40 Best UFC Walkout Songs (Audio & Walkouts Included)

UFC Walkout songs bring the place alive and set the tone for the upcoming fight if picked wisely.

While the best UFC walkout songs are subjective, the songs present in this list have been picked for reasons including online opinion, crowd reactions, noticeability, songs setting the tone for a fight, and fitting a fighter well.

UFC Walkout Songs

The best UFC walkout songs here are presented in alphabetical order and include the event they were used at as some fighters change their walkout song.

The songs are linked, and if available fighter walkouts are also linked so you can see the atmosphere and how good the song is when used by a fighter.

A Country Boy Can Survive – Hank Williams (Matt Hughes – UFC 60)

Joe Rogan went as far as to say, “the best walk-in music in the sport!”, which is an overstatement, but it’s certainly one of the best because of its uniqueness as a walkout song. It’s also very fitting as Hughes is a country boy from Hillsboro, Illinois, who not only survived but thrived.

It’s hard to pinpoint why these country songs are so great as UFC walkout songs, but they just work.

Ain’t No Sunshine – DMX (Anderson Silva – UFC 148)

Whenever Silva walked out to this song, most watching knew there wouldn’t be any sunshine for his opponent. It’s a revamp of the original and about DMX threatening his enemies, which was always accompanied by a supremely confident Silva who would come out jamming to this track in an intimidating and carefree fashion.

Bleed It Out – Linkin Park (Lyoto Machida – UFC 98)

Bleed It Out is the perfect choice for a UFC walkout song as it includes both hip-hop and rock, creating a high-energy party-vibe track. It features a wide mix of Motown-style drums, rap, a punk chorus, guitars, bass, and clapping, and would get any UFC arena hyped and ready for a Machida fight.

California Love – 2Pac (Urijah Faber – UFC FN:155)

Walking out to one of the greatest hip-hop tracks of all time, ‘California Love’ is incredible to see and very appropriate for Faber, especially since he’s known as the ‘California Kid’.

The song carries insane energy created by the high tempo, great rapping, and piano sample taken from Joe Cocker’s song, ‘Woman to Woman’. The song is about their love for California’s hip-hop culture and lifestyle, and Faber uses this passion to fuel his octagon appearances and get the crowd on his side.

Can’t Stop – Red Hot Chilli Peppers (T.J. Dillashaw – UFC 217)

“Can’t stop, addicted to the shindig”, is the first line of the song and perfectly symbolizes Dillashaw’s love for MMA. 

The song encourages listeners to live with passion and it gets all crowds in the mood for the fight ahead, while Dillashaw comes out to it with very high energy – even more so at UFC 217 when he used it during his walkout on his quest to regain the bantamweight title against Cody Garbrandt.

Coming Home – Diddy (Jon Jones – UFC 197)

When the youngest champion in UFC history returned from his suspension, he chose to walk out to the very fitting song, ‘Coming Home’, and was visibly ecstatic to be back fighting, grinning ear to ear and embracing the crowd with his hands out.

“I know my kingdom awaits, and they’ve forgiven my mistakes”, are lyrics from the song, perfectly expressing Jones’ belief that the UFC is his home and he loves what he does.

Country Boy – Aaron Lewis (Chad Mendes – UFC 189)

An iconic UFC walkout song at one of the most iconic events, Mendes was entering the biggest fight of his career on short notice against Conor McGregor. Both fighters had the artists of their chosen tracks perform live at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in front of 16,000 fans.

Despite being a slow burner it turned out to be one of the best walkout songs because of the emotion and passion behind the words, and how amazing Aaron Lewis sounded live. A hugely patriotic American song, Chad resonates with it and feels it gives him peace and power.

Crazy – Gnarls Barkley (B.J. Penn – UFC 63)

Right off the bat, this sets the tone for the upcoming fight against B.J. Penn – a crazy fight. Joe Rogan was a big fan and said during commentary, “ohhh, here we go, that’s some walk-in music right there”.

Everyone knows ‘Crazy’ and can sing along, and it’s one of those songs that are very nostalgic for a lot of people – a true party starter.

Down Under – Men at Work (Alexander Volkanovski – UFC 273)

Being the best Australian UFC fighter, it makes sense for Volk to use an Australian rock band, Men at Work, whose best song, Down Under, is about Australia. It’s an extremely patriotic song in Australia, but it’s very popular worldwide where it reached #1 in many countries, America included.

Every time Volk uses the song, unfortunately, it’s always been outside of Australia, as if it was played down under they’d go crazy. Nevertheless, it gets every crowd going and you can see the passion and spirit it invokes in Volk before a fight.

Feiticeira – Deftones (Nick Diaz – UFC 143)

Not only did Nick Diaz use this amazing song as a walkout, but he also came out to his interim title fight against Carlos Condit in jeans and a hoody as if he’d stepped out of the crowd to fight.

The song is melodic, and unorthodox, but also retains a dark, intense, and metal style to it; an intimidating song and perfect for a massive interim title fight which was the biggest of his career.

For Those About To Rock – AC/DC (Rich Franklin – UFC 58)

Walking out to defend his undisputed middleweight championship, Franklin used ‘For Those About To Rock’, giving him the look of determination and focus never before seen in him. 

AC/DC is very popular in America, and the song as a walkout sets the tone for an upcoming showdown and brings the crowd into Franklin’s world.

Genesis – Justice (Nick Denis – UFC 

Released in 2007, Genesis was a trendsetter in the electronic genre and when used by Nick Denis, it was one of the most distinctive sounds, different from the usual crop of walkout songs.

It starts as one of the most intimidating tracks and develops into a dark, funky, and energetic track – perfect for a UFC walkout.

Hold On, I’m Coming – Sam and Dave (Robbie Lawler – UFC 189)

One of the great soul tracks, Lawler coming out to ‘Hold On, I’m Coming’ always gets the crowd grooving and excited for what’s to come; and it’s like he’s speaking to the crowd with this song. 

Making it so great is how popular it is, no matter what genre of music you like, everyone can appreciate the class of this song.

I’m Shipping Up To Boston – Dropkick Murphys (Forrest Griffin – UFC 72)

This song is absolute mayhem and why wouldn’t it be? It’s about a sailor who lost his peg leg and UFC fans loved to hear it whenever Griffin entered to fight; especially since most of the American fans likely hadn’t heard it before.

The Dropkick Murphys are an Irish band and Griffin chose the song to celebrate his Irish descent and represent the mayhem about to unfold in the octagon.

Kick In The Door – The Notorious B.I.G. (Frankie Edgar – UFC 205)

One of the best hip-hop tracks, ‘Kick In The Door’ is about Biggie calling out his competition and declaring himself as the best; perfect for a UFC walkout song. Frankie Edgar has used ‘Kick In The Door’ for many UFC walkouts, and the song is perfect for him.

The song opens with the line, “Your reign on the top was short like leprechauns”, and also says, “the most shady, tell em, Frankie baby”. This can often be heard with Frankie running into the arena towards the cage, clearly hyped up by the song.

Know Your Enemy – Rage Against The Machine (Carlos Condit – UFC 195)

If you had to pick a handful of bands to hype you up for a fight or gym session, Rage Against the Machine would surely be there. ‘Know Your Enemy’ is about knowing the American system and fighting against it. It features heavy vocals, drums, and guitars – everything essential for a quality UFC walkout song.

“I’ve got no patience now, so sick of complacence now”, are lyrics from the song, which would definitely remind Condit not to get complacent in the octagon.

Kurt Angle Theme Tune (Colby Covington – UFC ESPN:5)

Not only is this one of the best UFC walkout songs, but it’s also one of the best UFC walkouts full stop. Widely recognized by fight fans and more specifically fans of the WWE, this was rocked by Kurt Angle throughout his WWE career.

Colby brought the 10,427 fans packed in New Jersey’s Prudential Center alive when he came out pumped up to this tune and sporting the USA flag.

Lunatic Fringe – Red Rider (Dan Henderson – UFC 82)

Lunatic Fringe is one of the most easily recognized UFC walkout songs thanks to Dan Henderson’s relentless pursuit of fighting the best and its use in the 1985 movie about a high school wrestler, ‘Vision Quest’.

The song has a hypnotic feel to it and Henderson always entered looking very composed and focused when walking out to this.

While the song is about the oppression of Jews in America, Dan walking out to the song gives it a double meaning as he’s declaring anyone willing to fight him as the lunatic fringe; an extreme or eccentric minority. Overall, it’s an amazing UFC walkout song and very addictive; you’ve been warned.

Many Man – 50 Cent (Dan Hooker – UFC 266)

Every UFC fan knows how much of a warrior Dan ‘The Hangman’ Hooker is, and walking out to ‘Many Men’ only exemplifies his reputation further. The song is about the assassination attempt of 50 Cent, and how in retaliation he has no problem doing whatever necessary to his enemies.

With this song, Hooker is saying no matter how many fighters try to knock him out, he always comes back continuing to fight and push forward. It’s also a very popular hip-hop song and gets the crowds involved and looking forward to watching one of the most entertaining fighters on the roster.

Mission Impossible Theme (Deiveson Figueiredo – UFC 263)

One of the most legendary themes of all time, the Mission Impossible theme used by Figueiredo to defend his flyweight title against Moreno was a thing of beauty. 

The song portrays a mysterious vibe and also a race against time, symbolizing Figueiredo’s mission and his aggressive and high-pressure style of fighting in the UFC. It also sends a message to his opponent that beating him is mission impossible.

Mortal Kombat Theme (Curtis Blaydes – UFC ESPN:33)

Mortal Kombat was one of the best-selling and most popular games of the 90s and 2000s, and the theme song would hype any gamer.

Walking out to all UFC events using the Mortal Kombat theme, it’s extremely high energy and nostalgic for all fight fans who’ve likely played the game; while it also prepares Blaydes for the battle to come.

Pride FC Theme Song (Quinton Jackson – UFC 123)

A hugely popular MMA promotion in the early 2000s, the UFC bought them out in 2007 and disbanded the promotion the same year. Rampage Jackson was a former Pride fighter and paid homage to the promotion by using the Pride Theme for his UFC walkouts, where he said he fought for respect and honor.

If you know the promotion, this song is extremely nostalgic and brings back many fond memories. New fans that don’t know it love the song once they hear it as it’s very uplifting and sounds like the anthem for a quest or upcoming showdown. It’s also been used by other fighters like Alistair Overeem.

Rooster – Alice in Chains (Tim Kennedy – UFC FN:31)

Not only is Tim Kennedy a UFC fighter, but he’s also a US soldier who was deployed overseas in 2008, which makes Rooster the perfect song for his entrance. The song’s a tribute to Jerry Cantrell’s father, who was a soldier during the Vietnam war.

Run This Town – Jay Z (Jose Aldo – UFC 129)

A great song choice for the meaning it brings, Jose Aldo entered the UFC as the featherweight champion as he was brought in from the WEC and UFC merger in 2010. 

He used Run This Town during the walkout for his first UFC title defense against Mark Hominick in front of just under 56,000 fans, where he was entering with supreme confidence after an 8-fight win streak.

Rusty Cage – Johnny Cash (Jon Fitch – UFC 141)

The song ‘Rusty Cage’ by Johnny Cash wasn’t Fitch’s first choice, but it was second after someone else used his preferred anthem one particular night. However, the fans loved it and it became Fitch’s theme throughout his UFC career.

It’s a very upbeat country song and unique compared to the majority of UFC walkout songs. It sounds like the anthem used at the start of a western movie where Fitch is the star fighting for liberation.

Scarface Theme Song – Giorgio Miroder (Masvidal – UFC 244)

Entering Madison Square Gardens in front of 20,000 fans for the 500th UFC event and fighting for the BMF belt, Masvidal set the tension in the arena by using the Scarface theme song.

An amazingly intimidating song for the occasion, and making it so perfect for the occasion is that before the song starts there’s a quote played from the movie which says, “f**k the Diaz brothers, I bury those cockroaches!”.

And while MMA teaches humility and respect for an opponent, Masvidal is presenting himself as a gangster and a killer like Tony Montana who’d do anything to beat Diaz and take the belt.

Song 2 – Blur (Michael Bisping – UFC 204)

Song 2 is easily one of the best because it allows the crowd to get involved with the continual ‘wahoo!’ throughout the song. The song perfectly encapsulates Bisping’s UFC career; high energy, fun, and the guitar is amazing.

Survival Of The Fittest – Mobb Deep (Rashad Evans – UFC 156)

A true hip-hop anthem, ‘Survival Of The Fittest’ by Mobb Deep is the perfect song to use before a fight because it’s about gang life and the wars on the street between them and their rivals.

Rashad used the song to intimidate his opponents and present the fact to the crowd and his opponent that their upcoming fight represents the survival of the fittest. Not only this, but the instrumental is dark and mysterious, and the rap is of the highest quality.

Star Industry (Remaster) – Sample Gangsters & Heads Will Roll – Yeah Yeah Yeahs (Paddy Pimblett – UFC FN:208)

Paddy uses these two songs every UFC walkout because they bring the crowd alive. They’re both electronic tracks as Paddy likes to dance and participate in the signing, giving him great energy and alleviating any pre-fight nerves he may have had.

Stranglehold – Ted Nugent (Joseph Benavidez – UFC 152)

A walkout song described as a masterpiece and used by fighters who aren’t messing around, ‘Stranglehold’ is apt for Benavidez because 8 of his 9 submission wins in his MMA career are by either guillotine or rear-naked chokes.

The song is about defiance and Nugent’s extreme confidence in the quality of his music, and Benavidez is trying to portray his confidence when walking out to this great rock tune. This song is also used by Michael Chiesa, who fits the song well because of his high submission prowess.

Sweet Caroline – Neil Diamond (Darren Till – UFC FN:130 UFC)

The British UFC events are always one of the best as the fans are always hyped and ready to sing. Supporting their best UFC fighter at the time, 8,520 fans sang their hearts out in Liverpool, England, when Sweet Caroline was played. 

‘Sweet Caroline’ was made popular in England after being used at various sporting events, by the English cricket team, and by athletes such as Tyson Fury.

Darren Till was clearly moved by the atmosphere, joining in to create one of the most iconic and best UFC walkout songs and walkouts ever. Inspired by the song he went on to secure his best win by beating Wonderboy.

The Anthem – Sensation White 2004 (Overeem – UFC 141)

One of the best electronic songs to use, Overeem walked out to this on his UFC debut looking like a man on a mission. It’s well known that Dutch people love electronic dance music, and Overeem used ‘The Anthem’ to get himself hyped by the fast tempo and to strike fear into his opponent, Brock Lesnar.

The Boss – James Brown (Dustin Poirier – UFC 269)

There’s a reason James Brown was known as the ‘Godfather of Soul’, and this funky masterpiece further reinforces this. It’s the perfect song for Poirier as he’s from Lousiana and it exudes southern swag – cool, calm, and ready to destroy Conor McGregor.

The Foggy Dew – Sinead O’Connor & Notorious B.I.G. – The Notorious B.I.G. – (Conor McGregor – UFC 264)

The two most famous UFC walkout songs, ‘The Foggy Dew’ and ‘Notorious B.I.G.’ are the two songs used by McGregor at every UFC walkout.

The Foggy Dew is an Irish ballad that means a lot to McGregor as it represents his heritage and the blood spilled during the 1916 Easter Rising and the eventual Irish Independence.

Foggy Dew is the perfect start as it makes the arena sound like a battlefield, while Notorious is a very hype track that introduces McGregor and makes the crowd go wild. 

Notorious also represents McGregor well as it’s his nickname and has lyrics such as ‘sometimes your words just hypnotize me, and I just love your flashy ways, guess that’s why they’re broke and you’re so paid!”.

The Party Has Just Begun – Freestyle (Tony Ferguson – UFC 216)

‘The Party Has Just Begun’ is one of the most fitting songs for a UFC fighter among the most entertaining in the promotion’s history.

It’s also a great UFC walkout song because the song is a call to action for fans to have fun. Not only this, but it’s a very high-energy electro track that gets Ferguson pumped, loose, dancing, and in the right mind to continue his unparalleled relentless pace and pressure style of fighting.

The Point Of No Return – Immortal Technique (Rashad Evans – UFC 145)

A less known hip-hop song but one of the all-time best, ‘The Point Of No Return’ is the perfect UFC walkout song as it’s motivating and inspirational. “This is the point from which, I will die or succeed, living the struggle, I know I’m alive when I bleed”, are the perfect lyrics before entering a war in the octagon.

Time To Say Goodbye – Andrea Bocelli, Sarah Brightman (Yoshihiro Akiyama – UFC 120)

This is the most unexpected song on the list, ‘Time To Say Goodbye’ is an emotional operatic pop song about lovers having to say goodbye to their friends and family as they begin their new life together. Don’t ask how, but somehow the song works amazingly before a UFC fight.

At UFC 120 at the O2 arena in London, fans were whistling throughout and left clapping because of the brilliance of the song choice by Akiyama.

Wonderboy – Tenacious D (Stephen Thompson – UFC 264)

It’s hard to find a more fitting song for a fighter, as Thompson’s nickname is ‘Wonderboy’. The song fits his personality as a humble and composed killer and gets the crowd singing along to the catchy vocals.

Won’t Back Down – Tom Petty (Chris Weidman – UFC 189)

‘Won’t Back Down’ is the perfect song for Weidman to use, as he’s a fighter who gives it everything in the octagon and is currently looking to return to the UFC despite his horror leg break at UFC 261. The song is hugely uplifting, and easy for the crowd to sing along to.

Zombie – The Cranberries (Korean Zombie – UFC 273)

There are no prizes for knowing which fighter walks out to Zombie by The Cranberries.

While the song has a bit of everything, overall it’s an emotional song and contradictory when used as a walkout song, as it’s the band’s cry out against inhumanity and the condemnation of the Irish Republican Army and their bombing of two children. 

However, it’s an amazing song and the emotional aspect gets all UFC crowds involved in all Korean Zombie fights.

Questions & Answers

Can UFC Fighters Choose Their Walkout Song?

Yes, UFC fighters can choose their walkout song, but it must be cleared for use. That’s to check for hate speech, racism, and anything else not appropriate for live UFC events. Music with a lot of swearing is also banned, and any swear words that are played get blanked out.

When watching back fights on UFC Fight Pass, the music will be different from the actual music at the live event. This is because the UFC doesn’t have licensing and therefore the rights to play the music on their replays. 

What is Conor McGregor’s Walkout Song?

Conor McGregor has two walkout songs. The first is ‘The Foggy Dew’ by Sinead O’Connor and the second is ‘Notorious B.I.G.’ by Notorious B.I.G.

What is Kamaru Usman’s Walkout Song?

Kamaru Usman’s walkout song is Yaba Buluku (remix) by Dj Tarico & Burna Boy – feat. Preck & Nelson Tivane.