Another decade has come to a close, so with it a plethora of “UFC Fighter of the Decade” rankings appearing on the WWW. To try to put a fresh, objective, data-driven spin on rankings, The MMA Manifesto has come up with a performance based ranking system, solely based on how a fighter has performed in the cage during 2010-2019. Here are our performance based top UFC fighters of the 10s.
- Points based on a fighter’s opponent’s UFC win/loss record (ie strength of schedule – the more successful a vanquished opponent is, the more points awarded), extra points (2) given for finishes, extra points (5) given for title fight wins.
- No points awarded for a loss
#4 – Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone – 108.5 points
2010s Record: 23-10, 16 finishes
Top Performances
UFC Fight Night: Cerrone vs Miller – Jim Miller (KO) – 12 points
UFC on Fox: Werdum vs Browne – Edson Barboza (Submission) – 8 points
UFC 202 – Rick Story (TKO) – 8 points
Surprise! The only non-UFC champion on this list is Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone. The secret to his success – fight four to five times a year (33 UFC fights from 2011-2019) and finish your opponents (16 finishes in the decade). And he didn’t even enter the UFC until 2011 – his three fights in 2010 were still in the WEC.
#5 – Chris Weidman – 101.5 points
#6 – Stipe Miocic – 100.5 points
#7 – Max Holloway – 100.5 points
#8 – Rafael dos Anjos – 99 points
#9 – Jose Aldo – 89 points
#10 – Tyron Woodley – 87.5 points
Honorable Mention
Tony Ferguson – 84
T.J. Dillashaw – 84
Khabib Nurmagomedov – 80
Georges St-Pierre – 79
Robbie Lawler – 79
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