Top 10 MMA fighters of the 2010s
The 2010s, arguably the most important decade in the history of mixed martial arts, is coming to a close. One reason why the years 2010 to 2019 have been so pivotal to the sport is the sheer talent that exists across all divisions – men and women, from flyweight (which didn’t even exist until February 2012) to heavyweight. Simply put, the number of great fighters to grace cages and rings across the world never has been higher.
Here at MMA Junkie, we’ve put together a composite ranking of the top 10 fighters of the past decade. All 14 staff members submitted personal top-10 lists to create our overall list. Rest assured: We took this seriously.
Without further ado, our complete list:
10. Max Holloway
Decade resume
- Record: 21-5
- UFC featherweight champion: June 3, 2017-Dec. 14, 2019
- 13-fight winning streak
- Key victories: Anthony Pettis, Jose Aldo (twice), Brian Ortega, Frankie Edgar
Read more from senior reporter Mike Bohn
9. Jose Aldo
Decade resume
- Record: 12-5
- WEC featherweight champion: April 24, 2010-Sept. 30, 2010
- UFC featherweight champion: Oct. 28, 2010-Dec. 12, 2015; July 9, 2016-June 3, 2017
- 9-fight winning streak
- Key victories: Urijah Faber, Kenny Florian, Chad Mendes (twice), Frankie Edgar (twice), Chan Sung Jung
Read more from reporter Nolan King
8. Khabib Nurmagomedov
Decade resume
- Record: 21-0
- UFC lightweight champion: April 7, 2018-present
- Key victories: Rafael dos Anjos, Al Iaquinta, Conor McGregor, Dustin Poirier
Read more from reporter Farah Hannoun
7. Ronda Rousey
Decade resume
- Record: 12-2
- Strikeforce women’s bantamweight champion: March 3, 2012-Aug. 18, 2012
- UFC women’s bantamweight champion: Feb. 23, 2013-Nov. 15, 2015
- 12-fight winning streak
- Key victories: Miesha Tate (twice), Liz Carmouche, Sara McMann
Read more from lead staff reporter John Morgan
6. Amanda Nunes
Decade resume
- Record: 15-3
- UFC women’s bantamweight champion: Dec. 30, 2016-present
- UFC women’s featherweight champion: Dec. 29, 2018-present
- 10-fight winning streak
- Key victories: Miesha Tate, Ronda Rousey, Valentina Shevchenko (twice), Cris Cyborg, Holly Holm
Read more from reporter Farah Hannoun
5. Conor McGregor
Decade resume
- Record: 18-3
- UFC featherweight champion: July 11, 2015-Nov. 26, 2016
- UFC lightweight champion: Nov. 12, 2016-April 7, 2018
- 15-fight winning streak
- Key victories: Max Holloway, Dustin Poirier, Chad Mendes, Jose Aldo, Nate Diaz, Eddie Alvarez
Read more from reporter Simon Head
4. Georges St-Pierre
Decade resume
- Record: 7-0
- UFC welterweight champion: Jan. 1, 2010-Dec. 13, 2013
- UFC middleweight champion: Nov. 4, 2017-Dec. 7, 2017
- Key victories: Dan Hardy, Josh Koscheck, Jake Shields, Carlos Condit, Nick Diaz, Johny Hendricks, Michael Bisping
Read more from reporter Danny Segura
3. Daniel Cormier
Decade resume
- Record: 21-2
- UFC light heavyweight champion: May 23, 2015-Dec. 28, 2018
- UFC heavyweight champion: July 7, 2018-Aug. 17, 2019
- 15-fight winning streak
- Key victories: Josh Barnett, Frank Mir, Dan Henderson, Anthony Johnson (twice), Alexander Gustafsson, Anderson Silva, Stipe Miocic, Derrick Lewis
Read more from senior reporter Mike Bohn
2. Demetrious Johnson
Decade resume
- Record: 22-3-1
- UFC flyweight champion: Sept. 22, 2012-Aug. 4, 2018
- ONE championship flyweight grand prix winner
- 13-fight winning streak, including UFC record for consecutive title defenses (11)
- Key victories: Joseph Benavidez (twice), John Dodson (twice), Henry Cejudo, Kyoji Horiguchi, Ray Borg
Read more from senior editor Dave Doyle
1. Jon Jones
Decade resume
- Record: 16-0
- UFC light heavyweight champion: March 19, 2011-April 28, 2015; April 23, 2016-Nov. 9, 2016 (interim); Dec. 29, 2018-present
- Key victories: Ryan Bader, “Shogun” Rua, “Rampage” Jackson, Lyoto Machida, Rashad Evans, Vitor Belfort, Alexander Gustafsson (twice), Daniel Cormier
