rating28–1 rated recordpeak 2,600
The independent record of combat sports
Who are the
real GOATs?
The loudest greatness claims come from the most popular fighters, not the most accomplished. We replay the entire recorded history of professional MMA — 343,383 bouts, 149,521 athletes — through one published rating system, and rank what actually happened in the cage. No polls. No promoters. No narratives.
every ranking below carries the exact run that produced it ↓
rating29–2 rated recordpeak 2,445
M Current top 10 · Men
| Rk | Athlete | Rating | Record |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Islam Makhachev | 2,600 | 28–1 |
| 2 | Francis Ngannou | 2,569 | 19–3 |
| 3 | Ciryl Gane | 2,537 | 14–2 |
| 4 | Vadim Nemkov | 2,529 | 20–2 |
| 5 | Charles Oliveira | 2,517 | 37–11 |
| 6 | Justin Gaethje | 2,508 | 28–5 |
| 7 | Khamzat Chimaev | 2,495 | 15–1 |
| 8 | Ilia Topuria | 2,487 | 17–1 |
| 9 | A.J. McKee | 2,484 | 25–2 |
| 10 | Alex Pereira | 2,482 | 13–4 |
W Current top 10 · Women
| Rk | Athlete | Rating | Record |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cristiane Justino | 2,445 | 29–2 |
| 2 | Valentina Shevchenko | 2,347 | 26–4–1 |
| 3 | Kayla Harrison | 2,347 | 19–1 |
| 4 | Liz Carmouche | 2,326 | 26–8 |
| 5 | Ronda Rousey | 2,319 | 13–2 |
| 6 | Weili Zhang | 2,304 | 26–4 |
| 7 | Dakota Ditcheva | 2,298 | 15–0 |
| 8 | Tatiana Suarez | 2,298 | 12–1 |
| 9 | Seika Izawa | 2,294 | 18–0 |
| 10 | Manon Fiorot | 2,276 | 13–2 |
ranked by current rating among active athletes — a fight within 18 months of the data date. inactive greats keep their number but leave this list until they return.
M All-time top 10 · Men
| Rk | Athlete | Peak | Record |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jon Jones | 2,663 | 28–0 |
| 2 | Daniel Cormier | 2,609 | 22–3 |
| 3 | Islam Makhachev● | 2,600 | 28–1 |
| 4 | Francis Ngannou● | 2,569 | 19–3 |
| 5 | Stipe Miocic | 2,555 | 20–5 |
| 6 | Gegard Mousasi | 2,544 | 49–9–2 |
| 7 | Ciryl Gane● | 2,537 | 14–2 |
| 8 | Ilia Topuria● | 2,534 | 17–1 |
| 9 | Khabib Nurmagomedov | 2,533 | 29–0 |
| 10 | Chris Weidman | 2,532 | 16–8 |
W All-time top 10 · Women
| Rk | Athlete | Peak | Record |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cristiane Justino● | 2,445 | 29–2 |
| 2 | Ronda Rousey● | 2,430 | 13–2 |
| 3 | Valentina Shevchenko● | 2,347 | 26–4–1 |
| 4 | Kayla Harrison● | 2,347 | 19–1 |
| 5 | Amanda Nunes | 2,342 | 23–5 |
| 6 | Weili Zhang● | 2,334 | 26–4 |
| 7 | Megumi Fujii | 2,330 | 26–3 |
| 8 | Liz Carmouche● | 2,326 | 26–8 |
| 9 | Dakota Ditcheva● | 2,298 | 15–0 |
| 10 | Tatiana Suarez● | 2,298 | 12–1 |
ranked by peak rating — the highest level each athlete demonstrably reached, priced by opponent quality, method of victory, and uncertainty.
§ The anti-black-box methodology v2.1
Every number on this site comes from the GOAT Rating — a statistical model in the Elo tradition that prices every result by opponent quality, method of victory, and uncertainty, in a single chronological replay of the fight record. How much each kind of victory is worth is set by machine learning, optimized against 230,000+ historical fights. Finishes move ratings most, split decisions least, and disqualifications and no-contests move nothing. Layoffs widen uncertainty instead of applying arbitrary decay. Men's and women's pools are derived from the fight graph itself.
The parameters, the points table, the exclusions, and the known limitations — including era inflation we measured and chose to disclose rather than quietly correct — are all published. Every ranking page carries the id of the run that produced it, and a methodology change requires a new, versioned run.
Bouts replayed343,383professional MMA, 1980 → 2026
Athletes rated149,521every fighter in the record, not a curated list
Bouts excluded2,933DQ & no-contests — noise, not signal
Human votes counted0that's the point