Ranking the 17 best undefeated fighters: How long can Chimaev, Suarez and the Nurmagomedovs stay undefeated?

• MMA record: 15-0

• UFC record: 3-0

• ESPN divisional ranking: Not ranked

• Last fight: def. Max Griffin, UD

• Next fight: Nov. 18 vs. Jake Matthews

There’s a lot to like about Morales, who is only 24 years old. We hate to nitpick, but his resume thus far is easy to question. Before he fought on Contender Series 2021, the majority of his opponents had between zero and five professional fights of experience. The good thing about that, however, is that Morales styled on nearly all of them — recording finishes in 10 of his first 11 fights. This fight against Jake Matthews on Saturday should tell us a lot.

It’s not clear yet what to make of Murzakanov, in one of the UFC’s most wide open divisions. His 13 wins to date can’t stand up with some of the other ones on this list, but his upside could be very high considering a couple wins would legitimately have him in top 5 territory. He’s coming off a quality win over Dustin Jacoby in April.

• MMA record: 13-0-1

• UFC record: 5-0-1

• ESPN divisional ranking: Not ranked

• Last fight: def. Josh Culibao, UD

• Next fight: TBD

There are some true phenoms on this list of undefeated athletes, as well as some bonafide title challengers. Murphy is really neither of those. He’s 32 and has flown well below the radar, compared to some of these other names. But what the man has done time and again is win. He’s recorded quick finishes, and edged out split decisions. And he’s done so both as a favorite and an underdog.

• MMA record: 14-0

• UFC record: 4-0

• ESPN divisional ranking: Not ranked

• Last fight: def. Édgar Cháirez, UD

• Next fight: TBD

Taira doesn’t have the same level of recognition as Mokaev at the moment, but the two are similar in many ways. Same weight class. Both have extensive experience on the amateur level. They’re both 23 with birthdays six months apart. If Taira continues winning, expect his undefeated record to start turning more heads.

• MMA record: 11-0 1 NC

• UFC record: 5-0

• ESPN divisional ranking: Not ranked

• Last fight: def. Tim Elliott, R3 SUB

• Next fight: TBD

The only thing holding Mokaev back from a higher rank, honestly, is the talent on this list. The fact he’s outside of the Top 10 speaks to the strength of the names listed. Mokaev is confident, active and targeting the toughest fights in the division. He should finally get them in 2024. What he does with them will be a key storyline to follow in that division.

• MMA record: 13-0

• UFC record: 6-0

• ESPN divisional ranking: Not ranked

• Last fight: def. Neil Magny, UD

• Next fight: Dec. 16 vs. Vicente Luque

Give it one more year, and Garry’s spot on this list could be considerably higher. He’s only 25, and he’s got a Cage Warriors belt and 6-0 UFC record on his resume. He’s impressing more and more with every win, which can be hard to do considering the higher expectations that usually coincide with success. His matchup against Vicente Luque at UFC 296 is a big one.

• MMA record: 27-0

• Bellator record: 8-0

• ESPN divisional ranking: No. 6

• Last fight: def. Logan Storley, UD

• Next fight: Nov. 17 vs. Jason Jackson

Another Bellator champ who looks like he could give a number of the UFC’s top welterweights a run for their money. Amosov’s run in Bellator has been extremely impressive. His work prior to joining Bellator was, of course, perfect, however one can question some of the opposition he fought. Not that he’s the only one on this list you can do that for, but he was facing some very inexperienced competitors in Russia, even as his undefeated record continued to climb. Still, a 27-0 record over a decade of work is not an easy thing, and his last three fights in particular have come against very good opposition.

• MMA record: 16-0

• UFC record: 4-0

• ESPN divisional ranking: Not ranked

• Last fight: def. Raoni Barcelos, R1 KO

• Next fight: TBD

Yet another undefeated name from the Nurmagomedov bloodline, Umar looks like a future champ. He has a very tough weight class to do it in, where any number of top contenders could easily be viewed as champion material. But like the other members of his family, Umar stands out for his work ethic, humble style and well-rounded game. He hasn’t shown it against the top of the heap yet, but that opportunity is coming in 2024.

• MMA record: 14-0

• Bellator record: 10-0

• ESPN divisional ranking: No. 7

• Last fight: def. Fabian Edwards, R3 KO

• Next fight: TBD

As is always the case, it’s hard to compare these Bellator champions to ranked UFC contenders because of the difference in competition. Eblen has not faced the same level of opposition that exists in the UFC’s Top 5. But based on what we have seen, he’s easily considered one of the top middleweights in the sport. He’s one of the harder ones to rank on this entire list, because it requires a lot of speculation, but at the end of the day, it feels like he would be competitive with anyone in the UFC’s middleweight division, so he’s deserving of this high number.

• MMA record: 17-0

• UFC record: 5-0

• ESPN divisional ranking: No. 7

• Last fight: def. Geoff Neal, R4 SUB

• Next fight: Dec. 16 vs. Stephen Thompson

Rakhmonov comes in at No. 6 and might have found himself higher if the UFC had an easier time of booking him opponents. Ranked UFC welterweights don’t want to fight this guy, and who could blame them? Sixteen consecutive finishes to start a professional career. He had a tough time keeping that streak alive against Geoff Neal in March, but even in his most difficult matchup he was able to get it done. Frankly, his rank might even be a touch too low for 16 consecutive finishes.

• MMA record: 17-0

• UFC record: 7-0

• ESPN divisional ranking: No. 9

• Last fight: def. Diego Lopes, UD

• Next fight: Jan. 20 vs. Arnold Allen

He’s 7-0 in the UFC. The reason you’re not more familiar with him is that all seven of those went to decision. A statistic like that will quiet any sort of hype a fighter might be looking for, but one thing about Evloev is that he doesn’t care. He’s going to stick to his style, and his style is quite effective. If we’re ranking these undefeated records in terms of highlights, Evloev is near the bottom. But if we’re ranking on this wide range of criteria, Evloev is near the top. There’s really no reason to think his undefeated record is going to change, even as he starts to face ranked competition.

Topuria finds himself at No. 4 based on track record and upside. His game is complete. He has finishing ability on the feet and on the ground. He’ll be an obvious underdog against Alexander Volkanovski for the UFC championship in February, but don’t be surprised if he’s a very trendy upset pick. His five-round dismantling of Josh Emmett was a truly breakout performance. Just to remind you of the sheer dominance of that fight, judges scored it for Topuria 49-45, 50-44 and 50-42. He’s only 26, arguably still years away from his prime — which is a scary thought.

• MMA record: 11-0

• UFC record: 7-0

• ESPN divisional ranking: No. 4

• Last fight: def. Jessica Andrade, R2 SUB

• Next fight: TBD

At this point, what is a good comparison to Suarez? An athlete of immense potential, who hasn’t been able to showcase it due to injury? She basically looked like she could have competed for a title when she came off The Ultimate Fighter in 2016, but has been limited to just six fights in seven years. During that time, she dominated the likes of Alexa Grasso (current champ), Carla Esparza (former two-time champ), Jessica Andrade (former champ). I mean, who has a resume like that? If anyone suggests Suarez is too high on this list because she’s only 10-0 … honestly, I considered ranking her No. 1. Her undefeated record is absurd when you think about who she’s fought and the injury obstacles she overcame. Please, let this woman stay healthy so we can see her full potential.

• MMA record: 13-0

• UFC record: 7-0

• ESPN divisional ranking: No. 8

• Last fight: def. Kamaru Usman, MD

• Next fight: TBD

The hype around Chimaev has cooled considerably, following a very close fight against Kamaru Usman in October. Usman came off the couch to accept that fight on short notice, and nearly beat Chimaev in a three-round bout. Still, Chimaev did beat a former UFC welterweight champion, and pound-for-pound candidate. He did beat Gilbert Burns, a former UFC title challenger. He would be favored over just about any middleweight the UFC could throw at him. Let’s not get carried away in any downgrading of Chimaev. His ceiling is still a multi-division champion in the UFC, which not too many of his peers can say. That said, 2024 is a big year for Chimaev. The UFC just re-signed him to a lucrative extension, and we’ll see how he responds to that vote of confidence.

• MMA record: 17-0 1 NC

• Bellator record: 7-0 1 NC

• ESPN divisional ranking: Unranked

• Last fight: vs. Brent Primus, No Contest

• Next fight: TBD

Nurmagomedov is one of the best lightweights on the planet. He’s only 25 and positively oozing with talent. Now, he just failed a drug test in California, which isn’t a good look. And he’s the champion of a promotion in Bellator MMA that faces a very uncertain future. But Nurmagomedov is so good, that his future success is virtually guaranteed, barring serious injury. We’ve seen what Michael Chandler has done in recent years, emerging from Bellator and making an immediate splash in the UFC. Odds are Nurmagomedov will do something similar. Whatever the details, though, he is going to keep winning — and whichever promotion has him will look to make him a star. He’s not the biggest name on this list, but he’s the No. 1 undefeated fighter in the world.