MMA
Top 10 Oldest UFC Fighters in History: Legends Who Defied Time
Using the SportsBoom MetaScale, we have ranked the top 10 oldest UFC fighters in history.
Dan and Dave Legen//Getty Images
Mixed Martial Arts is very much a young man's sport like the rest of combat sports. Nevertheless, fighters in the UFC tend to stick around a little longer than boxers do for example to the point where we have seen several fighters win UFC titles in their late 30's or even early 40's.
In this article, we will rank and analyse the top 10 oldest UFC fighters in history using the SportsBoom MetaScale.
Methodology
Oldest Active Age in UFC (50%): The oldest age of the fighter while competing in the UFC.
Longevity (30%): The duration of their MMA careers, especially the time spent in top promotions like the UFC.
Legacy & Achievements (20%): The fighter's overall impact on the sport, including titles, iconic fights, and contributions to MMA.
The rankings were developed using verified data sourced from:
This comprehensive approach ensures an accurate representation of the oldest UFC fighters and their remarkable contributions to MMA. The SportsBoom MetaScale assigns weights to these factors to generate a final ranking.
Critical Consensus: Ranking the Oldest UFC Fighters
The Critical Consensus Table displays rankings from TheSportster and Oldest.org, alongside the fighters age and their key achievements.
Critical Consensus Table
| Rank | Fighter | TheSportster Ranking | Oldest.org Ranking | Age (Years) | Key Achievements |
| 1 | Dan Severn | N/A | 10 | 54 | UFC Hall of Famer, first Superfight Champion |
| 2 | Randy Couture | N/A | 1 | 48 | Former UFC Heavyweight and Light Heavyweight Champion |
| 3 | Mark Coleman | N/A | 3 | 45 | UFC Hall of Famer, first Heavyweight Champion |
| 4 | Anderson Silva | N/A | 2 | 45 | Legendary UFC Middleweight Champion |
| 5 | Antonio Rogério Nogueira | N/A | 5 | 44 | UFC Pride veteran, fought top competition |
| 6 | Aleksei Oleinik | N/A | 4 | 47 | Over 60 professional wins, active fighter in his late 40s |
| 7 | Marion Reneau | N/A | 6 | 44 | Oldest female fighter in UFC history |
| 8 | Demian Maia | N/A | 7 | 44 | Elite grappler, multiple-time title challenger |
| 9 | Yoel Romero | N/A | 8 | 47 | Explosive striker, competed for UFC titles |
| 10 | Fabrício Werdum | N/A | 9 | 47 | Former UFC Heavyweight Champion |
Dan Severn and Randy Couture stand out as the top oldest UFC fighters in history, both of them retiring into their 50s and late 40s. Mark Coleman, the first-ever UFC heavyweight champion, follows closely having retired at 45. Anderson Silva, Antonio Rogério Nogueira and Aleksei Oleinik all had great careers in MMA and the UFC, and they all retired late into their careers.
In addition to compiling data from Oldest.org, we incorporated TheSportster's rankings to provide a broader perspective on both active and historical UFC fighters. TheSportster focuses on fighters who are still competing or recently retired, offering a snapshot of those maintaining longevity in the modern era.
Oldest Active UFC Fighters
Below is TheSportster's current ranking of the oldest active UFC fighters:
| Rank | Fighter | TheSportster Ranking | Age (Years) | Key Achievements |
| 1 | Andrei Arlovski | 1 | 45 | Former UFC Heavyweight Champion |
| 2 | Holly Holm | 2 | 43 | Former UFC Bantamweight Champion |
| 3 | Clay Guida | 3 | 42 | UFC veteran, known for high-energy fights |
| 4 | Stipe Miocic | 4 | 42 | 2x UFC Heavyweight Champion |
| 5 | Vinc Pichel | 5 | 41 | Active UFC Lightweight |
| 6 | Jessica Penne | 6 | 41 | Former UFC title challenger in Strawweight |
| 7 | Stephen Thompson | 7 | 41 | Former UFC title challenger in Welterweight |
| 8 | Jan Blachowicz | 8 | 41 | Former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion |
| 9 | Ovince Saint Preux | 9 | 41 | UFC veteran, known for creative submissions |
| 10 | Cub Swanson | 10 | 41 | UFC veteran with notable wins in Featherweight |
This table complements the Oldest.org data, which primarily focuses on historical fighters, by highlighting the longevity of modern competitors like Andrei Arlovski and Holly Holm who continue to defy age-related challenges.
SportsBoom MetaScale: Ranking the Oldest Fighters
The SportsBoom MetaScale takes into account three different metrics. Firstly, the oldest age a fighter was in the UFC (50%), longevity (30%) and their legacy and achievements (20%).
SportsBoom MetaScale
| Rank | Fighter | Oldest Age in UFC (50%) | Longevity (30%) | Legacy & Achievements (20%) | MetaScale Score |
| 1 | Dan Severn | 50 | 25 | 20 | 95 |
| 2 | Randy Couture | 47 | 30 | 20 | 97 |
| 3 | Mark Coleman | 45 | 30 | 18 | 93 |
| 4 | Anderson Silva | 46 | 20 | 20 | 86 |
| 5 | Aleksei Oleinik | 47 | 25 | 15 | 87 |
| 6 | Antonio Rogério Nogueira | 44 | 20 | 16 | 80 |
| 7 | Demian Maia | 43 | 25 | 15 | 83 |
| 8 | Yoel Romero | 42 | 24 | 15 | 81 |
| 9 | Fabrício Werdum | 42 | 20 | 15 | 77 |
| 10 | Marion Reneau | 43 | 20 | 15 | 78 |
1. Dan Severn
Dan Severn is a UFC Hall of Famer for many reasons. Firstly, Severn had over 120 professional bouts, which is extremely rare, winning 101 of those. Using his excellent wrestling and Judo skills, Severn would dominate through the early years of the UFC.
Severn won the fifth Ultimate Fighting Championship, he also won the UFC Superfight Championship. He was the first fighter in the history of the UFC to be awarded a championship belt.
2. Randy Couture
Randy Couture and Gabriel Gonzaga//Getty Images
Randy Couture remains one of the most decorated fighters in UFC history having won the heavyweight title twice, as well as the light-heavyweight title. Couture dominated the 2000s with his superb Greco-Roman wrestling and his dirty boxing style. He is known for welcoming former boxer James Toney into the cage, where he would finish the former world champion boxer on the ground, during a time when MMA was ridiculed by the boxing community.
3. Mark Coleman
Mark Coleman was the first-ever UFC heavyweight champion and he is an absolute icon of MMA. Coleman helped define early MMA strategies due to his takedowns followed by his brutal ground-and-pound. Coleman also won the UFC 10 & 11 Tournament Championship. Additionally, he won the PRIDE FC 2000 Grand Prix, and he holds the record for the quickest win in PRIDE history (2 seconds).
4. Anderson Silva
Anderson Silva//Getty Images
Anderson Silva retired from MMA at the age of 45 as one of the greatest fighters to ever do it. He remained as the UFC middleweight champion for 2457 days, which is the longest UFC title reign in history. Silva holds a plethora of UFC records including most finishes in UFC title fights (9), highlighting his excellent Muay Thai ability and creativity on the feet.
5. Aleksei Oleinik
Aleksei Oleinik is one of the only fighters on this list that is still active today, albeit not in the UFC. The Russian fighter has carved out an epic career with his excellent submission capabilities and his toughness. Oleinik holds the record for being the only fighter to fight, and win, across four separate decades (1990s, 2000s, 2010s, 2020s).
6. Antonio Rogério Nogueira
Antonio Rogério Nogueira is a UFC and PRIDE icon. The Brazilian may never have won a notable title in pro MMA, but he was still an awesome fighter to watch in the 2000s. He holds notable wins over future UFC champions such as Alistair Overeem and Dan Henderson. While his brother, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, was known for his elite BJJ, Rogério Nogueira had that in his back pocket, but he was more proficient in his boxing skills.
7. Demian Maia
Demian Maia is one of the greatest grapplers in the history of the sport; his ability to take people's backs and choke them out earned him the nickname the human backpack. Despite never winning a title in the UFC, he holds some notable records such as the most rear naked choke wins in UFC history (9).
8. Yoel Romero
Yoel Romero is still active in MMA at the age of 47. In his prime years, he was known for his dangerous explosive striking to go with his all-time great wrestling ability. Romero never won the UFC middleweight title, but he did fight for the belt against Israel Adesanya at UFC 248 despite losing his previous two fights building up to that.
9. Fabrício Werdum
Fabrício Werdum is one of the best submission artists in MMA, particularly at heavyweight. He is still fighting today at the age of 47, but it is safe to say his best days are behind him. Werdum is a former UFC heavyweight champion having beaten elite names such as Roy Nelson, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Travis Browne, and Mark Hunt, on his way to choking out Cain Velasquez to win the title at UFC 188.
10. Marion Reneau
Marion Reneau completes this list, retiring at the age of 44. Despite competing as a pro for 11 years, Reneau only accumulated a record of 9-8-1, and unsurprisingly she was never anywhere near a UFC title.
SportsBoom Suggests
Dan Severn stands out as the oldest UFC fighter in history, retiring at an incredible age of 66, with a pioneering role in early MMA. In addition, Randy Couture’s career longevity and achievements as a multi-time UFC champion solidifies his place near the top.
Mark Coleman and Anderson Silva earned high rankings due to their legendary UFC runs and extended careers in the sport, particularly Silva who left the UFC at 45 years of age.
Meanwhile, active fighters like Aleksei Oleinik continue to compete at high levels even into their late 40s, showcasing extraordinary durability. Incredibly, the Russian heavyweight has fought across four separate decades. And despite his longevity, he has been highly successful even in his later years, achieving a record of 61-18-1.
The list of the Oldest UFC Fighters demonstrates that age is no barrier to greatness in MMA. Fighters like Dan Severn, Randy Couture, and Anderson Silva have shown that skill, adaptability, and mental toughness can sustain a career well into their 40s and beyond.
Jake Staniland is a sports writer who excels in covering a wide range of sports: football, combat sports and the NFL - All three subjects are his lifelong passions.
Jake is a boyhood Sheffield United fan, which is often a curse that he thanks his family for. His favourite Blades player ever is Billy Sharp