To go through an entire UFC or MMA career unbeaten is almost unheard. In fact, it could be the most rare scenario we have in the sport.
But it has happened a handful of times.
While Khabib Nurmagomedov might be the most well known of the group, there are others including Rickson Gracie and Movlid Khaybulaev.
Here is a look at 10 UFC and MMA fighters who retired from the sport with unbeaten records.
10. Phillip Miller
Over three short years, Miller put together an unblemished 16-0 professional mark. That included a pair of 2002 wins while competing for the UFC.
At UFC 38, he earned a decision over James Zikic. Later that year, he submitted Mark Weir at UFC 40 with a second round rear-naked choke. Miller would depart the company after that, scoring his final win in 2003 for HOOKnSHOOT.
His most notable win was a 2000 decision at IFC Warrior Challenge 9 when he topped Jake Shields. The two battled for eight minutes over two rounds.
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9. Rafael Lovato Jr.
A multi-time winner of world championship events in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and submission grappling, Lovato would claim the Bellator middleweight title in 2019. That night, he topped Gegard Mousasi via decision in London, England.
However, before he could defend the belt, Lovato was found to have cerebral cavernoma, which ended his run. He would return three years later at the Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye in Japan. That night, he submitted Taiga Iwasaki in the first round.
Lovato also holds wins over Kevin Holland, John Salter, Gerald Harris and Chris Honeycutt during his career.
8. Cole Konrad
After winning three Big Ten and two NCAA wrestling championships, Konrad took his skills to the cage. He made his debut in 2010 after locking in what would be known as the “Polar Bear Choke.” The move was modified while training with former UFC and WWE champion Brock Lesnar.
Later that year, Konrad debuted under the Bellator MMA banner. He would win the heavyweight title in just his seventh pro fight, becoming the inaugural division champion.
After making a successful title defense in 2010 vs. Eric Prindle, Konrad left MMA with a 9-0 record that included four finishes.
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7. Gary Wright
One of the best nicknames in all of MMA, “Evil Ginger” ran up a perfect 8-0 record during his four-year career. He would never reach the promised land of the UFC, but he did score a handful of finishes along the way.
In 2007, Wright bested T.J. Grant via decision at King of the Cage – Megiddo. A proud Canadian, Wright made his last official fight appearance in 2009 for KOTC.
Six of his eight bouts came for KOTC.
6. Dmitry Sosnovskiy
Injuries or a decision to find a new career was not the choice Sosnovskiy made. No, the Russian was arrested on abduction and extortion charges in his home country. Nicknamed “Wicked Machine,” his first UFC appearance was also his last in 2018.
At a card headlined by former champions Fabricio Werdum and Alexander Volkov, Sosnovskiy submitted Mark Godbeer to move to 11-0 in his career. The heavyweight won nine of his 11 fights by finish including a 2014 triumph over Aleksander Emelianenko.
News of his arrest would become public knowledge in late 2019, ending his career in the UFC.
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5. Robert Drysdale
Hailed as one of the top grapplers ever, Drysdale did carve out a brief – and unbeaten – career in MMA. He is one of only two Americans to capture the Mundials in the gi at 94 kg and up. And one of four to win the ADCC absolute division.
Forrest Griffin, Randy Couture, Frank Mir and Vitor Belfort are just a handful of those who have trained under Drysdale, who was 7-0 with a no-contest in his MMA career.
His lone UFC appearance came on The Ultimate Fighter Finale in 2014 when he battled Keith Berish. While a winner by submission, the result was changed to a no-contest due to a failed drug test.
All eight of his fights were ended early, including seven in the first round. His last appearance came in 2016 when he won the Legacy FC light heavyweight title over Ryan Spann with a second round submission.
4. Ali Magomedkhanov
We never really got to see what would be made of the career of Magomedkhanov in the U.S. Instead, he left the sport in 2020 after his seventh win in seven appearances.
Most of those came for the Wu Lin Fenr WLF promotion, the longest running martial arts program in China. There, he won four fights between 2017-18.
In 2019, Magomedkhanov headed to Rebel FC. He would top Yibugele that year before ending his career with a decision over Artur Stakhnyuk.
3. Rickson Gracie
A member of the famed Gracie family, Rickson is the third oldest son of Helio Gracie, with Rorion and Relson being his brothers. He received his black belt in BJJ at just 18 years old.
In 1980, he made his MMA debut with a submission win in Brazil over Rei Zulu. He would not compete again until 1984 when he topped Zulu again in Brazil. A decade later, Gracie fought three times in one night at the Vale Tudo Japan, scoring two submissions and a TKO.
He returned to Vale Tudo Japan a year later, again earning three wins. In 1997, he fought for Pride, submitting Nobuhiko Takada. A year to the day later, he submitted Takada again. In 2000, Gracie competed for the final time, earning a finish of Masakatsu Funaki.
2. Movlid Khaybulaev
Another Russian to make the list, Khaybulaev retired in 2023 after suffering an eye injury. He won the 2021 PFL featherweight championship, topping Chris Wade via decision in the finals.
A 2023 submission of Tyler Diamond marked his final fight, which also came under the PFL banner. Khaybulaev did have a draw and a no-contest in his career. The no-contest was originally a loss to Daniel Pineda.
Officials, though, overturned the decision after Pineda tested positive for a banned substance. He also had a majority draw that year with Andre Harrison.
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1. Khabib Nurmagomedov
Regarded by some as the greatest of all-time, Nurmagomedov walked away from it all after unifying the UFC lightweight titles in 2020. He scored a second round submission of Justin Gaethje, later vacating the belt with a perfect 29-0 record.
Nurmagomedov won the title in 2018 with a decision over Al Iaquinta. The bout was originally to feature long-time rival Tony Ferguson, but he suffered an injury. Later that year, he submitted Conor McGregor in a bout years in the making.
At UFC 242, Nurmagomedov unified the belts for the first time with a submission of Dustin Poirier. He also topped Rafael dos Anjos and Gleison Tibau in his career.
