Some of the UFC’s most impressive fighter statistics
How did the UFC’s most awarded fighters get to where they are today? Hard work in the gym, dedication to their crafts and unconditional love from their fans is the answer.
We’ve taken a look at the impressive stats behind the best fighters in the game to highlight what it is that makes them so good – and how they’ve managed to come so far.
Total fights
Two fighters are tied for the total number of UFC fights, with 36 to their names apiece.
Jim Miller has racked up his appearances over a nearly 14-year career, where he also holds the record for the most wins of any fighter in the UFC’s lightweight division.
The New Jersey native has chalked up 21 wins since he took his first step into the Octagon back in 2008, and he shows no sign of wanting to take a step back anytime soon. In a recent interview, he said that one of the things that keeps him motivated to keep on fighting is the chance to finally win by utilising his signature move – the kimura.
Miller has tortured his sparring partners with this double joint arm lock in training for years now but has never managed to use it in the Octagon – despite 10 wins by submission to date.
Miller is tied with the cowboy himself, Donald Cerrone, who needs no introduction as one of the most record-breaking fighters in the history of the UFC.
Total Wins and Finishes
With a record setting 23 wins inside the Octagon, Cerrone has won more times than any other fighter in the history of UFC. It is important to remember that he has actually stacked up 10 losses over his UFC career, which has made him a rather risky betting prospects for fans and punters alike.
An outstanding 16 of his wins were stoppage victories, showing that a decade and a half into his UFC career, and he still strikes fear into the hearts of any challenger.
The lightweight and welterweight fighter comes out ahead of second place Demian Maia, who has an impressive 22 wins to his name.
And as for those finishes? Well, with 16 of those to his name, he’s also a record breaker there, tied only with lightweight Charlies Oliveira.
Other UFC records he’s broken include 20 knockdowns and 18 post fight bonuses, showing no sign of slowing down soon.
He’s one of the few UFC fighters where stepping into the Octagon represents one of the tamer aspects of his life, having been a professional bull rider before taking up the sport.
Now, he’s a regular hunter who takes part in several extreme sports from surfing to cave diving, where he once had a near death experience.
Compared to all that, a few rounds against another lightweight challenger sounds like a breeze.
Most KO/TKO victories
Five fighters are tied for the highest number of KO/TKO victories, with 11 each.
He may be retired, but coming top is the spider himself, Anderson Silva. He will forever be ingrained in UFC history due to the number of records he broke – including a huge reign as middleweight champion, which spanned all the way from 2006 to 2013.
There were calls for the fighter to retire as early as 2014, but the UFC only released him from his contract last year.
Next on the list is welterweight Matt Brown, better known as The Immortal – and as he’s tied for this record, it’s clear that he will live forever in UFC history.
Then there’s the record setting Anthony Johnson, who prior to retirement was ranked as the number 1 light heavyweight contender in UFC rankings, and had the most sub minute KO wins in UFC history with 5. In total, he racked up 11 KO’s before leaving the Octagon.
Derrick Lewis, one of the UFC’s top heavyweights, can also claim 11 wins by knockout. The New Orleans native has managed to rack up this accomplishment in just over a decade since taking up MMA.
Finally, Thiago Santos, currently ranked second in the UFC’s light heavyweight rankings, has racked up 11 total wins via KO.
Most Title Wins
With 14 wins to his name, Jon Jones has cemented his status as one of the all-time UFC greats – even in a career defined by a number of controversies.
He has held the UFC light heavyweight champion title on two separate occasions, and since becoming the youngest champion in UFC history at 23, has accumulated several other records including the most title defenses, most wins, longest win streak, and most submission victories.
Last summer, he announced he would be vacating his title, with everybody expecting him to move up to the next weight category and take a shot at the heavyweight title. After retaining his light heavyweight status for the best part of nine years, reclaiming the belt each of the three times he’d been stripped of it, many are betting on him to make a major impact when his first fight is officially announced.
The physical transformation he’s undertaken in the past six months has left fans eager to see if his next move will live up to the hype.
