Ranking the best undefeated fighters in MMA - ESPN

While there are quite a few undefeated fighters in professional MMA, there are a select few who stand out from the pack — fighters who are doing it at the highest level against the best competition that the sport has to offer.

In addition to the obstacle of facing progressively tougher opponents with each fight, as a fighter's unbeaten streak extends, so does the list of divisional rivals looking to end it. But not all undefeated runs are equal. Some unbeaten fighters, such as UFC welterweight Michael Morales, are still rising prospects, while others, such as former UFC featherweight champion Ilia Topuria, have maintained their perfect records all the way to a championship and beyond.

Just two weeks after previously unbeaten up-and-comer Bo Nickal lost his 0 to former One Championship titleholder Reinier de Ridder, Morales will put his on the line against Gilbert Burns in the main event at UFC Fight Night on Saturday (7 p.m. ET on ESPN+, prelims at 4 p.m. ET).

To help separate the best unbeaten records from the rest, ESPN ranks the top undefeated fighters in MMA today, based on a combination of résumé and future potential.

Kuramagomedov seemingly came out of nowhere to win a Bellator championship in 2024, but quietly, he had been around for a minute. Fighting out of Makhachkala, the same Russian city that once housed former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov and reigning champ Islam Makhachev, Kuramagomedov first appeared in the PFL in 2018 and showed up on «Dana White's Contender Series» in 2019. He wasn't ready for prime time back then, but a decision victory over Jason Jackson for the Bellator title last June put him on the map in a way he never was before.

The biggest question around Ditcheva in 2024 was