On Saturday night, the fan-favorite UFC BMF title will once again be up for grabs. The belt that has no specific weight class is currently held by featherweight great Max Holloway, and will be defended at lightweight against division legend Dustin Poirier.
The pair of future Hall of Famers is sure to deliver a barnburner at UFC 318. Especially with this being Poirier's UFC swan song. With the belt returning this weekend, it begs the question: Who else is worthy of competing for the unique championship? Well, we answer that question with our UFC BMF ranking of the baddest and most violent fighters in the company right now.
Also Read: UFC tonight – Get details on Saturday's UFC 318 card
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When you are the current UFC BMF champ, you get the No. 1 spot in our rankings. And it is well-earned. There is no fighter in the promotion more willing to throw down and get bloody than Max Holloway . However, while he is an absolute warrior, he is one of the greatest fighters of his generation. The former 145-pound king can get into a brawl or pick opponents apart with his outstanding boxing and trash talk while doing it.
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When you knock out three of the best fighters of the last decade in three straight fights, you easily earn a spot near the top of our UFC BMF rankings. Ilia Topuria is a highly skilled and well-rounded fighter. However, his striking mixed with his high fight IQ makes him a very bad man. The new lightweight king has yet to be defeated inside a cage, and his KO victories over Alex Volkanovski, Holloway, and Charles Oliveira are one of the great trio of wins in company history.
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Dustin Poirier is one of the most beloved fighters in UFC history for good reason. The former interim lightweight champion has been in four of the greatest fights in UFC history and won all of those bloody affairs. However, he is also the man who seemed to mentally break Conor McGregor after handing him a pair of losses. The Irish superstar has yet to return to the Octagon since being quieted by "The Diamond."
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Former middleweight and light heavyweight champ Alex Pereira has been a wrecking machine throughout his UFC career. He has won nine of his eleven fights in the Octagon and scored knockout victories in seven of them. Including devastating KO's of former champs Israel Adesanya and Jiří Procházka. While his face shows little emotion, behind his quiet demeanor is a scary man ready to put anyone to sleep.
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The man Holloway took the UFC BMF title from is former interim lightweight champion Justin Gaethje . Like Poirier, "The Highlight" has been in several epic wars and even scored a knockout win over Poirier in 2023. Gaethje is a violent fighter with not just heavy hands, but also filthy leg kicks. Yet what makes him a bad man is his willingness to walk through opponents' punches like a Terminator, looking to land killing blows.
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Part of being a BMF is talking a bunch of trash and then backing it up. From the start, Khamzat Chimaev wanted UFC fans to know he was the next big star in the sport. Over eight fights in the Octagon, the unbeaten 185-pounder has smashed foes and scored five first-round finishes. The scariest of them all was a win over middleweight legend Robert Whittaker last year, where he broke the former champion's jaw with his anaconda-like grip.
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Who doesn't love Derrick Lewis? "The Black Beast" isn't a fighter who brings an in-depth game plan to the Octagon that has contingencies. No, he hears the bell and looks to hand out concussions. Lewis owns the record for most KOs in UFC history at 16. Thank goodness he is such a funny character because he is downright scary otherwise.
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Sometimes being willing to fight anytime, anywhere makes a true UFC BMF. Nobody personifies that ideal more than Kevin Holland. The UFC veteran will step into the Octagon for the 27th time at UFC 318. It means that since his debut in 2018, he has averaged 3.88 fights per year. An insane amount. Then you factor in that he has faced many elite talents, and did so with a smile and endless trash talk. Holland is a true bad mother [expletive].
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Featherweight Jean Silva has only had five fights in the UFC. But in that short time, he has made a huge statement. He has finished in all five of his fights, and all but one came in the first or second round. He has done it with flair and an almost reckless confidence that has quickly endeared him to fight fans.
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Love him or hate him, Paddy Pimblett's results inside the Octagon are hard to deny. Seven wins, five finishes, and trash talk that rivals fighters like Conor McGregor and Sean Strickland. Backing up boasts is one of the hardest things to do in sports. However, thus far, the Englishman continues to get louder as he quiets his doubters.
Also Read:: UFC pound for pound rankings: Where Does Ilia Topuria land after UFC 317?
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