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Personal Top Ten Favorite Fighters
Curated by Brayton Smith, PhD, MBA. Favorite is not the same as best: this list reflects personal criteria, not the divisional model. Order set 2026-10-26; last-five UFC records verified from the fight data through 2026-10-31.
- Petr Yan (5-0) streak W5
- Joshua Van (5-0) streak W8
- Jiri Prochazka (3-2) streak L1
- Kevin Holland (3-2) streak W1
- Sean Strickland (3-2) streak W2
- Brandon Royval (3-2) streak W1
- Charles Oliveira (3-2) streak W2
- Ilia Topuria (4-1) streak L1
- Lone'er Kavanagh (3-2) streak W1
- Manel Kape (4-1) streak W4
Honorable mentions
- Tom Aspinall (4-1) streak W3
- Alex Pereira (3-2) streak L1
- Nassourdine Imavov (5-0) streak W5
- Anthony Hernandez (3-2) streak L2
- Sean O'Malley (3-2) streak W2
- Lerone Murphy (4-1) streak L1
- Carlos Prates (4-1) streak W3
- Conor McGregor (1-4) streak L3
Criteria
- Offensive style: boxing first, kickboxing second. Defensive wrestling as an offensive orientation is instant removal.
- Warrior spirit: bites down on the mouthpiece when it gets hard and finds a way to win.
- Christian principles shown in actions: beneficial.
- Accountability: whining or refusing responsibility is immediate removal.
- Championship contention: fan favorites without a title path miss the cut.
- Trash talk: respectful, direct, honest. McGregor vs. Cerrone and Alvarez is the model.
- Future success: trajectory, age, camp, recent trend. Inconsistent commitment is penalized.
- Affinity outranks criteria fit. Tiers: Love, Really Like, Like.
REAL v1.0 (registered method) · build c166ee8 · data through 2026-10-31 · page built 2026-11-06 · changelog. Independent fan research project built on public UFCStats data. Not affiliated with, sponsored or endorsed by UFC, Zuffa, LLC, TKO Group Holdings, or any athlete. All trademarks belong to their owners and are used only to identify athletes and events.