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Remaining undefeated in the UFC is one of the most difficult things that a fighter can do. Unsurprisingly, only a few fighters in history have won titles with an unbeaten record.
Right now, though, there are a number of undefeated fighters competing in the UFC who look like they’re capable of capturing gold in the near future, perhaps even in 2024. Whether they can emulate the likes of Khabib Nurmagomedov and Israel Adesanya, of course, remains to be seen.
Here are five unbeaten fighters who could become UFC champions in the future.
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#5. Muhammad Mokaev – UFC flyweight
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The UFC’s flyweight division is currently a division in flux in a number of ways. Champion Alexandre Pantoja is clearly the best fighter in the division, with former titleholder Brandon Moreno clearly the most dangerous contender out there.
However, outside of those two fighters, the other combatants currently sitting in the top 15 all have a number of flaws, for however talented they are.
Add in the fact that Pantoja is getting no younger at the age of 33, and it means that the division is ripe for a young fighter to climb the ladder to the top. That young fighter could be the unbeaten Muhammad Mokaev, who currently boasts an unbeaten record of 11-0.
‘The Punisher’ fights out of the UK but was born in Dagestan, and so, unsurprisingly, wrestling is his primary weapon in the octagon. Thus far he’s taken down every opponent he’s faced in the octagon outside of Cody Durden, who he knocked down and choked out in less than a minute.
However, Mokaev is also relatively well-rounded, as he’s already shown a dangerous submission game, and his striking seems to be developing well too.
Sure, he’s still relatively raw, something which led him into danger in his clash with Jafel Filho last year, but overall, he’d probably be favored to beat most of the fighters ranked above him right now.
Therefore, it wouldn’t be at all surprising to see him pick up a couple more wins before claiming a title shot, and given his skills, he could well become an unbeaten champion in the future.
#4. Khamzat Chimaev – UFC middleweight
In terms of sheer talent, it’s arguable that Khamzat Chimaev is probably the best unbeaten fighter on the UFC’s roster right now.
An instant sensation following his debut in 2020, ‘Borz’ is currently 13-0, with seven of those wins coming in the octagon. While it was fair to question the opponents he blew through in his early days, it’s hard to deny that he’s proven himself at this point.
Chimaev now holds wins over three highly ranked foes in Jingliang Li, Gilbert Burns, and Kevin Holland, as well as a recent victory over former welterweight champ Kamaru Usman.
Unfortunately, there are a couple of questions hanging over the Chechen native, largely based outside the octagon.
Firstly, Chimaev’s health has to be considered a bit of a red flag right now, as he almost retired following a bad bout of COVID-19 in 2021 and was reportedly unwell again following his win over Usman in October.
Secondly, while he looked like a surefire future welterweight champ, whether he’ll be as successful at 185 pounds is still questionable, particularly as his only recent win there is over Usman, a natural 170-pounder.
Essentially, Chimaev has all the fighting talent needed to become an unbeaten champion with similar levels of dominance as Khabib Nurmagomedov. If he can sort out his issues outside the octagon, then it seems like a matter of when, not if, he will do it.
#3. Tatiana Suarez – UFC strawweight
It’s arguable that had she not suffered a serious neck injury that landed her on the shelf for the best part of four years, Tatiana Suarez would already have claimed UFC gold.
The strawweight winner of TUF 23, Suarez ran through her first five opponents in the octagon, including former strawweight champ Carla Esparza and current flyweight titleholder Alexa Grasso.
Since returning from her injury, meanwhile, she has easily dispatched Montana De La Rosa and another former champ in Jessica Andrade, with the latter win moving her up to the No.2 spot in the strawweight division.
With current 115-pound champ Weili Zhang set to defend against No.1-ranked Yan Xiaonan in April, it’s definitely conceivable that Suarez could face the winner later in the year.
Given the strength of her grappling and her submission game, it’s definitely possible that Suarez could deal with either Chinese fighter on the ground to claim the title. In fact, it wouldn’t be surprising to see her make it look easy, too.
Based on the fact that she also holds a win over the reigning flyweight champ too, to see Suarez claim two UFC titles whilst remaining unbeaten isn’t impossible either – something that would write her into the history books.
#2. Shavkat Rakhmonov – UFC welterweight
Right now, the next UFC welterweight title bout hasn’t been set in stone, with champ Leon Edwards’ next defense a potential headliner for UFC 300.
The reason for the question marks around this title bout seem to stem from the identity of Edwards’ opponent, and whether it will be No.2-ranked Belal Muhammad or No.3-ranked Shavkat Rakhmonov.
With a 10-fight unbeaten run dating back to 2019, it’s arguable that Muhammad has earned his shot, but the truth is that the unbeaten Rakhmonov is a much more intriguing challenger.
‘Nomad’ has won six fights in a row in the octagon, extending his overall MMA record to 18-0, but more importantly, he’s also been finishing his opponents. In fact, Rakhmonov has never gone the distance in any fight, period.
Thanks to his tapout wins over Stephen Thompson and Geoff Neal, fans would be forgiven for seeing him as a grappler. In fact, the Kazakh fighter is equally as dangerous on the feet, too, and has a proven chin as well.
Could he beat the underrated ‘Rocky’ in a five-round bout? It’d be hard to say, but it’s also undeniable that Rakhmonov feels like a force of nature right now, and so to see him claim the title as an undefeated fighter seems likely.
#1. Ilia Topuria – UFC featherweight
Given that he hasn’t got to wait around or fight again before his title shot, it’s probably fair to say that the unbeaten fighter most likely to claim UFC gold in the near future is Ilia Topuria.
The German-born, Spanish-based featherweight is set to face off with Alexander Volkanovski for the 145-pound crown in the headliner of UFC 298 in February, in what is obviously the biggest fight of his career.
Right now, Topuria is undefeated at 14-0, with six of those wins coming in the octagon. Impressively, ‘El Matador’ has also finished four of his foes in brutal fashion, with his knockouts of Ryan Hall and Jai Herbert in particular standing out.
An explosive athlete, Topuria doesn’t really appear to have any major holes in his offensive game. He’s got powerful takedowns, hits like a truck, and is clearly adept at submissions, too.
However, can he really beat Volkanovski, who has been recognised as one of the best pound-for-pound fighters on the planet for years now? It’s debatable. After all, ‘Alexander the Great’ has already defended his title on five occasions, and could be seen as the featherweight GOAT.
Despite this, though, the Australian is also coming off the first knockout loss of his octagon career, and could well be more vulnerable than ever. That could make him ripe for an upset, and if that happens, then Topuria would join the likes of Khabib and Adesanya as an unbeaten UFC champion.
