion. He won the belt with a dominant five-round unanimous decision win over Tyron Woodley at UFC 235 last March 19, 2019. Usman has not lost a bout since losing his second professional bout to Jose Caceres in 2013. Usman first entered the UFC picture after winning The Ultimate Fighter season 21 tournament. Before MMA, Usman was a collegiate wrestler at the University of Nebraska at Kearney and was an NCAA Division II All-American during his stint there.
Dustin Poirier
Dustin Poirier is the newly crowned interim UFC lightweight champion. He won the belt after a masterful five-round performance against Max Holloway at UFC 236 last April 13, 2019. Poirier is a new name on the pound-for-pound list as he is a fighter who rose from the ranks. After his last defeat at the hands of Michael Johnson in 2016, Poirier has been unbeaten and has won over top level fighters. The Diamond is 5-0 with a no-contest over that period, earning wins over Jim Miller, Anthony Pettis, Eddie Alvarez, Justin Gaethje and Holloway.
Conor McGregor
Who doesn’t know the Irishman who told the world that he came not to take part but to take over? When Conor McGregor started talking about packing football stadiums, many people did not take him seriously. But after annihilating Jose Aldo in 13 seconds at UFC 194, McGregor made believers out of everybody. The Notorious became the sport’s biggest stars and top draw. McGregor became a two-division champion when he knocked out Eddie Alvarez at UFC 205. In 2017, he took a hiatus and fought Floyd Mayweather Jr. in a boxing match. McGregor is currently out of action and had just completed serving a suspension in connection with the UFC 229 post-fight brawl.
Robert Whitaker
Robert Whitaker is the current UFC middleweight champion. He is the first Australian to win a UFC world title. Whitaker was a contestant at the first season of The Ultimate Fighter: Smashes where he won the welterweight tournament. Whitaker moved up in weight class in 2014 and at UFC 213, he defeated Yoel Romero to become interim UFC middleweight champion. After Georges St. Pierre elected to retire, Whitaker was promoted to full champion status and defended the belt against Romero in a rematch. He’s been out with several injuries but fans are hopeful he can return this year to face interim UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya.
