There are many factors that go into making a great fighter. Strength, speed, agility, and reflexes are all important. But one factor that is often overlooked is having a strong chin. In the UFC, there is no room for error. One mistake can mean the difference between winning and losing. That’s why having a strong chin is so important. A strong chin can take a punch and keep a fighter in the fight. In this blog post, we will take a look at some of the fighters with the strongest chins in UFC history.
Tony Ferguson
Tony “El Cucuy” Ferguson is a force to be reckoned with in the lightweight division. He’s known for his unorthodox fighting style and his seemingly infinite stamina. In his 29 professional MMA fights, Ferguson has only been knocked out twice. Once early in his career and once recently when Michael Chandler caught him with a perfect and outright scary upkick to the jaw.
The damage El Cucuy has suffered over the years has slowly started to creep up on him. In his title fight against Justin Gaethje, he was visibly hurt by some of the shots he took. He’s also been dropped a few times in his last few fights.
Despite all of this, Ferguson’s chin has held up relatively well over the years and he’s still one of the best lightweight fighters in the world. It seems that the “wings on the back tattoo” holds up to the myth that those who have it, are almost un KO-able.
Roy Nelson
Roy “Big Country” Nelson is a heavyweight fighter with a record of 23 wins and 19 losses. Even though he’s been knocked out three times in his career, Nelson has proved to be exceptionally durable. Nelson really fought against some of the hardest hitters the UFC could throw at him.
Nelson seemingly never gets stung by a shot and just keeps coming forward. He’s been able to take some of the heaviest shots from the likes of Cro Cop, Matt Mitrione, and Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira
Monsters in their own right handed out his three KO losses: Andrei Arlovski, Mark Hunt, and Sergei Kharitonov, respectively.
Yoel Romero
Yoel “Soldier of God” Romero is a Cuban MMA fighter who competed in the middleweight division. He’s currently fighting in the Bellator promotion, where he recently broke his opponent’s jaw. In his professional career, Romero has only been knocked out once—and that was early on in his career as well.
I remember watching his fight against Dereck Brunson, where Brunson landed a textbook-high kick onto the back of Romero’s head, and this Columbian science experiment of a man didn’t even flinch. Brunson landed some hard shots on Romero, and he just kept walking forward until he finally TKOd Brunson in the third round.
Romero has fought against some of the strongest strikers in the UFC, such as Robert Whitaker (twice), Paulo Costa, Lyoto Machida, and Tim Kennedy. The reason why Romero is hard to knock out is due to his shortened neck. While wrestling, he hurt his back, and therefore, they had to implant a metal rod in his spine, which shortened the distance between his ears and shoulders.
Clay Guida
Guida is best known for his incredibly high work rate and non-stop style of fighting. He may not have the knockout power of some other fighters on this list, but what he lacks in power, he makes up for in heart.
Guida, an Illinois native, is a fan favorite and has only lost twice by knockout in his career. He is infamous for being able to absorb punishment while continuing to move forward and threaten opponents with his wrestling skills.
Frankie Edgar
Frankie Edgar has always been at a size disadvantage compared to his opponents, but he has been remarkably successful in spite of that. He has an unbreakable will, superior conditioning, and a chin that seems worthy of a top heavyweight.
In his 2011 title defense against Gray Maynard, the final fight in their trilogy is a perfect example of Edgar’s power. The far larger and more powerful Maynard landed a series of devastating punches early in the first round on Edgar, appearing to be close to finishing Edgar multiple times. However, what many people don’t realize is that Edgar was able to weather that storm and eventually knocked out Maynard in the fourth round.
Dan Henderson
At the age of 46, Dan Henderson was one of the oldest active MMA fighters. He’s a former Olympian and a two-division champion in multiple organizations. Out of his 15 career losses, he was only knocked out three times, twice by the monster that was TRT Vitor Belfort.
Despite all of that, Henderson has one of the best chins in MMA history. For the first 16 years of his career, there wasn’t a single fighter who could KO Henderson until Vitor Belfort. He also holds some impressive wins over UFC legends such as Fedor Emelianenko, Mauricio Rua, Wanderlei Silva, and even Vitor Belfort.
Fedor Emelianenko
“The Last Emperor” Fedor Emelianenko is widely considered to be the greatest heavyweight MMA fighter of all time. He’s a legend in the sport, and his chin is just as legendary. Even though he had been KO/TKO’d five times in his career, two of those were due to a doctor’s stoppage.
Emelianenko has been hit with some of the hardest shots in MMA history, and he’s always managed to walk through them. He’s taken shots from the likes of Mirko Cro Cop, Andrei Arlovski, Mark Hunt, Brett Rogers, and many more. Fedor is one of those fighters who just seems to have a natural ability to absorb punishment and keep going.
Nate Diaz
The fan favorite Nate Diaz is known for his iron chin and ability to take a beating. He’s been in some wars in the UFC, most notably against Conor McGregor and Donald Cerrone.
In his fight against Cerrone, Diaz was absolutely relentless. He took some heavy shots from Cerrone, but he just kept coming forward until he finally stopped him in the third round.
There is just something about Diaz that doesn’t allow him to be knocked out. He’s been hit with some of the hardest shots in the UFC, and he always manages to find a way to stay on his feet. Diaz, unfortunately, bleeds quite a lot when he gets cut, but his chin is definitely one of the best in the business.
Diego Sanchez
Diego Sanchez is a veteran of the UFC, having competed in the promotion for over 14 years. During that time, Sanchez has taken some of the hardest shots in the business and kept on ticking. In fact, it’s fair to say that Diego Sanchez has one of the strongest chins in the history of the UFC.
Diego Sanchez has been involved in some of the most brutal fights in UFC history, and he always manages to walk away with his chin held high. Whether it’s his war with Clay Guida at The Ultimate Fighter: United States vs. United Kingdom Finale or his three-round battle with Gilbert Melendez at UFC 166, Sanchez always finds a way to come out on the winning end.
Sanchez has been stopped via KO/TKO a total of 4 times, two of those being via KO.
Conclusion
It is always a pleasure to watch a good knockout in the UFC, but it is even more impressive when a fighter has the ability to take a shot and keep going. While there are many fighters with good chins in the UFC, these stand out above the rest.
