Who Are the 10 Most Dominant Champions in UFC History?

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The Ultimate Fighting Championship is almost 32 years old, which when you compare it to other sports, that is still very new.

Despite this, the UFC has delivered many great fights, iconic moments and legendary fighters over its three decades of being around.

This article will delve into ten of the most dominant UFC champions in the company’s relatively short, yet rich, history.

Anderson Silva – UFC Middleweight Champion (2006-2013)

When talking about dominant UFC champions, Anderson Silva quickly springs to mind. “The Spider” held the title for an incredible 2,457 days, defending it ten times thanks to his perfect blend of precision, speed, creativity, and excellent composure in the pocket.

Georges St-Pierre – UFC Welterweight & Middleweight Champion (2006-2007, 2008-2013 & 2017)

Georges St-Pierre mastered every single aspect of MMA. With nine title defences of his welterweight crown, he is one of the best fighters to ever do it. His fight IQ and his elite cardio allowed him to dominate, and despite suffering defeats, he avenged every loss in his career and bowed out of the sport after winning the middleweight title.

Jon Jones – UFC Light Heavyweight & Heavyweight Champion (2011-2015, 2018-2020 & 2023-Present)

At just 23 years of age, Jon Jones became the youngest champion ever in the UFC. He dominated legends like Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, Rampage Jackson, and of course, his arch nemesis Daniel Cormier. Not only did he beat great fighter after great fighter in his prime, he did this by barely losing rounds. Now, he’s the current heavyweight champion, though he is being accused of holding up the division because he isn’t willing to fight Tom Aspinall.

Khabib Nurmagomedov – UFC Lightweight Champion (2018-2020)

Khabib Nurmagomedov retired undefeated, and probably had zero scratches or scar tissue on his face having barely suffered damage because he mauled elite opponents such as: Conor McGregor, Dustin Poirier, and Justin Gaethje. The one criticism fans have of the Russian is that he didn’t stay around long enough to truly strengthen his legacy.

Demetrious Johnson – UFC Flyweight Champion (2012-2018)

Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson defended his title 11 times across over half a decade. As you’d expect, the flyweight had blistering hand and foot speed, but it was his creativity and fight IQ which saw him reign supreme. The famous suplex-to-armbar finish against Ray Borg is still one of the most spectacular moves we have ever seen in MMA history.

Amanda Nunes – UFC Bantamweight & Featherweight Champion (2016-2023)

Amanda Nunes beat every champion in her path: Ronda Rousey, Miesha Tate, Holly Holm, Cris Cyborg, Valentina Shevchenko. She had crushing power in both hands, and she would beat up her opponents however she wanted, that’s how dominant “The Lioness” was.

Jose Aldo – WEC/UFC Featherweight Champion (2009-2015)

Before Conor McGregor’s 13-second KO of Jose Aldo, the Brazilian had an incredible 18-straight wins, which included nine title defences of his WEC and UFC title (remember, the WEC merged with the UFC back in 2011). In his prime, Aldo’s leg kicks were brutal; they sounded like shotgun blasts. Leg kicks along with elite takedown defence saw him dominate the featherweight division.

Valentina Shevchenko – UFC Flyweight Champion (2018-2023, 2024-Present)

Valentina Shevchenko is like a deadly sniper inside the octagon. She uses excellent timing and speed to pick her opponents off at range. And if she feels threatened on the feet, she uses her grappling to control her opponent on the ground. 

Ronda Rousey – UFC Bantamweight Champion (2012-2015)

Ronda Rousey was the UFC’s first-ever female champion and she was an unstoppable force in her prime years. With a background in Judo, she used her grappling to force fights to the mat and then seek her famous brutal armbar submissions. Of course, we’re all very familiar with rapid downfall though, when she got brutally KO’d back-to-back by Holly Holm and Amanda Nunes.

Stipe Miocic – UFC Heavyweight Champion (2016-2018, 2019-2021)

Stipe Miocic defended the UFC heavyweight title a record three times in his first reign and then would later reclaim it against Daniel Cormier in an unbelievable trilogy. Miocic was durable, powerful and a very calculative striker, who had superb timing of his straight right backhand down the pipe of his opponents.

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