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The UFC represents the peak of MMA. Thus, the promotion's fighters are generally well-rounded in their skill-set. Everyone is expected to be competent at wrestling, grappling and striking, while possessing the ability to mix up all three and defend themselves against all three.
But, at its core, MMA is a physical sport. Skill and technique are of great importance, but so is athleticism. Some fighters are freakishly explosive and powerful. Michael Chandler and Yoel Romero come to mind. Others, however, are blindingly fast, like Alexander Volkanovski and Yair Rodriguez.
Cardio, however, is king. Exhaustion can make cowards of men, so it is fundamental for fighters to ensure that they are tireless inside the octagon. Some fighters, however, take it a step above the rest in the cardio department. So with that in mind, this list covers five of the best cardio machines in UFC history.
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#5. Cain Velasquez, former UFC heavyweight
The heavier the weight class, the less likely one is to see high-level cardio on display. This made Cain Velasquez an anomaly among the hulking 265-pounders of his day. He was tireless, and everyone wilted under his pressure as he put on a pace no one could match.
The former UFC heavyweight champion was even nicknamed 'Cardio Cain', and with good reason. In his UFC 155 rematch with Junior dos Santos, he became the first fighter in the promotion to land triple-digit significant strikes at 111 and double-digit takedowns, with 11 takedowns.
There was no competing with Velasquez's tenacity. He was always in his opponent's face, applying pressure until they crumbled, as for every punch he received, he responded with three.
#4. Colby Covington, UFC welterweight
Former UFC interim welterweight champion Colby Covington has a tireless engine in place of his lungs. 'Chaos' has won fights simply by outpacing opponents who can't match his work-rate. While he's a wrestler at heart, he is content with overwhelming his foes with endless strikes.
His last win over Jorge Masvidal was a trademark display of his tirelessness, as he left his former friend so exhausted that 'Gamebred' didn't have a single drop of energy left to pounce when he had Covington rocked badly. This, however, should come as no surprise.
Even in his fights with former undisputed champion Kamaru Usman, 'Chaos' won the later rounds in both affairs by outworking him with his superior cardio. This is remarkable, considering Kamaru Usman's ability to fight at a high pace at elevation in Salt Lake City.
#3. Tony Ferguson, UFC lightweight
Tony Ferguson's fall from grace has likely colored new MMA fans' perceptions of him. But in his heyday, 'El Cucuy' was an ominous presence in the lightweight division. Everyone who faced him was left looking like the victim of a car crash: bloodied, bruised, and cut open.
Part of that was due to the former interim champion's incomparable cardio. He never tired, never took a deep breath, and simply kept marching forward until his opponents shrunk before him. Perhaps the peak of his cardio was seen when he faced Rafael dos Anjos.
The pair clashed at high elevation in Mexico City, where even Cain Velasquez tired due to not being there early enough to acclimatize himself. Ferguson, however, fought at an extremely high pace against 'RDA', overwhelming him en route to a unanimous decision win.
#2. Merab Dvalishvili, UFC bantamweight
Georgia's finest, Merab Dvalishvili, may be one of the next fighters to capture the bantamweight title once Aljamain Sterling leaves 145 pounds in pursuit of two-division champion status at featherweight. One of the reasons he's come as far as he has is his cardio.
Aptly nicknamed 'The Machine', he is an endless source of high-level activity, be it striking or wrestling. He currently holds the record for the second most total strikes landed in bantamweight history. But perhaps his greatest cardio-based accolade is from his dominant win over former champion Petr Yan.
Dvalishvili stunned the MMA world by attempting the most takedowns in a single bout in UFC history, with 49 in total. With how taxing wrestling is on one's gas tank, it's a mystery how 'The Machina' managed to accomplish what he has.
#1. Max Holloway, UFC featherweight
Max Holloway may no longer be renowned as the best featherweight in the world, courtesy of his losses to reigning divisional kingpin Alexander Volkanovski, but his gas tank is without peer at 145 pounds. 'Blessed' is a record-breaker regarding work-rate in the UFC.
The former featherweight titleholder holds the promotional record for the most-ever significant strikes, along with the most strikes landed in UFC history. When he faced Calvin Kattar, 'Blessed' recorded the highest-ever strike differential in a single bout in the promotion.
The number of strike records Holloway holds is too large to count. But he is known as the most tireless 145-pounder in the world. It's something that almost every single foe he's faced has had to endure, including Brian Ortega and former interim featherweight champion Yair Rodriguez.
