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In the UFC, dominance is defined by how easily a fighter beats their opponent. In the minds of many, Khabib Nurmagomedov is quite possibly the most dominant fighter the promotion, and MMA as a whole, has ever seen. After all, he retired undefeated at 29-0, having never so much as had a mark on his face.
He's only ever lost two rounds, with both occurring in fights he still looked unstoppable in. But, was he a dominant champion? He was, but not enough to factor into this list. He retired almost as soon as he started facing top-level competition, with only three title defenses. So, if not him, then who?
Who are the other titleholders whose championship records and title fights were and are of such undisputed dominance that they cannot be denied a spot on such a list?
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#10 Joanna Jędrzejczyk, former UFC women's strawweight champion
Joanna Jędrzejczyk spent the first half of her MMA career in undefeated bliss, capturing the UFC women's strawweight title from Carla Esparza in an absolute demolition of the gutsy wrestler. For the next two years, Poland's first UFC champion looked unstoppable.
She recorded five successful title defenses, which is still the most title wins at 115 pounds. Furthermore, she defeated two champions during her reign as strawweight queen. Her dominance was such that many believed her to be the second coming of Ronda Rousey.
#9 Ronda Rousey, former UFC women's bantamweight champion
Almost no other fighter has matched the cloak of invincibility Ronda Rousey wore during her tenure in the UFC. Unfortunately, she is this low on the list due to how massive her fall from grace was. Before that, she was the women's bantamweight champion, finishing everyone who made the mistake of facing her in the cage.
Her first eight opponents were submitted by her armbar, which was as close to a weapon of mass destruction as MMA has ever seen. And she didn't even need it, as she also felled Alexis Davis with the fastest knockout in her division's history en route to racking up six consecutive title defenses: the most at bantamweight.
#8 Valentina Shevchenko, former UFC women's flyweight champion
Only one woman has managed to break Ronda Rousey's record of six title defenses, which, at one point, was the most in any women's division in the promotion. That woman was Valentina Shevchenko, who was crowned the promotion's flyweight queen in 2018, beating the great Joanna Jędrzejczyk.
Thereafter, Shevchenko went on to dominate the division, with no one able to match her striking and even her grappling. On the feet, she outstruck her opponents with patience and finesse, outworking her opposition en route to seven successful title defenses.
#7 Kamaru Usman, former UFC welterweight champion
If Dana White is to be believed, Kamaru Usman is the greatest welterweight of all time. While that is certainly a hot take, Usman was still a dominant force in the division, capturing welterweight gold against Tyron Woodley in a complete shutout, breaking the former champion's spirit.
During his title reign, he transformed from a physical wrestler into a truly destructive force, with a heat-seeking missile of a right hand, which Colby Covington, Gilbert Burns, and certainly Jorge Masvidal can attest to, as 'The Nigerian Nightmare' amassed five consecutive title defenses.
#6 Israel Adesanya, former UFC middleweight champion
The second coming of Anderson Silva was awaited ever since the legendary Brazilian's decline, and Israel Adesanya emerged as the strongest claimant to the distinction. He captured the UFC middleweight title from Robert Whittaker with an emphatic knockout, before outstriking Yoel Romero, the division's boogeyman.
Afterward, he completely dismantled the then undefeated Paulo Costa, TKO'ing within two rounds. He extended his reign as the middleweight king by outworking Jared Cannonier, Marvin Vettori, and 'The Reaper' in a rematch, with five title defenses to his name.
#5 Demetrious Johnson, former UFC flyweight champion
All-time great Demetrious Johnson is one of the most skilful fighters MMA has ever seen. His dominance has never been in doubt, having racked up 11 consecutive title defenses in the UFC flyweight division: the most in the promotion's history. But it isn't just his title defenses, it's his wins.
He is the only one to ever finish the great Henry Cejudo, a former two-division champion. Furthermore, he is the only fighter the promotion has ever seen attempt and succeed at suplexing an opponent and transitioning to an armbar with his foe still in midair. Such was his dominance that he could afford to style on his foes.
#4 Georges St-Pierre, former UFC welterweight champion
Georges St-Pierre is undoubtedly the greatest welterweight of all time, and his reign at the top of the division speaks for itself. Not only did the Canadian legend defeat multiple generations of the world's best fighters, but he also defended the UFC welterweight belt nine times.
He defined his reign by becoming MMA's best self-taught wrestler, able to take down and outwrestle far more credentialed grapplers like Josh Koscheck and Jon Fitch with jaw-dropping ease. For years, no one could stop him, including fellow all-time greats in B.J. Penn and Matt Hughes. In fact, no one ever stopped him.
#3 Amanda Nunes, former UFC women's bantamweight/featherweight champion
Amanda Nunes is the embodiment of dominance. The moment she captured UFC gold, no one could contend with her. She demolished everyone in her path, reigning atop two divisions: bantamweight and featherweight. She struck such fear in her opponents that Megan Anderson and Irene Aldana both froze in front of her.
She defeated 8 champions, finishing most of them in destructive fashion, including the only other women whose legacies come the closest to matching hers: Ronda Rousey and Cris Cyborg. Every time she stepped into the cage, it was a foregone conclusion, and she racked up seven title defenses in total.
#2 Anderson Silva, former UFC middleweight champion
For the longest time, no fighter dominated the pound-for-pound conversation quite like Anderson Silva. He was a human highlight reel, and most fans remember his run as consisting mostly of his middleweight title reign, during which he amassed 10 consecutive defenses, the second most in promotional history.
For most of his bouts, he looked borderline superhuman. He was too fast, too skilled, too slick. No one could touch him, and he seemed to be knocking his foes out for fun, occasionally moving up to light heavyweight, where he dismantled former champion Forrest Griffin en route to a 16-fight win streak.
#1 Jon Jones, UFC heavyweight champion/former light heavyweight champion
Jon Jones first captured championship gold at light heavyweight in 2011. Now, 13 years later, he is still here. Only now, he is the heavyweight king. Jones completely ran through what was a shark tank of a light heavyweight division at the time, demolishing everyone in his path.
Along the way, he defeated multiple champions, making them look average, while setting divisional records, and claiming the record for the most title wins in promotional history. He didn't stop at 205 pounds though, moving up to heavyweight to make short work of Ciryl Gane to capture its vacant belt.
