Ever since Michael Bisping captured the imagination of British MMA fans by pulling off a stunning upset over the legendary Georges St. Pierre to become the first British UFC champion, fighters from Great Britain in the UFC have grown in number and popularity.
Currently, there are two British champions in the UFC who have become household names throughout the sport: Leon Edwards and Tom Aspinall. But for decades, British fighters have mixed it with the rest of them in the UFC.
Here we take a look at the 5 Best British MMA fighters today:
Leon Edwards
1/5
UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards hails from Birmingham, England. Rocky won the belt by defeating longtime champion Kamaru Usman at UFC 278 in the 2022 Knockout of the Year winner. He has since successfully defended the belt two times, including a unanimous decision win over Colby Covington in his most recent bout at UFC 296 last December 16, 2023.
Edwards began his fighting career in his native land and won the BAMMA British Welterweight Championship, before heading to the United States to compete in the UFC. After opening his Octagon career with a 2-2 record, he has gone unbeaten in his last 14 bouts with 13 wins and one no-contest. Edwards is the No. 3 ranked Pound for Pound Fighter in the UFC.
Tom Aspinall
2/5
Thomas Paul Aspinall is the UFC’s No.1 ranked Heavyweight contender and the current interim UFC heavyweight champion. Born in Salford, England, Aspinall began his career in England, fighting for promotions like BAMMA and Cage Warriors. He broke into the UFC ranks by winning his first five UFC bouts by knockout, including four in the first round and four which earned him Performance of the Night honors.
Aspinall suffered his first UFC loss after injuring his knee 15 seconds into his fight with Curtis Blaydes at UFC Fight Night 208. When Jon Jones pulled out of his UFC 295 title defense against Stipe Miocic, Aspinall took an interim title fight against Sergei Pavlovich on two weeks’ notice. He went on to knock out Pavlovich and become interim heavyweight champion.
Arnold Allen
3/5
Born and raised in Ipswich, England, Arnold Billy Allen is a former M4TC lightweight champion in England. A veteran who has competed in notable promotions like Cage Warriors and UCMMA, he joined the UFC in 2015 as a featherweight and won his first nine UFC bouts to enter the rankings.
Arnold the Almighty suffered his first UFC loss at the hands of Max Holloway in the main event of UFC on ESPN 44. For the first time in his career, he lost back-to-back bouts after dropping a unanimous decision to Movsar Evloev. Despite the loss, Allen is currently the No.6 ranked featherweight in the UFC.
Muhammad Mokaev
4/5
Originally born in Dagestan, Russia, Muhammad Mokaev now fights out of Manchester, England. The 5-9 fighter began his fighting career at the Brave CF and Celtic Gladiator promotions before joining the UFC in 2021.
He is undefeated in five UFC bouts with three submission victories. In his most recent Octagon appearance, Mokaev defeated Alex Perez via unanimous decision at UFC Fight Night 238. The victory over Perez extended his unbeaten streak to 13 fights. Mokaev is currently the No.7 ranked flyweight in the UFC.
Michael Page
5/5
Michael Jerome Reece-Page is a welterweight fighter who hails from London, England. Known as Venom or MVP, Page is known for his unorthodox fighting style. He formerly competed for and became a superstar in the Bellator promotion.
Page raced to 9 consecutive wins under Scott Coker’s promotion before losing to Douglas Lima during the Bellator Welterweight World Grand Prix semifinals in 2019. Venom fought for the interim Bellator welterweight title but lost to Logan Storley. Finally, MVP joined the UFC in December 2023. He won his UFC debut by defeating Kevin Holland via unanimous decision at UFC 299 last March 9, 2024.