Not only is being in great shape a requirement if you are going to last in the octagon but if you are totally jacked it can be a bit intimidating for your opponent, giving you an edge before the fight even starts.
Below we put together a list of the 25 most jacked MMA fighters in the sport today and there are some real beasts on this list. One surprise we found was that many of the people on the list are older fighters. Many are in their late 30s and 40s. Perhaps being jacked is one of the keys to longevity when it comes to MMA. Either way, let’s quit babbling and get to the list. Here we go!
#25 Anthony Kewoa Johnson
Anthony Kewoa Johnson is a beast in the light heavyweight division in the UFC. He also has the most sub-minute’ KO wins in UFC history with 4. He is also pretty damn ripped.
#24 Cheick Kongo
Even though he may be on the downside of his career at age 40 he is still a beast at 6’4″ 240 lbs of muscle. Surprising he never uses the bench press, push-ups only.
McGregor is likely the biggest name in MMA right now. He hasn’t lost a match since 2010 and he is ripped to the bone.
#22 Jon “Bones” Jones
Love him or hate him you can’t deny Jon “Bones” Jones is a bad man. He bench presses 345 lbs and deadlifts 585 lbs. Not bad for being 6’4″ and 205 lbs.
#21 Urijah Faber
He may be small but he is powerful. He is 5’6″ 134 lbs and as a college wrestler at the University of California, Davis, Faber could bench-press 230 pounds for eight reps and squat 225 for three sets of 10.
#20 Tyron Woodley
Tyron is 5’9″ and 170 lbs. No solid weightlifting numbers available but you know he hits the gym hard.
GSP is a legend, that goes without saying. We were tempted to leave him off this list though due to the semi-retirement. We have a feeling he will be back though, god knows he still in shape for it.
#18 Francis Carmont
Francis Carmont is 6’3″ 205. The veteran fighting since 2004 and is currently with Bellator.
#17 Dennis Bermudez
Dennis “The Menace” Bermudez stands at 5’6″ tall and weighs in at a shredded 145 lbs. He is currently the 8th ranked featherweight in the UFC.
#16 Gleison Tibau
Gleison Tibau is another of our small but mighty fighters. The Brazilian lists at 5′ 10″ 154 lbs. He has been a pro fighter since 1999, that is a hell of a lot of fights.
Vitor Belfort is one of those guys who has been fighting his entire life, never had a day job in his life. He stands 6′ 0″ weighs 185 lbs and is shredded to the bone.
#14 Melvin Guillard
Melvin is straight-up ripped. Rashad Evans said he saw Melvin bench press 315 lbs for 10 reps with no warm-up. If that is true that is damn impressive! Especially when you consider he is 5’9″ and 155 lbs!
#13 Sage Northcutt
Let’s not beat around the bush, Sage definitely the pretty boy on the list. No doubt he is jacked though. Here is footage of him squatting 405 lbs for 2 reps.
#12 Melvin Manhoef
Melvin has been in the MMA game for a long time. Consider he started his MMA career the same year Kendall Jenner was born (1995). That is a lot of brawling. He definitely has the physique for it. At 5’9″ weighing 170 lbs he benches 330 lbs.
#11 Luke Rockhold
Yeah, the current UFC Middleweight champion is ripped! He checks in a 6’3″ 185 lbs, super lean.
#10 Yoel Romero
Yoel is straight-up jacked. At 5’10 and 185 lbs. No definite numbers on how much he can lift but let’s just say it’s a lot!
#9 Houston Alexander
Houston is another one of the veterans on the list. Currently checking in at 43 years old. He is 6’3″ and 203 lbs. He is strong too, it has been said he can bench “as much as 450 lbs“, We are not really sure if we believe that claim but just look at him and there is no doubt he is strong.
Thiago Alves is 5′ 9″ and 171 lbs of pure muscle. No word on how much he lifts but here is a good video of him working out.
#7 Phil Davis
Davis is a former NCAA Wrestling Champion at Penn State who now fights for Bellator. He is 6’2″ and 205 lbs.
#6 Bob Sapp
Bob Sapp is freaking HUGE! By far the biggest guy on the list at 6′ 4″ and 350 lbs. He is bigger than Melvin Guillard and Gleison Tibau combined! Strangely enough though, his size has not translated into much success boasting a combined fight record of 22–35–1, most of those fights have been in Japan. He hasn’t fought in a couple of years but is currently under contract with Rizin Fighting Federation.
Sapp is a former NFL football player who was drafted with the 69th pick overall in 1997, but his football career only lasted a few years. As a college football player, he had near a 600-pound bench press and at about a 750-, 800-pound squat. He also does pro wrestling and acting, with his size he is in demand.
#5 Alistair Overeem
Overeem is a beast who has been a top heavyweight contender for a while. He checks in at 6’5 and 247 lbs and he is jacked up. In this video clip, you can see him deadlifting 250 Kilos (550 lbs) up some stairs. Not bad at all.
Jeff Monson wins the award for “Dudes I would not want to meet in a dark alley”. He is built like a fireplug at 5’9″ and 240 lbs. He is our oldest fighter on the list at 45 years old but he is still going strong. He doesn’t bench press anymore since his shoulders are beaten up, he goes heavy with dumbbell bench presses instead. Here is a pretty good video of him weight training.
#3 Hector Lombard
Hector Lombard is the definition of jacked. He could easily be in the number one spot, to be honest. The 38-year-old is 5′ 9″ 185 lbs. We were unable to find any weightlifting stats on him online and even found a rumor that he doesn’t lift weights at all. If he really doesn’t lift weights I want some of those genetics.
#2 Rousimar Palhares
Rousimar earns the second spot from the top, this guy is a monster! He checks in at 5’9″ and 185 lbs. Here is a nice video of him doing his weight training. It’s hard to tell how much he is benching but you can tell it isn’t chump change. This guy is 100% badass.
#1 Alain Ngalani
We have reached the top spot and it belongs to Alain Ngalani, this guy is an absolute beast at 5’11” and 240 lbs.
He is an MMA fighter who was born in Cameroon and fights out of Hong Kong. He is a time four-time Muay Thai world champion and has held several other championship titles in various leagues.
He currently fights for ONE Championship in the heavyweight division.
On top of all that he is also a really nice guy and is his Instagram is a pretty good follow.
There you have it, the best of the best when it comes to MMA muscle. These guys don’t shy away from training hard, neither should you.
Guys like Luke Rockhold, Yoel Romero, and others actually weigh far more than
185. They cut water weight to make that threshold and then they gain back 20+ lbs through rehydration by the night of the fight. Naturally they weigh about 215 lbs lean.
Where is Paulo Costa
Guys like Luke Rockhold, Yoel Romero, and others actually weigh far more than
185. They cut water weight to make that threshold and then they gain back 20+ lbs through rehydration by the night of the fight. Naturally they weigh about 215 lbs lean.