MMA
The 10 Best Polish MMA Fighters of All Time
Poland is still well and truly growing in the world of mixed martial arts, on a global scale. But, the incredible achievements of Jan Blachowicz and Joanna Jędrzejczyk, winning titles in the UFC, will certainly help their cause.
Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
Blachowicz is a staple name in the UFC's 205-pounds division, having previously held the title. Meanwhile, Jędrzejczyk has retired, yet, she is still spoken about in women's MMA, highlighting her exceptional career at strawweight making her one of the best women's MMA fighters of all time.
In this article, we will rank and analyse the 10 best Polish MMA fighters of all time using the SportsBoom MetaScale.
Methodology
The rankings were determined based on the following measurable criteria:
Career Record (40%): Wins, losses, and draws reflecting overall dominance.
Championship Titles (30%): UFC titles won and successful defenses.
Notable Achievements (20%): Milestones like title shots, bonuses, or legendary status.
Activity in UFC (10%): Longevity and relevance in the UFC.
Critical Consensus: Ranking the Best Polish UFC Fighters
The Critical Consensus Table combines the fighters biggest achievements and their Tapology ranking and their ranker ranking.
Critical Consensus Table
| Rank | Fighter | Achievements | Tapology Rank | Ranker Rank |
| 1 | Jan Błachowicz | UFC Light Heavyweight Champion, | 2 | 1 |
| 2 | Joanna Jędrzejczyk | UFC Women’s Strawweight Champion, 5 successful title defenses, one of the greatest female MMA fighters. | 9 | 2 |
| 3 | Marcin Tybura | Heavyweight contender, multiple Fight Night performances. | 10 | 4 |
| 4 | Mamed Khalidov | Icon in Polish MMA, multiple KSW titles. | 1 | NR |
| 5 | Krzysztof Jotko | Veteran middleweight with numerous UFC wins. | 8 | 6 |
| 6 | Marcin Held | Lightweight contender, Bellator veteran, transitioned to UFC. | 3 | 8 |
| 7 | Damian Grabowski | Heavyweight fighter with a strong Polish and European career. | 4 | 9 |
| 8 | Karolina Kowalkiewicz | UFC Strawweight contender, former title challenger. | NR | 3 |
| 9 | Adam Wieczorek | Promising heavyweight with early UFC wins. | NR | 5 |
| 10 | Peter Sobotta | UFC welterweight with notable victories. | NR | 10 |
As you can see, Jan Błachowicz and Joanna Jędrzejczyk stand out as the best Polish MMA fighters of all time because of their excellent achievements in the big promotions.
Mamed Khalidov and Marcin Tybura closely follow. While Khalidov has dominated KSW's middleweight and light-heavyweight division, he has not done it at an elite level such as the UFC. Tybura, meanwhile, is somewhat a gatekeeper for the UFC's heavyweight division, often trading wins and losses against fellow top 15 contenders in the division.
SportsBoom MetaScale: Ranking Poland's MMA Legends
The SportsBoom MetaScale takes into account the fighters career record (40%), titles (30%), achievements (20%) and activity (10%).
SportsBoom MetaScale
| Rank | Fighter | Career Record (40%) | Titles (30%) | Achievements (20%) | Activity (10%) | MetaScale Score |
| 1 | Jan Błachowicz | 35 | 30 | 18 | 8 | 91 |
| 2 | Joanna Jędrzejczyk | 32 | 28 | 18 | 9 | 87 |
| 3 | Mamed Khalidov | 37 | 25 | 15 | 6 | 83 |
| 4 | Marcin Tybura | 30 | 10 | 10 | 7 | 57 |
| 5 | Krzysztof Jotko | 28 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 50 |
| 6 | Marcin Held | 29 | 6 | 10 | 5 | 50 |
| 7 | Damian Grabowski | 25 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 43 |
| 8 | Karolina Kowalkiewicz | 22 | 5 | 8 | 6 | 41 |
| 9 | Adam Wieczorek | 20 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 35 |
| 10 | Peter Sobotta | 18 | 4 | 6 | 5 | 33 |
Key Highlights of the 10 Best Polish MMA Fighters Ever
1. Jan Blachowicz
Jan Błachowicz claimed the vacant UFC light-heavyweight title in 2020 when he stopped Dominick Reyes in the second round. Then, he successfully defended his title against Israel Adesanya, welcoming the Nigerian up to 205-pounds in Adesanya's attempt to claim double champ status.
Blachowicz's title reign has a huge asterisk over it because firstly, he won a vacant belt, secondly, he defended it against a natural middleweight. Lastly, he lost the belt against a 42-year-old Glover Teixeira, who was on the very back end of his career.
2. Joanna Jędrzejczyk
Joanna Jedrzejczyk//Getty Images
Joanna Jedrzejczyk is regarded as one of the best female fighters ever in general, particularly at strawweight. She would claim five successful title defences. Jedrzejczyk went 10-5 in her UFC career and her attractive fighting style is what brought more eyes to the female strawweight division.
Jedrzejczyk had excellent Muay Thai skills and a really good volume of work. Now, she is retired from MMA and she is considered an icon of female MMA.
3. Mamed Khalidov
Mamed Khalidov is coming towards the end of his illustrious career. But before he bows out of the sport, he is attempting to become a three-time KSW champion. Having already won the KSW middleweight and light-heavyweight title, he is in the prime spot to challenge for the KSW middleweight belt once more.
4. Marcin Tybura
Marcin Tybura has proven his ability in the UFC’ heavyweight division in his eight year stint in the promotion, going 12-8. Tybura has a solid blend of grappling ability and decent technical striking, without doing anything spectacular.
However, despite him being a top ten contender, it seems like every time he takes a step closer to the number one contender spot, he loses.
5. Krzysztof Jotko
Krzysztof Jotko had nine years in the UFC, and he's the first fighter on this list to have a winning record in the company with eleven wins and six losses. The Polish fighter known for his durability having been stopped just four times in 30 pro MMA bouts.
6. Marcin Held
Marcin Held is a grappling specialist, having registered 15 submission wins in his career. Unfortunately, Held did not have a good spell in the UFC or PFL, going 1-3 in the UFC, and 2-2 in the PFL. Since then, Held has gone back to KSW where he is 1-1.
7. Damian Grabowski
Known as “The Polish Pitbull,” Damian Grabowski has showcased strong grappling and striking during his MMA career. Grabowski only spent a year in the UFC, again, losing all three of his fights in the heavyweight division. Grabowski's UFC career is probably only remembered for the time Derrick Lewis tee'd off on him and stopped him via ground-and-pound.
8. Karolina Kowalkiewicz
Karolina Kowalkiewicz is known for her technical striking and unbelievable resilience. She fought for a UFC title when she faced off against fellow Polish fighter Joanna Jedrzejczyk for the strawweight title. Kowalkiewicz is still in the UFC, having spent nine years on the roster, amassing a 9-9 record, but she is most definitely in the final few years of her career at the age of 39.
9. Adam Wieczorek
Adam Wieczorek had a short spell in the Ultimate Fighting Championship lasting just shy of 12 months between 2017 and 2018. The heavyweight fighter went 2-1 in the company before being cut. Since then, he has gone back to smaller shows and he was last seen being KO'd by Marcin Wójcik in Poland, in 2023.
10. Peter Sobotta
After working his way up through the small hall shows in mostly Germany, Peter Sobotta would break into the UFC in 2014, and he would go 4-1 through his first five UFC bouts in the welterweight division. But, in 2018, he would suffer a big knockout loss to future champion Leon Edwards, and then another defeat to Alex Oliveira followed two years later. This marked the end of his UFC contract and the end of his MMA career.
SportsBoom Suggests
According to the SportsBoom MetaScale, Jan Błachowicz is Poland’s greatest MMA fighter of all time having won the UFC light-heavyweight title with his excellent striking and grappling skills.
Joanna Jędrzejczyk revolutionised women’s MMA and remains a global icon. She is regarded as the best UFC strawweight fighter of all time, largely thanks to her exceptional Muay Thai skills.
Poland has cemented its place in MMA with legendary former champions like Jan Błachowicz and Joanna Jędrzejczyk leading the charge. From titleholders to contenders, these fighters showcase Poland’s rich MMA tradition.
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