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30 greatest UFC fighters of all time

By Richard Ferraina

UNIVERSAL CITY, CALIFORNIA - JULY 08: Henry Cejudo's UFC Championship belt is displayed at "Extra" at Universal Studios Hollywood on July 08, 2019 in Universal City, California. (Photo by Noel Vasquez/Getty Images)
UNIVERSAL CITY, CALIFORNIA - JULY 08: Henry Cejudo's UFC Championship belt is displayed at "Extra" at Universal Studios Hollywood on July 08, 2019 in Universal City, California. (Photo by Noel Vasquez/Getty Images) /
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Charles Oliveira (Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports)
Charles Oliveira (Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports) /

Celebrating 30 years of the UFC, ranking the 30 greatest UFC fighters of all time.

The UFC turns 30 this year, and though it seems slightly impossible, we’re ranking the top 30 UFC fighters of all time. There’s been an abundance of talent throughout the UFC since it began in 1993, from pioneers like Royce Gracie and Ronda Rousey to dominating champions like Jon Jones and superstars like Conor McGregor. Now some pioneers like Mark Coleman and Dan Severn were omitted, but we’re looking at wins, achievements, and overall dominance. Every person on this list has left a mark on the UFC as well as on the sport of MMA. As we look forward to the next 30 years, here’s who made an impact so far.

30. Charles Oliveira

Charles “do Bronx” Oliveira, the man who holds the most finishes and submissions in UFC history didn’t become a champion until he was 31, 13 years into his MMA career. Oliveira is 21-9 in the UFC with 16 submissions and 19 finishes.

Oliveira came into the UFC lightweight division 12-0 and went 2-2 before moving down to featherweight. Oliveira went 7-5, catching his stride during a four-fight win streak but struggled against top competition while also missing weight frequently.

Oliveira went back up to lightweight after his struggles and beat former Bellator champ Will Brooks, Clay Guida, Kevin Lee, and Tony Ferguson on his way to an eight-fight win streak and a shot at the vacant lightweight title. Oliveira finished another former Bellator champion, Michael Chandler, to win the title and defended it with another finish of Dustin Poirier.

At UFC 274, Oliveira’s weight-cut issues popped up again when he missed weight for his next title defense and was stripped of the title. Oliveria still went out and finished Justin Gaethje, setting up a fight between him and Islam Makhachev for the vacant title at UFC 280, a fight in which Oliveira lost. Oliveira is looking to get back in the octagon this year to get his title back and break more records. Oliveira’s decorated grappling pedigree and his late-career resurgence make him a good candidate to kick off this list.

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