30 Best UFC Records of All Time (Great or Near-Unbreakable)

Are you wondering about the best UFC records of all time that are great or near-unbreakable and won’t be broken for a very long time?

Best UFC Records of All Time

These are the best UFC records of all time and every record and statistic in this article is accurate as of September 2022. The records and statistics will be updated every time a new fighter secures the top spot.

Here’s the list of the best UFC records of all time, in no particular order:

Heaviest UFC Fighter: 616 lbs / 279.4 kg (Emmanuel Yarbrough)

Emmanuel Yarbrough holds the UFC record as the heaviest UFC fighter after weighing in at 616 lbs before his fight against Keith Hackney at UFC 3.

It’s an unofficial UFC record as it was before UFC 28 when the UFC started their records. Not only this, but it was at a time when there weren’t any weight limits. Now, heavyweights have a maximum weight limit of 265 lbs, meaning this is an unbreakable UFC record.

Longest UFC Losing Streak: 7 (B.J. Penn)

The record for the longest UFC losing streak belongs to B.J. Penn with 7 consecutive losses stretching from 2011 to 2019.

Again, not a UFC record to be proud of, but it’s definitely a record that’ll never be broken and possibly never tied.

It’ll never be broken because it goes against the UFC’s usual policy of releasing a fighter after 3 consecutive losses. Yes, certain fighters receive leniency on this if they’re UFC legends, deemed to have been unlucky, or are seen as top-drawer fighters.

B.J. Penn is certainly a UFC legend, but his fall from the top was astonishing to see throughout this period. It remains a record we’ll never see beaten because it’s unlikely we’ll again see a once so-great fighter lose so many in a row as well as get given the leniency B.J. Penn did.

Longest UFC Win Streak: 16 (Anderson Silva)

One of the most unbreakable records and possibly one we may never see beaten, Anderson Silva reigned supreme and holds the longest UFC win streak of 16.

Kamaru Usman was 1 minute away from his 16th consecutive win but was knocked out by Leon Edwards in dramatic fashion, preventing him from tying Silva’s long untouched record set in 2012 and ending in 2013.

Longest Single UFC Title Reign: 2,457 Days (Anderson Silva)

During Anderson Silva’s dominance, not only did he collect the longest UFC win streak of 16, but he also put his name in the record books for the longest single UFC title reign of 2,457 days, a UFC and middleweight record.

In second place is Demetrious Johnson who managed 2,142 days during his flyweight supremacy, and in third place is GSP, who managed 2,064 days.

The only active single title reign coming anywhere close is Amanda Nunes’ featherweight title reign of 1351 days (September 10, 2022).

However, although there’s still a long way to go, if she surpassed Silva’s record it’d be cruel as in nearly 4 years since winning the title, she’s defended it just twice, while Anderson Silva had 10 consecutive UFC title defenses. 

The women’s featherweight division is lacking so many fighters that there isn’t even a vote for the division in the UFC rankings.

One of the most dominant champions, Kamaru Usman, most recently had his welterweight title reign ended by Leon Edwards, and his reign was only 1,267 days. It goes to show how hard this UFC record will be to beat and that it may never be accomplished.

Most UFC Wins in a Single Year: 5

There have only been 10 UFC fighters to have 5 UFC fights in a single year, and only 3 of those won all 5 fights.

They were Donald Cerrone and Neil Magny in 2014, and Kevin Holland in 2020.

Donald Cerrone and Neil Magny also had 5 fights in 2015 and won 4 out of 5. So in 2 years, they both had 10 UFC fights and won 9 out of 10 fights – which is an additional UFC record that’ll likely remain for some time.

Although 5 UFC wins in a single year isn’t unbeatable, it’s going to be extremely hard to do with UFC fighters fighting an average of 2 to 3 times a year – so it’s a record likely to remain for many years.

Most Losses in UFC History: 18 (Jeremy Stephens)

Not a UFC record to be proud of, but it’s one of the best UFC records of all time because it’s likely to never be beaten.

While not official rules, the UFC’s usual policy is to release a fighter upon three consecutive losses, meaning if a fighter can avoid the third consecutive loss, they usually escape the impending release.

However, Jeremy Stephens never managed to do this throughout his very long UFC career which lasted from 2007 to 2021, as he lost three consecutive fights in 2011/2012, and in his last 6 fights before release, he lost 5 and had 1 no-contest.

In 34 UFC fights, he managed a record of 15-18-1NC, and the leniency they showed Stephens usually applies to veterans of the promotion; not everyone is treated equally and it makes this record harder to break.

Most Submission Wins in UFC History: 16 (Charles Oliveira)

The record for most submissions wins in UFC history is 16, set by Charles Oliveira. Charles is approaching 33 years old and has many years to extend his record further.

Second place is tied between Jim Miller and Demian Maia who both have 11 submission wins. They’re both at the end of their careers so won’t manage to get to 16, meaning Oliveira is likely to keep this UFC record for many years to come.

Most Finishes in UFC History: 19 (Charles Oliveira)

With his ridiculous amount of submission wins (16), Charles Oliveira also holds the record for most finishes in UFC history with 19.

Still only 32 years old but soon to be 33, Oliveira is at the peak of his powers and is currently riding an 11-fight win streak.

Tied second are Jim Miller and Donald Cerrone who have 16 finishes each, but are both coming towards the end of their career at 39 years old.

Depending on Oliveira’s hunger, he’s like to extend his own record and make it unbreakable for many years to come, potentially decades.

Most UFC Title Wins: 14 (Jon Jones)

Jon Jones holds a nearly unbeatable record of 14 UFC title wins, which he can extend further if he becomes active again.

GSP has 13, Demetrious Johnson has 12, and Anderson Silva has 11, but all three are retired from the UFC.

The only current fighter who has a chance of taking the record in the short-term is Amanda Nunes who currently has 10 UFC title wins and is currently holding the bantamweight and featherweight titles (September 2022).

Most Consecutive UFC Title Defenses: 11 (Demetrious Johnson)

While Demetrious Johnson is 3rd for most title wins behind Jon Jones and GSP, what separates the three is Johnson’s 11 consecutive UFC title defenses as the flyweight champion.

On the other hand, Jones won his 11 title fights defenses during 2 title reigns, split into 8 and 3. Second-placed for most consecutive UFC title defenses is Anderson Silva, who put together 10 UFC title defenses during his longest UFC win streak of 16.

11 consecutive UFC title defenses is one of the hardest records to take and one we may never see beaten. Even the current most dominant champions such as Israel Adesanya, Alexander Volkanovski, and Valentina Shevchenko only have 5, 4, and 7.

Most Top Position Time in UFC History: 2:25:05 (Georges St-Pierre)

Georges St-Pierre was one of the best wrestlers the UFC has ever seen and he holds the record for the most top position time in UFC history, with 2 hours and 25 minutes.

This is a nearly unbreakable record as second place is retired Demian Maia with 2 hours and 1 minute. The active fighter who’s closest to the record is Frankie Edgar with 1 hour and 32 minutes of top position time, but he’s 40 years old so has no chance of taking the record with his retirement imminent.

It will likely be at least a decade before this record is broken as the top 10 in this category are all retired fighters or close to retirement.

Most Knockdowns Landed in UFC History: 20 (Donald Cerrone)

The record for most knockdowns in UFC history is 20, held by Donald Cerrone who can extend his record further as he’s still active and winning fights at 39 years old.

The record is highly unlikely to be beaten in the short-term (5 years) because the top 10 are mostly retired fighters. Closest is Mauricio Rua with 14 knockdowns but who’s likely to retire before getting close to 20.

Edson Barbosa and Thiago Santos with 14, and Dustin Poirier with 13 are the other close fighters with the best chance at taking the record at some stage. 

If not one of these three, the record will most likely be beaten at some point in the future due to the nature of knockdowns. 

Multiple knockdowns can be secured in a single fight so the record will likely be taken by a great striker in the lower weight divisions as they lack the knockout power seen in the heavier divisions; meaning they can knock someone down and their opponent can get back to their feet where they can be knocked down again.

Most Takedowns in a UFC Fight & Round: 21 & 9 (Khabib Nurmagomedov)

Being one of the best UFC wrestlers of all time, it’s no surprise to see Khabib as the fighter with the record for most takedowns in a UFC fight and round.

Khabib scored 21 takedowns in a UFC fight against Abel Trujillo at UFC 160, and 9 takedowns in the third round alone. Abel was a four-time NAIA All-American wrestler, so he was able to continually get back to his feet but couldn’t avoid Khabib’s continuous takedowns immediately after doing so.

What’s most impressive about this UFC record is how it was made in a three-round fight and not a five-round fight.

The record of most takedowns in a UFC fight of 21 is possible to beat, as in a 5-round right there’s an extra 10 minutes of time to secure more takedowns. 

Harder to beat is 9 takedowns in a UFC round because no matter how good a grappler you are, 9 takedowns in one round equal a takedown every 33 seconds; something we’re unlikely to ever see again.

Most Takedowns in UFC History: 90 (Georges St-Pierre)

Georges St-Pierre has the record for most takedowns in UFC history with 90. He had 22 UFC fights, meaning he secured an average of 4 takedowns per fight.

Second place belongs to the retired Gleison Tibau with 84, and within touching distance are the active fighters Frankie Edgar with 73, Clay Guida with 72, and Colby Covington with 67.

Being 34 years old, Colby has the most chance of beating GSP’s record but it’ll depend on his longevity as a UFC fighter. If none of the above manages to take his record within the next few years, it may be another UFC record that isn’t beaten for many years.

Most UFC Knockdowns in a Fight: 5 (Forrest Petz & Jeremy Stephens)

Forretz Petz and Jeremy Stephens share the record of most UFC knockdowns in a fight with 5. There are 7 fighters tied in second place with 4 knockdowns in a UFC fight.

As only 2 fighters have managed 5 knockdowns in a single fight in 29 years, it’s going to be extremely hard to manage 6 knockdowns in a single fight any time soon.

This is because most of the time a knockdown’s likely to end in a finish, and with 3 or 4 knockdowns, the referee is looking to step in and end the fight.

Most Significant Strikes Landed in UFC History: 2975 (Max Holloway)

Max Holloway is easily one of the best UFC boxers of all time. This has led him to stand alone as the record holder for most significant strikes in UFC history with 2975.

This is an incredible record considering he’s still only 30 years old at the time of writing. Depending on how long Max fights in the UFC, this could be a UFC record that isn’t beaten for decades to come.

Second place is held by 40-year-old and soon-to-retire Frankie Edgar, with 1799. The only fighter with the slightest chance is Dustin Poirier, who’s only 33 and has 1585 significant strikes landed. His only chance is if Max retires soon and he fights for another 7 years or so; even then it’d still be hard to beat.

In the long term, the record may be beaten by a fighter from the lower-weight divisions as their strikes are less powerful, meaning they can trade more significant strikes throughout a fight than fighters in heavier divisions can.

Most Significant Strikes Landed in a UFC Fight: 445 (Max Holloway)

At UFC Fight Island 7, Holloway proclaimed himself the best boxer in the UFC while absolutely destroying Kalvin Kattar and setting a new record for the most significant strikes landed in a fight, with 445.

He broke his own previous record of 290 significant strikes landed in a single fight against Brian Ortega at UFC 231, while third place belongs to Rob Font who scored 271 vs Marlon Vera.

This is another record that won’t be beaten for a very long time and the fighter who beats it will definitely be a lightweight or below due to having less power than heavier fighters.

Most Strikes Landed in UFC History: 3217 (Max Holloway)

Similar to the above record, Max Holloway holds the record for most strikes landed in UFC history with 3217.

It’s another record unlikely to be beaten for at least a decade. The only fighter within touching distance is Kamaru Usman with 2256. 

It’s unlikely for him to take the record as he’s fighting the most elite fighters every event, meaning the total strikes landed in each fight is lower. He’s also fighting in the welterweight division where knockout punches are a lot more common than in Max’s featherweight division.

Most Performance of the Night Bonuses: 12 (Charles Oliveira)

Concerning the record for the most performance of the night bonuses, Charles Oliveira is so far ahead with 12. Second place is tied with 7 between Donald Cerrone, Ovince Saint Preux, and Conor McGregor.

Most often, only 2 or 3 fighters per UFC event receive a Performance of the Night bonus, so it’s going to be exceptionally hard for anyone to take this record from Oliveira.

Fastest Turnaround Wins in UFC History: 2 & 3 (Khamzat Chimaev)

Chimaev set the record for winning 2 fights in 10 days, beating the previous record of winning 2 fights in 13 days, set by Chad Skelly.

He also set the record for winning 3 fights in 66 days, beating the previous record of 84 days by Bobby Green. With these 3 wins, Chimaev also became the quickest fighter to 3-0 in the UFC post-2001 (Unified Rules), surpassing Johnny Walker who did it in 105 days.

Fastest UFC Knockout: 5 Seconds (Jorge Masvidal)

Jorge Masvidal scored a 5-second knockout win when he connected with a flying knee to the chin of Ben Askren at UFC 239.

This beat the previous record of 6 seconds set by Duane Ludwig when he knocked out Jonathon Goulet with a snappy right cross to the chin.

This is one of the hardest UFC records to beat and likely won’t be beaten for decades; especially since fighters want to avoid the embarrassment of being the recipient of such an early knockout.

Fastest UFC Submission: 14 Seconds (Ronda Rousey)

Ronda Rousey holds the record for the fastest UFC submission in 14 seconds against Cat Zingano at UFC 184, secured with a straight armbar.

Upon watching the fight, it’s clear the tap is finished just 12 seconds in, so it’s hard to understand why the record’s down as 14 seconds – it should be corrected.

Anyway, this is also the record for the fastest submission in a UFC title fight.

Fastest Finish in a UFC Title Fight: 13 Seconds (Conor McGregor)

Conor McGregor holds the record for the fastest finish in a UFC title fight with 13 seconds, after destroying Jose Aldo at UFC 194 in 2015 to lay claim to the featherweight title.

What made this UFC record more incredible was the fact McGregor predicted exactly how the fight would end before the fight took place.

This beat the previous record holder, Ronda Rousey, who finished Cat Zingano earlier in 2015 in 14 seconds via a straight armbar at UFC 184, to secure her fifth title defense.

No one thought Rousey’s record would ever be beaten, and only 9 months later it was. Therefore, although this record is hard to beat, it’s entirely possible for it to happen at some point in the future.

Latest Finish / KO/TKO in UFC History: 0 Seconds Remaining (Ricky Simon)

In one of the most nail-biting finishes to a UFC fight ever, Ricky Simon secured the win over Merab Dvalishvili with a mounted guillotine choke.

There was a lot of confusion at the end of the third round, with the horn blowing and the fight coming to an end, many felt Merab would win the fight by decision. 

After discussion between various commissioners, Ricky Simon was declared the winner by Bruce Buffer as Merab was left more or less unconscious at the end of the fight, continuously kicking his feet and turning blue in the face.

It’s a controversial decision as the fight went the distance and many feel the fight should’ve therefore been decided by the judges’ scorecard, as the referee didn’t know Merab was unconscious and therefore didn’t stop the fight.

However, the Official Unified Rules of MMA state, ‘Instant replay may be used to review a “Fight Ending Sequence” and shall only be used after a fight has been officially stopped. Once instant replay has been used to review a fight-ending sequence, the fight shall not be resumed.’

As the fight had ended and therefore stopped, instant replay was allowed to be used to determine that Merab was unconscious at the end of the fight. The fight was declared a TKO and not a submission win, likely because there wasn’t any tap or referee stoppage.

Ultimately, the way this fight ended was amazing and it’s a UFC record that’s unable to be beaten and extremely unlikely to be matched.

Latest Submission Finish in UFC History: 1 Second Remaining (Demetrious Johnson & Paul Craig)

Both Demetrious Johnson and Paul Craig have the tied record for the latest submission finish in UFC history with 1 second on the clock remaining.

Demetrious Johnson submitted Kyoji Horiguchi 1 with second remaining in the fifth round of their title fight at UFC 186 via an armbar. With this finish, Johnson secured his 6th consecutive title defense.

Paul Craig submitted Magomed Ankalaev with 1 second remaining in the third round at UFC FN:127 via triangle choke. What’s impressive about this is that it likely saved Paul Craig’s UFC career as he’d lost his prior 2 fights and he went on to lose his next fight.

Much like the latest finish and latest KO/TKO which happened with 0 seconds remaining, it’s possible that this record can be beaten with a referee waving off the fight or a fighter tapping as the horn sounds at the end of a fight. However, this is extremely unlikely and may take many years.

Youngest UFC Champion: 23 Years, 8 Months / 8,644 Days (Jon Jones)

Yet another record for Jon Jones, this time as the youngest UFC champion at just 23 years old; he’s held this UFC record since he first time became champion in 2011.

In second place is Jose Aldo, who became the youngest UFC champion in 2010 before Jones took the record a year later.

Aldo was 24 years and 2 months old, but his record was criticized as he was made the inaugural UFC featherweight champion when the UFC merged with WEC, meaning he was made the champion before having had a fight in the UFC.

This is a UFC record that becomes harder to break with every passing year. At the time of writing (September 2022), the average age of the 11 UFC champions is 33 years old.

This number has continually increased since 2011 as MMA becomes more developed and competition increases over time. Experience as an MMA fighter counts for a lot and inexperienced youngsters are outclassed by the older fighters.

Oldest UFC Champion: 43 Years, 8 Months Old (Randy Couture)

Randy Couture became the UFC heavyweight champion for the third time at the age of 43 years and 8 months by beating Tim Sylvia at UFC 68. 

Not only is this the oldest age of a UFC champion, but he remained the champion until he was 45 years and 4 months old – which is also the oldest age a champion has been.

This is one of the best UFC records of all time because it’s highly unlikely to ever be beaten. Yes, experience means a lot, but 35 to 40 is the most common age for UFC fighters to retire and it’s extremely uncommon for fighters to become UFC champions after the age of 40 – the only other fighter is Glover Teixeira.

Best UFC Event Records

UFC Event With 100% Finish Rate: 11 Finishes (UFC FN: 55 – Bisping vs Rockhold)

One of the best UFC cards of all time was also 1 of only 3 UFC events to end with a 100% finish rate.

Bisping vs Rockhold had 11 fights which were all finished inside the distance. There were 7 knockouts and 4 submissions.

The other events with 100% finish rates were UFC Vegas 59: Santos vs Hill, and UFC 40. Santos vs Hill is a close second with 10 finishes, 7 knockouts, and 3 submissions.

UFC 40 had a 100% finish rate but only 8 fights, 6 knockouts, and 2 submissions.

It’s taken 29 years to produce 3 UFC events with a 100% finish rate, so this is another UFC record that may take a while to break.

UFC Event With the Longest Fight Time: 3 Hours, 19 Minutes (UFC 263)

Not the fanciest UFC record of all time, but certainly one that’ll be hard to beat. UFC 263 holds the record for the UFC event with the longest fight time of 3 hours, 19 minutes, and 32 seconds.

There have only been 3 UFC events with over 3 hours of total fight time, so this is a record that’ll stand for a while.

The event had such a long total fight time because there were 2 title fights, which are 5 rounds of 5 minutes each, and both title fights went the distance. 

Also, while 5-round fights have traditionally been used for title fights and any main event, UFC 263 was the first UFC event to feature a nonmain and nontitle 5-round fight, between Nate Diaz and Leon Edwards – which also went the full 25 minutes.

Lastly, while UFC events on average have 11 or 12 fights per event, UFC 263 had 14 fights, of which 11 went the distance. All of these factors combined are going to make it extremely difficult for this record to be broken.

Most Submission Wins at a UFC Event: 8 (UFC On Fuel TV 10)

12 fights and 8 submissions in a single UFC event for a submission rate of 66% – this is a record that’ll be hard to beat.

There are 5 UFC events behind this one which has 6 submissions, and

while this is a UFC record that comes down to a lot of luck, this is exactly the reason why it’s one of the best UFC records of all time as it’s nearly unbeatable.

Overall

These have been the best UFC records of all time — decided by how great or unbreakable they are.

There are various great UFC records that could’ve been included, such as most UFC knockouts of 13 by Derrick Lewis, but they haven’t been included because they’re likely to be broken in the short-term and are not difficult records to break – which means they’d constantly be changing.

If you feel there’s any great or unbreakable UFC record warranted in this list, feel free to comment the record below and there’s a high chance it’ll be added. The list can either be extended to the 40 best UFC records, or this list of 30 can be changed.