Over the last decade, the development of MMA has been huge.
With UFC being the biggest promotion in the world, the number of talented fighters coming through their doors has been endless.
However, when it comes to listing the greatest 10 fighters within the organisation over the past 10 years, there is only room for the best of the best from the UFC roster.
With honourable mentions such as Anderson Silva and Tyron Woodley missing out, the elite level of competition over the past decade has been outstanding and propelled the sport of MMA forwards.
Here are GIVEMESPORT's top 10 fighters of the decade.
10. Tony Ferguson
In 10th position is the only fighter who has never been an undisputed UFC world champion, however, he has still done enough to earn his spot on the list.
Asides from his rival Khabib Nurmagomedov, who he plans to fight in 2020, there hasn’t been a dominant fighter in the lightweight division like Tony Ferguson.
With just one loss coming in the last eight years and victories against Donald Cerrone, Anthony Pettis and Rafael dos Anjos, Ferguson’s hard-hitting punches and strong ground game is a serious problem for any fighter he faces.
Whether, he finally becomes a champion in the UFC or not, there is no taking away from his almost perfect record within the organisation’s toughest weight division.
9. Stipe Miocic
Stipe Miocic has proved himself as by far the best heavyweight within the UFC over the past decade.
His most recent victory against Daniel Cormier confirmed this where he secured the win with a devastating knockout, gaining revenge against 'DC' who took his belt the previous year.
Miocic has beaten everyone in the heavyweight division despite only holding the belt for two years, whether they were knockout artists or submission specialists.
An absurd amount of mental and physical toughness has seen him through many of his fights, fully deserving his spot alongside fellow all-time greats.
8. Demetrious Johnson
“Mighty Mouse” Demetrious Johnson ruled the flyweight division for six years, beating anyone that deserved a title shot, including current two-weight champion Henry Cejudo.
His endless talent and versatility within the cage made him one of the most dominant forces of any weight class within the UFC.
Whether it was with striking blows or by submission, Demetrious Johnson could end the fight at any time, constantly demonstrating the danger he possessed as a fighter.
After eventually losing his flyweight belt to Cejudo in a rematch in 2018, Johnson hasn’t fought in UFC since, however, his long-lasting legacy has been well and truly established in MMA.
7. Max Holloway
Max Holloway hasn’t lost a featherweight bout since he was beaten by the man just in front of him on this list Conor McGregor.
This includes a run of wins against Jose Aldo X2, Frankie Edgar, Anthony Pettis and Jeremy Stephens, with his only loss in his last 15 fights coming when he stepped up in weight against Dustin Poirier.
Not many fighters have dominated a weight division like Holloway has since 2014.
6. Conor McGregor
“The Notorious” sure does divide opinions, but one of the main reasons why the UFC is what it is today is down to Conor McGregor.
Constant records have been broken and the Irishman is frequently able to match his bravado outside the cage, with exceptional performances within it.
McGregor went on a destructive run against the featherweights within his division, with his signature left-hand ending the fights with all of them – bar Max Holloway.
His most impressive victory of them all was when he ended Jose Aldo’s legacy in just 13 seconds.
Despite his most recent fight ending with a loss against bitter rival Khabib Nurmagomedov, Conor McGregor has established a deserved name on this list.
5. Khabib Nurmagomedov
No one has dominated the sport of MMA quite like Khabib Nurmagomedov.
To be undefeated and unrivalled within the UFC is unheard of, but to do it within a division of so many elite fighters is why Khabib’s name is so high on this list.
It is hard to pinpoint a time where Khabib has ever looked like losing a fight, let alone a round.
However, despite being 28-0, for “The Eagle” to progress any higher up this list, he needs to overcome the rest of the top fighters within the division, including his next opponent, Tony Ferguson.
4. Amanda Nunes
Since her last loss in 2014 to Cat Zingano, Amanda Nunes has arguably established herself as the greatest female mixed martial artist of all time.
She has finished several of the WMMA greats in under a round, including Holly Holm and Ronda Rousey, making her the first female champ-champ in UFC history.
Her bouts with Valentina Shevchenko have created one of the most competitive rivalries within the franchise, yet Nunes has come out on top in both fights, meaning the Brazilian rightfully earns a spot on this list of all-time greats.
3. Georges St-Pierre
The former two-division world champion only fought seven times in this decade, however, all seven of those were victorious title matches.
Some UFC fans may argue that he was more destructive and dominant in the previous decade, however, to keep returning and winning huge title fights clearly shows why he’s deserved on this list.
To many, he is arguably the greatest UFC fighter of all time and his comeback victory against Michael Bisping to conclude GSP’s dazzling career was typical of the warrior he is.
If the list stretched over 15 years, the Canadian welterweight would’ve been top of the pile.
2. Daniel Cormier
As he approaches the end of his career, Daniel Cormier will go down as one of the best ever to compete in two weight classes.
While developing around his Olympic wrestling strength, his underrated powerful striking and solid ground game have turned the American into a complete fighter.
There is no looking past the incredible achievements that Cormier has accumulated, dominating within the UFC for the past 10 years.
If it wasn’t for his long-term rival Jon Jones, then DC would be top of the list.
1. Jon Jones
The UFC light-heavyweight champion can be a serious issue outside the cage, but when in it, there has arguably been no one better.
Jonny “Bones” Jones has freakish physical attributes mixed with a killer instinct that has made him unstoppable ever since his debut fight in 2008.
Fighters that have dominated the rest of the weight division over the past 10 years have had no answer to Jones, including the man who is second on this list Daniel Cormier.
To be able to dominate and brutalise two great eras of light-heavyweight champions is what stands Jon Jones out as the greatest UFC fighter of the past decade.
So there we have it, there is our list for the best UFC fighters of the decade! We are certain not everyone will agree, but it's hard to argue with the number one spot going to Jones.
Only time will tell who is the fighter of the next decade, which will be 2020-2030!