As the name suggests, Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighters combine different fighting styles in their matches. Some fighters specialize in boxing whereas others specialize in Muay Thai. This diversity makes MMA fights entertaining to watch, the most famous of them being UFC.
UFC is filled with MMA fighters of different techniques and backgrounds. The fighting styles make UFC a popular choice for betting since they can be unpredictable and UFC odds tend to be diverse.
Some MMA fighters demonstrate their skills by having long winning streaks. This is a list of some of the longest winning streaks in MMA history. It includes retired and active fighters, both in and out of the UFC.
Table of Contents
Travis Fulton
Also known as ‘The Ironman’, Travis Fulton not only holds the record for the longest streak, but he also has the most sanctioned mixed martial arts bouts at 320 and the most wins with 255.
He started his impressive streak in 2005, over the next 2 years he won 40 matches in a row. In 2007, his streak was broken by Ben Rothwell.
Fulton competed in the Heavyweight division of mixed martial arts and boxing. Boxing was his preferred style in MMA. In 2019 he began bare-knuckle boxing of which he played 1 match and lost.
He committed suicide in 2021 after he was charged with possession of illegal material.
Igor Vovchanchyn
Igo Vovchanchyn had an impressive MMA career before his early retirement at 32 due to injuries.
He debuted as an MMA fighter in 1995, a year later he started his impressive winning streak of 37. His streak was broken by Mark Coleman in the PRIDE Grand Prix Finals in 2000. One of the matches in his streak was deemed a no-contest.
He competed in the Light Heavyweight and the Heavyweight divisions with a kickboxing style.
Vovchanchyn was invited to fight at UFC in 1996 but turned the offer down. This was because of visa issues and his dissatisfaction with their offer.
In 1998, Vovchanchyn won the World Vale Tudo Championship. After that, he was invited to join PRIDE, a Japanese mixed martial arts promotion. He fought at PRIDE until his retirement.
In 2012 there was a Heavyweight MMA tournament named after him called the Igor Vovchanchyn Cup. It ran for 8 matches with Daniel Omielanczuk winning after defeating Evgeniy Timanovskiy.
Renan Barão
The final retired fighter on our list and the only one to have actively fought in the UFC. Barão debuted in the UFC in 2011 and proceeded to win his debut fight against Cole Escovedo. This debut was in the middle of his impressive 32-long winning streak and was his 26th victory.
His streak started after his first-ever loss in 2005 to João Paulo Rodrigues. His streak broke in 2014 when he lost his Bantamweight Championship title to T. J. Dillashaw in UFC 173. He was able to successfully defend his title 1 time before this match.
Barão left the UFC in 2019. While he is retired from the UFC, he did sign a 3 fight contract with Taura MMA. As of 2022, 4 fights had been planned with him but all of them were canceled.
Luis Rafael Laurentino
Also known as Japa, Laurentino is in the Featherweight class and has amassed an impressive career in regional fights. He only had 2 fights in his amateur career, in the first he lost by submission, and in the second he won by submission.
He started his professional career in 2012 and didn’t lose a fight until 31 matches later. His streak broke in 2016 when he fought Fabricio Viegas Sarraff, he was KO’d 9 seconds into round 2.
He is not retired so he may be able to build up an impressive streak again.
Julio Cesar Neves Jr.
Neves has fought 36 matches in total and has only lost once. This was in 2015 against Jordan Parsons who won by submission. This defeat broke his 30-long winning streak which he had accumulated over 4 years.
His streak earned him a 30-0 record, which was impressive considering his age and the short amount of time it took him to achieve it.
His preferred fighting style is Muay Thai and Luta Livre. As of 2022, his winning streak is at 6.
Many people have criticized his winning streak, saying he achieved most of it through fighting weaker opponents and avoiding stronger challenges. Some of his opponents in his country of origin Brazil have a record of 0 wins and less than 10 defeats.
Conclusion
A 10-long streak is considered impressive, so extending that by over triple the amount shows how talented these fighters are.
By comparison, the longest streak just in the UFC is 17 and is held by Anderson Silva. This streak gave him the record of the longest title reign in UFC history.
Each of these fighters has their own style of fighting that plays to their strengths and allowed them to create such hard-to-beat records. Even if some of their wins were against people who aren’t as competent as regular UFC fighters.
