The Best Mma Fighters In The World

The Best Mma Fighters In The World

MMA or Mixed Martial Arts, a full-contact combat sport, has an enormous fan base across the world. MMA fighters use a combination of martial art disciplines such as Jiu-Jitsu, Judo, Wrestling, Boxing, and Karate to tackle the opponent. In the modern world, Bruce Lee is considered the guru of Mixed Martial Arts. He felt that 10 Best Fighters in the MMA World Read More ». May 29, 2020 The end of his peak came hard and fast, but for years, Silva was the best fighter in the world. Jon Jones: Jones has lost one fight in his career - a screwy disqualification to Matt Hamill -.
Richest MMA Fighters in the World 2020- Mixed Martial Arts has risen to become popular in recent times and its watched by thousands of fans across the world. Interestingly, the fighters are enjoying a huge incentive they are been paid. This is possible because of the pay per view format which the sport operates. That is why we have decided to write this piece of informative material on the Richest MMA Fighters in the World 2020. Read through the article to the end to learn more.
THE TOP 20 RICHEST MMA FIGHTERS IN THE WORLD 2020Before we go deeper into our discussion, we have highlighted the list of 20 richest MMA fighters below. You can quickly scan through the list.
Conor McGregor
Rorian Gracie
Khabib Nurmagomedov
Georges St. Pierre
Brock Lesnar
BJ Penn
Anderson Silva
Fedor Emelianenko
Wanderlei Silva
Randy Couture
Tito Ortiz
Chuck Liddell
Quinton Rampage Jackson
Ronda Rousey
Frank Mir
Chael Sonnen
Jon Bones
Junior Dos Santos
Jose Aldo
Michael Bisping
Richest MMA Fighters in the World Right Now#1. Conor McGregor
Net worth: $110 Million
Conor McGregor is considered the number one richest fighter in MMA, with a net worth of $110 million. The Irish professional MMA fighter is undisputedly one of the most notorious fighters in MMA over the years, and has become. Interestingly, McGregor's net worth is not from his MMA earnings but the bulk of his income is from his professional boxing debut against Floyd Mayweather. Nonetheless, he is still regarded as the richest MMa fighter in the world earning him the first spot on our list of Richest MMA Fighters in the World 2020.
#2. Rorian Gracie
Net worth: $50 Million
Next on our list is the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Grandmaster, Rorion Gracie. He is not really an MMA fighter but skilled in the basic elements of MMA fighting. More so, Rorion Gracie is a co-founder of UFC who helped make MMA established sports in the 21st century. In addition, He is among the handful of people in the world to hold a 9th-degree red belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
#3. Khabib Nurmagomedov
Net worth: $30 Million
The Russian professional MMA fighter, Khabib Nurmagomedov also makes the list with a net worth of $30 million. Nurmagomedov has won the Combat Sambo World Champion twice is the present UFC Lightweight Champion. Overall, he has a record of 28 wins and no losses thereby holding the longest active undefeated streak in MMA.
#4. Georges St. Pierre
Net worth: $30 Million
If this list is about the Best Fighters in MMA, St. Pierre should be atop this list or second to say the list. Nonetheless, he is the fourth richest MMA fighter in the world with $30,000 tied with Khabib Nurmagomedov. St. Pierre is no doubt one of the greatest fighters in the history of the MMA. He fought in the UFC and on several occasions emerged the UFC Middleweight and welterweight champion.
#5. Brock Lesnar
Net worth: $28 Million

Taking us further in our discourse on the Richest MMA Fighters in the World 2020 is Brock Lesnar, a man of many talents been an American professional wrestler, a former professional MMA fighter, and a professional American football player. Lesnar is the former UFC Heavyweight Champion and also a one-time winner of the WWE title making him the only fighter to have achieved such fit. Lesnar currently wrestles in the WWE.
#6. BJ Penn
Net worth: $22 Million
BJ Penn is a talented and sensational fighter who is both an MMA fighter and a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu fighter. Penn track record in MMA is not unnoticed and has earned him a place int the UFC Hall of Fame in 2015. More so, he is among the seven fighters in the history of UFC to have titles in various weight divisions including UFC Lightweight and Welterweight championships among many other track records.
#7. Anderson Silva
Net worth: $18 Million
Anderson Silva is not left out among the richest fighters in MMA. More so, the successful Brazilian MMA fighter is a former UFC Middleweight Champion. He holds the longest title reign in UFC history with 16 consecutive wins and 10 title defenses. Isn't that amazing!
#8. Fedor Emelianenko
Net worth: $18 Million
Fedor Emelianenko is a great player and one of the prominent fighters in MMA. He is a multi-talented fighter who have participated in other sports such as sambist, and judoka where he also won several titles. Emelianenko is a high profiled fighter that is rated among the greatest MMA fighters of all time and so far, he has had a successful MMA career winning the Heavyweight Championship and held the title between 2003 to 2007.
#9. Wanderlei Silva
Net worth: $18 Million
Wanderlei Silva is a Brazilian professional MMA fighter who has earned a spot on our list of Richest MMA Fighters in the World 2020. Silva's MMA career span across Japan's Pride Fighting Championships and the Ultimate Fighting Championship which saw the sensational fighter establishing the record for the most wins, knockouts, title defenses, and longest title reign in Japan's Pride Fighting Championship history.
#10. Randy Couture
Net worth: $17 Million
Before venturing into the movie industry, Randy Couture is a highly revered personality in the MMA been one of the early fighters in the sports. Couture fought in the UFC and won 6 championship titles in multiple weight classes. More so, he is honoured as a member of UFC Hall of Fame.

#11. Tito Ortiz
Net worth: $15 Million
Jacob Christopher popularly known as Tito Ortiz is an American retired MMA fighter who is a highly recognized personality in UFC. Some of Tito's fight were the most watched fights of all time on Pay-Per-View and he is considered to be one of the figures who helped establish MMA as a popular sport in the world. Before retiring, he won the Light-Heavyweight Champion of the UFC.
#12. Chuck Liddell
Net worth: $14 Million
Chuck Liddell is a former MMA fighter who won the UFC Light Heavyweight Champion before he retired. He is honored as a member of the UFC Hall of Fame in 2009. The talented MMA fighter also wrestle in other fighting sport including kickboxing, karate to wrestling.
#13. Quinton Rampage Jackson
Net worth: $12 Million
Rampage Jackson is an American MMA fighter and professional wrestler who fights in the Bellator MMA. Jackson is perceived as one of the reputable figures in the MMA, who helped immensely in promoting the sport and bringing it to mainstream. In fact, he fought in 52 MMA fights winning 38 times and was defeated 14 times. He won the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship and is currently worth $12 million making him the 13th richest MMA fighter in the world.
#14. Ronda Rousey
Net worth: $12 Million
We finally have the only female MMA fighter on our list, Ronda Rousey, an American MMA fighter, judoka, and actress. Rousey began her career as a Judo athlete, before entering UFC. Rousey has enjoyed a successful bout as an MMA fighter as she was a former UFC Women's Bantamweight Champion. More so, she won 12 consecutive MMA fights in a row. Rousey currently fights in the WWE championship.
#15. Frank Mir
Net worth: $11 Million
Frank Mir is professional American MMA fighter who currently fights in the Bellator MMA Heavyweight division. Before the one-time UFC champion contends in the Bellator MMA, Frank Mir use to fight in UFC for a period of 16 years. he created a record for the most submission victories ever recorded in the UFC.
#16. Chael Sonnen
Net worth: $10 Million
Chael Sonnen is an American MMA fighter who currently competes in the Light Heavyweight division. Sonnen used to compete in the UFC, WEC, and Pancrase. Sonnen contend against the best fighters in UFC but never at any time emerged a champion. This caused experts to regard him as one of the best UFC fighters never to have won a UFC Championship.
#17. Jon Bones
Net worth: $10 Million
Still in the bid of reeling out the Richest MMA Fighters in the World 2020, Jon Bones enters our list at the seventeenth spot. Jones is a great personality in UFC and he is considered to be a great fighter who won and reign the Light Heavyweight Championship for 4 years. he won the title again in 2018 and has since then defended the title.
#18. Junior Dos Santos
Net worth: $10 Million
Junior dos Santos is a professional Brazilian MMA fighter and a former UFC Heavyweight Champion. He currently one of the top fighters in UFC Heavyweight championship. The sensational Brazilian fighter has defeated five Heavyweight champions in the UFC. He has won 21 out of his 28 fights.
#19. Jose Aldo
Net worth: $9 Million
José Aldo is a professional Brazilian MMA fighter who competes in the UFC. Aldo won the WEC Featherweight Champion and also became the first UFC Featherweight Champion during the UFC/WEC merger. With a net worth of $9 million, he occupies the 19th spot on the list
#20. Michael Bisping
Net worth: $9 Million
Bringing us to the end of our discussion is Michael Bisping an English sports analyst, actor, commentator and former MMA fighter. Before retiring from MMA, Bisping was a UFC Middleweight Champion, and is now a member of the UFC Hall of Fame.
Related Posts:
Conclusion on The Top 20 Richest MMA Fighters in the World 2020There you have the richest MMA fighters in the world. Some of them are retired, some have diverted to other fighting sport and some are still active. There is likely to be a change in the review of this article with other new faces possibly coming into the list that is if their net worth surpass the existing names in this article.
Tag: The Top 20 Richest MMA Fighters in the World 2020
As the UFC looks to kick off 2021 with two elements that were sorely lacking for most of 2020 -- Conor McGregor and fans in attendance -- this brief pause in the calendar offers the perfect window to take stock and look ahead.
So who will have the best year of all? After a 2020 that was anything but normal, there will be plenty of opportunities in 2021 for fighters to distance themselves from the pack, and our panel of MMA experts sets out to determine who will step forward.
This isn't a list of the 30 best fighters in the UFC -- it's a ranking based on opportunities that fighters have already signed on for or that they project to have in the coming year. It takes into account who they'll be fighting and who else could stand in front of them in their respective divisions over the next 12 months.
And while there are certainly some surprises to be found on this list, just because someone didn't make the cut for this top 30 it doesn't mean they can't drastically improve their fortunes over the next 12 months. In fact, when you compare this year's top 30 to what was projected for 2020, the overlap isn't as big as you might imagine.
And so, with all of that explanation out of the way, it's time to reveal the top 10. If you've missed the first two entries of the 2021 ESPN MMA Rank, check out those who ranked from 21-30, as well as 11-20.
Write-ups composed by Marc Raimondi and Jeff Wagenheim.
10. Aljamain Sterling (19-3)2020 record: 1-0 (SUB1 over Cory Sandhagen)
2020 ESPN MMA rank: Unranked
Next fight: March 6 vs. Petr Yan (UFC 259)
2021 outlook: Sterling established himself as the clear-cut next challenger for the bantamweight title with a stunning, first-round submission win over Cory Sandhagen at UFC 250 in June. Sterling was scheduled to challenge champion Petr Yan at UFC 256 in December, but the bout fell through because of an undisclosed issue with Yan. The title fight was recently rebooked for March, and it should be another major showcase for two top fighters from a very deep division. Sterling has won five straight and more than deserves his chance at the belt. Some already have 'Funk Master' pegged as the best in the world at 135 pounds. -- Raimondi
9. Kamaru Usman (17-1)2020 record: 1-0 (UD over Jorge Masvidal)
2020 ESPN MMA rank: 4
Next fight: Feb. 13 vs. Gilbert Burns (UFC 258)
2021 outlook: Being the first UFC champion to defend a belt in 2021 is what you call getting the year off to a good start. Usman will be taking on a former teammate, one whom he has been waiting a long time to face. He and Burns initially were slated to fight in July, and when that didn't happen they were paired again for December, which also fell through. The third booking is an opportunity for Usman to finally cross another 170-pound contender off his list, and the delay in making it happen allows the division to line up more challenges, should he succeed. -- Wagenheim
8. Conor McGregor (22-4)2020 record: 1-0 (TKO1 over Donald Cerrone)
2020 ESPN MMA rank: 7
Next fight: Jan. 23 vs. Dustin Poirier (UFC 257)
2021 outlook: The plan for McGregor going into 2020 was to fight at least three times, culminating with a second shot at the UFC lightweight title against Khabib Nurmagomedov. Then COVID-19 came into play, the idea for a 'season' fell apart and Nurmagomedov retired. McGregor even announced his own retirement in June out of frustration. The former UFC double champion will be back this month against old rival Dustin Poirier, and a win in that fight will almost surely earn McGregor a title opportunity. The potential is there for a massive year. -- Raimondi
7. Amanda Nunes (20-4)2020 record: 1-0 (UD over Felicia Spencer)
2020 ESPN MMA rank: 8
Next fight: March 6 vs. Megan Anderson (UFC 259)
2021 outlook: The UFC's only remaining champ-champ had an eventful 2020. She fought only once, but she was plenty busy becoming a mom. Try to top that, 2021. Well, a successful featherweight title defense in two months would be a step in that direction. Then Nunes can switch her attention back to bantamweight, which by then might have produced a title challenger. If not, we'll start hearing pleas for a trilogy fight against flyweight champ Valentina Shevchenko. Where else is Nunes to go? -- Wagenheim
6. Valentina Shevchenko (20-3)2020 record: 2-0 (TKO3 over Katlyn Chookagian; UD over Jennifer Maia)
2020 ESPN MMA rank: 5
Next fight: TBD
2021 outlook: More domination, most likely. Shevchenko has run roughshod over the women's flyweight division over the past two years. Her next likely challenger is powerhouse Jessica Andrade, the former UFC women's strawweight champion. That could be the toughest test to date for Shevchenko, but Shevchenko will likely still be a heavy favorite. Later in the year, there's a chance Shevchenko could be thrust into a superfight, either against the women's strawweight champion (currently Zhang Weili) or in a trilogy fight against women's bantamweight and featherweight champ Amanda Nunes. -- Raimondi
5. Zhang Weili (21-1)The Best Mma Fighters In The World Championship2020 record: 1-0 (SD over Joanna Jedrzejczyk)
2020 ESPN MMA rank: 11
Next fight: TBD
2021 outlook: She competed only once in 2020, way back in March, but it seems like we've seen Zhang way more than that because highlights of her brawl with Joanna Jedrzejczyk have been shown over and over, with good reason. It was the fight of the year for pretty much everyone who ranks those things. Next up might be another former champion, Rose Namajunas. That is the fight that makes sense, but the UFC has not yet booked it. Why the delay? It's not entirely clear. It would be a duel of high-level skills, and would get the UFC's most competitive women's division off to a good start to 2021. -- Wagenheim
4. Francis Ngannou (15-3)Who Is The Greatest Mma Fighter Of All Time2020 record: 1-0 (KO1 over Jairzinho Rozenstruik)
2020 ESPN MMA rank: 6
Next fight: TBD vs. Stipe Miocic
2021 outlook: Ngannou has been waiting three years for a second shot at the UFC heavyweight title. Miocic beat him at UFC 220 in January 2018, but Ngannou has made major improvements since then, while training at Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas. It looks like Ngannou will finally get another crack at Miocic sometime in either the first or early second quarter of 2021. The toughest thing for Ngannou over the past two years is that he has decimated everyone in his path while going through long stretches of inactivity because very few fights make sense for him in a slow-moving heavyweight division. -- Raimondi

Taking us further in our discourse on the Richest MMA Fighters in the World 2020 is Brock Lesnar, a man of many talents been an American professional wrestler, a former professional MMA fighter, and a professional American football player. Lesnar is the former UFC Heavyweight Champion and also a one-time winner of the WWE title making him the only fighter to have achieved such fit. Lesnar currently wrestles in the WWE.
#6. BJ Penn
Net worth: $22 Million
BJ Penn is a talented and sensational fighter who is both an MMA fighter and a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu fighter. Penn track record in MMA is not unnoticed and has earned him a place int the UFC Hall of Fame in 2015. More so, he is among the seven fighters in the history of UFC to have titles in various weight divisions including UFC Lightweight and Welterweight championships among many other track records.
#7. Anderson Silva
Net worth: $18 Million
Anderson Silva is not left out among the richest fighters in MMA. More so, the successful Brazilian MMA fighter is a former UFC Middleweight Champion. He holds the longest title reign in UFC history with 16 consecutive wins and 10 title defenses. Isn't that amazing!
#8. Fedor Emelianenko
Net worth: $18 Million
Fedor Emelianenko is a great player and one of the prominent fighters in MMA. He is a multi-talented fighter who have participated in other sports such as sambist, and judoka where he also won several titles. Emelianenko is a high profiled fighter that is rated among the greatest MMA fighters of all time and so far, he has had a successful MMA career winning the Heavyweight Championship and held the title between 2003 to 2007.
#9. Wanderlei Silva
Net worth: $18 Million
Wanderlei Silva is a Brazilian professional MMA fighter who has earned a spot on our list of Richest MMA Fighters in the World 2020. Silva's MMA career span across Japan's Pride Fighting Championships and the Ultimate Fighting Championship which saw the sensational fighter establishing the record for the most wins, knockouts, title defenses, and longest title reign in Japan's Pride Fighting Championship history.
#10. Randy Couture
Net worth: $17 Million
Before venturing into the movie industry, Randy Couture is a highly revered personality in the MMA been one of the early fighters in the sports. Couture fought in the UFC and won 6 championship titles in multiple weight classes. More so, he is honoured as a member of UFC Hall of Fame.
#11. Tito Ortiz
Net worth: $15 Million
Jacob Christopher popularly known as Tito Ortiz is an American retired MMA fighter who is a highly recognized personality in UFC. Some of Tito's fight were the most watched fights of all time on Pay-Per-View and he is considered to be one of the figures who helped establish MMA as a popular sport in the world. Before retiring, he won the Light-Heavyweight Champion of the UFC.
#12. Chuck Liddell
Net worth: $14 Million
Chuck Liddell is a former MMA fighter who won the UFC Light Heavyweight Champion before he retired. He is honored as a member of the UFC Hall of Fame in 2009. The talented MMA fighter also wrestle in other fighting sport including kickboxing, karate to wrestling.
#13. Quinton Rampage Jackson
Net worth: $12 Million
Rampage Jackson is an American MMA fighter and professional wrestler who fights in the Bellator MMA. Jackson is perceived as one of the reputable figures in the MMA, who helped immensely in promoting the sport and bringing it to mainstream. In fact, he fought in 52 MMA fights winning 38 times and was defeated 14 times. He won the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship and is currently worth $12 million making him the 13th richest MMA fighter in the world.
#14. Ronda Rousey
Net worth: $12 Million
We finally have the only female MMA fighter on our list, Ronda Rousey, an American MMA fighter, judoka, and actress. Rousey began her career as a Judo athlete, before entering UFC. Rousey has enjoyed a successful bout as an MMA fighter as she was a former UFC Women's Bantamweight Champion. More so, she won 12 consecutive MMA fights in a row. Rousey currently fights in the WWE championship.
#15. Frank Mir
Net worth: $11 Million
Frank Mir is professional American MMA fighter who currently fights in the Bellator MMA Heavyweight division. Before the one-time UFC champion contends in the Bellator MMA, Frank Mir use to fight in UFC for a period of 16 years. he created a record for the most submission victories ever recorded in the UFC.
#16. Chael Sonnen
Net worth: $10 Million
Chael Sonnen is an American MMA fighter who currently competes in the Light Heavyweight division. Sonnen used to compete in the UFC, WEC, and Pancrase. Sonnen contend against the best fighters in UFC but never at any time emerged a champion. This caused experts to regard him as one of the best UFC fighters never to have won a UFC Championship.
#17. Jon Bones
Net worth: $10 Million
Still in the bid of reeling out the Richest MMA Fighters in the World 2020, Jon Bones enters our list at the seventeenth spot. Jones is a great personality in UFC and he is considered to be a great fighter who won and reign the Light Heavyweight Championship for 4 years. he won the title again in 2018 and has since then defended the title.
#18. Junior Dos Santos
Net worth: $10 Million
Junior dos Santos is a professional Brazilian MMA fighter and a former UFC Heavyweight Champion. He currently one of the top fighters in UFC Heavyweight championship. The sensational Brazilian fighter has defeated five Heavyweight champions in the UFC. He has won 21 out of his 28 fights.
#19. Jose Aldo
Net worth: $9 Million
José Aldo is a professional Brazilian MMA fighter who competes in the UFC. Aldo won the WEC Featherweight Champion and also became the first UFC Featherweight Champion during the UFC/WEC merger. With a net worth of $9 million, he occupies the 19th spot on the list
#20. Michael Bisping
Net worth: $9 Million
Bringing us to the end of our discussion is Michael Bisping an English sports analyst, actor, commentator and former MMA fighter. Before retiring from MMA, Bisping was a UFC Middleweight Champion, and is now a member of the UFC Hall of Fame.
Related Posts:
Conclusion on The Top 20 Richest MMA Fighters in the World 2020There you have the richest MMA fighters in the world. Some of them are retired, some have diverted to other fighting sport and some are still active. There is likely to be a change in the review of this article with other new faces possibly coming into the list that is if their net worth surpass the existing names in this article.
Tag: The Top 20 Richest MMA Fighters in the World 2020
As the UFC looks to kick off 2021 with two elements that were sorely lacking for most of 2020 -- Conor McGregor and fans in attendance -- this brief pause in the calendar offers the perfect window to take stock and look ahead.
So who will have the best year of all? After a 2020 that was anything but normal, there will be plenty of opportunities in 2021 for fighters to distance themselves from the pack, and our panel of MMA experts sets out to determine who will step forward.
This isn't a list of the 30 best fighters in the UFC -- it's a ranking based on opportunities that fighters have already signed on for or that they project to have in the coming year. It takes into account who they'll be fighting and who else could stand in front of them in their respective divisions over the next 12 months.
And while there are certainly some surprises to be found on this list, just because someone didn't make the cut for this top 30 it doesn't mean they can't drastically improve their fortunes over the next 12 months. In fact, when you compare this year's top 30 to what was projected for 2020, the overlap isn't as big as you might imagine.
And so, with all of that explanation out of the way, it's time to reveal the top 10. If you've missed the first two entries of the 2021 ESPN MMA Rank, check out those who ranked from 21-30, as well as 11-20.
Write-ups composed by Marc Raimondi and Jeff Wagenheim.
10. Aljamain Sterling (19-3)2020 record: 1-0 (SUB1 over Cory Sandhagen)
2020 ESPN MMA rank: Unranked
Next fight: March 6 vs. Petr Yan (UFC 259)
2021 outlook: Sterling established himself as the clear-cut next challenger for the bantamweight title with a stunning, first-round submission win over Cory Sandhagen at UFC 250 in June. Sterling was scheduled to challenge champion Petr Yan at UFC 256 in December, but the bout fell through because of an undisclosed issue with Yan. The title fight was recently rebooked for March, and it should be another major showcase for two top fighters from a very deep division. Sterling has won five straight and more than deserves his chance at the belt. Some already have 'Funk Master' pegged as the best in the world at 135 pounds. -- Raimondi
9. Kamaru Usman (17-1)2020 record: 1-0 (UD over Jorge Masvidal)
2020 ESPN MMA rank: 4
Next fight: Feb. 13 vs. Gilbert Burns (UFC 258)
2021 outlook: Being the first UFC champion to defend a belt in 2021 is what you call getting the year off to a good start. Usman will be taking on a former teammate, one whom he has been waiting a long time to face. He and Burns initially were slated to fight in July, and when that didn't happen they were paired again for December, which also fell through. The third booking is an opportunity for Usman to finally cross another 170-pound contender off his list, and the delay in making it happen allows the division to line up more challenges, should he succeed. -- Wagenheim
8. Conor McGregor (22-4)2020 record: 1-0 (TKO1 over Donald Cerrone)
2020 ESPN MMA rank: 7
Next fight: Jan. 23 vs. Dustin Poirier (UFC 257)
2021 outlook: The plan for McGregor going into 2020 was to fight at least three times, culminating with a second shot at the UFC lightweight title against Khabib Nurmagomedov. Then COVID-19 came into play, the idea for a 'season' fell apart and Nurmagomedov retired. McGregor even announced his own retirement in June out of frustration. The former UFC double champion will be back this month against old rival Dustin Poirier, and a win in that fight will almost surely earn McGregor a title opportunity. The potential is there for a massive year. -- Raimondi
7. Amanda Nunes (20-4)2020 record: 1-0 (UD over Felicia Spencer)
2020 ESPN MMA rank: 8
Next fight: March 6 vs. Megan Anderson (UFC 259)
2021 outlook: The UFC's only remaining champ-champ had an eventful 2020. She fought only once, but she was plenty busy becoming a mom. Try to top that, 2021. Well, a successful featherweight title defense in two months would be a step in that direction. Then Nunes can switch her attention back to bantamweight, which by then might have produced a title challenger. If not, we'll start hearing pleas for a trilogy fight against flyweight champ Valentina Shevchenko. Where else is Nunes to go? -- Wagenheim
6. Valentina Shevchenko (20-3)2020 record: 2-0 (TKO3 over Katlyn Chookagian; UD over Jennifer Maia)
2020 ESPN MMA rank: 5
Next fight: TBD
2021 outlook: More domination, most likely. Shevchenko has run roughshod over the women's flyweight division over the past two years. Her next likely challenger is powerhouse Jessica Andrade, the former UFC women's strawweight champion. That could be the toughest test to date for Shevchenko, but Shevchenko will likely still be a heavy favorite. Later in the year, there's a chance Shevchenko could be thrust into a superfight, either against the women's strawweight champion (currently Zhang Weili) or in a trilogy fight against women's bantamweight and featherweight champ Amanda Nunes. -- Raimondi
5. Zhang Weili (21-1)The Best Mma Fighters In The World Championship2020 record: 1-0 (SD over Joanna Jedrzejczyk)
2020 ESPN MMA rank: 11
Next fight: TBD
2021 outlook: She competed only once in 2020, way back in March, but it seems like we've seen Zhang way more than that because highlights of her brawl with Joanna Jedrzejczyk have been shown over and over, with good reason. It was the fight of the year for pretty much everyone who ranks those things. Next up might be another former champion, Rose Namajunas. That is the fight that makes sense, but the UFC has not yet booked it. Why the delay? It's not entirely clear. It would be a duel of high-level skills, and would get the UFC's most competitive women's division off to a good start to 2021. -- Wagenheim
4. Francis Ngannou (15-3)Who Is The Greatest Mma Fighter Of All Time2020 record: 1-0 (KO1 over Jairzinho Rozenstruik)
2020 ESPN MMA rank: 6
Next fight: TBD vs. Stipe Miocic
2021 outlook: Ngannou has been waiting three years for a second shot at the UFC heavyweight title. Miocic beat him at UFC 220 in January 2018, but Ngannou has made major improvements since then, while training at Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas. It looks like Ngannou will finally get another crack at Miocic sometime in either the first or early second quarter of 2021. The toughest thing for Ngannou over the past two years is that he has decimated everyone in his path while going through long stretches of inactivity because very few fights make sense for him in a slow-moving heavyweight division. -- Raimondi
3. Deiveson Figueiredo (20-1-1)Who Are The Best Mma Fighters2020 record: 3-0-1 (TKO2 over Joseph Benavidez; TechSUB1 over Benavidez; SUB1 over Alex Perez, majority draw against Brandon Moreno)
2020 ESPN MMA rank: Unranked
The Best Mma Fighters In The World WarNext fight: TBD
Best Mma Fighters In The World Right Now2021 outlook: For Figueiredo, 2020 is going to be a tough act to follow. He became champion during a year in which he was busy and dominant -- at least until his most recent outing. He quickly imposed his will in his first three fights of the year, including two against perennial 125-pound No. 2 Joseph Benavidez. Then came last month's flyweight title defense, in which he traded leather with Brandon Moreno for five thrilling rounds in a classic that was scored a draw. Now what? UFC president Dana White has guaranteed that Figueiredo-Moreno 2 is next. If Figueiredo remains champ after that one, he could reign for a while in what's becoming an increasingly interesting flyweight division. -- Wagenheim
2. Jon Jones (26-1)2020 record: 1-0 (UD over Dominick Reyes)
2020 ESPN MMA rank: 2
Next fight: TBD
2021 outlook: Jones has done almost everything there is to do in MMA. He was the longtime UFC light heavyweight champion, was never beaten for that belt and his lone career loss was a disqualification 12 years ago. His next frontier? The UFC heavyweight division. He vacated the light heavyweight belt last August and is primed to fight for the heavyweight strap next, likely against the Stipe Miocic vs. Francis Ngannou winner. Jones' goal is to leave absolutely no doubt he's the greatest of all time. -- Raimondi
1. Israel Adesanya (20-0)The Best Mma Fighters In The World War2020 record: 2-0 (UD over Yoel Romero, TKO2 Paulo Costa)
2020 ESPN MMA rank: 3
Next fight: March 6 vs. Jan Blachowicz (UFC 259)
2021 outlook: If Adesanya becomes a champ-champ by adding the light heavyweight belt to his trophy case, as he is favored to do when he challenges Blachowicz, it will be an awesome accomplishment. He will have moved up from middleweight -- a jump of 20 pounds, which is huge. And who's doubting Adesanya? Nobody. His combination of poise and brutality in his knockout win over Costa elevated his stature in the sport -- and he came into the fight already a champion. This superfight against Blachowicz is sure to unleash some of the performance art that makes Adesanya must-see from walkout to finish. -- Wagenheim