Who Has the Most Fights in UFC History (By Weight Class Incl.)

Donald Cerrone at UFC 131 – Photo by Peter Gordon

Are you wondering who has the most fights in UFC history overall and for each weight class?

In this article, we’ll look at who has the most fights in the UFC overall and per weight class division, and whether any fighters are likely to take any records either short or long-term.

Who Has the Most Fights in UFC History? (Top 15)

Here’s a table showing the fighters with the most fights in UFC history:

RankFighterWeight ClassDOBFightsStatus
1Jim Miller (USA)LW / CW / WWAugust 30, 198342Active
2Andrei Arlovski (BLR)HWFebruary 4, 197939Active
3Donald Cerrone (USA)LW / WWMarch 29, 198338Active
4Clay Guida (USA)LW / FTWDecember 8, 198136Active
5Jeremy Stephens (USA)LW / FTWMay 26, 198634Inactive
6Demian Maia (BRA)WW / MWNovember 6, 197733Active
7Rafael Dos Anjos (BRA)LW / WW / CWOctober 26, 198433Active
8Diego Sanchez (USA)WW / LW / FTW / MWDecember 31, 198132Inactive
9Charles Oliveira (BRA)LW / FTW / WW / CWOctober 17, 198931Active
10Neil Magny (USA)WWAugust 3, 198731Active
11Matt Brown (USA)WWJanuary 10, 198130Active
12Frankie Edgar (USA)LW / FTW / BTWOctober 16, 198130Retired
13Michael Bisping (ENG)MW / LHWFebruary 28, 197929Retired
14Dustin Poirier (USA)LW / FTWJanuary 19, 198928Active
15Gleison Tibau (BRA)LW / WWJuly 10, 198328Inactive
Most fights in UFC history

The weight classes in the table are ordered by the number of fights they’ve had in each division, from highest to lowest.

Weight Classes = HW: Heavyweight, LHW: Light heavyweight, MW: Middleweight, WW: Welterweight, LW: Lightweight, FTW: Featherweight, BTW: Bantamweight, FLW: Flyweight

CW = Catchweight, which is not a UFC weight class division but a fight that occurs outside of them

DOB = Date of birth

Inactive = No longer fighting for the UFC, but has the potential to rejoin as they’re not retired from MMA

Which Fighter Has a Chance at the Record for Most Fights in UFC History?

While it’s impossible to say who will have the most fights in UFC history a decade from now (August 2022), it’s likely to be someone from the table above.

This is because as MMA continues to develop, athletes are fighting less frequently as the competition increases, meaning rest and recovery are more important than ever and brain damage concerns are on the rise.

Jim Miller’s likely to hold the record for a while, seeing as he’s still active and he’s still winning; he’s currently on a 3-win streak and beat Donald Cerrone in his last fight.

Charles Oliveira is the one fighter who stands out from the table as having a chance to secure the top spot in the next 5 to 10 years.

This is because he’s only just turning 33 years old (October 17) and is 6 years younger than Jim Miller and 10 years younger than second-placed Andrei Arlovski.

He’s also a dominant champion currently on an 11-fight win streak. If he stays fit and wants to continue fighting until the age of 40 he could easily do so. With a fight in October coming up and an average of 2 fights per year, he could be on 45 fights by 2030.

This is however pure speculation and only time will tell if anyone can overtake Jim Miller. Age is just a number at the end of the day and 43-year-old Andrei Arlovski is evidence of this.

Currently riding a 4-fight win streak and with a fight upcoming, Andrei seems to be progressing rather than slowing down.

Who Has the Most Fights in UFC History by Weight Class Division?

Here’s the table showing the athletes with the most fights in UFC history by weight class division.

Note: The table below compiles data from UFC 1, while the UFC records only compile data from UFC 28 as this was when the Unified Rules of MMA were first incorporated.

DivisionFighterFightsDOBStatus
HeavyweightAndrei Arlovski (BLR)39February 4, 1979Active
Light HeavyweightTito Ortiz (USA)27January 23, 1975Retired
MiddleweightMichael Bisping (ENG)24February 28, 1979Retired
WelterweightNeil Magny31August 3, 1987Active
LightweightJim Miller (USA)37August 30, 1983Active
FeatherweightMax Holloway (USA) / Darren Elkins (USA)24December 4, 1991 / May 16, 1984Active / Active
BantamweightPedro Munhoz (BRA)18September 7, 1986Active
FlyweightJoseph Benavidez (USA)19July 31, 1984Retired
Women’s FeatherweightMegan Anderson (AUS) / Felicia Spencer (USA)6February 11, 1990 / November 20, 1990Active / Active
Women’s BantamweightRaquel Pennington (USA)15September 5, 1988Active
Women’s FlyweightKatlyn Chookagian (USA) / Gillian Robertson (CAN)12December 28, 1988 / May 17, 1995Active / Active
Women’s StrawweightAngela Hill (USA)20January 12, 1985Active
Most fights in UFC history by weight class division

Which Fighters Have a Chance at the Record for Most Fights in UFC History per Weight Class Division?

For the heavyweight division, no one will take Andrei Arlovksi’s record for many years or possibly ever, as the only active heavyweight who comes close is Derrick Lewis with 25.

For the light heavyweight division, 40-year-old Mauricio Rua is the most likely to take the record with 23 fights.

For the middleweight division, either Brad Tavares or Derek Brunson is the most likely to take the record. Brad Tavares has 21 middleweight fights and is only 34 years old, while Derek Brunson has 20 and is 38 years old.

For the Welterweight division, Neil Magny is the most likely to take the record as he has only 1 fight less than Matt Brown with 29 but is 6 years younger.

For the featherweight division, Max Holloway could become a standout as he’s still only 30 years old, soon to be 31.

For the bantamweight division, Pedro Munhoz is still active and only 35 while Marlon Vera is hot on his trail with 17 fights and is only 29 years old, while also being a top 5 contender.

For the flyweight division, Tim Elliott has 16 fights and is 35 years old. Further down the list are Brandon Moreno and Deiveson Figueiredo with 13 fights, although Moreno is only 28 and Figueiredo is 34.

The women’s featherweight division is the most open, but as it’s so inactive it’s hard to say. It’ll either be Amanda Nunes who continues to defend her belt, or Megan Anderson and Felicia Spencer who are both 32.

For the women’s bantamweight, Amanda Nunes (age 34) is one behind Raquel Pennington (age 33) with 14 and the record will depend on who fights for longer.

For the women’s flyweight division, Gillian Robertson is likely to take the record in the short term and long term as she’s tied first and is only 27 years old.

For the women’s strawweight division, Tecia Torres is the most likely to take the record in the future despite only having 15 fights, as she’s 4 years younger than Angela Hill.

To Summarize

So, ‘who has the most fights in UFC history’?

Jim Miller has the most fights in UFC history with 40, and he also has the most wins in UFC history with 24.

The records for the most fights in UFC history are hard to take, as modern MMA athletes are fighting a maximum of 4 or 5 times a year, while the average is 2 to 3 times a year.

The top 3 are likely to be the frontrunners for the next 5 years, but may possibly be overtaken by Charles Oliveira if he continues fighting at his current pace and wants to further his legacy as a UFC legend.

For most fights in UFC history by weight class division, most of the records except the heavyweight division are open to being taken by a new athlete in the short term – only time will tell.

You may also be interested in reading the longest UFC win streaks and the most UFC title defenses.

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