Are you wondering who the best German UFC fighters of all time are?
In this article, we’ll examine the 5 best German UFC fighters by looking at their records, skills, and the fighters they’ve beaten and lost to.
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Best German UFC Fighters
Here are the 5 best German UFC fighters of all time, ranked starting with the best.
1. Dennis Siver (23-11-1NC)
Height: 5’7” | Reach: 70” | Stance: Orthodox | Weight Class: Featherweight
Dennis Siver was never an elite-level fighter, but he’s definitely the best German UFC fighter because of his skills and longevity. He had 21 UFC fights over 10 years (07-17) with a UFC record of 12-8-1NC.
Dennis Siver was consistently a top 10-ranked featherweight fighter who also fought as a welterweight and lightweight. His style was a mix of kickboxing/karate, taekwondo, sambo, and Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
Dennis Siver’s best fight attributes were:
- Well-roundedness with 7 knockouts, 7 submissions, and 9 decision victories
- Great sprawling ability – in 21 UFC fights he had a 65% takedown defense
- Accurate and powerful spinning back kick
- Powerful, speedy, and deceptive leg kicks and lead leg roundhouse kicks (no switch to avoid telegraphing)
- Powerful and well-timed left hook
- Front kick/roundhouse kick and punch combinations
- He was very strong because of his compact build but lacked range with his attacks because his reach was short.
The best fighters he beat were BJ Penn, Diego Nunes, and Charles Rosa, while he customarily lost to known names such as Conor McGregor, Cub Swanson, Donald Cerrone, and Gray Maynard because they were younger and Siver couldn’t live up to their pace, height, and range.
2. Nasrat Haqparast (16-5)
Height: 5’10” | Reach: 72” | Stance: Southpaw | Weight Class: Lightweight
Fighting out of Tristar Gym in Canada under Firas Zahabi, Nasrat Haqparast has a 6-4 UFC record in his first 10 fights. Despite this not being the best record, Nasrat is still just 27 years old with a lot of potential and room for improvement.
Not only improving his skills year after year, but Nasrat is also slowly filling out his frame with muscle for more power and strength. Nasrat was born to Afghan parents in Hamburg, Germany, where he’s resided ever since.
Nasrat Haqparast’s best attributes are:
- Great takedown defense – 78% in 10 UFC fights
- Powerful uppercuts and left hooks – 10 knockouts in 15 wins
- Aggressive, explosive, and intense fighting style
- Great boxing (doesn’t throw many kicks in fights) in terms of both power and volume – one of the highest strikes landed per minute for a lightweight in the UFC (5)
- Brilliant elusive footwork and a high 65% striking defense – only lost once by knockout
Since joining the UFC in 2017, Nasrat has beaten tough opposition such as Marc Diakiese, Alex Munoz, John Makdessi, and Joaquim Silva.
On the other hand, he’s lost to the much more experienced Drew Dober, Bobby Green, and Dan Hooker – which goes to show the level of talent he’s backing himself against.
As talented as he is, Nasrat needs to develop his kicking and grappling game to become a top-10 lightweight.
3. Abus Magomedov (25-6)
Height: 6’2” | Reach: 78” | Stance: Orthodox | Weight Class: Middleweight
Entering the UFC with a 24-4 MMA record, Abus Magomedov won his first UFC fight in impressive fashion via front kick and punches in just 18 seconds of the first round. Before joining the UFC, Abus fought in the PFL and Europe’s biggest MMA promotion, KSW.
Abus was born in Dagestan, Russia, but moved to Germany and is now rated as the best middleweight in the country. He grew up wrestling in Dagestan and then learned German-style kickboxing, and has since developed an impressive Bjj game.
Making Abus Magomedov one of the best German UFC fighters almost instantly is his:
- Killer instinct with ground-and-pound – 15 first-round finishes and 20 finishes out of 25 wins
- Generates unreal power without having to load up
- Long-range and precise front kicks
- Left and right hook combinations
- Long arms allow him to easily lock guillotine submissions – 4 out of 5 have come this way
- Immediate pressure and aggression to stop his opponents from settling into a rhythm
And while Abus Magomedov has only had 1 UFC fight, he can be considered one of the best German UFC fighters because of his previous experience and the likelihood he’ll stay in the UFC for many years moving forward.
The fact he faced off against Dustin Stoltzfus in his first fight and is now set to face Sean Strickland shows you how highly the UFC rates him. He could quickly become the best German UFC fighter of all time.
4. Nick Hein (14-5-1NC)
Height: 5’6” | Reach: 67” | Stance: Southpaw | Weight Class: Lightweight
Nicknamed the Sergeant due to his career in the German federal police force, Nick Hein retired in 2019 with a 4-4 UFC record. Before MMA, he was also a national German judo champion, picking up 35 national and international judo titles.
He also started boxing at 16 years old and gained decent experience as an amateur boxer. It wasn’t until 25 years old he had his first amateur MMA fight, which he took up after failing to get into the 2008 Olympics.
Making Nick Hein one of the best German UFC Fighters is:
- High-level conditioning
- Brilliant balance and takedown defense – 83% over 8 UFC fights
- Powerful left straights and hooks
- Judo trips and throws
- Physically strong and very athletic
- A technical fighter who doesn’t make many mistakes but who also doesn’t take many risks
When in the UFC, his best wins came against Drew Dober and Lukasz Sajewksi, but he retired after losing three in a row via Davi Ramos, Damir Hadzovic, and Frank Camacho.
5. Pascal Krauss (11-2)
Height: 6’1” | Reach: 74” | Stance: Orthodox | Weight Class: Welterweight
Pascal Krauss started boxing at 14 years old and secured a 17-1 record in his amateur boxing career. He soon transitioned to judo (where he’s now a black belt) followed by Bjj and MMA.
Pascal Krauss left Germany for Roufusport MMA in the USA, as Germany couldn’t provide him with the high-level MMA training and competition he needed to grow. Soon after making the transition, Pascal became the Cage Warriors welterweight champion before signing a UFC contract.
In his short MMA career, Pascal Krauss’ best attributes were:
- Long limbs for a welterweight elevated his Bjj game to the next level – 7 of his 11 wins came via submission
- Composed and controlled aggression
- Great boxing technique and combinations which he finished with snapping calf kicks
- Front kick to the head
Unfortunately, Pascal Krauss didn’t fulfill the potential he had as a fighter, with his last MMA/UFC fight being the KO loss against Hyun Gyu Lin in 2013 at the age of 26. While unknown, it’s believed he had a long-term neck injury that kept him from training full-time, and he never returned to his best.
He has since turned his attention to coaching and MMA commentary, where he currently commentates for Ran.de Fighting in Germany.
Honorable Mentions
Here are some of the other best German UFC fighters who couldn’t quite cut the top 5.
- Peter Sobotta: 4-6 UFC Record
- David Zawada: 1-4 UFC Record
