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The game of combined martial arts loves itself set of rankings and awards, would not it?
Yearly, we debate subjects reminiscent of greatest fighter, greatest submission and greatest knockout. Heck, almost each week, the UFC awards for performances of the evening and struggle of the evening. We rank athletes inside their respective weight lessons … and pound-for-pound. We evaluate eras and title reigns. It is simply what we do.
So, it was solely a matter of time earlier than somebody broke the entire UFC’s athletes down by age — and that is the week ESPN determined to do exactly that.
It is enjoyable as a result of age is a compelling subject in sports activities, particularly in MMA. When does a fighter hit their peak? That a lot we’ll in all probability by no means agree on. The candy spot, at present, seems like one thing between 32 and 34. However we additionally simply noticed a 42-year-old Glover Teixeira win a belt final 12 months.
However this listing is not about which age is greatest for a fighter. Earlier than UFC 278 final week, ESPN gathered a bunch of consultants to take a look at the highest fighters on the planet and vote on who’s the perfect at every age. It wasn’t simple, however this is what we got here up with.
Brett Okamoto, Marc Raimondi, Jeff Wagenheim and Megan Anderson present breakdowns of the profitable fighters.
ESPN’s eight-person panel: Okamoto, Raimondi, Wagenheim, Anderson, Andrew Feldman, Eddie Maisonet, Andres Waters, and Andrew Davis — voted based mostly on general achievement within the sport and present-day expertise.
Table of Contents
42 – Glover Teixeira
0:24
Glover Teixeira lands a large takedown in Spherical 2 to ultimately give him the victory over Jan Blachowicz.
It is so uncommon to search out somebody at this age profitable at this stage that Teixiera is, particularly in opposition to the extent of competitors he has been going through. Teixeira has been preventing in UFC for a very long time (over 10 years), and he is continued to adapt his model as he is confronted most of the greatest fighters to come back via the sunshine heavyweight division. Teixeira even held the UFC gentle heavyweight title earlier this 12 months, earlier than a loss to Jiří Procházka at UFC 275 in June. Even with the loss, you may’t take something away from the veteran or his efficiency. He is nonetheless among the many greatest this sport has to supply. — Anderson
Notable struggle: Second-round submission vs. Jan Blachowicz at UFC 267 in October 2021. In almost his tenth 12 months preventing in UFC, Teixeira claimed the sunshine heavyweight title for the primary time with a rear-naked choke on Blachowicz.
Different fighters receiving votes: Alistair Overeem, Jacare Souza
0:55
Matt Brown knocks out Dhiego Lima with one punch and instantly is aware of it.
Brown has been preventing for a very long time. With 44 skilled bouts, he is had extra fights than years on this earth. In his 14th 12 months with UFC, he is nonetheless preventing the perfect of the perfect within the sport. At 41 years outdated, he nonetheless faces powerful opponents and competes properly. His nickname ‘The Immortal’ is becoming, and after so a few years, he is nonetheless displaying that willingness to maintain coming ahead. He is a pioneer on this sport. — Anderson
Notable struggle: Unanimous resolution win over Stephen Thompson at UFC 145 in April 2012. Beating Thompson, who was thought of top-of-the-line prospects within the promotion at the moment, propelled Brown to his most profitable stint within the UFC, a seven-fight win streak.
Different fighters receiving votes: Sara McMann, Ed Herman
Miocic is the best heavyweight of all time, with (maybe) one remaining chapter to put in writing. In his twelfth 12 months as a professional, odds are he would not have too many left. However he is nonetheless working at a really excessive stage. The UFC hasn’t introduced a timeframe for his subsequent struggle, however at any time when it’s, there is a good likelihood it’s going to include a title on the road. He has not been extraordinarily lively, however he is 2-1 in his final three appearances, with each wins coming in opposition to a fellow legend in Daniel Cormier. — Okamoto
Notable struggle: First-round knockout of Fabricio Werdum at UFC 198 in Might 2016. Miocic had a number of landmark fights in his profession, however his step-back, one-punch KO of Werdum in a Brazilian soccer stadium to win the championship tops all of them.
Different fighters receiving votes: Holly Holm, Frankie Edgar
39 – Jan Blachowicz
Blachowicz will all the time have that ‘Polish Energy’ in his nook, however he is proven way more than simply energy in recent times, and it would not really feel like he is slowing down. He surrendered the UFC championship to Teixeira final 12 months, however past that one miscue, Blachowicz has been simple cash at gentle heavyweight. At 39, he is no spring hen, in fact, and he’ll flip the massive 4-0 in February. However 40 is perhaps the brand new 30 for Blachowicz as a result of he’s nonetheless trying elite. — Okamoto
Notable struggle: Unanimous resolution over Israel Adesanya at UFC 267 in March 2021. Blachowicz’s devastating knockout of Dominick Reyes to win the title in 2020 was a giant one, however defeating a world-class fellow champ in Adesanya is No. 1.
Different fighters receiving votes: Ryan Bader, Lauren Murphy
Cannonier is coming off a loss to Adesanya in a bid for the UFC middleweight championship final month. It was Cannonier’s first title shot in a UFC run that started in 2015 — when he was a heavyweight. He moved to gentle heavyweight the next 12 months, then to middleweight in 2018. That transformation is spectacular, contemplating Cannonier weighed 235 kilos for his UFC debut. However what he has completed at 185 kilos is much more eye-opening, as he owns a win over a former champ, Anderson Silva, and has misplaced solely to Adesanya and Robert Whittaker, each of whom have worn UFC gold. — Wagenheim
Notable struggle: Second-round knockout vs. Derek Brunson at UFC 271 in February 2022. The struggle was on the identical card as Adesanya’s second title protection in opposition to Robert Whittaker and was a No. 1 contender showdown. Cannonier’s win earned him the title shot.
Different fighters receiving votes: Derek Brunson, Thiago Santos
Now nearer to 40 than 30, Cyborg continues to be one of many world’s greatest and most dominant feminine fighters. The Brazilian slugger has misplaced simply as soon as since her professional debut in 2005, and that got here in opposition to Amanda Nunes, who is taken into account the best ladies’s fighter of all time. Cyborg is not too far behind in that dialogue. She has received main MMA titles within the UFC, Bellator, Strikeforce and Invicta FC. She nonetheless holds the Bellator ladies’s featherweight title and is about to attempt her hand at boxing in September. — Raimondi
Notable struggle: Unanimous resolution win over Holly Holm at UFC 219 in December 2017. The win was Cyborg’s first of two featherweight title defenses.
Different fighters receiving votes: Gegard Mousasi, Josh Emmett, Dominick Cruz, Jorge Masvidal, Derrick Lewis
0:33
Justin Gaethje and Michael Chandler kick off the UFC 268 foremost card with an unbelievable three-round battle.
At an age when many fighters begin fading, Chandler is deeply into his second act. He made his mark over a decade in the past by choking out Eddie Alvarez to change into Bellator light-weight champion. He went on to have two extra reigns with that title. Final 12 months he moved to the UFC and instantly jumped into the deep finish of the expertise pool, knocking out Dan Hooker to arrange a matchup with Charles Oliveira for the vacant UFC light-weight belt. Chandler misplaced that bout and the struggle that adopted in opposition to Justin Gaethje, however his aggressive model stored followers entertained. That continued in a giant approach when Chandler knocked out Tony Ferguson with a entrance kick to the face at UFC 274 in Might. — Wagenheim
Notable struggle: First-round TKO vs. Dan Hooker at UFC 257 in January 2021. The massive end in opposition to the veteran in his UFC debut set the stage for what was to come back.
Different fighters receiving votes: TJ Dillashaw, Patricky ‘Pitbull’ Freire
Regardless of coming off the primary lack of his UFC profession, Usman continues to be, arms down, the perfect fighter of his age — and top-of-the-line fighters on the planet, interval. His loss to Leon Edwards at UFC 278 got here in heartbreaking vogue, as he was simply 56 seconds away from tying Anderson Silva’s 16-fight win streak. However he was profitable that struggle handily up till the ultimate minute, and that ought to give him plenty of confidence going into a possible trilogy in opposition to Edwards later this 12 months or in 2023. Usman continues to be one of the vital well-rounded fighters on the planet. His wrestling has all the time been dominant. And he was snug on his toes in opposition to Edwards till the devastating head kick. There will probably be a ton of intrigue in how he comes again from this, however within the meantime, he is nonetheless world-class. — Okamoto
Notable struggle: Third-round TKO vs. Gilbert Burns at UFC 258 in February 2021. He is most pleased with that struggle due to his relationship with Burns. It was difficult for Usman to stand up and carry out in that struggle, going through an opponent who had been to his home. He is aware of Burns’ household. If that struggle means extra to Usman than some other, who am I to disagree?
Different fighters receiving votes: Jon Jones, Francis Ngannou, Henry Cejudo, Patricio ‘Pitbull’ Freire, Alex Pereira
34 – Amanda Nunes
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Amanda Nunes drops Julianna Pena a number of occasions of their foremost occasion bout at UFC 277.
Nunes had a small crack in her once-thought-to-be impenetrable armor, evident final December when she misplaced to Julianna Peña. However Nunes received the rematch dominantly final month at UFC 277 and nonetheless should be thought of the perfect ladies’s fighter on the planet — and the perfect ladies’s MMA fighter of all time. Nunes holds the UFC ladies’s bantamweight and featherweight belts and has stopped the likes of Cyborg, Ronda Rousey, Holly Holm and Miesha Tate. “The Lioness” has defeated everybody who has ever held both of her belts. She additionally owns a pair of wins over Valentina Shevchenko, the UFC ladies’s flyweight champion. — Raimondi
Notable struggle: Break up resolution win over Valentina Shevchenko at UFC 215 in September 2017. The struggle, Nunes’s second bantamweight title protection, was a rematch of their first assembly in 2016. Nunes received that bout by unanimous resolution.
Different fighters receiving votes: Valentina Shevchenko, Deiveson Figueiredo, Conor McGregor, Carla Esparza
Volkanovski had some powerful competitors on this age group, however his physique of labor is what units him aside right here. As No. 1 in ESPN’s P4P rankings, he is displaying that there are ranges on this sport. He’s essentially the most well-rounded fighter of all individuals in his age group. And on a 22-fight win streak, Volkanovski is likely one of the most dominant fighters within the sport. — Anderson
Notable struggle: Unanimous resolution win over Max Holloway at UFC 276 in July 2022. In a trilogy bout, Volkanovski ended the saga with Holloway as he dominated a legend within the featherweight division for 5 rounds.
Different fighters receiving votes: Israel Adesanya, Justin Gaethje, Dustin Poirier, Beneil Dariush, Raufeon Stots
32 – Charles Oliveira
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Charles Oliveira retains his light-weight belt after defeating Dustin Poirier by way of rear-naked choke in the primary occasion of UFC 269.
By means of almost 12 years within the UFC, the best way Oliveira has advanced over time is so spectacular. In a way, as followers, we have watched him develop up within the Octagon. After debuting at light-weight, Oliveira moved all the way down to featherweight earlier than ultimately settling within the again within the light-weight division. And he has misplaced just one struggle since transferring again to 155 kilos in 2017. He is top-of-the-line Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioners the game has ever seen, as he at present holds the UFC file for essentially the most finishes with 19. — Anderson
Notable struggle: Third-round submission over Justin Gaethje at UFC 274 in Might 2022. In a struggle that was (type of) for the light-weight title, Oliveira recovered after getting knocked down throughout the first minute of the struggle. Then, he went on to drop Gaethje in unbelievable vogue to arrange the submission end.
Different fighters receiving votes: Zhang Weili, Kayla Harrison, Corey Anderson
31 – Leon Edwards
As I said previous to the match-up with Usman final week, this model of Edwards is the true deal. Since 2016, Edwards’ solely loss was to Usman, and through the time between the primary struggle and the rematch, Edwards has always been enhancing. He is developed into one of many prime fighters within the sport. His stand-up recreation is all the time deadly even when it seems that he is nearly out of the struggle, we noticed that first hand final Saturday. — Anderson
Notable struggle: Fifth-round KO vs. Kamaru Usman at UFC 278 in August 2022. After falling behind on all three scorecards, Edwards pulled off the unthinkable with a head kick that shut down Usman. The win earned Edwards the welterweight title.
Different fighters receiving votes: Robert Whittaker, Brian Ortega, Merab Dvalishvili, Curtis Blaydes, Mateusz Gamrot
30 is a loaded age group, with two former UFC champions (Max Holloway and Rose Namajunas) and two reigning champions in Bellator. Even with such expertise preventing on the similar age as him, Makhachev has the utmost respect on this sport regardless of not but having competed for a title. There is a Khabib 2.0 aura across the man and his smothering floor assault, and that was sufficient for our panel to carry him in even increased regard than all these extra completed fighters. — Wagenheim
Notable struggle: First-round submission vs. Dan Hooker at UFC 267 in October 2021. The win, over a revered UFC veteran, helped propel him towards his run to a title shot.
Different fighters receiving votes: Rose Namajunas, Max Holloway, Vadim Nemkov, Johnny Eblen
29 – Jiří Procházka
In simply three UFC fights, Procházka has made an unbelievable impression. The Czech Republic-born star is already the UFC gentle heavyweight champion and regarded one of the vital thrilling fighters within the sport. Procházka, a former Rizin gentle heavyweight champion in Japan, beat Teixeira at UFC 275 in June to say the belt in one of many biggest motion fights in UFC historical past. Procházka has solely been to a choice as soon as in his ten-year MMA profession and has completed his opponent in every UFC struggle so far. — Raimondi
Notable struggle: Fifth-round submission vs. Glover Teixeira at UFC 275 in June 2022. Simply moments after it appeared that Teixeira was on tempo to defend the sunshine heavyweight title efficiently, Procházka pulled off the end with underneath a minute to go within the struggle.
Different fighters receiving votes: Petr Yan, Sergio Pettis, Sean Brady, Logan Storley
0:58
Khamzat Chimaev’s hype prepare continues rolling with an unbelievable win over No. 2 Gilbert Burns.
Chimaev’s rise from obscurity to budding UFC champion and famous person has been an entire shock. It is a tough sport to explode in in a single day, however that is what Chimaev did in 2020. He is skipping traces now and getting alternatives forward of schedule — however he seems prepared for all of it. His most up-to-date struggle in opposition to Burns was the closest of his profession, however he nonetheless managed to get the win. He is been the beneficiary of some actual hype, however nobody can deny the talents behind that hype. We’re speaking a couple of real phenom if he reaches his true potential. — Okamoto
Notable struggle: Unanimous resolution over Gilbert Burns at UFC 273 in April 2022. This immediate traditional was the kind of struggle that raised each males’s profiles. And it was a possible lesson for Chimaev, with out taking a loss.
Different fighters receiving votes: Brandon Moreno, Yaroslav Amosov
McKee is within the second part of his rise within the sport. For years he was often known as Bellator’s prime homegrown expertise, profitable his first 18 fights. He usually wins by spectacular end, with each one in every of his professional fights going down contained in the Bellator cage. When he choked out Patricio “Pitbull” Freire in lower than two minutes final 12 months, McKee earned the featherweight title, and there was some noise that he was the perfect 145-pounder in the entire sport. However Freire regained the belt in a rematch this previous April, and McKee’s response was to maneuver as much as light-weight, the place he makes his debut on Oct. 1 in opposition to Spike Carlyle. Can McKee resume his dominant methods? — Wagenheim
Notable struggle: First-round technical submission vs. Patricio Freire at Bellator 263 in July 2021. The win capped an 18-fight win streak and earned him the Bellator featherweight title.
Different fighters receiving votes: Sean O’Malley, Terrance McKinney, Paddy Pimblett
0:21
Umar Nurmagomedov stuns the announcers with this extremely positioned kick to the top of Nate Maness.
Perfection apparently runs within the household. Nurmagomedov’s profession is off to a 15-0 begin, a bit of greater than midway to tying his cousin Khabib’s mark of 29-0. Nurmagomedov’s resume consists of three wins within the UFC, the place he is proven a lot of his potential. Judging from the namesake alone, you realize the self-discipline and the grappling skill are there. Nurmagomedov has additionally proven his well-rounded recreation and excellent athleticism. The UFC’s bantamweight division is stuffed with harmful contenders, however Nurmagomedov has the potential to face out. — Okamoto
Notable struggle: First-round submission over Brian Kelleher at UFC 272 in March 2022. Kelleher is a veteran with loads of UFC expertise and Nurmagomedov ran him out of the cage in lower than 4 minutes.
Different fighters receiving votes: Charles Jourdain
So far as younger expertise goes, Tsarukyan is close to absolutely the prime. His ability set is full. He has ending skill on the toes and the bottom. He is fast, however he is additionally very bodily. Earlier than a latest five-round loss to Gamrot (a struggle some felt Tsarukyan received), his solely loss within the UFC was to Makhachev. Tsarukyan might be too developed to be known as a “prospect.” He is primarily already a light-weight contender. However no matter what you need to name him, he is a particular expertise together with his greatest years nonetheless very a lot forward. — Okamoto
Notable struggle: Unanimous resolution loss to Gamrot at UFC Struggle Night time in June. Regardless that Tsarukyan misplaced this struggle, it is one in every of if not the perfect efficiency of his profession. This was a high-level foremost occasion for a 25-year-old.
Different fighters receiving votes: Ilia Topuria, Jack Della Maddalena, Jeff Molina
0:55
Track Yadong stuns Julio Arce with a head kick after which finishes him off with robust punches within the second spherical.
Track is at an age the place many fighters are simply starting to develop their recreation, however he started his professional profession in China at 15 years outdated and already has 26 bouts on his file, together with 10 within the UFC. He has misplaced simply one in every of his final 13 fights, a run of success that extends again to when he was a youngster preventing solely in his house nation. There are a number of different promising 24-year-olds — Casey O’Neil and Ian Garry, for starters — however Track has set himself aside with a extra totally realized recreation. He is already impressed UFC matchmakers sufficient that they’ve booked him in opposition to top-five bantamweight Cory Sandhagen subsequent month. — Wagenheim
Notable struggle: First-round knockout over Marlon Moraes in March 2022. The end prolonged Track’s present win streak to 3 in a row and earned him a crack on the prime 5 within the division.
Different fighters receiving votes: Casey O’Neil, Ian Garry, Edmen Shahbazyan, Maycee Barber, Christian Lee
0:55
Erin Blanchfield executes a excessive elbow guillotine to defeat JJ Aldrich within the second spherical.
Blanchfield is simply starting to climb the flyweight ranks with three UFC appearances on her resume. However once you watch Blanchfield within the cage, you is perhaps fooled into pondering she’s a veteran fighter, as she shows the poise and maturity of somebody with much more expertise. These qualities, mixed along with her well-rounded ability set and confidence, may carry her a great distance on this sport. We’d get a way of how excessive Blanchfield’s ceiling is when she will get locked in with Molly McCann on Nov. 12 at Madison Sq. Backyard, a giant stage for any athlete, particularly for a younger New York-based fighter. — Wagenheim
Notable struggle: Unanimous resolution win over Miranda Maverick at UFC 269 in Dec. 2021. Blanchfield set a ladies’s flyweight file in that struggle with eight takedowns.
Different fighters receiving votes: Michael Morales, Cory McKenna, Brady Hiestand
0:21
Muhammad Mokaev suplex-slams Charles Johnson to stay undefeated within the UFC.
One of many prime younger prospects within the sport, Mokaev has been dominant with two decisive victories within the UFC. Mokaev was thought of the perfect beginner fighter on the planet earlier than turning professional in 2020. The Dagestan-born wrestler, who fights out of England, has future UFC flyweight champion written throughout him. It appears solely a matter of time earlier than “The Punisher” climbs the ranks. — Raimondi
Notable struggle: First-round submission vs. Cody Durden in March 2019. Mokaev put UFC followers on discover in his UFC debut as he wanted lower than a minute to arrange the guillotine choke and get the end.
Different fighters receiving votes: Chase Hooper, Maheshate, Rong Zhu
Zabit could have retired, however his youthful brother is one in every of MMA’s greatest blue-chip prospects. Magomedsharipov is already 2-0 in Bellator since signing with the promotion final 12 months as a featherweight. The Dagestan-born fighter trains out of New Jersey with coach Mark Henry, very similar to his older brother did. And Khasan has all of the instruments of Zabit, as properly, together with suffocating wrestling and flashy hanging. — Raimondi
Notable struggle: Unanimous resolution win over Jose Sanchez at Bellator 275 in February 2022. Following the step up in competitors to Bellator, this was Magomedsharipov’s largest struggle so far.
Different fighters receiving votes: Aviv Gozali
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