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Traditionally, the UFC is no country for old men, with most fighters peaking in their 20's. However, right now there are a number of outliers.
While the UFC doesn't currently have a Randy Couture-esque older champion, a number of fighters over the age of 40 remain ranked in the top fifteen of their division.
Quite how much longer these fighters can hold onto their spot is anyone's guess, of course, but for now, they definitely deserve some admiration.
Here are five UFC fighters who remain ranked despite being older than 40.
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#5. Jared Cannonier - No. 7 in the UFC middleweight division
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This weekend's UFC Fight Night event will be headlined by No. 7-ranked middleweight Jared Cannonier. 'The Killa Gorilla' is set to take on unranked brawler Gregory Rodrigues in a potential slugfest.
Cannonier will be coming into the bout on the back of two straight losses, and both defeats were largely damaging ones. Both Nassourdine Imavov and Caio Borralho beat him down, making fans concerned about his durability.
Realistically, those last two fights were the first time that Cannonier had looked his age inside the octagon.
'The Killa Gorilla' has been around the UFC for a decade now, debuting back in January 2015 as a 7-0 heavyweight. However, it's still surprising to learn that he's set to turn 41 years old in March, as physically at least, he still looks good.
Cannonier has defeated the likes of Marvin Vettori, Sean Strickland and Anderson Silva during his tenure, and challenged unsuccessfully for the middleweight title in 2022. He's been a staple of the top ten at 185 pounds since moving there in 2018.
Despite that, those losses to Imavov and Borralho were definitely worrying. The latter bout in particular saw him look slow, plodding and unable to take a good shot.
Whether he can remain in the top fifteen at middleweight for much longer, then, could depend on his fight with Rodrigues this weekend. For now, though, it's still impressive that he's been able to climb towards the top towards the end of what would be considered his athletic prime.
#4. Angela Hill - No. 13 in the UFC strawweight division
It's probably fair to say that very few UFC fans would've predicted Angela Hill to remain on the roster in 2025, let alone be ranked in the top 15 at strawweight.
That's because when 'Overkill' first emerged into the promotion back in 2014, she looked like a classic TUF staple - a one-dimensional striker who was easy pickings for strong grapplers.
Indeed, Hill's first stint in the UFC came to a quick end after just three fights. Following a debut win after her TUF appearance, she was easily beaten by Tecia Torres and Rose Namajunas and was subsequently cut.
Rather than flame out, though, 'Overkill' went back to work. After improving her skills and claiming the Invicta strawweight title, she returned to the octagon in 2017 and hasn't left since.
In the eight years that have followed, Hill has generally been in or around the top fifteen at 115 pounds. Sure, she's tended to lose to her better opponents - foes like Jessica Andrade, Yan Xiaonan, and Michelle Waterson - but she's also picked up some big wins.
More to the point, even at the age of 40, she doesn't really seem to be slowing down. Her most recent loss to Tabatha Ricci snapped a two-fight win streak, and the bout before that saw her win via submission for the first time in her career.
Even though an online joker has edited her nickname on Wikipedia to 'Over the Hill' rather than 'Overkill', then, the TUF veteran remains a strong gatekeeper at 115 pounds. Her longevity deserves huge admiration.
#3. Stephen 'Wonderboy' Thompson - No. 11 in the UFC welterweight division
Perhaps no other fighter in the UFC now has a worse-fitting moniker than Stephen 'Wonderboy' Thompson.
While his nickname suggests youth, Thompson is now actually one of the oldest fighters on the entire roster. At the age of 42, only one UFC fighter - Vinc Pichel - is older.
The difference between Pichel and Thompson, though, is that while 'From Hell' is largely a career journeyman, 'Wonderboy' remains ranked in the top 15 at welterweight.
To call this impressive is an understatement. 170 pounds is one of the most loaded weight divisions in the entire promotion, and despite his age, Thompson remains one of the most respected fighters there.
2025 will be the karate-based striker's 13th year in the promotion, and while his early days saw him struggle to get to grips with MMA, he quickly found his groove.
Big wins over fighters like Jake Ellenberger, Johny Hendricks and Rory MacDonald moved him into title contention, and he was unfortunate to come up short in two shots at then-champ Tyron Woodley.
Eight years have now passed since those title bouts, and for the most part, Thompson has continued to win, beating the likes of Jorge Masvidal and Vicente Luque.
While his last two bouts - losses to up-and-comers Shavkat Rakhmonov and Joaquin Buckley - suggested he might be finally slowing down, there's still a chance that given lower-level opponents, he could still do some damage.
For now, then, 'Wonderboy' remains a viable contender at 170 pounds, even if the end for him might not be too far off now.
#2. Derrick Lewis - No. 9 in the UFC heavyweight division
The UFC's heavyweight division has traditionally housed some of the promotion's oldest fighters, and indeed, nine of the 30 fighters currently listed on the roster are over the age of 35.
However, the division's grand old man is veteran striker Derrick Lewis. 'The Black Beast' turned 40 years old earlier this month, but remains as dangerous as ever and is currently ranked at No. 9.
Lewis has now been with the promotion for just over a decade, debuting back in 2014. Always a somewhat limited fighter, little has changed in his approach over the years.
Essentially, 'The Black Beast' has absolutely insane power in his punches, whether he's landing them on the feet or on a downed opponent.
It's this power that has led him to score a UFC record 15 knockouts, including big wins over Curtis Blaydes and Alexander Volkov. It also led him to two failed attempts to become the heavyweight champion, losing to Daniel Cormier in 2018 and then to Ciryl Gane in 2021.
Recent years have, admittedly, seen things get tricky for Lewis. His durability has clearly waned, and he's now lost four of his last six bouts and has been stopped three times.
However, as his recent knockout of Rodrigo Nascimento showed, there's still life in the old dog yet, and until his fight-changing power goes, he'll always be a threat. In the thin heavyweight division, that could be enough to keep him in the top 10, too.
#1. Jan Blachowicz - No. 3 in the UFC light-heavyweight division
When Glover Teixeira choked out Jan Blachowicz in 2021 to become the second-oldest champion in UFC history at the age of 42, many fans overlooked the fact that Blachowicz was no spring chicken in his own right.
The Polish striker was 38 years old at the time, and now, on the cusp of his 42nd birthday, he remains ranked at No. 3 in the light heavyweight division.
Blachowicz had a long route to the top to say the least. After a successful run in Poland's KSW promotion, he joined the UFC in late 2014 and immediately made his mark with a TKO of Ilir Latifi.
The next few years were up and down for the Polish fighter, though, and it wasn't until 2017 when he really began to hit his stride.
Always a dangerous kickboxer, Blachowicz's wrestling and ground game began to catch up to his stand-up skills. From October 2017 to February 2020, he won seven of eight bouts, beating the likes of Luke Rockhold and Corey Anderson.
Few observers expected to him reach the very top, though, but that's what he did - shocking Dominick Reyes to claim the light heavyweight title in the summer of 2020.
Blachowicz's reign wasn't too long, but he did prevent Israel Adesanya from becoming a simultaneous double champ by handing him his first career defeat in 2021.
Since losing his title, the Polish star has only picked up one win, beating Aleksandar Rakic after 'Rocket' blew his knee out.
He's since gone to a controversial draw with Magomed Ankalaev in a fight that many thought he lost, and suffered a defeat to Alex Pereira, although the bout was close.
Whether he still warrants such a high ranking, then, is a question mark. However, the fact that he is still a viable contender at his age is remarkable, and if he can beat Carlos Ulberg next month, it'll be impossible not to be impressed.
