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Few things spark the interest of UFC fans quite so much as a fighter on a lengthy winning streak. Right now, a number of the promotion’s stars, including Kamaru Usman and Alexander Volkanovski, are riding them.
With hundreds of fighters on their roster, the UFC is also home to a number of under-the-radar athletes who are currently on lengthy winning streaks, even if they’re not that well known.
For many of these fighters, their winning runs have come largely in preliminary bouts, meaning that they simply need one big win to break out as potential stars.
With that in mind, here are five UFC fighters currently on surprisingly long winning streaks.
#5. Arnold Allen – UFC featherweight contender (9 fights)
It’s probably fair to say that Arnold Allen’s win over Dan Hooker last weekend was a breakout one for him. After all, the native of the UK looked phenomenal in his beatdown of ‘The Hangman’ and is now widely considered a genuine contender for the UFC featherweight title.
However, many fans probably don’t realize that the winning streak of ‘Almighty’ in the octagon dates all the way back to his debut with the promotion in June 2015, meaning it spans a total of nine fights.
The majority of Allen’s wins have come in preliminary bouts, with many also coming via decision, which probably explains why he’s been able to fly under the radar so well. It isn’t like he’s been beating on scrubs, though, as he holds victories over the likes of Gilbert Melendez and Sodiq Yusuff.
Given that he’s now ranked at No.6 in the featherweight division, it’s unlikely that Allen will continue to fly under the radar. In fact, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him pushed into the headline bout of his next event.
For now, though, it will probably still come as a surprise to some fans just how lengthy his winning streak is and how much time it spans, too. 145 pounds is one of the most talent-loaded divisions in the world, so for a fighter to remain unbeaten in nine fights across seven years is nothing short of incredible.
#4. Merab Dvalishvili – UFC bantamweight contender (7 fights)
Right now, the UFC’s bantamweight division is absolutely chock-full of talent. Current champion Aljamain Sterling is set to defend his title against interim titleholder Petr Yan in a couple of weeks’ time, while the likes of T.J. Dillashaw and Cory Sandhagen remain part of the division’s top five.
However, the most impressive winning streak at 135 pounds right now belongs to Merab Dvalishvili, who is currently ranked at No.6.
While ‘The Machine’ failed to make an impact in his early fights in the octagon, losing them both, he has since reeled off seven wins in a row, with his undefeated streak dating back to September 2018.
What’s most impressive about the Georgian’s run in the octagon is the fact that his fights have essentially seen him take a step up in opposition in almost every bout. He’s gone from beating lower-level foes like Terrion Ware and Brad Katona to taking out perennial contenders like John Dodson and Marlon Moraes.
Incredibly, Dvalishvili’s performances have also improved as he’s stepped up in competition, with his most recent TKO stoppage of Moraes being the best showing of his octagon career to date.
Quite how much longer Dvalishvili’s winning run can continue is anyone’s guess, but if he can reach 10 straight wins, it’s likely that he’ll hold the UFC bantamweight title when all is said and done.
#3. Jack Shore – UFC bantamweight contender (5 fights)
If Merab Dvalishvili is flying under the radar in the UFC’s bantamweight division, it’s probably fair to say that, outside of his native UK, Jack Shore is about as far from the radar of casual fans as a fighter could possibly be.
However, it might come as a surprise to learn that the Welsh fighter is actually riding one of the division’s best winning streaks. Not only is Shore unbeaten in MMA with a record of 16-0, he’s also reeled off five straight wins in the octagon, dating back to September 2019.
It is probably fair to say that ‘Tank’ has not really faced high-end competition just yet. Four of his five opponents now hold a losing record in the octagon. However, last weekend saw him overcome Timur Valiev, who had reeled off three wins of his own in the promotion, including a decision over the highly-regarded Raoni Barcelos.
Shore is likely to face a much trickier test in his next trip to the octagon, as it simply wouldn’t be sensible for the promotion to throw him a softball in his sixth bout.
However, based on the skills he’s shown thus far in his tenure with the promotion, it seems very likely that the Welshman is more than capable of handling himself against the elite of his division. It’s just a matter of him proving it.
#2. Movsar Evloev – UFC featherweight contender (5 fights)
The UFC’s featherweight top 15 contains just three undefeated fighters. While everyone knows all about reigning champion Alexander Volkanovski and prospect Bryce Mitchell, who had a recent breakout showing against Edson Barboza, fewer fans are aware of Movsar Evloev.
However, the Russian not only possesses an unbeaten MMA record of 15-0, but he’s also riding a five-fight winning streak in the octagon, making him one of the most accomplished fighters in the promotion to be flying under the radar right now.
Evloev’s unbeaten streak in the octagon dates back to his promotional debut in April 2019. Since beating Seung Woo Choi in that bout, he’s gone onto defeat Enrique Barzola, Mike Grundy, Nik Lentz and Hakeem Dawodu.
Like Arnold Allen, who is probably a couple of fights ahead of the Russian at this point, it’s quite clear why Evloev has been flying under the radar. All of his fights, bar none, have come in preliminary fights, and he is yet to finish a foe inside the octagon.
Despite this, any fighter who can put together a run of five straight wins in one of the UFC’s most loaded divisions has to be taken seriously. So if Evloev can defeat his next opponent, top 10-ranked Dan Ige, he certainly won’t be able to fly under the radar for any longer.
#1. Paul Craig – UFC light heavyweight contender (6 fights)
Ask any UFC fan about the potential contenders floating around in the light heavyweight division and a handful of names would instantly come to mind.
Jiri Prochazka, who is set to fight champion Glover Teixeira for the division’s title in the near future, would obviously be one, while Aleksandar Rakic and Magomed Ankalaev – the latter of whom is riding the division’s longest winning streak with eight fights – would probably be two of the others.
Few fans would probably suggest that Scotland’s Paul Craig is a genuine title contender. However, the truth is that right now, it’s hard to ignore him, especially as he’s on a surprisingly lengthy unbeaten run of six fights.
Craig’s unbeaten run dates back to late 2019, when he choked out Vinicius Moreira. Since then, outside of a semi-controversial draw with former champ Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua, who he later beat via TKO in a rematch, ‘Bearjew’ has been perfect.
Even more impressively, he hasn’t gone the distance with any of his opponents, finishing them all via either TKO or submission, including hot prospect Jamahal Hill, who had his arm snapped by the Scotsman in June 2021.
Essentially, only Ankalaev is riding a better run than Craig in the light heavyweight division right now. When you consider that ‘Bearjew’ was responsible for the Dagestani’s only career defeat, it’s safe to say that despite some earlier losses, he’s absolutely for real and is on arguably the UFC’s most surprising win streak.
