Who are some of the toughest UFC fighters currently active in mixed martial arts (MMA)?
Again with the UFC over MMA
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The above question came to me on Quora and having written about MMA being the sport and the UFC being a promotion so many times, it made me think about some names, so my answer wound up being…
All of them.
The fighting life, especially that of a professional fighter already makes them unique. The choice to do that and stick with it is why they do what they do, and those like myself can only do it at the hobbyist level.
That being said, there are fighters that separate themselves from the rest.
Olympic athletes are simply on another level from the other top athletes and the ones claiming gold, the best in the world. Henry Cejudo, an Olympic gold medalist in wrestling, stands out to me because he won the UFC Bantamweight title fighting with a really bad rolled ankle. The injury occurred days before and many fighters would have scrapped the fight with an injury that affected their mobility. Not only did Cejudo win, but he won by knocking out former WSOF champion, Marlon Moraes.
Justin Gaethje is another fighter simply because it seems most people that fight him, win or lose admit not wanting to fight him again because of constant pressure even through strong attacks.
Most recently and will likely become known for his toughness is lightweight, Trevor Peek. He has said that doctors at the UFC Performance Institute told him his neck strength surpasses that of some heavyweights on the current roster. Neck strength is believed to help lessen the chance of being knocked out and if you watch any of Peek’s fights, it does not seem like he’ll be getting knocked out soon.
The sport is bigger than the UFC and there are likely other fighters that are just about as tough or equally as tough as any name you can think of on their roster.
