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At the peak of competitive martial arts, the UFC is home to some of the greatest unarmed combatants in the world. However, there is more to fighting than mastering different martial arts disciplines. MMA fighters are also athletes, and must pay attention to the development of their physical attributes.
Certain fighters possess specific attributes in spades. UFC roster members like Ryan Spann, for example, exhibit incredible punching power. Whether it's due to the strength of his back muscles or an inborn ability to generate leverage remains unknown.
Similarly, former UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway is well-known for his endless cardio. The Hawaiian great never tires nor has he ever seemed to come close to exhaustion despite his legendary output. While some fighters possess one or two attributes, others are supreme athletes.
At UFC 281, two such athletes competed. One captured the strawweight title, while the other tasted defeat in the event's Fight of the Night. With that being said, this list compiles the five greatest athletes in the UFC today.
#5. Francis Ngannou, UFC heavyweight champion
The reigning heavyweight kingpin is best-known for his crushing knockout power. Widely regarded as the most powerful puncher in the promotion's history, 'The Predator' is a force of nature among the titans of the sport. The kind of knockout power that the Cameroonian phenom possesses has led to a world record.
Not only is he a record-breaking power-puncher, but Francis Ngannou possesses a string of other incredible physical attributes. He is six feet and four inches in height, with a reach of 83 inches. He is as well-muscled as any heavyweight the UFC has ever seen.
Additionally, 'The Predator' is very explosive, able to generate maximum force under minimum time. His physical strength is also unmatched. Francis Ngannou's third UFC win was a kimura. However, he didn't secure the submission through leverage.
Instead, 'The Predator' simply overpowered Anthony Hamilton, who is six feet five inches tall. Kimuras are typically only possible if there's either a massive disparity in strength or grappling skills. Given the Cameroonian's MMA inexperience at the time and Anthony Hamilton's BJJ black belt, it was all monstrous strength.
#4. Ciryl Gane, UFC heavyweight
Very few heavyweights are capable of matching Francis Ngannou's physical dimensions. Former training partner Ciryl Gane, however, does. The Frenchman stands at six feet five inches in height and wields an 81-inch reach. While 'Bon Gamin' isn't nearly as powerful as his rival, he's just as athletic.
The former interim heavyweight champion is shockingly fast and agile for a 265'er. Despite his hulking physique, he is capable of throwing kicks faster and with less windup than anyone else in his division. Not only are kicks typically the slowest strikes to throw, but they're also the most energy-consuming.
Thus, not only is he fast enough to throw kicks at absurd speeds, he does so without tiring. Impressive cardio is almost unheard of at heavyweight. However, 'Bon Gamin's' speed renders him an even rarer breed of 265'er. The agility and mobility required to throw kicks as quickly as he does is down to athleticism.
Before he was an MMA fighter, Ciryl Gane was a kickboxer. Before he was a kickboxer, he was a footballer and basketball player in his younger years. The ability to compete in wildly different sports lends much to his sheer athletic talent.
#3. Kamaru Usman, UFC welterweight
Former UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman is the greatest athlete in the 170 lbs weight class. The Nigerian great is a perfect blend of herculean strength, endless cardio and brutal punching power. A lifelong wrestler, Kamaru Usman is a former NCAA Division II national wrestling champion.
The sheer strength he possesses, as evidenced by his heavily muscled physique, has enabled him to overpower all of his foes. 'The Nigerian Nightmare' even outmuscled another fighter known for being a physical specimen, Tyron Woodley. Apart from his physical strength, Kamaru Usman is also tireless.
The Nigerian great has incredible cardio, enough that it enabled him to twice match Colby Covington's five-round pace. His cardio is such that even at elevation in Salt Lake City, his pace didn't slow down at all when he faced Leon Edwards. Not only is he very strong and well-conditioned, but he's powerful.
The former welterweight champion possesses natural punching power. This has enabled him to earn knockouts against the likes of Jorge Masvidal, who was only ever KO'd once prior in 51 bouts.
#2. Michael Chandler, UFC lightweight
While Michael Chandler's athleticism carried him to the Bellator lightweight championship, he's yet to do so under Dana White's banner. However, this is due more to the former All-American's all-action approach to fighting than anything else.
'Iron' is extraordinarily powerful. He is potentially the hardest puncher in the 155-lbs weight class. Not only is Michael Chandler a knockout artist capable of separating anyone from consciousness, he is also a powerful wrestler. This is where the three-time Bellator lightweight titleholder exhibits his strength.
The former All-American is monstrously strong. Whenever he is not winded from burning through his energy, 'Iron' is capable of simply standing up any time a foe takes him down. He does not use anti-wrestling or defensive BJJ to stand back up. Chandler simply stands up even with his opponent's weight bearing down on him.
Beyond his strength and punching power, the three-time Bellator champion is also fast and explosive. His fast-twitch muscle fibers enable him to produce maximum force under minimum time. The former All-American combines this with his natural quickness to blindside his foes.
#1. Zhang Weili, UFC strawweight champion
Unlike any other, the reigning strawweight champion under Dana White's promotion is a specimen. Zhang Weili is a total athletic package. Not only is she extremely fast, explosive and improbably strong, but she is also powerful and possesses great cardio.
One only needs to watch the video of 'Magnum' lifting heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou for a glimpse of her freakish strength. Her knockout power is evidenced by her being the only strawweight to have KO'd Joanna Jędrzejczyk and Jéssica Andrade. The two women are known for possessing granite chins.
Her ability to fight five hard rounds against Joanna Jędrzejczyk in their initial matchup points to her muscular endurance. 'Magnum' retained her punching power even in the fifth round, while matching her foe's legendary volume and cardio.
However, the true mark of her unmatched athleticism is her speedy evolution as a fighter. Once exclusively a striker, Zhang Weili has made staggering progress in little time. She only recently started focusing on her grappling. Yet, she still outwrestled Joanna Jędrzejczyk in a manner that even lifelong wrestlers couldn't.
Furthermore, her skills evolved to such a degree that she secured a rear-naked choke from a modified crucifix position against Carla Esparza. It was only the former champion's second submission loss in 26 bouts.
That she, as a striker, achieved such grappling skills to easily outwrestle and outgrapple a lifelong wrestler is a testament to her athleticism.
