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Scandinavia has produced numerous high-level UFC fighters over the years. Several Danish, Norwegian and Swedish fighters have been picked up by the promotion, with varying levels of success.
Contrary to popular opinion, the term 'Scandinavia' does not technically include Finland or Iceland, which would come under the term 'Nordic'. This means that fighters such as Makwan Amirkhani, Gunnar Nelson and Teemu Packalen will not be considered for the following list. Khamzat Chimaev is also not included as, while he lives and trains out of Sweden, he is originally from Chechnya, Russia.
With that being said, we break down five of the best UFC fighters from the Northern European region of Scandinavia. Honorable mentions go to Pannie Kianzad, Daniel Teymur, Emil Weber Meek, and Magnus Cedenblad.
#5. David Teymur - UFC lightweight
Swedish lightweight David Teymur made his way into the world's premier MMA promotion through season 22 of The Ultimate Fighter. He defeated Thibault Gouti and Johnny Nuñez before coming up short against Marcin Wrzosek.
Teymur was still granted a shot in the UFC and was booked face Martin Svensson at UFC Fight Night 84. Teymur won in emphatic fashion, knocking Svensson out in round two.
Teymur then won four consecutive fights, defeating Jason Novelli, Lando Vannata, Drakkar Klose, and Nik Lentz. In 2019, Teymur was matched up with the current lightweight champion, Charles Oliveira, who was riding an impressive four-fight win streak.
'Do Bronx' defeated Teymur via anaconda choke in the second round. The Swede has not competed since the loss to Oliveira, and it is unclear whether he intends to make a return to the promotion. It is notable that his brother, Daniel Teymur, has also not competed since 2019.
#4. Nicolas 'Danish Dynamite' Dalby - UFC welterweight
As the nickname suggests, UFC welterweight Nicolas 'Danish Dynamite' Dalby hails from the land of Denmark. Dalby originally signed to the UFC in 2015, where he had solid initial success, defeating Elizeu Zaleski and taking Darren Till to a majority-decision draw.
Unfortunately, he then lost back-to-back fights to Zak Cummings and Peter Sobotta. This resulted in Dalby being cut from the promotion in 2016.
However, rather than call time on his MMA career, Dalby threw himself back into the regional scene. 'Danish Dynamite' went 3-1-1 with European promotion Cage Warriors, which resulted in him being re-signed to the UFC in 2019.
The Dane has since gone 2-1-1 with the organization, which has included wins over Daniel Rodriguez and Alex 'Cowboy' Oliveira. He is currently recovering from injury and will likely compete in the latter half of 2022.
#3. Ilir 'The Sledgehammer' Latifi - UFC heavyweight
Sweden's Ilir Latifi has been a staple of the UFC's light heavyweight roster since he first signed to the promotion in 2013. 'The Sledgehammer' has lived up to his nickname multiple times, with vicious knockout finishes against Sean O'Connell, Hans Stringer, and Chris Dempsey.
More recently, Latifi moved up to the heavyweight division where he has since gone 1-1. A close decision loss to Derrick Lewis was an unfortunate start to his heavyweight career, but Latifi bounced back with a victory against Tanner Boser.
'The Sledgehammer' is now preparing to face heavyweight veteran Aleksei Oleinik later this month. The 38-year-old still has a few more years to give, and a big win against Oleinik may see him reach the fringes of the top 15.
#2. Jack 'The Joker' Hermansson - UFC middleweight
The current highest-ranked Scandinavian in the organization, Jack Hermansson has been consistently competitive with the best the middleweight division has to offer. 'The Joker' currently sits at No. 7 in the 185 lb rankings and is coming off a close decision loss to the No. 4-ranked Sean Strickland.
Hermansson has a number of impressive wins on his record, having submitted the likes of Kelvin Gastelum and Gerald Meerschaert, as well as dominating Edmen Shahbazyan and Ronaldo 'Jacare' Souza.
Losses to Jared Cannonier, Marvin Vettori, and the aforementioned Strickland have just about kept Hermansson away from the top five. However, with such a dangerous skillset at his disposal, do not count out a late career title run from 'The Joker'.
#1. Alexander 'The Mauler' Gustafsson - UFC heavyweight
Were it not for Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier, Alexander Gustafsson may well have become a light heavyweight champion in the world's biggest MMA promotion. In 2013, he pushed Jones to the very limit, forcing an all-time great fight out of the former 205 lb champ.
Gustafsson also has a win over the current 205 lb champion, Glover Teixeira, as well as a victory over the former title holder, Jan Blachowicz. In 2015, 'The Mauler' came incredibly close to capturing the belt, losing out in a split decision to Daniel Cormier.
Gustafsson took some time away from the sport after a loss to Anthony Smith in 2019. However, he has since returned and is now competing in the heavyweight division. Gustafsson will face off against divisional veteran Ben Rothwell at a Fight Night event in May.
