The 5 best UFC fighters from Canada

#3 Carlos Newton

Carlos Newton won the UFC Welterweight title in 2001

Newton might’ve fought his final UFC outing way back in 2004 – prior to the TUF boom and the explosion of popularity for MMA worldwide – and he might now be persona non grata in the eyes of the UFC brass thanks to his support for the expansion of boxing’s Muhammad Ali Act into MMA – a move which would essentially kill the UFC’s business model – but he earns a spot on this list for being one of just two UFC champions from the Great White North.

Known as ‘The Ronin’, Newton debuted in the Octagon way back at UFC 17 and gained a reputation as one of the most exciting fighters in the world due to his unbelievable athleticism, slick grappling and reckless striking game. His title win came at 170lbs in 2001, as he choked out legendary champion Pat Miletich with a rare bulldog choke, unseating a man who had held the belt going back into the UFC’s ‘Dark Ages’. Young, good-looking and charismatic, Newton was then pushed as one of Zuffa’s early poster boys.

Unfortunately, his title run didn’t last too long. In one of the most exciting fights in UFC history, he lost the belt in his first title defence to Matt Hughes in what was a controversial finish – Newton’s triangle choke caused Hughes to partially pass out, but in doing so he slammed Newton on his head, knocking him unconscious. A rematch went Hughes’s way in more dominant fashion and Newton left the UFC for a while before making an unsuccessful 2004 comeback. His title win in itself definitely earns him a spot here though even if his UFC run was generally brief.