Some of the best Black fighters in UFC history include Rampage Jackson, Rashad Evans, and Jon Jones. The competition in UFC is incredibly high, making it the most successful environment for those looking to make a name for themselves in MMA.
The Octagon is where stars are born, with the best fights creating legacies for fighters at the top of their UFC game. A few big wins, particularly current sports news or title fights, can make the star power necessary to build momentum for a fighter and improve their competition record.
There won’t be much up-to-date sports news in this post, but there are loads of black MMA heroes, and some are still competing. Travel through a celebration of the best black MMA fighters in history while they unleash their power on future stars and commit their legacy to fighting history. Starting with Jon ‘Bones’ Jones
Jon ‘Bones’ Jones is the GOAT
1987-born Jonathan Dwight Jones deserves his place in the MMA Hall of Fame. Hailing from Albuquerque, New Mexico, he can unleash the power with his 215 cm reach. JJ is a Black belt in Gaidojutsu and a purple belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. A wrestling champ in the NJCAA wrestling category, Jones is a talented individual.
Jones deserves his place on this list of the best black MMA fighters because At 23 years old, JJ took the UFC light heavyweight title from MMA fighter Maurício Rua at UFC 128 during a third-round TKO, the title as the youngest UFC champ in the promotion’s history.
Jones has only lost once against MMA fighter Matt Hamill during the UFC: The Ultimate Finale fight because of using illegal 12–6 elbows. Finally, Jones retains 16 title fights and holds the record for the most title fight wins (15) in UFC history. In 2021, Jones was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame’s Fight Wing. After a few career ups and downs, Jones is scheduled to defend his title against Stipe Miocic at UFC 295, which will be essential viewing for anyone interested in black sports news.
Anderson Silva – ‘The Spider’
Silva looks good for a 48-year-old Brazilian fighter who has seen everything. Anderson, ‘The Spider’ Silva, is a black belt in Muay Thai, a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (3rd degree), a 5th-dan black belt in Taekwondo, and a Yellow rope in Capoeira.
With Silva heading into the UFC Hall of Fame as part of the 2023 cohort, here is why ‘The Spider’ is on our list of the best black MMA fighters. The reintroduction of the front face kick resulted in Silva’s spectacular finish of Vitor Belfort back at UFC 126.
A 17-fight winning streak and ten successful title defenses give Silva the kind of reputation that MMA fighters at the top of their game share. ‘The Spider’ is a force of nature, seemingly playing a striking game light years ahead of the men he faces, no matter how talented the opponent. Retiring with MMA veteran status in 2020, he is still an active member of the sports community.
Ciryl ‘Bon Gamin’ Gane
One of the most athletic MMA heavyweight fighters in UFC history, former UFC interim heavyweight champion Ciryl Gane loves sport, not just MMA. Gane played both basketball and soccer before focusing on combat sports.
Gane hails from Guadeloupe in the Caribbean but fights out of Paris, France. Although his pre-MMA career is known primarily for his undefeated run in kickboxing, Gane played amateur basketball and soccer before focusing on Muay Thai and MMA.
He is the ultimate sportsman and a regular commentator who enjoys sports news soccer. His experience playing soccer (football in Europe) has led him to participate in a celebrity charity match and playoffs. While it’s unlikely that ‘Bon Gamin’ will make the latest soccer headlines, he will make some noise for the MMA Factory.
Walter Jermaine Harris – ‘The Big Ticket’
Harris gets a mention because, apart from MMA, he plays basketball. Harris, ‘The Big T’ has been a UFC stalwart for at least ten years and, along the way, has earned six knockouts, with his most significant win coming over Aleksei Oleinik in 12 seconds in 2019.
Harris’s large stature and power are apparent; however, what isn’t is that Harris was a college basketball player for Jacksonville State University. The latest NBA news says he only played one season of college basketball and opted for MMA after declining NBA offers to try out.
Harris is also a fan of boxing. Remember the Alabama Golden Gloves Championship and the Georgia Golden Gloves Championship as the road to ‘The Big Tickets’ success.
Demetrious ‘Mighty Mouse’ Johnson
At 5ft 3 and only 125 pounds, Johnson is a pocket rocket and one of the greatest of all time in the MMA world—a skilled wrestler, his ultra-fast takedowns and ground-and-pound from guard style to disarm his opponents efficiently.
The mouse was the UFC’s first flyweight champion, defending his title 11 times. Even Mighty Mouse had to step down; indeed, the best flyweight in UFC history was defeated by Henry Cejudo in 2018. A brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Johnson fights in ONE Championship, an MMA promotion based out of Singapore. Sadly, scrappy mouse was left at home because more than one mouse is too many.
Daniel ‘D.C.’ Cormier
Daniel Ryan Cormier was born in Lafayette, Louisiana. This veteran MMA fighter turned commentator is an Olympic freestyle wrestler. History and Black Sports News call him one of the finest grapplers to ever step into the Octagon.
As the second fighter in UFC history to be champion in two weight classes after being crowned lightweight and heavyweight champion ‘D.C’ earns his place on this list of the best black MMA fighters. A brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Cormier retired after consecutive losses to Stipe Miocic.
Today ‘D.C.’ presents up-to-date sports news and UFC commentary and a dedicated fan of football, particularly the New Orleans Saints and, of course, professional wrestling. In October 2022, Cormier refereed the MMA-inspired “Fight Pit” bout between Seth ‘The Man’ Rollins and Matt ‘The Riddler’ Riddle at WWE Extreme Rules 2022.
Love or hate our choices, there’s little doubt that MMA has benefitted from the power of these MMA superstars.
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