The best current MMA fighters from outside the US
Although the US has produced some of the greatest MMA fighters of all time — which includes all-time greats such as Chuck Liddell, BJ Penn, Max Holloway and Daniel Cormier to name just a few — it goes without saying that it is now truly a global sport. While many of the leading MMA gyms might be based in the US, this does not mean that America has a monopoly on the leading talent in the sport.
In fact, if you were to do a run-down of the greatest MMA fighters of all time, you would be surprised at how many of them hail from outside the 50 states!
In this article, we will set out who the greatest non-American talents in MMA are at the minute. This information will be particularly useful if you are starting to think about who to bet on at the next UFC event!
Valentina Shevchenko
As one of only two UFC fighters hailing from the central-Asiatic country of Kyrgyzstan — the other one being her sister — Valentina Shevchenko is a trailblazer in many senses of the word.
Following a successful career as a Muay Thai fighter and all-around martial artist, Shevchenko made her UFC debut in December 2015, when she won a close split-decision over Sarah Kaufman.
Since then, Shevchenko has gone on to string together a 14-2 record in the UFC, with a career record of 23-3. Shevchenko’s only losses in the UFC have been to former Bantamweight Champion, Amanda Nunes, with one of these being a controversial loss that many believe she won.
Since returning to flyweight, Shevchenko has gone unbeaten and is currently on a 9-fight win streak. She has defended the title seven times and has settled into a dominant reign as champ. In doing so, Shevchenko has easily secured her place as a future UFC hall of famer!
Alexander Volkanovski
Despite competing in one of the most stacked divisions in the UFC, Volkanovski has demonstrated incredible athletic prowess during his featherweight run.
Born in Wollongong in Australia, Volkanovski originally started as a bulked-up rugby player. Eventually, he was enticed into trying out MMA, and has since gone on to rack up a staggering 26-1 career record.
Volkanovski has competed at welterweight, lightweight and featherweight, suffering only a single loss in his decade-long career so far.
As testament to just how good Volkanovski is in the octagon, he has put in dominant performances against two former featherweight champions and future hall of famers: Max Holloway and José Aldo.
Francis Ngannou
If there was ever an MMA fighter who needed a movie made about their life, it is Francis Ngannou.
Born into rampant poverty in Cameroon, which is one of the most impoverished regions in the world, Ngannou has faced incredible odds during his life.
This has included working in a sand mine, being smuggled into Spain and France as a refugee, and living homeless on the streets of Paris.
One thing Francis did have, however, was freakish athleticism. This has served him well as an MMA athlete. Despite lacking some of the technical skills and experience of other athletes either in his division or in the UFC, Ngannou has used his rare power to come out on top.
He is currently the heavyweight champion of the world and looks set to have a dominant reign as champ.
Charles Olivera
In the history of MMA, there are arguably few stories quite as inspiring as Charles Oliveira’s is.
Born into poverty in a small town in São Paulo, Brazil, Oliveira has had numerous ups and downs in the sport. This includes dominant defeats, potentially career-ending injuries and plenty of close misses.
Despite this, Oliveira has risen to the top of the lightweight ranks. He is currently on an 11-fight win streak in an absolutely stacked division.
During this time, Oliveira has also extended the record for the most finishes (19) and submissions (16) in the UFC. These accolades have all but cemented his claim for a ‘Hall of Fame’ spot.
José Aldo
If you are compiling a list of the all-time greatest MMA fighters, you would essentially be negligent to overlook José Aldo.
Aldo put in one of the most dominant featherweight championship reigns we have ever seen. This included holding both the WEC and UFC Championship straps for six years, before he was defeated by Conor McGregor. This saw Aldo rack up a staggering win streak of 18 wins over just shy of a decade!
What is even more incredible is that Aldo seems to be getting better as he ages. Since dropping down a weight class, Aldo has seen considerable success at 135, with notable wins against Pedro Munhoz, Rob Font and Marlon Vera.
