Amanda Nunes
Kamaru Usman
Stat by stat
Bars are scaled to the leader in this list.
The verdict
Amanda Nunes leads 3 of 4 categories. Our all-time ranking places Amanda Nunes at #6 and Kamaru Usman at #9.
The case for Amanda Nunes
The greatest female fighter in history, 'The Lioness' is the first woman to hold two UFC titles simultaneously, reigning over both bantamweight and featherweight. She dismantled an entire generation of stars: a 48-second knockout of Ronda Rousey at UFC 207 in 2016, a 51-second knockout of the previously unbeaten Cris Cyborg at UFC 232 in 2018, plus wins over Miesha Tate, Holly Holm, Germaine de Randamie and two victories over Valentina Shevchenko. The only blemish in her prime was a shocking submission loss to Julianna Peña at UFC 269 in 2021, which she emphatically avenged with a one-sided decision at UFC 277 in 2022. She retired as the reigning double champion at 23-5, having beaten more current or former champions than any woman in the sport and settling the female GOAT debate for a generation.
The case for Kamaru Usman
'The Nigerian Nightmare' built one of the most dominant welterweight reigns in history on a base of relentless, high-level wrestling that evolved into genuine knockout power. He put together a 15-fight UFC winning streak — among the longest ever — and won the welterweight title from Tyron Woodley at UFC 235 in 2019, then defended it five times. He beat Colby Covington twice in grueling wars, avenged an early loss to Jorge Masvidal with a highlight-reel knockout, and outpointed Gilbert Burns and Leon Edwards. His reign ended dramatically when Edwards landed a head kick with under a minute left in their UFC 278 rematch in 2022, erasing a fight Usman was winning. He sits around 20-4, a wrestler who became a finisher and headlined the sport's African golden age alongside Israel Adesanya and Francis Ngannou.