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The UFC is the pinnacle of MMA, where individualism is a prized personality trait among fighters determined to succeed in one of the world's most difficult sports. Thus, mixed martial artists do not often feature for solidarity, with squabbles even occurring with teammates from their own gyms.
It is an unfortunate truth, and perhaps a necessary condition, that most fighters subscribe to the mentality of 'every man/woman for themselves'. However, some fighters enter the UFC with a colleague to whom they're close.
In such cases, these fighters train together and even set aside their championship ambitions in order to avoid stepping on their colleague's toes.
A well-known example would be Daniel Cormier's early-career decision to abandon the UFC heavyweight division in favor of its light heavyweight alternative. This was in order to avoid a clash with the then reigning champion Cain Velasquez.
Sometimes such colleagues are not merely friends, they are siblings who come into the sport together and are invested in each other's successes.
This list looks at 5 active fighters whose siblings fought alongside them under the UFC banner.
#5. Gilbert Burns and Herbert Burns
Gilbert Burns is a former UFC lightweight and current welterweight top contender. While 'Durinho' has not yet captured UFC gold, he's proven significantly more successful at welterweight than he did at lightweight, having previously embarked on a 6-fight win streak that earned him a title fight against former teammate and reigning welterweight champion Kamaru Usman.
While 'Durinho' failed in his first attempt at championship success, he has remained a staple at the top of the division.
His younger brother Herbert Burns, however, has not yet enjoyed similar success in his resident division: featherweight. Currently 2-2 in the UFC, the younger Burns brother suffered a recent TKO loss to Bill Algeo at UFC on ABC 3, with his older brother carrying him out of the octagon due to the former's injured knee.
Perhaps in time, Herbert Burns will find his feet in the promotion and build towards a win streak like the one his brother enjoyed when he made the jump from lightweight to welterweight.
#4. Deiveson Figueiredo and Francisco Figueiredo
It is rare for siblings competing in the UFC to occupy the same division. Oftentimes, fighters are separated from their siblings by either size or an unwillingness to impede their sibling's success by fighting in the same division.
Deiveson Figueiredo and Francisco Figueiredo are exceptions as the younger Figueiredo competes in the same division over which his older brother reigns as the flyweight champion.
With a 2-1 record in the UFC, Francisco Figueiredo has exhibited a different skill-set compared to his brother's. While Deiveson shatters his foes' resolve with his seismic punching power while warding off their attempts at wrestling him by using front-chokes and guillotine chokes as counter-wrestling tools, Francisco is a different fighter entirely.
He does not possess his older brother's vicious power and his grappling is engineered to attack his foe's joints with armlocks. While he often chases the armbar, 'Sniper' will cling to any limb his opponent offers him if the opportunity presents itself.
#3. Valentina Shevchenko and Antonina Shevchenko
Valentina Shevchenko and older sister Antonina Shevchenko are both world champion kickboxers with a breadth of Muay Thai experience. After conquering the world of kickboxing, both sisters made the transition to MMA.
Unfortunately, only one of them was able to replicate their championship kickboxing success in mixed martial arts.
The younger Shevchenko currently reigns as the UFC women's flyweight champion. Not only is 'Bullet' the current champion in her division, she also recently broke the UFC women's title-defense record once held by the legendary Ronda Rousey.
Antonina Shevchenko, by contrast, has not been as successful as her younger sister. While her first seven MMA fights were wins, her next seven were more inconsistent as she's gone 3-4.
With a record of 10-4, Antonina Shevchenko will struggle to take over the women's flyweight division if ever her younger sister abandons the division or the sport.
#2. Kamaru Usman and Mohammed Usman
Both Usman brothers are physical specimens unlike any other. Muscled and powerful, Kamaru Usman and Mohammed Usman are imposing figures in the divisions they ply their trades in. 'The Nigerian Nightmare' is the current UFC welterweight champion and is diverging towards cleaning out his division.
Meanwhile, Mohammed Usman is a heavyweight bruiser who recently fought at UFC on ESPN 40, knocking Zaz Pagua unconscious with a left hook that was almost entirely thrown with his arm, there being little hip and back rotation.
The verdict? The younger Usman brother possesses freakish punching power to have secured a knockout without committing most of his body to the left hook.
While Mohammed Usman remains unranked and is a distance away from the kind of legacy his older brother has forged in the welterweight division, the potential promised by his impressive physical attributes will carry higher up the heavyweight rankings in a notoriously shallow weight class.
#1. Nate Diaz and Nick Diaz
No sibling pair is more well-known in UFC history than Nate Diaz and Nick Diaz. While the Shamrock brothers and many others have their place in the halls of MMA legends, Nate Diaz and Nick Diaz are more celebrated by the casual fanbase that vastly outweighs the hardcore MMA audience that still honors the greats of MMA's past.
Prior to his shocking upset win over Conor McGregor at UFC 196, Nate Diaz was the lesser-known Diaz brother as Nick Diaz achieved greater success in the sport due to his past as a Strikeforce welterweight champion as well as his storied rivalry with welterweight legend Georges St-Pierre.
However, when Nate Diaz stepped in on short-notice to face Conor McGregor, the biggest star in MMA history, the results of their bout stunned the world.
Many at the time had declared the matchup a foregone conclusion, with few observers giving the younger Diaz brother a chance at victory. When both men faced off, Nate Diaz raised his guard high, tucked his chin and marched forward, taking away McGregor's preferred counter-striking distance with every step, forcing the Irishman to constantly reset.
While Nate Diaz was bloodied, as is often the case, he eventually seized control of the bout en route to submitting his foe.
