10 best UFC fighters from the UK - ranked
The UFC returns to London this weekend for a big Fight Night event, and UK favorites like Paddy Pimblett and Tom Aspinall will be hoping to establish themselves as bonafide contenders with big wins.
Over the years, the UFC has seen a number of excellent fighters emerge from the UK, with many of them reaching the very top of their respective weight divisions.
Will the likes of Pimblett and Aspinall be able to climb to the top as some of these British fighters were able to? Only time will tell.
With that considered, here are the ten best fighters from the UK in UFC history – ranked.
#10. Ian Freeman – former UFC heavyweight contender
While there have been far more accomplished fighters from the UK to enter the UFC over the years, it’d be amiss not to include Ian Freeman on this list. ‘The Machine’ was the first fighter from the UK to ever compete in the octagon, with a career dating back to the midst of the promotion’s ‘Dark Ages’.
Freeman’s initial run with the promotion saw him go 2-1, as he lost his debut to Scott Adams before defeating Nate Schroeder and Tedd Williams. Following his win over Williams, though, he hit a slide – losing four straight bouts – and his career looked all but over.
However, ‘The Machine’ then won his next two fights, which was enough for the UFC to bring him back for their first visit to the UK in the summer of 2002. It was at that event that Freeman picked up his biggest career win, as he stopped future heavyweight champ Frank Mir in violent fashion inside one round.
Ian Freeman vs Frank Mir http://t.co/TWHtvov4
Freeman did not win another bout in the octagon, losing to Andrei Arlovski and drawing with Vernon White, and a planned comeback in 2005 was nixed when he suffered a severe neck injury. Still, for his work as a pioneer, the native of Sunderland belongs on this list.
#9. Paul Daley – former UFC welterweight contender
Paul Daley’s time with the UFC might’ve been extremely brief – he lasted with the promotion less than a year, in fact – but he made such an impact during his time there that he still belongs on this list. Were it not for a massive error in judgment, in fact, he could have been slottede even higher.
‘Semtex’ already had a big reputation prior to his arrival in the octagon in 2009 thanks to a career that’d seen him fight all over the world, often against highly-rated foes like Jake Shields and Duane Ludwig.
When he arrived in the UFC – via the buyout of the defunct Affliction promotion’s contracts – he was immediately put into a big fight against top ten-ranked Martin Kampmann. Few expected him to win, but instead, Daley destroyed ‘The Hitman’ with punches. He followed up on this performance in his next fight by knocking out Dustin Hazelett in just over two minutes.
That was enough to net ‘Semtex’ a No.1 contender’s bout with Josh Koscheck, at which point disaster struck. After being unable to fend off the wrestler’s takedowns, Daley decided to hit him with an ill-advised sucker punch after the bout was over. He ended up losing via decision and was then hit with a lifetime ban from the UFC by Dana White.
Daley would go on to experience success with StrikeForce and Bellator MMA, but he never did return to the UFC – making him a story of what could’ve been more than anything else.
Enjoy retirement Paul Daley 🇬🇧👊 https://t.co/lSjZvHEmwb
#8. Jimi Manuwa – former UFC light-heavyweight contender
Once considered one of the most feared light heavyweights on the planet, Jimi Manuwa didn’t quite reach the very top of the UFC during his time with the promotion, but he definitely came close.
‘Poster Boy’ debuted in the octagon as an unbeaten prospect in late 2012 and wasted no time in making an impact. He defeated Kyle Kingsbury, Cyrille Diabate, and Ryan Jimmo in his first three bouts, stopping all three via TKO. That was enough to set him up for a top contender’s fight with Alexander Gustafsson.
Manuwa came up short in that bout but moved back into contention with wins over Jan Blachowicz, Ovince St. Preux and Corey Anderson – stopping the latter two with violent knockouts. His win over Anderson came in the headline bout of the UFC’s visit to London in 2017 and was probably the high point of his career.
5 years ago today, Jimi Manuwa knocked out Corey Anderson at #UFCLondon
https://t.co/UndkB7yIy1
‘Poster Boy’ ended up retiring in 2019 after four straight losses, and given he was actually 32 when he first debuted in the octagon, it’s fair to wonder what he could’ve done had he taken up a career in MMA earlier.
#7. Ross Pearson – former UFC lightweight contender
When little-known lightweight prospect Ross Pearson won the 9th season of The Ultimate Fighter, few fans expected him to go onto much success, especially as his victory over Andre Winner in the finale was largely dull.
However, ‘The Real Deal’ proved everyone wrong, and while he never found himself in title contention, he was a fixture of the UFC’s shows for a decade, making a total of 26 appearances in the octagon before departing in 2019.
During his time with the promotion, Pearson defeated high-level opponents such as Gray Maynard, Paul Felder, and Spencer Fisher, and while he came up short, he also fought the likes of Edson Barboza, Al Iaquinta, and Jorge Masvidal.
Seven years ago today, Ross Pearson stopped Gray Maynard in the co-main event
https://t.co/m7zjYht61w
Add in the fact that he became one of the few TUF products to coach a later season of the reality show – he took charge of the UK team during 2012’s The Smashes against George Sotiropoulos’ Australian team – and it’s clear that the Sunderland product should definitely be considered one of the UFC’s greatest British fighters.
#6. Brad Pickett – former UFC bantamweight contender
It’s probably fair to say that the UFC didn’t quite see the best of Brad Pickett, although this was only because the promotion didn’t showcase his weight class – bantamweight – until 2011. However, despite being 33 years old when he made his octagon debut, he still made an impact in the promotion.
‘One Punch’ was already recognised as one of the world’s top bantamweights by the time he joined the UFC, as he’d picked up wins over the likes of Demetrious Johnson and Ivan Menjivar. Although he lost his octagon debut against Renan Barao, it didn’t take him long to pick up some wins there.
Pickett climbed back into contention with victories over Damacio Page and Yves Jabouin – the latter coming via a Mortal Kombat-style uppercut – and he later picked up wins over Mike Easton and Francisco Rivera, too.
You can always rely on Brad Pickett!! Huge uppercut knocks out Yves Jabouin, surely earning him the KO of the Night bonus #ufcnottingham
By 2015, though, his best years were largely behind him – ‘One Punch’ ended up hanging up his gloves following defeats to Urijah Faber and Marlon Vera. A hugely talented fighter in all areas, though, had he arrived in the UFC in his prime, Pickett may have ended up higher on this list.
#5. Arnold Allen – UFC featherweight contender
Right now, few fighters in the UFC are hotter than featherweight contender Arnold Allen. ‘Almighty’ is currently the No.6-ranked fighter in his division, but there’s every chance that he could end up climbing higher in the near future – perhaps even enough to top a list like this.
Allen debuted with the promotion back in 2015 at the age of just 21, and with a record of 9-1, his talent was undeniable. Since then, though, he’s improved that record to 18-1 and remains unbeaten in the octagon, having defeated the likes of Sodiq Yusuff, Gilbert Melendez, and Nik Lentz.
Most recently, ‘Almighty’ took full advantage of the biggest spotlight he’d been offered to date, as he turned the lights off against veteran contender Dan Hooker in the first round of their co-headline bout, massively boosting his stock in the process.
#UFCLondonAllen stunned Hooker then went OFF 😤 #UFCLondon https://t.co/d3W64rNx30
The native of Ipswich has freely admitted that he isn’t a trash talker, and this is something that could hold him back in the future. However, if he can keep winning, then he’ll definitely find himself in title contention soon and could be a decent bet to become the second fighter from the UK to hold UFC gold at some point.
#4. Darren Till – UFC middleweight contender
While it’s arguable that Darren Till’s career has hit a bit of a wall recently and that he hasn’t quite lived up to the hype he received in his earlier days, it’s definitely fair to say that he belongs on any list of the best UFC fighters to hail from the UK.
Till entered the promotion as a late-notice replacement, but he quickly made a name for himself by stopping Wendell Oliveira in his debut and then reeling off two more wins shortly afterwards.
Those victories propelled him into his first headline bout, a tilt against veteran Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone, and a win there – followed by an even bigger one in his hometown of Liverpool against Stephen Thompson – was enough to net him a welterweight title shot against then-champion Tyron Woodley.
THIS is how @DarrenTill stopped Cowboy Cerrone!
Can he do the same to Jorge Masvidal at #UFCLondon on Saturday? https://t.co/6Pxs9Eo9qQ
‘The Gorilla’ came up short in that title bout, and a subsequent loss to Jorge Masvidal, as well as some issues with making weight, forced him up to 185 pounds. Till defeated Kelvin Gastelum in his middleweight debut to crack the top ten but has since lost to Robert Whittaker and Derek Brunson.
Still, it’s clear that ‘The Gorilla’ has the raw talent to give any fighter in the world a challenge, and if he can find himself injury-free and recapture the magic of his earlier days, he could yet climb back into title contention. As it is, he’s done enough to warrant a spot in this list’s top four.
#3. Leon Edwards – UFC welterweight contender
Given all that he’s achieved in the octagon already, it’s clear that Leon Edwards should be considered one of the greatest UFC fighters to ever be produced by the UK. If he can win the welterweight title when he faces Kamaru Usman later this year, then ‘Rocky’ could well climb to the top of this list.
@UFCKamaru Usman vs Leon Edwards II staredown before #UFC278 👀
The welterweight-title fight will take place on August 20th. Last time the two met Usman defeated Edwards II (2015).
🎥 @UFC
https://t.co/a8RNltn0Dw
Few fans would’ve seen the rise of the fighter from Birmingham coming, particularly when his octagon debut – a decision loss to Claudio Silva – was hardly encouraging. However, Edwards recovered from that loss with two straight wins before giving a much younger Kamaru Usman a tricky fight in a losing effort.
Since that defeat, though, ‘Rocky’ has gone undefeated in his last ten bouts, with the only blemish on his record being a No Contest against Belal Muhammad. He’s improved his grappling and wrestling skills dramatically, and this, added to his already dangerous striking, has made him a very difficult opponent for anyone.
Edwards now holds wins over Nate Diaz, Rafael Dos Anjos, Donald Cerrone, and Vicente Luque, marking him as one of the world’s best welterweights. At just 30 years old, the best may well be yet to come for him.
#2. Dan Hardy – former UFC welterweight contender
His UFC career might not have ended in the way he’d have liked – he was essentially forced into retirement due to a rare heart condition – but there’s no denying that Dan Hardy made a huge impact on the promotion during his time there.
Signed in 2008 following an excellent run on the regional circuit, Hardy’s debut came against tricky PRIDE veteran Akihiro Gono, whom ‘The Outlaw’ edged out a win via split decision. From there, though, he quickly skyrocketed.
2009 saw him defeat highly ranked contenders Rory Markham, Marcus Davis, and Mike Swick, the latter of which earned him a welterweight title shot against Georges St-Pierre.
While he came up short in his title bout, the build-up to the fight turned ‘The Outlaw’ into a genuine superstar, and for a time, he was the UFC’s most popular British fighter.
Unfortunately, Hardy’s rise in popularity also coincided with the worst run of his octagon career, as he followed the St-Pierre loss with three more defeats. However, he recovered by defeating Duane Ludwig and Amir Sadollah in 2012 before being forced into premature retirement.
May26.2012
After losing 4 Consecutive Fights,
@danhardymma Knocks Out Duane Ludwig @ UFC 146
(Left Hook + Elbows) http://t.co/nxXUita1RD
What could ‘The Outlaw’ have achieved had he been able to fight on? It’s hard to say, but it’s definitely fair to suggest that despite his relatively short tenure in the octagon, his achievements warrant a high placing in this list – particularly taking his huge popularity into consideration.
#1. Michael Bisping – former UFC middleweight champion
Given that he remains the only fighter from the UK to ever claim a UFC title, it’s safe to say that Michael Bisping was destined to end up at the top of this list. However, his 2016 title win is only part of his story, and even without it, ‘The Count’ would’ve had a strong claim to this spot.
Bisping first emerged into the UFC in 2006 following a victorious stint on the third season of The Ultimate Fighter, and once he’d won a few fights in the octagon, his popularity in the UK skyrocketed – allowing the promotion to really open up in the British market like never before.
‘The Count’ was not just a poster-boy in the UK, though. He quickly became a genuine title contender, picking up wins over great fighters such as Chris Leben, Denis Kang, and Yoshihiro Akiyama.
For a time, though, it looked like Bisping was destined to forever be a bridesmaid rather than a bride. He found himself in more than one top contender’s bout, only to fall short against the likes of Chael Sonnen and Dan Henderson.
By 2015, it appeared that his career was beginning to wind down, but in trademark Bisping fashion, he still had more left in the tank than anyone could’ve expected.
After overcoming the great Anderson Silva in a thrilling war at the start of 2016, ‘The Count’ was offered a late-notice shot at middleweight champion Luke Rockhold and shocked the world by knocking him out in the first round, claiming his title in the process.
Jun4.2016
3 years ago today,
Michael Bisping def. Luke Rockhold to become the first British Champion in UFC history. https://t.co/2tuOh5HX3H
Bisping made just one successful defense of his title, outpointing Henderson in a rematch before dropping it to Georges St-Pierre in 2017. After one final loss against Kelvin Gastelum, he hung up his gloves. However, taking all of his achievements and victories into account, it’s absolutely undeniable that he’s the best fighter ever produced by the UK, and it might be some time before anyone tops him.