5 most intimidating fighters in UFC history

The UFC is the world's biggest MMA promotion, and so it goes without saying that it is also home to the world's most dangerous fighters. Many of those fighters, naturally, are highly intimidating.

Over the years, though, we've seen some UFC fighters who had such an intimidating aura that they even appeared to strike fear into their opponents at times.

These fighters often became champions and even legends of the octagon, showing that the intimidation factor could be a huge one when it came down to fight time.

Here are the five most intimidating fighters in UFC history.

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#5 Khabib Nurmagomedov - former UFC lightweight champion

Understandably, it's harder for fighters who tend to be smaller than your average person to be considered as intimidating as their larger counterparts.

However, there's no doubt that, at the peak of his powers, near enough everyone seemed to be afraid of Khabib Nurmagomedov.

It wasn't difficult to see why. Not only did 'The Eagle' have the grappling skills to outpower seemingly every opponent he faced, but his stoic manner and dangerous reputation preceded him too. There were even rumors that he'd wrestled with bears as a youngster in Dagestan.

It was in 2016, when he really hit his stride as a contender, that his intimidation factor went through the roof. Khabib beat down Michael Johnson in the later half of that year, talking trash at him as he did so.

By that point, Khabib's intimidating aura had developed into an invincible one, too. He claimed the lightweight title in 2018 and went on to make three successful defenses, even seemingly intimidating Conor McGregor - a man renowned for his own brand of mind games.

When 'The Eagle' retired in 2020, it's likely that the rest of the UFC's lightweights breathed a sigh of relief, as the division's bogeyman was finally gone.

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#4 Alistair Overeem - former UFC heavyweight contender

The UFC's fighters don't often have the same kind of superhuman physiques as their counterparts in pro-wrestling. When a Herculean fighter does emerge, then, it stands to reason that they're usually seen as highly intimidating.

That was definitely the case with Alistair Overeem, although it's fair to say that this entry should come with a caveat of sorts. 'The Demolition Man' was as intimidating as any fighter in octagon history - until his physique changed in 2013.

In his early days, Overeem could hardly be described as intimidating, even if he was clearly skilled. A lanky 205 pounder, the Dutchman fought in PRIDE, facing the likes of Chuck Liddell, Mauricio Rua and Vitor Belfort.

It was when he moved to heavyweight in 2008 that things changed. Overeem didn't just bulk up, he appeared to add around 50 pounds of solid muscle to his frame, earning the nickname 'Ubereem' in the process.

By the time he arrived in the UFC in 2011, the Dutchman not only looked like an adonis, but he held the DREAM, StrikeForce and K-1 heavyweight titles.

Matched with former heavyweight champ Brock Lesnar in his octagon debut, Overeem destroyed the former WWE star with a body kick in the first round. As a result, he cemented his position as the sport's most intimidating fighter.

Unfortunately, before he could fight for the heavyweight title, Overeem tested positive for banned substances. When he returned a year later, his physique had definitely changed.

While he remained intimidating to a degree, the fear factor he'd once enjoyed was deflated, especially after his loss to Antonio Silva, and he never quite regained it.

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#3 Francis Ngannou - former UFC heavyweight champion

Any fighter who appears to have the ability to knock out their opponents at any time is bound to be intimidating.

That was certainly the case with Francis Ngannou. By the time 'The Predator' departed the UFC in 2023 as the reigning heavyweight champion, he was probably the sport's scariest man.

Ngannou's monstrous physique made him an intimidating opponent for anyone from the moment of his debut. It was in 2017, though, when he started to destroy proven foes like Andrei Arlovski and Alistair Overeem that the fear factor increased dramatically.

'The Predator' fell to defeats to Stipe Miocic and Derrick Lewis in 2018, and the latter bout in particular put a dent in his aura.

However, when he knocked out former titleholders Cain Velasquez and Junior Dos Santos, as well as highly-rated contender Jairzinho Rozenstruik with ease, his intimidating reputation swiftly returned.

Ngannou then brutally dispatched Miocic in their 2021 rematch, capturing the heavyweight title and the position as the "baddest man on the planet" in the process.

While his foray into boxing has once again dented that reputation somewhat, 'The Predator' definitely remains one of the most intimidating fighters in octagon history.

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#2 Cain Velasquez - former UFC heavyweight champion

While he didn't sport the superhuman physique of Alistair Overeem nor carry the knockout power of Francis Ngannou, it's probably still fair to label Cain Velasquez as the most intimidating heavyweight in UFC history.

The Mexican-American held the heavyweight title on two occasions between 2010 and 2015. He could well have dominated the landscape for far longer, if not for his bad injuries.

A stellar wrestler during his collegiate days, Velasquez entered MMA as a two-time NCAA Division I All-American. After hooking up with the American Kickboxing Academy, it didn't take long for him to establish an intimidating reputation.

In fact, Velasquez was signed by Dana White after just two fights on the regional circuit, reportedly because everyone at that level was terrified to fight him.

Eventually, he arrived in the octagon, and his intimidating reputation quickly proved to be deserved.

He destroyed everyone put against him seemingly without breaking a sweat, and his stoic demeanor and mean nature in staredowns made him even more scary to face. This culminated in his heavyweight title win, as he smashed Brock Lesnar inside a round.

While his 2011 title loss to Junior Dos Santos did dent his reputation, it didn't take him long to regain his intimidating aura. He beat 'JDS' down in both of their rematches, and by 2014, he looked as unbeatable - and scary - as any fighter in MMA history.

Sure, he didn't quite live up to those standards thanks to injuries, but he remains an almost mythical figure to this day, with his teammate Daniel Cormier still waxing lyrical about him as recently as last year.

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#1 Alex Pereira - UFC light-heavyweight champion

While his career with the UFC is still ongoing, at this stage it's hard not to see current light-heavyweight champion Alex Pereira as the most intimidating fighter to ever enter the octagon.

'Poatan' essentially blends everything that made the aforementioned fighters intimidating together, outside of perhaps a Herculean physique.

The Brazilian carries terrifying knockout power in his strikes, seemingly being able to turn the lights off on his foes with a single touch.

He has the stoic aura of a stone-cold killer in the octagon, often seemingly staring into the souls of his foes. And at this point, he seems almost unbeatable, too.

Pereira debuted in the octagon in 2021 with a reputation as one of the world's best kickboxers, and it's a reputation he's consistently lived up to.

His lethal left hook has been used to dispatch the likes of Sean Strickland, Israel Adesanya and Jamahal Hill, and even his 2023 loss to Adesanya didn't dent his fear factor.

'Poatan' is so intimidating, in fact, that Jiri Prochazka - who has fallen twice to him - accused him of using shamanic magic to help him to victory in the octagon.

Right now, the Brazilian appears to be at the peak of his powers, meaning it's likely he'll intimidate his way to a few more victories yet.