Top 5 longest winning streaks in UFC
Over the years, UFC has seen some impressive winning streaks. While some fighters have managed to retire with their streaks unharmed, others have succumbed to an opponent. Here's a look at the top 5 longest win streaks in UFC and one bonus mention as well.
Bonus Mention: Max Holloway (13 wins)
There are five fighters tied at 13 wins, and Max Holloway is one of them. Holloway bounced back from a decision loss to Conor McGregor and went on to win 13 consecutive fights against the likes of Andre Fili, Cub Swanson, Charles Oliveira, Anthony Pettis, Jose Aldo (twice) and Brian Ortega.
His streak was broken by now-Lightweight Dustin Poirier. In his last two outings, Holloway has lost two title fights to Alexander Volkanovski.
#5 Jon Jones (13 wins)
The former Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones looked indomitable inside the Octagon, so much so that his streak was not technically broken inside the cage.
After 13 consecutive wins, his 14th victory, which was against Daniel Cormier, was overturned to a No Contest by CSAC as Jon Jones tested positive for a banned substance. Without that, Jones would be on a 18-win streak, two more than the highest ever in UFC.
The No Contest result broke Jones' streak in 2017 after seven years. After that, Jones has won four more times, vacated the 205-pound belt, and is now preparing to move up to Heavyweight. His eyes are set on Stipe Miocic's Heavyweight belt and becoming two-division Champion.
#4 Demetrious Johnson (13 wins)
Inaugural UFC Flyweight Champ Demetrious Johnson has the record of most takedowns in the Flyweight division and is the joint record holder of the latest finish in UFC with a submission win over Kyoji Horiguchi.
'Mighty Mouse' has suffered only two losses in UFC. After his first defeat to Dominick Cruz, he went on to have a draw with Ian McCall in the four-man tournament UFC held for the new Flyweight division. But after that, Demetrious Johnson looked unstoppable.
Johnson made winning look too easy as he first faced McCall again, winning it this time, and then became the first UFC Flyweight Champ defeating Joseph Benavidez. He went on to defend his title 11 times, surpassing Anderson Silva's previous best of 10, making the streak of 13 wins. His streak was ended by Henry Cejudo at UFC 227 in a rematch of their 2016 bout.
#3 Georges St-Pierre (13 wins)
Former UFC two-division Champion Georges St. Pierre according to many MMA fans, is one of the greatest MMA fighters in history. He has lost only twice in his career, and his second loss, which took place at UFC 69 against Matt Sera in 2007, is still his last in the promotion. He is yet to be defeated since then and has gone on to amass 13 back-to-back wins, including the Middleweight title win over Michael Bisping in his last outing.
GSP is now retired with an unbroken streak and there have often been rumors of his return. In May this year, it was announced that he would be inducted into the Modern Wing of UFC Hall of Fame.
In his 13-fight winning streak, GSP has gone through names like Matt Hughes, Matt Sera, B.J. Penn, Thiago Alves, Carlos Condit, and Nick Diaz.
#2 Khabib Nurmagomedov (13 wins)
Khabib Nurmagomedov is the fighter with the longest active undefeated streak not only in UFC, but in the history of the sport overall. No one holds a 29-0 record in MMA like Khabib Nurmagomedov does. In UFC, he has a streak of 13 wins, in which he has gone through Edson Barboza, Al Iaquinta, Conor McGregor, Dustin Poirier, and in his last fight, Justin Gaethje.
Khabib Nurmagomedov has announced his retirement for now, but a lot of things hint at the fact that he will probably make a comeback. Both UFC President Dana White and Khabib's manager Ali Abdelaziz are confident of it, and Khabib himself has said that he would consider it if he gets his mother's blessing.
#1 Anderson Silva (16 wins) - Longest win streak in UFC
Anderson Silva has the longest winning streak in UFC at 16 victories. From his UFC debut in 2006 against Chris Leben, to before his first UFC loss to Chris Weidman, 'The Spider' won all his fights in the promotion. During his streak, Anderson Silva picked up wins against the likes of Rich Franklin (twice), Dan Henderson, Forrest Griffin, Vitor Belfort, and Demian Maia.
However, since his streak was broken, SIlva has lost at all except one outing. He picked up a decision against Derek Brunson, but otherwise lost to Daniel Cormier, Michael Bisping, Jared Cannonier, Middleweight King Israel Adesanya, and most recently to Uriah Hall, after which he announced his retirement.
Despite his lack of wins in the last few years, his winning streak of 16 is yet to be broken. 'The Spider' is undoubtedly one of the greatest Middleweights ever to step inside the cage, and his contributions go beyond what the records say. His influence on the fighters of the next generation has been made evident multiple times.
The opponent in his last fight, Uriah Hall, broke down in tears after knocking him out and thanked him for being an inspiration in a heartfelt moment.