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The UFC’s roster is very different from the point it was only a couple of decades ago. From a small roster of fighters, it has now expanded to contain over 700 in 12 different weight classes.
With fighters joining and departing the UFC regularly, it’s hard for any fighter to maintain their spot on the roster, but some have had surprisingly long tenures with the promotion.
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When you consider that superstars like Conor McGregor, Kamaru Usman and Francis Ngannou have not even been with the UFC for a decade, it might come as a surprise as to who the longest tenured UFC fighters are.
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So with that in mind, here are the five longest-tenured fighters currently on the UFC roster.
Note: for the purposes of this article, fighters who have left the UFC and then returned, e.g. Andrei Arlovski and Nick Diaz have not been included.
#5 Jeremy Stephens – UFC debut May 26th, 2007
Jeremy Stephens, one of the UFC’s longest-tenured fighters, is actually competing this weekend at UFC Vegas 31.
He’s moving back to the lightweight division for the first time since 2012 to face off against Mateusz Gamrot in what will mark his 34th visit to the octagon, meaning he’s averaged at least two fights per year since his UFC debut.
To say ‘Lil Heathen’ was thrown into the deep end for his UFC debut would be an understatement. Despite a solid 12-1 record, Stephens entered the octagon for the first time on his 21st birthday at UFC 71.
His opponent? Din Thomas, a high-level fighter who’d turned professional in 1998, and who had wins over fighters like Clay Guida, Jens Pulver and Matt Serra. Therefore, it came as no surprise to see Stephens submitted by the veteran in the second round, despite acquitting himself well.
Stephens has always been one of the UFC’s most reliable action fighters, and with wins over Renan Barao, Gilbert Melendez and Doo Ho Choi to his name, even a loss to Gamrot this weekend – which would leave him winless in six fights – may not be enough to end his UFC tenure.
#4 Frankie Edgar – UFC debut February 3rd, 2007
Frankie Edgar is a genuine UFC legend. The former UFC lightweight champion has competed in three weight classes over his 14-year UFC career, and while he may be slowing down now as he approaches his 40th birthday, he’s never been anything short of competitive.
Edgar made his debut at UFC 67 and arguably stole the show on what was a disappointing event overall. His fight with Tyson Griffin was a back-and-forth war that saw ‘The Answer’ squeeze out a victory. Unsurprisingly, the two were handed the 'Fight of the Night' award.
The native of New Jersey then went onto win five of his next six fights, which was enough for the UFC to hand him a shot at the UFC lightweight title. And in one of the biggest upsets in UFC history, Edgar overcame a seemingly invincible champion in BJ Penn to win gold before defeating him for a second time in a rematch.
Two epic fights with Gray Maynard followed before Edgar lost his title to Benson Henderson in early 2012, and following that, he moved down to 145lbs for the first time in his career.
While ‘The Answer’ was not able to claim gold in his new division, wins over the likes of Cub Swanson, Chad Mendes and Urijah Faber marked him out as one of the best featherweights on the planet.
Quite how much longer Edgar can remain relevant in the UFC is anyone’s guess, but regardless, he’ll go down as one of the greatest UFC fighters of all time and should be a shoo-in for the promotion’s Hall of Fame at some point.
#3 Clay Guida – UFC debut October 14th, 2006
Renowned as the UFC’s energizer bunny, with a seemingly infinite gas tank, it should hardly come as a surprise that Clay Guida is one of the UFC’s longest-tenured fighters, having been part of the promotion’s roster since October 2006.
Guida turns 40 at the end of 2021, but while his durability isn’t what it once was, he’s still clearly got enough left in the tank to compete at the top level of the UFC; he defeated Michael Johnson as recently as this February.
‘The Carpenter’ was already a highly experienced fighter when he arrived in the UFC in 2006, holding a record of 20-6. And while he followed his UFC debut win with just one win in four, his exciting style meant that he became an instant fan favorite.
Despite competing in both the lightweight and featherweight divisions, picking up wins over fighters like Anthony Pettis, Nate Diaz and Rafael dos Anjos, and holding a total of 16 wins in the octagon, Guida has never managed to earn a shot at UFC gold.
However, that hasn’t stopped him from becoming part of the UFC’s Hall of Fame. 2019 saw his legendary 2009 brawl with Diego Sanchez entered into the fight wing of the Hall – giving him arguably his biggest ever achievement.
And with his next fight already scheduled – against Mark Madsen in August – ‘The Carpenter’ could be part of the UFC for a long time yet.
#2 Joe Lauzon – UFC debut September 23rd, 2006
Considering he was initially brought into the UFC as an apparent softball opponent for former lightweight champion Jens Pulver, it’s crazy that Joe Lauzon still remains part of the promotion’s roster almost 15 years later.
For those who’ve forgotten, Lauzon proved his doubters wrong in his octagon debut at UFC 63, knocking out Pulver in the first round and ruining his big return. A stint as part of the TUF 5 cast followed, although ‘J-Lau’ avoided the irony of being coached by Pulver on the show.
Lauzon then returned to the octagon with a win over Brandon Melendez, and from there, he hasn’t looked back. He now holds a UFC record of 15-12 and has picked up wins over fighters like Melvin Guillard, Michael Chiesa and Diego Sanchez.
More to the point, though, the Boston native has become renowned as one of the most exciting fighters in UFC history.
No other lightweight can match his number of finishes inside the octagon (13), and he also holds the record for the most’ Submission of the Night’ honors, as well as the second-most post-fight bonus awards in UFC history.
At the age of 37 and with a record of 1-3 in his last four fights, Lauzon may well be coming towards the end of his storied tenure in the promotion – particularly as he hasn’t fought since October 2019. But given he won that fight by knockout, it’s likely he’ll be back at least once more.
#1 Ed Herman – UFC debut June 24th, 2006
The longest-tenured fighter currently on the UFC roster is 40-year-old veteran Ed Herman, who has been part of the promotion for over 15 years.
Holding a UFC record of 13-10, ‘Short Fuse’ first entered the octagon after starring in the third season of The Ultimate Fighter. Herman made the middleweight finals of that season, only to fall to Kendall Grove in an instant classic in the finale.
In the years that have followed, like his fellow long-tenured veterans Clay Guida and Joe Lauzon, Herman has never really come close to being in UFC title contention. However, he has picked up some huge wins, defeating the likes of Tim Boetsch, Rafael Natal and David Loiseau.
‘Short Fuse’ has competed on UFC pay-per-views and has appeared on various television channels, including the Versus network, the Fox network, Spike TV and ESPN+.
He was even loaned to StrikeForce in 2013 for a clash with Ronaldo Souza, earning him plenty of credit with UFC brass.
Perhaps the most incredible thing about this long-tenured veteran? Despite being 40 years old, Herman is showing few signs of slowing down. Right now, he’s on a three-fight winning streak in the octagon – something he hasn’t managed to do since 2012.
