MMA

Guide

Top 7 Mexican UFC Fighters In History

Mexico has produced some of the best talent that combat sports has ever seen. They are especially known for their boxing prowess, but they have also been responsible for producing spectacular MMA fighters too. Here are the top 7 Mexican UFC fighters of all time.

Jake Staniland

Sports Writer

Last updated: 2024-08-05

Fact checked by:

Louis Hobbs

Lead Journalist

5 minutes read

Table of Contents

The country of Mexico has produced some iconic combat sports athletes over the years. Julio Cesar Chavez and Canelo Alvarez may just be the biggest of them all from the boxing community, with the duo transcending the sport and being at the top of the tree in their individual eras.

But the UFC have also seen some very special talent coming out of Mexico.

7. Kelvin Gastelum (19-9)

Of Mexican heritage, Kelvin Gastelum has been deemed somewhat of a gatekeeper these days in the middleweight division: if you can beat him then you deserve a top 15 ranking.

The 32-year-old broke onto the UFC scene after winning The Ultimate Fighter season 17, in 2013, in dominant fashion. After years of competing at welterweight, he made the switch up to the 185lbs division. Gastelum has had over 20 fights in the UFC alone.

6. Irene Aldana (15-7)

Irene Aldana has come on leaps and bounds since her UFC debut back in 2016. Now, she is the number 4th ranked contender in the women's bantamweight division.

In June 2023, the 36-year-old earned a shot at the title but she was ultimately outclassed by the greatest female MMA fighter of all time Amanda Nunes.

Known for her excellent boxing skills, three of her last four victories have come by way of knockout or TKO.

5. Tony Ferguson (26-10)

Tony Ferguson is proud of his Mexican heritage, and to this day he is regarded as one of the greatest UFC fighters to never win a full title in the organisation. The now 40-year-old came onto the scene after winning The Ultimate Fighter season 13, in 2011.

Ferguson once had the lightweight division in a chokehold amassing an incredible 12-fight win streak, this is where he earned his nickname “El Cucuy”, otherwise known as the boogeyman. In that time he was only able to get a shot at the interim title, which he won against Kevin Lee.

Nowadays, Ferguson is at the latter end of his career and is riding a seven-fight losing streak.

4. Alexa Grasso (16-3-1)

Alexa Grasso has been at the top of the women's flyweight division for a while now, and she earned a rightful shot at the title against Valentina Shevchenko in 2023.

Despite being a well-rounded and skilled boxer in the pocket, Grasso was a huge underdog, mainly due to Shevhcenko being so dominant. Nevertheless, Grasso was able to pull off the upset by defeating the champion via a rear naked choke in round four.

Grasso is yet to defend her belt as she is competing as a coach against Shevchenko in the upcoming edition of The Ultimate Fighter; the pair will rematch for the title after the series is finished.

3. Yair Rodriguez (16-5)

When it comes to eye-catching strikes and highly creative combinations, it is very rare you can find someone as good at that as Yair Rodriguez. The 31-year-old has produced multiple highlight reel stoppages throughout his time in the UFC's featherweight division.

Rodriguez earned his shot at the then featherweight champion Alex Volkanovski back in July 2023 but he was soundly beaten and stopped via TKO.

Since then he has suffered another defeat, against top five ranked opponent Brian Ortega. The Mexican has plenty of time on his side to go on another tear and get back in title contention, and he certainly has the incredible skills to do so.

2. Brandon Moreno (21-8-2)

I don't think there isn't a UFC fan in the world that doesn't like Brandon Moreno. At just 30 years of age, he has claimed UFC flyweight gold twice.

Known for his epic toe-to-toe fighting style, Moreno has wowed the UFC crowd since his debut back in 2016, but he really made a name for himself during his epic trilogy with Deiveson Figueiredo where they both won one and lost one after a draw in their first bout.

There most certainly isn't a boring fight that he isn't in. Throughout his UFC career he has claimed seven performance of the night or fight of the night awards.

1. Cain Velasquez (14-3)

Cain Velasquez, a proud Mexican American, is a two-time UFC heavyweight champion, and he is the first Latino fighter to ever win a world heavyweight title in any major combat sport.

In the prime of his career, Velasquez was known for his relentless pressure, cardio, power, and wrestling talent which helped win via KO or TKO ten times out of his 12 UFC wins.

Velasquez fought some of the most feared men on the planet between 2008 and 2013,. But at that time he was on a path of destruction himself, when he claimed the heavyweight title for the first time in 2010 against Brock Lesnar.