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There are nearly 50 major MMA promotions globally, out of which the UFC is ranked the best with some of the toughest fighters on its roster. As of 2021, the UFC has listed a total of 724 MMA fighters who hail from about 70 different countries. With such a deep pool of talent signed with the UFC, it is no surprise that new legends are forged inside its octagon every few years.
While there are several champions, top-ranked and leading pound-for-pound fighters in the UFC, only a few could be described as the toughest. These fighters are known for having granite chins, inhuman cardio and endurance, and an unreal pain threshold.
In this piece, we rank the five toughest fighters in the UFC today:
#5 - Current UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya
Before starting on his MMA journey, Israel Adesanya was a highly successful boxer and kickboxer. With records like 5-1 in boxing and 75-5 in kickboxing, 'Izzy' also destroyed his competition in MMA. In a period of six years since making his MMA debut, 'The Last Stylebender' secured a 12-fight KO/TKO streak which also included his UFC debut.
Israel Adesanya is considered one of the greatest middleweight fighters in UFC history and one of the craftiest mixed martial artists. He is largely undefeated in his MMA career, proving to be one of the toughest fighters in the UFC today.
His single loss in MMA came against UFC light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz. However, the 205-pounder could only manage a decision win despite giving Israel Adesanya a taste of his renowned 'Polish Power'. Adesanya has had many encounters in the UFC, which have established him as one of the toughest fighters.
Be it against Robert Whittaker, Paulo Costa, Yoel Romero, or Anderson Silva, Israel Adesanya has always dived head-first into dangerous waters and come out unscathed. One of his most career-defining moments came at UFC 236 when he battled against Kelvin Gastelum for five full rounds. Adesanya himself ranked that fight as one of his toughest challenges, in which he proclaimed minutes before winning:
"I'm prepared to die."
Also Read: "I stole that off Sean" - Israel Adesanya reveals the move he took from Sean O'Malley's arsenal.
#4 - Francis Ngannou
Francis Ngannou proved to be one of the toughest fighters in the UFC after defeating Stipe Miocic at UFC 260. While this in itself gives an idea of the Cameroonian's toughness, there's much more.
'The Predator' has proved himself a force to reckon with, not just inside the octagon but also outside of it. His life journey, which included crossing continents illegally, fighting starvation, and risking death, is an achievement that makes him mentally one of the toughest. However, his feats inside the UFC octagon are on a different level altogether.
Francis Ngannou made his UFC debut in 2015 after securing a 5-1 record in his MMA career. He became heavyweight champion in 2021, picking up 10 knockout wins on his way. He has spent less than four minutes in his previous five fights combined and also holds the record for the hardest punch in the world.
Francis Ngannou is widely regarded as a knockout specialist, and although he has lost three fights in his career (two in the UFC), he hasn't been stopped once. He is, without a shadow of a doubt, one of the toughest fighters in the UFC today.
Also Read: Dana White opens up about altercation with Francis Ngannou's manager
#3 - Kamaru Usman
The current No. 2 UFC pound-for-pound fighter and reigning welterweight champion, Kamaru Usman, is an MMA legend. The former NCAA wrestling champion started his MMA career in 2012 and faced his first and only loss in his second outing in 2013. Since then, 'The Nigerian Nightmare' has been undefeated and is on an 18-fight winning streak (13 in the UFC).
However, what makes Kamaru Usman one of the toughest fighters in the UFC today is his dominance in the welterweight division. He defeated Tyron Woodley in 2019 to become the UFC champion. Since then, he has defended his title four times already, cementing his place as one of the toughest fighters in the UFC.
Kamaru Usman has cemented his place as one of the toughest fighters in the UFC today because of his pace, versatility, and invincibility. In his four title defenses, Usman has picked up three knockout wins. He was pressured by Colby Covington at UFC 245 but retaliated by breaking his jaw and knocking him out.
He was knocked down by Gilbert Burns at UFC 258 but ended up TKO'ing 'Durrinho' seconds later. He also took on one of the best boxers in the UFC, Jorge Masvidal, twice. Usman not only remained undefeated but even knocked out 'Gamebred' at UFC 261, becoming the first-ever to do so.
Kamaru Usman has defeated most of his rivals in the UFC welterweight division and is now on his way to lap them again. For this reason, he is often compared to MMA GOAT Georges St-Pierre and dubbed one of the toughest fighters in the UFC today.
Also Read: Kamaru Usman reveals the 'most frightening moment' of his MMA career.
#2 - Nate Diaz
Although currently unranked in the UFC and never having wrapped around with a championship belt, Nate Diaz is one of the toughest fighters in the UFC today. The Stockton legend is most certainly a future Hall of Famer and is bound to be listed as one of the toughest fighters in the history of the UFC.
Nate Diaz has one of the toughest chins in MMA and has a reputation for putting up some of the gnarliest fights in combat sports history. He has been knocked down, battered, and thrashed by his opponents but has rarely been finished.
He has earned praise from his rivals for being unstoppable, be it from Conor McGregor, Jorge Masvidal, or Leon Edwards. Nate Diaz has gone on record to state why he is one of the toughest fighters in the UFC today. He said:
"How come these guys are all getting finished? It’s a part of war. The main objective in war is ‘go out there and come back home.’ And these guys all get finished off and it f***ing irritates me too.. And then they still try to talk about me and my sh-t record, I’m like, ‘Ain’t no one finished me off. I’m still gonna be here until the end of time.’ I’m telling you, I’m hard to kill. Not like the rest of these guys."
#1 - Tony Ferguson
Tony Ferguson is the type of guy to get thrashed by his opponent, get hospitalized, and then post a video of him dancing around in the hospital room. The former UFC interim lightweight champion is one of the toughest fighters in the UFC today, and there's plenty of evidence to back the statement.
'El Cucuy' made his UFC debut in 2011 and in no time established himself as one of the toughest nuts to crack. His previous three fights have ended in losses, but Ferguson has made headlines, regardless, owing to his never-say-die attitude.
Following his loss against Beneil Dariush at UFC 262, Tony Ferguson took to Twitter to suggest he was far from retiring from the sport. He wrote:
"I won't tap"
Tony Ferguson has often gone beyond the limit to stay in the fight, risking gruesome injuries. Be it against Beneil Dariush, Charles Oliveira, or Justin Gaethje, 'El Cucuy' has proven to be one of the toughest fighters in the UFC, especially in adversity.
