Anderson Silva
José Aldo
Stat by stat
Bars are scaled to the leader in this list.
The verdict
Anderson Silva leads 3 of 4 categories. Our all-time ranking places Anderson Silva at #3 and José Aldo at #8.
The case for Anderson Silva
For seven years 'The Spider' was untouchable, holding the longest title reign in UFC history at 2,457 days and a record 16 consecutive victories with 10 straight middleweight title defenses. His striking looked like something from another sport: the front-kick knockout of Vitor Belfort at UFC 126 in 2011, the matrix-like head movement, the finishes of Rich Franklin, Forrest Griffin, Chael Sonnen and Chris Leben. He fought with his hands down and made elite opponents miss by inches before countering with fight-ending precision, and he twice moved up to light heavyweight and won. His aura finally cracked when Chris Weidman knocked him out at UFC 162 in 2013, and the 2013 rematch ended horrifically when Silva broke his leg on a checked kick. He retired 34-11, but at his peak he was the most artistic finisher the sport has seen.
The case for José Aldo
The greatest featherweight of all time, Aldo went undefeated for roughly a decade — an 18-fight win streak from 2005 to 2015 — while reigning as WEC and then inaugural UFC featherweight champion. His leg kicks were the most feared in the sport, memorably crumpling Urijah Faber and reducing opponents to hobbling targets, and he paired them with sharp boxing and elite takedown defense. He defended the featherweight crown repeatedly against the division's best before Conor McGregor stunned him with a 13-second knockout at UFC 194 in 2015, one of the most shocking moments in MMA history. He rebuilt himself as a top bantamweight contender in his thirties, challenging for that title too, and retired from MMA around 31-8. For pure divisional dominance over a sustained period, few careers rival his prime.