15 Best Pound-For-Pound MMA Fighters Of All Time

Pound-for-pound ranking is used in mixed martial arts, where the MMA fighter competes with each other. Despite the size and variation in the techniques. The fighters of the different divisions square off with those of the various combat sports.

We will find out the top fifteen fighters from different martial arts who have showcased striking and grappling techniques. The contenders incorporate the techniques of their related sports to help them stand out on the podium. This article will explore the top pound-for-pound fighters who have distinguished themselves.

Islam Ramazanovich Makhachev is a professional UFC fighter and former sambo practitioner. The professional MMA fighter has stepped into the octagon and performed tremendously. Islam Makhachev competes in the Lightweight division. He is second in the pound-for-pound ranking.

In 2016, the sambo practitioner became the world champion; Makhachev won the Russian international championship two times in 2014 and 2016. Soon, he was recognized as the most dynamic fighter; he started his mixed martial arts career in 2011 and marked his identity with his debut. Islam Makhachev competed in the M-1 Global and squared off against the tough competitor Tengiz Khuchua. Makhachev won the bout with the method of knockout.

After that, Makhachev gave spectacular performances back-to-back. After becoming highly competent in MMA, Islam Makhachev shifted to the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). The undefeated fighter was proficient in throwing massive hits and landing the best kicks. He stepped into the octagon in 2014 and has showcased spectacular performances against brutal contenders. Makhachev has won 26 fights out of 27. 

Alex Pereira is considered one of the most brutal and savage fighters in the UFC. He complies with diverse skills; he is a master in neutralizing the opponent's techniques. Alex is proficient and has a great sense of timing; he can knock out his opponent with punches and kicks. Alex Pereira is second in the pound-for-pound ranking list. In the year 2021, Alex was ranked number one in kickboxing.

Alex Sandro Silva Pereira is a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and kickboxing. He was trained under reputable trainers with the elite boxers, who helped him improve his striking power. Alex has dignified his professional appearance by taking the following titles in kickboxing:

• Glory middleweight
• Light heavyweight champion

Alex became the first fighter to win the Glory titles in the two weight divisions. After that, he transitioned from kickboxing to MMA in 2015. Alex Pereira was chosen against Quemuel Ottoni but could not win the fight. After losing his debut, he acquired two victories in succession.

In 2021, Alex Pereira debuted in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He squared off against Andreas Michailidis and won the fight using a technical knockout. Alex Sandro Silva Pereira is the ninth UFC fighter to compete in two different weight divisions: middleweight and light heavyweight. Alex has become the UFC's Middleweight Champion and has won the UFC's Light Heavyweight Champion title.  

Jon Jones, aka Bones, is the most proficient fighter. He became part of the Ultimate Fighting Championship in 2008. Jones appeared against Andre Gusmao, and Bones marked his identity with his tremendous performance in the octagon. Jon Jones won the title via takedowns. He used his striking power and showed potential with spinning back kicks and elbows.

He is the only UFC fighter who won the title very young; he has squared off against Mauricio Rua. He became the light heavyweight champion at the age of twenty-three.

Jones is ranked third in pound-for-pound MMA fighters. He is considered the most competent fighter and has set the record for winning the longest strike. Jon Jones possesses an unmatched skill set, and he was named Bones because of his unmatched strength and mental endurance. Bones was accomplished defending the UFC title 13 times against the top contenders. He has maintained his position as a number one fighter in the UFC and remained at the top of the pound-for-pound ranking until Islam Makhachev matched his pace. Jon Jones is now third in the pound-pound ranking.

Jon Jones has faced well-known names in the UFC, including Vitor Belfort, Stephan Bonnar, Hamill, Quinton Jackson, and Lyoto Machida. 

Leon Edwards is a dominant fighter who has used competency with his diverse skill set. Leon Edwards, aka “Rocky,” is ranked sixth for inheriting the fastest knockout ability. He has set the record of 22 wins out of 26 fights, most of which are through the knockout method.

Leon Edward debuted in mixed martial arts in 2010, when he competed as an amateur. Edward has used his mastery with boxing kicks, punches, and knockouts. He has shown spectacular performance. He has used the best striking techniques that have brought him to the new heights of MMA. Edward had been part of the Fight UK MMA and Post-Fight UK MMA.

In 2014, Leon Edward stepped into the octagon and appeared in UFC Fight Night: Shogun vs. Saint Preux, where he was against Cláudio Silva. Unfortunately, he could not make it and had to taste defeat via a split decision.

Destiny has taken him to the height of glory. Leon Edward faced veteran Seth Baczynski in his second UFC fight, where he demolished the opponent in only eight seconds with a knockout method. Edward has faced the top contenders, including Pawel Pawlak, Khamzat Chimaev, Gunnar Nelson, Peter Sobotta, and Albert Tumenov. Leon Edwards is fourth in pound-for-pound ranking. 

The Gregorian and Spanish fighter Ilia Topuria is a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. He is the first Georgian fighter with the prestige to earn a black belt in BJJ. He is a renowned MMA fighter who competes in the Featherweight class. Topuria is number five in the pound-for-pound ranking.

Ilia Topuria is a master at using techniques with perfect timing. He has built an impressive record in MMA. Most of his wins are through the submission method. He is the only fighter who has appeared in fifteen fights and won all of them. Topuria has won five fights with the knockout method and eight bouts via submission.

Ilia Topuria, also known as El Matador, is a practicing Greco-Roman wrestling fighter. As he stepped onto the podium, he distinguished himself with proficient submission methods. The black belt grappler has competed in the cage and has won four straight bouts against the most powerful contenders.

Ilia has been part of various promotion companies, including:

• Cage Warriors Bantamweight Championship
• international fight in Cage MMA Finland

The spectacular fighter appeared in the octagon on relatively short notice. He faced the competitor Youssef Zalal in the UFC; the spectators were shocked by Ilia Topuria's spectacular performance, in which he distinguished himself by winning the bout. He has begun the journey of the UFC with his dynamic performance. He has won most of the bouts with the knockout method. 

Sean O'Malley, aka Suga, is considered the top pound-for-pound fighter in MMA. He is the deadliest fighter with the potential to knock out a contender in relatively less time. Sean O'Malley has become the UFC champion in the Bantamweight division and has acquired sixth place in the pound-for-pound ranking.

Sean O'Malley is a brown belt in jiu-jitsu; he started his journey in mixed martial arts (MMA) and won five fights. His knockout win made the way towards the Ultimate Fighting Championship. In 2017, he appeared on the stage of UFC against the veteran Terrion Ware; he magnificently won the bout with the decision.

O'Malley faced Andre Soukhamthath twice. First, in 2018, he could not fight him due to a potential Anti-Doping Policy violation. Later, he squared off with the same contender in 2020, and O Malley won the fight with a total knockout (TKO).

O'Malley has faced the top fighters of the UFC,, including Marlon Vera, Andre Soukhamthath, José Alberto Quiñónez, Thomas Almeida, and Raulian Paiva. He has appeared in 20 MMA fights and won eighteen matches. Most of his wins are by knockout. He has won performance of the night six times against Marlon Vera, Eddie Wineland, Thomas Almeida, Raulian Paiva, Aljamain Sterling, and José Alberto Quiñónez.

Sean O'Malley’s most notable wins are KO victories. He has the power to hit the contender with a single punch that results in a TKO.

Alexander Volkanovski is considered as one of the greatest MMA fighters. He can take reactive takedowns and drag the quickest fighters in the UFC. The veteran has to think twice about submitting Alexander Volkanovski. He ranked at the number seventh in pound-for-pound MMA.

Australian fighter is a professional boxer, and Volkanovski is a fighter who has competed in the three divisions that are:

• Featherweight
• Lightweight
• Welterweight

Alexander Volkanovski started his MMA career as an amateur fighter. He has a record of four wins and zero losses. He has also won the title of Australian Fighting Championship two times. Out of thirty bouts, Volkanovski has won twenty-six matches. Most of his wins are through knockout and decision. He has a striking power of seventy-one and a half.

Volkanovski transitioned to the UFC in 2017 when he was severely injured. After that, he squared off with Mizuto Hirota and successfully won the bout by decision. He has won the title fights five times and set the record for the second-longest winning streak in the UFC featherweight division. 

American professional fighter Max Holloway is known as the “Pride of Hawaii.” He is a brown belt in jiu-jitsu. He is the contender who is a fighter in the two divisions, Featherweight and Lightweight. Jerome Max Kelii Holloway is eighth in the UFC pound-for-pound ranking.

Max Holloway started his professional mixed martial arts career at a very young age —only nineteen years old when he appeared on the MMA podium. Holloway exhibits the competency of incorporating his skills of elbows, knees, and kicks. He is a professional fighter who is proficient in striking and spinning techniques.

Max Holloway was the youngest UFC fighter when he started his UFC career. He has squared off against Dustin Poirier. Most of the wins are based on the knockout methods and through the decisions. He has appeared in thirty-three fights and won twenty-six out of them. Max Holloway has faced the following contenders in his Ultimate Fighting Championship journey: Cody McKenzie, Pat Schilling, José Aldo, Justin Lawrence, Andre Fili, Leonard Garcia, and Dennis Bermudez.

Max Holloway has won three title defenses, made the most strikes in UFC history, and won the performance of the night five times. 

African MMA fighter Dricus Du Plessis competes in the welterweight and middleweight class divisions. He won the title of UFC Middleweight Champion, and in this way, he became the first fighter in South Africa to win the UFC title.

Dricus Du Plessis is a second-degree black belt in kickboxing. He has set a record for kickboxing by winning 33 fights out of 33, including 30 fights with the knockout method.

Plessis started his mixed martial arts career in 2013. He appeared on the podium as an amateur and set the record of four wins and zero losses. Dricus Du Plessis is really good at submissions. He won fights with the guillotine choke and rear-naked choke (RNC). He has set a professional record of winning 21 bouts out of 23. 

Alexandre Pantoja is a UFC champion in Flyweight division. The professional MMA artist is at the tenth rank in the pound-for-pound ranking. The Cannibal started their career in mixed martial arts in 2016, and Pantoja has made his way toward the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Pantoja appeared in the Octagon in 2017. He was against Eric Shelton, and he won the fight with a split decision. Most of his wins have been with submission methods, including rear-naked choke (RNC), triangle choke, and armbar.

Alexandre Pantoja has a distinguished skill set that helps him incorporate the striking method of knockout and total knockout. He has won eight matches via knockout. Pantoja has distinguished himself in the history of UFC by striking the third most significant strikes.

Alexandre Pantoja has won the title of performance of the night three times, setting the record for having the second-longest streak in the UFC's history. He won the title of the UFC Flyweight Championship after the bout of UFC 290, winning the bout via split decision. Pantoja also won the title of the fight of the night. 

Thomas Paul Aspinall belongs to England and is a proficient fighter who competes in the Heavyweight division. Aspinall is a black belt in jiu-jitsu, and he has the potential to use submission methods in a precise amount of time. Tom Aspinall is proficient in incorporating the striking techniques of knockout, takedowns, and flying punches.

Tom Aspinall started his professional career as an amateur in mixed martial arts. He was only nineteen years old when he appeared on the podium. He has appeared in 17 fights and won 11 of them by knockout and three by submission. Aspinall is proficient in the heel hook submission.

After two and a half years in professional MMA fights, he received an invitation from the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) . Soon, he debuted against Raphael Pessoa, but the match was canceled due to the pandemic. In July 2020, he appeared in the Octagon and won the fight using the knockout method. In addition, he gave a spectacular performance, for which he received the title of the night's performance. Young and proficient UFC fighter Tom Aspinall has squared off against Andrei Arlovski, Serghei Spivac, Shamil Abdurakhimov, and Sergei Pavlovich.

The young talent has set a new record for winning the bout in the shortest amount of time in UFC history. He has also won the title of performance of the night six times. Tom Aspinall has landed the highest number of strikes in a minute. He has become the pound-for-pound fighter who ranks at the eleventh number. He has moved two steps upward to secure the position. 

Israel Mobolaji Temitayo Odunayo Oluwafemi Owolabi Adesanya is a kickboxer and boxer from New Zealand. He is a professional mixed martial arts fighter who is also known as “The Last Stylebender.” Israel Adesanya is ranked 12th in the UFC men’s P4P rankings. Unfortunately, he has gone a step down in pound-for-pound ranking.

Israel Adesanya started his career in professional kickboxing and has set the record of winning seven fights in a row. The unbeatable contender has won most of the fighters with the knockout method. He appeared in 80 matches, out of which he won 75. Israel Adesanya has won 29 games with the knockout method.

Adesanya has started the professional career of mixed martial arts (MMA) in 2012. He appeared on the podium against James Griffiths and won the fight with the total knockout method (TKO). Israel Adesanya has set a tremendous record of winning the series of eight fights, most of which are with the TKO and KO.

In 2018, Adesanya appeared in the octagon against Rob Wilkinson and won the bout by KO. Israel Adesanya distinguished himself and set the record for winning five successful title defenses. He has won the UFC title two times in the Middleweight Championship.

Charles Oliveira is a third-degree black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ). He competed in most bouts and became the CBJJE World Champion. Oliveira started competing in BJJ's national and international tournaments when he was in the color belt division.

Oliveira transitioned to mixed martial arts (MMA) in 2007. The Brazilian fighter set a record of 12-0, including five submission methods and six knockouts. Oliveria surpasses the high record of winning 34 fights out of 45.

Charles Oliveira has become the third-best Brazilian prospect; he squared off against Elkins and won the fight in just 41 seconds. He repeatedly won the bouts and was awarded the “Submission of the Night”. Oliveira has reached the peak of notable wins against Elkins, Efrain Escudero, Nik Lentz, Paul Felder, Jonathan Brookins, and Will Brooks. Charles Oliveira has attained the thirteen place in the pound-for-pound ranking. 

Sean Strickland is well-known for his technical striking and knockout power in the bouts. He is a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu—the American fighter who became the UFC champion in the middleweight division. Sean Strickland is at the number one rank in the Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight class division.

Strickland started his MMA career in 2008 and set the record of winning nine matches without losing a single one. The professional MMA fighter “Tarzan” is the competitor in the three divisions that are:

• Middleweight
• Welterweight
• Light Heavyweight

He has set the record of MMA by winning 29 fights out of 35; most of his wins are through decision. Strickland became a fighter in the UFC in 2014 and won his first fight with the rear-necked choke (RNC) submission method. He has won the performance of the night three times against Brendan Allen, Israel Adesanya, and Abus Magomedov. Sean Strickland is regarded as the King of the Cage and has won the title three times.

Most wins are through total knockouts (TKO) and knockouts (KO). Strickland is at the fourteenth rank in the P4P rankings. 

Aljamain Sterling is a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ); he is an American MMA fighter who has competed in the two divisions that are:

• Featherweight
• Bantamweight

“Funk Master” has striking skills that are remarkable and worth notable. He has been part of the wrestling and has won the title of NCAA Division III All-American twice. Aljamain Sterling appeared on the UFC stage in 2014 and won the fight by decision. Sterling has faced against renowned fighters, including Manny Gamburyan, Johnny Eduardo, and Bryan Caraway. He has set the MMA of 28 fights in which he has successfully got the victory in 24 bouts, most of his wins are through the submission methods and by decision. He is ranked as a fifteen-fighter in the P4P ranking of Ulitmate Fighting Championship. 

We have explored fifteen of the best pound-for-pound fighters in MMA. When the fighters appear in the octagon,the spectators are astonished by their remarkable performances. According to their performance, the use of grappling methods and strikes changes the fighters' position in the pound-for-pound ranking system. Each fighter has distinguished themselves and taken a significant spot in P4P MMA.

Photo Credit: @wallpapercave, @fcfighter & @mmajunkie