Almost every fighter who has ever become a UFC champion has also suffered a devastating loss in their career where they were either knocked out or forced to tap out. There is no worse beating than “getting stopped,” that is to say a loss via technical knockout, knockout or submission, but it’s all just a standard workplace hazard at the highest level of MMA. However, six fighters in history are exceptions to this rule.
You can name almost any icon of the UFC (or by extension an icon of MMA in general) and they have all lost in soul crushing fashion: punched, kicked or choked into near or legitimate unconsciousness.
Captain America and the Iceman might have rescued cage fighting from the dark ages but they also killed each other off in a TKO & KO filled trilogy.
GSP got TKO’d by a short jiu jitsu ace from Long Island while Anderson Silva got knocked out by a tall wrestling ace from Long Island.
Brock Lesnar will tell you that he got liver kicked into retirement by a fighter named diverticulitis.
Ronda Rousey got head kicked into the upside down world by a -1400 underdog and a few months later Conor McGregor got choked out by a kids’ jiu-jitsu teacher.
All of the above fighters were flag bearers of the company, the all time best PPV and ticket sellers but none of them can claim to be unstoppable.
Which is what makes these six, all of them active fighters, so impressive: Current or former UFC champions whose only losses are due to a judge’s scorecard or a hapless referee. It’s an exclusive club in combat history; fighters who made it to the top of their divisions and remain unfinishable.
Frankie Edgar
In 26 professional fights, no one has found the answer for how to stop Frankie Edgar. The former lightweight champion lost his belt by decision to Benson Henderson in 2012 and while Edgar has four other decision losses in his career, he has been notoriously impossible to put away. Just ask Grey Maynard who had Edgar on the ropes in their two title fights but could never put the final nail in the coffin. Edgar is a cage fighting energizer bunny: He keeps going and going.
Should Conor McGregor stay at featherweight, a showdown between Edgar and Conor would be the ultimate test of Edgar’s chin and on the flip side a great test for Conor’s takedown defense.
Likelihood Of Being Stopped:With Edgar turning 35 this year, it’s very possible that he makes it to the finish line of his career without ever being stopped. It’s also hard to imagine anyone could ever lock in submission and force him to tap. If you’re going to stop Edgar, the best bet would be to trade punches or kicks and hope to land the deathblow that no other fighter has been able to land yet.
Daniel Cormier
The current light heavyweight champion is 18-1 in his career, with the lone loss being to rival Jon Jones by decision in January of 2015. Never in the Jones fight did Cormier look close to being stopped but Cormier’s most recent fights have tested his equilibrium:
Anthony Johnson rocked Cormier in their May of 2015 title fight but Cormier withstood the storm and was able to pick up a 3rd round submission win. Alexander Gustafsson kneed Cormier in the head later that year and it looked like Cormier was done but he held on for a split decision win. And then at UFC 200, Anderson Silva landed a vicious kick to the ribs as the fight was winding down and seemed to tag Cormier ever so briefly but Cormier was able to make it to the bell and win by decision.
Likelihood Of Being Stopped:If anyone were to stop Cormier via KO in the near future, it’s Anthony “Rumble” Johnson which is a rematch that is currently rumored. The recent scares against Johnson, Gustafsson and Silva might all be adding up so the next person who rocks Cormier gets to cash in on the damage already done. But Cormier is also the oldest fighter on this list. Cormier might not have more than a handful of fights left and could feasibly retire soon without ever being stopped which is also remarkable for a former heavyweight who traded punches with the heaviest of hitters.
Jon Jones
We all know the story that Jones lost his light heavyweight belt because he was involved in a hit and run accident.
And we all know the other story that Jones only professional loss comes from referee Steve Mazzagatti disqualifying Jones for illegal elbows in a fight Jones was clearly winning, as he was about to finish Matt Hammil. If it weren’t for that illegal elbow incident, Jones would be a perfect 23-0. And while Jones has never been stopped, he has had his moments were a KO or submission loss looked imminent:
Vitor Belfort armbarred Jones in the first round of their 2012 title fight at UFC 152 and it was a sunk, no doubt about it, armbar. Yet Jones miraculously didn’t tap and went on to win the fight in the 4th round. Alexander Gustafson took Jones to the deepest waters of his career in their 5 round war at UFC 165 in 2013 but Jones won by decision. Jones has bent but never broken.
Likelihood Of Being Stopped:Another rumored fight that Dana White recently spoke about was Jon Jones vs. Anthony Johnson which would also be a great test of Jones’ chin (at least for the first few minutes before Rumble potentially tires. And in general, Anthony Rumble Johnson is certainly the best test of anyone’s chin.)
If Jones were to move to heavyweight eventually, the odds would increase that someone with plus sized power could catch and finish Jones. Someone like Stipe Miocic, Junior Dos Santos or Fabricio Werdum would not only pose such a threat standing but someone like Werdum is no slouch on the ground either. But Jones has stated he wants to clear out his division before the move. When it comes to predicting Jon Jones, a lot just depends on if he can stay out of trouble. The judicial system or an athletic commission is more likely to stop Jones in the short term than a fellow fighter.
Anthony Pettis
The former lightweight champ lost his belt in a brutal 5 round beatdown by Rafael Dos Anjos in March of 2015 but Pettis could not be put away. It was a decision loss despite Pettis breaking his orbital bone early in the fight. It’s incredible that even a broken orbital bone couldn’t cause Anthony Pettis to fall victim to a stoppage in the worst performance of his career.
Pettis is 19-5 as a pro with all 5 losses coming via decision and while the former Wheaties box cover athlete has fallen on hard times recently, Pettis has moved to 145 lbs. and is looking to reinvigorate his career.
Likelihood Of Being Stopped:There are a few finishers at featherweight who would love to try to be the first fighter to drop Pettis. Hard-hitting Jeremy Stephens comes to mind. As does Jose Aldo in a long rumored super fight. Also of note would be a featherweight fight of Frankie Edgar vs. Pettis, in a battle of two former lightweight champions, who have both never been stopped.
Pettis is tough and durable but recently has looked outclassed when a fighter can press Pettis against the cage. It would not be surprising for someone to lock in a late round submission or get a TKO if they were able to work Pettis over for 5 rounds much like RDA did. But don’t ever count on it being easy to finish Showtime.
Joanna Jerdrzejcyk
The undefeated, women’s strawweight champion is a violence machine who has looked like a world beater in all her UFC fights. That’s because, quiet simply, Joanna has the best Muay Thai striking in the division if not the entire UFC.
But the 29 year old has only had 12 professional fights total, so there are plenty more tests to come.
Likelihood Of Being Stopped:Joanna’s next fight against fellow undefeated, Polish fighter Karolina Kowalkiewicz is interesting on a few levels. Karolina also has a Mauy Thai background and also has two submission wins on her record. If Joanna were to ever get stopped, it feels like she would succumb to a submission on the ground before ever being tagged on her feet. That’s what also makes a potential match up with top ranked strawweight, Rose Namajunas interesting. 4 of Rose’s 5 career wins are by submission. A Rose vs. Joanna showdown would be a great way to test Joanna’s submission defense. For right now though betting on JJ to stay stoppage free seems safe. Not a lot of strawweights pose a massive power threat either.
Demetrious ‘Mighty Mouse’ Johnson
The current flyweight champion is on a 10-fight win streak and is regarded by some as the pound for pound king of the sport. In 27 pro fights, Johnson has only 2 losses, both by decision, (to Dominick Cruz and Brad Pickett) and 1 draw (With Ian McCall.) Johnson has twice beaten John Dodson who possessed the most KO power in the flyweight division before moving up a weight class.
Likelihood Of Being Stopped:At flyweight it doesn’t seem like there is an imminent threat. It’s a long rumored move back up to 135 lbs. where things could get very intriguing. The current and former Bantamweight champions, Dominick Cruz and TJ Dilashaw are both masters of footwork with the potential outwork Johnson on the feet. And rising bantamweight star, Cody Garbrandt, has been compared to a mini Chuck Liddell, a neo sprawl and brawl representative, with enough power to tag and finish Johnson.
Johnson has been vocal about making more money and being booked in superfights so a move to bantamweight makes sense. And while there are fights at bantamweight that could increase Jonson’s visibility and pay, they inherently pose a bigger threat to seeing Mighty Mouse be finished than any of the competition at flyweight could provide.
The Future
There are several ranked UFC fighters who have never been stopped. Some are still early in their careers like Francis Ngannou, who only has 9 professional fights. But someone like John Dodson, with 25 professional fights on his record, has made it through the majority of his career without a stoppage loss. Wonderboy Thompson and Gunnar Nelson are two exciting welterweights who have never tasted defeat by KO or Submission. And then there’s Khabib Nurgamedov, the 155 pound title contender and sambo specialist, who is a perfect 22-0. It’s hard to imagine anyone every stopping Khabib other than his own injuries.
Outside the UFC, current Bellator fighter Phil Davis has never tasted defeat by stoppage. (He was even able to stay standing in his 3 round decision loss to Anthony Johnson.) And One FC welterweight champion Ben Askren is 15-0, giving Roufusport two fighters with the distinction of being impossible to put away.
How many of the aforementioned fighters can make it through their whole careers without a TKO, KO or Submission loss? And how many will reach championship status as well? History would indicate that they will all be stopped before they stop fighting entirely.
