5 best undefeated fighters in the UFC

Almost every division in the UFC is effectively a shark tank. For a fighter to spend a significant amount of time in the promotion and stay undefeated is an admirable feat. Only a handful of fighters continue to protect their perfect records every time they step inside the octagon.

Khabib Nurmagomedov’s undefeated record of 29-0 created an aura of invincibility surrounding the dominant Russian. Despite the fact that ‘The Eagle’ retired at 32, his standing in the ‘GOAT’ debate is undisputed considering fighters like Georges St-Pierre and Anderson Silva suffered losses in their careers.

Fighters like Ian Garry and Casey O’Neill recently joined the UFC as undefeated prospects. They will more than likely lose the ‘0’ in their professional records as they look to ascend the rankings in their respective weight classes. Hence, it’s very rare to see a fighter in the top 10 or top 15 of any weight class who is undefeated.

That said, we thought we’d look at the five best undefeated fighters in the UFC.

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#5. Bryce Mitchell (14-0 overall, 5-0 in the UFC)

Bryce Mitchell was a contestant on The Ultimate Fighter 27, a season that featured undefeated featherweights and lightweights. He competed in the finale of the season where he took on Tyler Diamond. A win over Diamond saw ‘Thug Nasty’ earn a contract with the UFC.

He made his full UFC debut against Bobby Moffett at UFC Fight Night: Thompson vs. Pettis and secured a unanimous decision victory on the night.

It was his next fight, however, that got people taking note of Mitchell’s talent.

Mitchell took on Matt Sayles at UFC Fight Night: Overeem vs. Rozenstruik and produced an incredibly rare submission to win the bout. The twister-submission is a move developed by legendary Brazilian jiu-jitsu innovator Eddie Bravo and has only been seen twice inside the UFC octagon.

Chan Sung Jung pulled it off against Leonard Garcia in 2011 for the first time, and Mitchell has been the only fighter to do it since.

Mitchell’s next two fights saw him secure unanimous decision victories over Charles Rosa and Andre Fili. His incredible run in the UFC’s featherweight division saw him break into the top 15 in 2020. Currently ranked No.11, the Arkansas native is set to take on MMA veteran Edson Barboza in his next bout.

A win over a high-level competitor in Edson Barboza will more than likely see Mitchell break into the top 10 as an undefeated fighter. The duo are set to lock horns in March 2022.

#4. Ilia Topuria (11-0 overall, 3-0 in the UFC)

Ilia Topuria may not be a very well-known UFC fighter, but he will be in the near future. The Georgian has stayed under the radar so far in his UFC career but those in the know are well aware that this well-rounded fighter is a future title contender.

Topuria joined the UFC in 2020 and made his promotional debut at UFC Fight Night: Moraes vs. Sandhagen. A comfortable unanimous decision victory over Yousseff Zalal provided glimpses of his potential. It was his next two fights, however, that saw his stock rise tremendously.

His one-punch first-round KO victory over Damon Jackson at UFC Fight Night: Hermansson vs. Vettori was his first statement-win in the promotion.

The Georgian took on fan-favorite Ryan Hall in his next bout and thoroughly outclassed the popular Brazilian jiu-jitsu phenom, knocking him out in the first round. Hall was one of the most avoided fighters on the roster for quite a while, making Topuria’s victory all the more impressive.

Topuria will have a chance to break into the top 15 of the UFC featherweight rankings as early as January next year. He is set to take on No.13-ranked Movsar Evloev at UFC 270, which is set to go down at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California.

A win over the undefeated Russian will see Topuria move into the upper echelons of one of the most stacked divisions in the UFC. Who knows? He could be in the top 5 by the end of the year should he remain active.

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#3. Sean Brady (15-0 overall, 5-0 in the UFC)

Sean Brady has slowly but surely built a name for himself in the UFC welterweight division. The undefeated prospect joined the UFC in 2019 and made his debut at UFC Fight Night: Reyes vs. Weidman against Court McGee. He won via unanimous decision.

Brady went on to secure submission victories over Ismail Naurdiev, Christian Aguilera and Jake Matthews. The American quickly gained a reputation for being an extremely dangerous grappler in the UFC’s welterweight division, as well as being the owner of one of the most incredible back-tattoos in the game.

At UFC Fight Night: Vieira vs. Tate, Sean Brady took on UFC veteran Michael Chiesa in the co-main event. Given Chiesa’s grappling prowess, this match-up was a real threat to Brady’s perfect professional record.

However, he secured a unanimous decision victory over the No. 6-ranked welterweight to make a huge jump in the rankings. The fact that he outgrappled one of the best grapplers in the division and made it look easy showed that Brady is a force to be reckoned with at 170 lbs.

Now among the top 10 in the division, Sean Brady refused to make a callout following his win over Chiesa. Rather, the Philadelphia-native requested the UFC brass put him in a five-round main event, preferably in his hometown. In his post-fight interview with Daniel Cormier, Brady said:

“I want one of these main events everybody keeps getting. I want five rounds. I want to prove I can go five rounds. [I want] A top ten or a top five guy. It’s about to be a new year. We can go back to Philly [Philadelphia], go back to the Wells Fargo Center… Me, the Daukaus brothers, Andre Petroski, Pat Sabatini, all the New Jersey guys… We’ll pack that place.”

Watch Sean Brady’s post-fight interview below:

#2. Khamzat Chimaev (10-0 overall, 4-0 in the UFC)

Khamzat Chimaev is undoubtedly the hottest prospect in the UFC right now.

The Russian-born Swedish phenom made waves in the MMA community with a couple of dominant performances on Fight Island in Abu Dhabi.

Subsequently, 'Borz' took on Gerald Meerschaert at UFC Fight Night: Covington vs. Woodley. Chimaev knocked Meerschaert out just 17 seconds into the bout, establishing himself as one of the most intriguing prospects in years.

Despite Chimaev's incredible 3-0 start in the promotion, there wasn't much talk of him competing for a championship as he was still unranked. The three opponents he faced were unranked as well with two of them no longer being a part of the UFC.

His red-hot start was halted after he contracted COVID-19. A lengthy bout with the virus disheartened the Chechen fighter, who even considered retirement as a result of the effects of the virus.

Following his recovery, he was booked to fight No.11-ranked Li Jingliang at UFC 267 on Fight Island. Many believed that the durable Chinese welterweight, who had never been finished in the UFC, would pose a threat to Chimaev and that the bout would be a conclusive litmus test to show whether he was a legitimate title contender.

Chimaev secured a double-leg takedown and effortlessly choked out Jingliang in the first round.

There was no doubt after the bout that Khamzat Chimaev is a real threat to Kamaru Usman's reign as the UFC welterweight champion. His background in sambo-style wrestling, coupled with his underrated striking and relentless approach to fighting, will prove to be a real handful for anyone in the 170 lbs and 185 lbs divisions.

In his post-fight interview with Daniel Cormier, 'Borz' seemingly put the entire division and roster on notice.

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#1. Ciryl Gane (10-0 overall, 7-0 in the UFC)

Ciryl Gane joined the UFC with a professional record of just 3-0. Incredibly, his first three fights in MMA were all championship bouts. He became the heavyweight champion of Canada's TKO promotion in his MMA debut and defended the title twice before being signed by the UFC.

The undefeated Frenchman went on a six-fight win streak upon joining the promotion, including victories over Junior dos Santos, Jairzinho Rozenstruik and Alexander Volkov.

Watch his incredible undefeated run below:

Gane’s phenomenal win streak earned him a shot at interim gold. He took on Derrick Lewis at UFC 265 in Houston, his first time headlining a UFC pay-per-view. He won via third-round TKO to set up a title unification bout with Francis Ngannou.

'Bon Gamin' is set to fight for undisputed gold at UFC 270. He will take on his former teammate Francis Ngannou, who holds the heavyweight belt. His unprecedented rise in the world's premier MMA organization has truly been a sight to behold.