Top 10 English fighters in UFC history, ranked

Despite boxing being one of the most popular combat sports in England since arguably the mid-19th century, many forget that the country also has its own history when it comes to other martial arts like catch wrestling.

Well before Billy Robinson was popularizing catch wrestling out of Wigan and helping influence future mixed martial arts pioneers like Kazushi Sakuraba and Josh Barnett, the term “catch as catch can” can be traced back to the 1300s in England.

So, with a deceptively rich history in combat sports, it shouldn’t be a surprise that England eventually became one of the first countries to embrace MMA all the way back in its “no-holds-barred” days of the 1990s.

The UFC’s first visit to the country was back at UFC 38 in 2002, but England wouldn’t produce an official UFC champion until UFC 199 in 2016. Since then, the country has continued to make serious strides in the sport, producing two impressive champions in the early-to-mid 2020s alone.

With the UFC set to host yet another Pay-Per-View in England that’s built around said champions, I thought it would be a great excuse to take a stroll down memory lane to pay homage to some of the great English mixed martial artists who competed in the octagon.

This caveat will likely be bent given that some of these fighters had notable accomplishments outside of the UFC, but I did my best to recognize each combatant and their contribution to the landscape as a whole.

As usual, these lists reflect my personal tastes and biases and are not meant to serve as some ultimate authority. That said, I feel very strongly about not only my list – but also my honorable mentions at the end.

So, without further ado …

Lee Murray

Despite technically only having one fight in the octagon, there’s no way I was going to leave “Lightning” [autotag]Lee Murray[/autotag] off this list.

Although Murray will have to live with the fact that “the legend” was always bigger than the fighter was given his outside-of-the-cage actions and reputation, the English-Morrocan mixed martial artist had some undeniable talents that extended well past the street.

Aside from allegedly knocking out a prime Tito Ortiz outside of a nightclub in London, Murray, who could no longer fight for the UFC due to visa issues stemming from his criminal activity, went on to slug it out with future Hall of Famer Anderson Silva in the UK MMA promotion “Cage Rage” for five rounds (arguably doing better than a lot of his UFC contemporaries did at the time).

Murray’s fighting career was cut short after being stabbed outside of a nightclub in 2005, and was eventually sentenced to 25 years in a Morrocan prison for his involvement with the Securitas depot robbery where over 50 million English pounds were stolen – resulting in what was the biggest cash robbery in the history the United Kingdom.

Ian Freeman

Notching the number nine is England’s first UFC fighter, [autotag]Ian Freeman[/autotag].

Making his promotional debut back at UFC 24 as the first Englishman to step into the octagon, Freeman ended up going 3-2-1 in the UFC, facing some of their biggest names and future champions in the process.

Akin to other English fighters like the previously-mentioned Murray, Freeman also went to train with camps like the Militech Fighting Systems in the United States to further round out his game.

However, it was the help of American catch wrestler and mixed martial artist, Josh Barnett, that was arguably key for Freeman to find his biggest success in the octagon.

Slated to face undefeated leg lock and submission specialist Frank Mir in London’s Royal Albert Hall, it was clear that Freeman was brought in to be a ticket-selling stepping stone for the future UFC champion.

But despite the 12-year age gap accompanying the size differential, Freeman went on to survive some serious leg entanglements en route to rearranging Mir’s face with some vicious ground strikes – forcing fairly uncomfortable and brutal stoppage to boot.

As referenced in the clip above, Freeman’s upset was so massive that it ended up being featured prominently in the English papers the next day.

Paul Daley

Despite having a notable ignominious ending with the UFC back in 2010, it’s difficult to deny [autotag]Paul Daley[/autotag] his due shine for the sheer entertainment that his quality striking brought to the table.

A knockout artist of the highest order, Daley was signed to the UFC off the strength of his success in promotions like Cage Rage and Strikeforce, where “Semtex” scored wins over names like Duane Ludwig and a fellow Englishman who also deserves to be on this list, Mark Weir (both of whom previously held records for the fastest knockouts in UFC history).

After storming onto the UFC scene with impressive stoppages over Martin Kampmann and Dustin Hazelett, Daley found himself in a top contender matchup with Josh Koscheck. But after being out-wrestled for three rounds, emotions got the better of the Brit in what was ultimately a costly moment for his career.

Daley went on to accrue some notable wins over names like Jorge Masvidal and Lorenz Larkin outside of the UFC, as well as put on an unforgettable one-round war with Nick Diaz in Strikeforce.

Ross Pearson

Jun 10, 2017; Auckland, NZ; Dan Hooker (red gloves) fights against Ross Pearson (blue gloves) during UFC Fight Night at Spark Arena

Taking the number seven slot is a name that hardcore fight fans will appreciate – – and that’s [autotag]Ross Pearson[/autotag].

Aside from the fact that Pearson was arguably on the wrong end of a few split decisions during his UFC tenure, it can be tricky if you’re attempting to judge “The Real Deal” from his record alone given that he competed in one of the historically deepest and most skilled divisions in MMA.

Moreover, Pearson was arguably among the pioneers in MMA’s golden age when it came to moving more toward proper striking technique.

Win or lose, Pearson was always an action-packed operator that gave you something to appreciate.

Dan Hardy

Although newer fans may know him as a coach or commentator, [autotag]Dan Hardy[/autotag] was an undeniable influence on the UK scene during his fighting prime.

After producing a highlight-reel knockout over Rory Markham in his second UFC fight at UFC 95, the promotion looked to ride Hardy’s momentum as part of their global push into foreign markets.

Thankfully for the UFC, Hardy was as natural at promoting fights as he was getting into them (as seen in his rivalry with Marcus Davis).

Hardy eventually made his way to become the first English fighter to receive a title shot in the UFC, but lost a clear decision to Hall of Famer Georges St-Pierre at UFC 111. Hardy’s career was unfortunately cut short due to Wolff-Parkinson White syndrome.

Arnold Allen

Mar 19, 2022; London, UK; Arnold Allen (red gloves) and Dan Hooker (blue gloves) during UFC Fight Night at O2 Arena

Narrowly taking a top 5 spot is [autotag]Arnold Allen[/autotag].

I usually try and avoid ranking active fighters on these kinds of lists, but this topic makes it difficult given that England is quietly seeing its own golden era in MMA at the time of this writing.

Allen hasn’t quite yet reached a title shot at this point in his career, but the English fighter has also been competing in one of the deepest divisions in MMA, accruing wins over notable names that range from Gilbert Melendez to Mads Burnell.

At the time of this article, Allen – at least in the octagon – has only come up short to former champion and Hall of Famer Max Holloway, as well as a loss to an undefeated Mosvar Evloev (in a fight where he was only one or two big moments away from winning).

Allen still has a lot of room to move on this list, given that he’s still actively campaigning at the top of the featherweight class, but I’m confident that the savvy English southpaw’s career will age well amongst his contemporaries.

Brad Pickett

Notching the number four spot is one of my favorite fighters, [autotag]Brad Pickett[/autotag].

A pioneer of both English MMA and the lighter weight classes alike, Pickett helped popularize this sport both at home and abroad with his classic “Pikey” look and fan-friendly style.

After cutting his teeth on the Cage Warriors circuit, Picket eventually made himself known to North American fans by putting on some incredible performances in the WEC, beating names that ranged from Ivan Menjivar to Demetrious Johnson.

One of the first English fighters who could essentially do it all, it was not unusual to see Pickett competently wrestle and scramble his way submission holds and the like. And when it came to his striking, “One Punch” was a skilled operator who was more than capable of living up to his moniker.

Pickett moved on to coaching post his MMA career, where he now helps other fighters who could eventually be on this list like Nathaniel Wood.

Tom Aspinall

Nov 11, 2023; New York, NY, USA; Tom Aspinall (blue gloves) reacts to beating Sergei Pavlovich (red gloves) during UFC 295 at Madison Square Garden

Taking a top-three spot in none other than [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag].

Although I hate ranking active fighters on these lists (especially when they’re scheduled to compete shortly after this is published), it is difficult to deny both the accomplishments and potential of a fighter like Aspinall.

Aside from winning UFC titles and beating former UFC champions by the age of 30, Aspinall displays the agility and athleticism of a smaller man despite being one of the larger heavyweights on the roster.

I’m not sure if Aspinall will be granted the big name that his resume still needs considering that Jon Jones clearly wants no part of him, but the Englishman has a chance to make himself undeniable if he can avenge his lone UFC (injury) loss to Curtis Blaydes at UFC 304 this weekend.

Leon Edwards

Dec 16, 2023; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Leon Edwards (red gloves) fights Colby Covington (blue gloves) during UFC 296 at T-Mobile Arena

Coming in at No. 2 is another active UFC champion with a title defense right around the corner – – and that’s [autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag].

A native of Jamaica who grew up on the mean streets of Birmingham, Edwards’ rise was unexpected and awe-inspiring.

Edwards quietly and steadily ascended the UFC ranks at 170 pounds until wins over the likes of Nate Diaz, Donald Cerrone and Rafael dos Anjos made him undeniable for his chance at revenge on then-champion Kamaru Usman.

After going 2-1 in his series with Usman, Edwards further cemented his reign with a successful defense over Colby Covington. At the time of this article, Edwards is currently scheduled to run it back with Belal Muhammad for his title at UFC 304.

Michael Bisping

Feb 26, 2016; London, United Kingdom; Michael Bisping during weigh-ins for UFC Fight Night at O2 Arena

In what was a clear choice for my sensibilities, there was no way I was gonna snub [autotag]Michael Bisping[/autotag] for his deserved spot at the top.

A Hall of Famer who had to scratch and claw his way to said status, Bisping became the first English fighter to win a UFC championship after a decade of fighting for the promotion.

Still holding the record for most wins in UFC middleweight history at the time of this writing, Bisping holds wins over legendary names that range from Dan Henderson to an unforgettable fight with Anderson Silva.

It would later be revealed that Bisping was accomplishing his most impressive late-career accolades with one functional eye, making the Brit’s campaigning all the more impressive.

Just like you can’t hear “Song 2” by Blur without thinking of Bisping, you can’t talk about English MMA without mentioning “The Count.”

*Honorable mentions: Mark Weir, Vaughn Lee, Jimi Manuwa, Darren Till, Lerone Murphy