Who are the most popular MMA fighters of today?

Mixed martial arts have been a staple of combat sports over the past two decades. The sport has influenced so many fighters over the years who have turned into legit worldwide superstars. Let’s talk about the brightest stars of the current MMA scene. 

Back in the day, the MMA scene’s top names came from the likes of the Gracie family, Ken Shamrock, Matt Hughes, BJ Penn, and many more. As MMA continued to grow, the likes of Georges St-Pierre, Anderson Silva and Ronda Rousey left a lasting legacy in the MMA scene. Both eras were the basis behind MMA’s current status. 

Promotions like the UFC, Bellator, and ONE Championship have become mainstream attractions for people who are interested in combat sports. They have produced so many stars over the years and they deserve the spotlight that they receive. Just like the free CSGO skins you’re familiar with, there are a plethora of superstar examples that you can see in the UFC.

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Conor McGregor - lightweight

Even if he’s not the ‘Champ-Champ’ anymore, Conor McGregor is still the biggest star in MMA. He can still draw thousands of fans to the arena for his fights because of his infectious personality and his way of hyping up fights. Conor burst onto the scene back in 2013 when he started his UFC career.

Conor was always known as a strong striker during the early days of his career. He was still fighting in the featherweight ranks at the time of his debut. He used his bigger body and heavy hands to dominate the rest of the featherweights. He won the interim belt first against Chad Mendes and then the undisputed belt by beating José Aldo.

McGregor’s popularity was at an all-time high because of his trash talk. The best factor that Conor had at the time was he backed up his trash talk with his stellar performances during his bouts. However, Conor wanted more than the featherweight belt and he went up a division to fight at lightweight.

Conor managed to beat Eddie Alvarez for the lightweight belt with another technical knockout. It further proved that Conor was one of the best fighters in the world because he was the champ for both divisions. Unfortunately, Conor’s featherweight belt was stripped from him and then he lost the lightweight belt to Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Since that loss in 2018, Conor has bounced back and forth from retirement and fighting. In 2021, he wanted to be a top contender for the lightweight belt again but he has suffered two losses to rival Dustin Poirier. Conor might have lost but he is still the biggest name in MMA today. When he returns from his tibia injury, you can expect Conor to be a top name in the future. 

Israel Adesanya - middleweight

Israel Adesanya is one of the most recognizable fighters in the modern era. He does not only resonate as a top fighter but he also has an amicable personality that people love. Izzy is a strong and buff fighter at surface level but he is also a normal guy who loves to read comic books and watch anime in his free time. 

Izzy is just a simple man who is blessed with extreme talents for MMA. He is seen as the fighter who took the torch from Anderson Silva who was once the dominant force that reigned over the UFC’s middleweight ranks. It was poetic that Izzy beat Silva in a bout back in 2019 which was the proper passing of the torch of a legend and a young fighter who looked up to the legend.

Nowadays, Izzy continues to be the top dog in his division but he has tried to branch out of it too. In his light heavyweight debut, he lost to Jan Błachowicz for the belt by unanimous decision marking the first loss of his professional career.

The middleweight ranks still hold him in high regard because he’s always ready to fight. His mix of grappling and striking is a sight to behold and it is hard to defeat him without a plan. He lost to Jan but it was a size disadvantage that proved to be his undoing. Izzy is only 32 years of age which means he has so much time left to become the UFC’s main star.

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Amanda Nunes - women’s bantamweight and featherweight

Amanda Nunes is widely known as the greatest female fighter in MMA history. That tag has been rightfully earned after Nunes’ success over the years. She has always been a strong fighter but her dominance over her opponents is scary. 

You can always rely on her to win her fights because she overpowers her opponents whether they’re from the bantamweight or featherweight ranks. She is a threat to anyone who fights her because she is not only a well-versed striker but she is also a skilled grappler. She is the perfect prototype for any female fighter because she is strong in every aspect of MMA. 

While Nunes has three losses in her record, they all came before 2015. In the past six years, Nunes is undefeated and she has gotten better with every win. She won the bantamweight title from Rousey at UFC 207 and she has only moved forward since. Rousey was known as the best fighter at the time but Nunes dominated her in just one round.

Nunes also won the lightweight title three years later when she beat rival Cris Cyborg. Ever since then, Nunes has only dominated her fights by defending both of her belts. She has found the right balance between her two belts. 

Compared to Izzy and Conor, Nunes is not the type of fighter who likes to brag outside of the Octagon. Nunes just lets her performances do the talking and she keeps a quiet aura around herself when she’s outside of the cage.

The likes of Jon Jones, Nate Diaz and even Francis Ngannou are all names that can be mentioned here too. In a video game context, you are spoiled for choice just like choosing what free CSGO skins to get. They are just honourable mentions here but you shouldn’t underestimate their prowess. 

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Words: Pocholo Magsino