There is something particularly threatening about a bald MMA fighter, isn’t there? Baldies get a bad rap worldwide, often being labeled as the “skinhead” and hounded with “hey baldy!”
But let’s be clear, you’re unlikely to say things like this to the face of any of these bald MMA fighters.
I’ll list the top selection of some of the best bald UFC fighters we’ve ever seen due to their undeniable fighting skills—let’s crack on.
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1. Junior Dos Santos
Junior Dos Santos, AKA “Cigano,” is a heavyweight fighter that gained a considerable following during his prime fighting days.
Cigano has been fighting in the UFC since early as 2008, when the world of MMA was under some of its rockiest periods in viewership terms. He faced Fabrico Werdum and won at UFC 90.
He went on a nine-fight winning streak, successfully winning and then defending his heavyweight belt several times.
An extensive and proud baldy, Junior Dos Santos deserves all the respect from fans, new and old!
2. Tito Ortiz
Tito is another legend of the MMA world. The Huntington Beach Bad Boy (yes, that’s his chosen nickname) smashed into the UFC in 1997.
Few fighters like Ortiz started their MMA career straight into the UFC.
His career was always exciting to watch. He had a bunch of big wins against opponents like Wanderlei Silva, Ken Shamrock (x3), Vitor Belfort, Chael Sonnen, and Chuck Liddell.
Tito Ortiz spent seventeen years fighting at the UFC level before spending the last few years of his career at Bellator and then Combate Americas.
These days he spends a lot of his time making appearances at events, running his clothing line and athlete management company, and supporting veterans.
Ortiz had a unique short and blonde hairstyle for most of his career. As he grew older, the balding came in but lucky for him, his rough look with a shaven head suits him down to the ground.
3. Anderson Silva
Often named one of the Greatest Of All Time, Anderson “The Spider” Silva is a shiny domed legend of the UFC. He’s also one of the most successful black UFC fighters in history!
Silva’s bald head wasn’t practical for grappling as this was never his specialty, but his hairless crown could have helped him sense the flow of the air coming his way.
How else do you explain his unnatural ability to slip and weave punches like a God?
Anderson will always be remembered for incredible fights against Michael Bisping, Chael Sonnen, Vitor Belfort, Israel Adesanya and more.
4. Randy Couture
Randy isn’t just well known for his infectious smile. He’s a veteran of the sport of MMA, having fought competitively as early as 1997.
His reputation grew as one of his era’s most decorated MMA fighters. He had multiple title reigns as a UFC Champion in two different weight classes.
Nicknamed “The Natural,” Randy’s robust wrestling takedowns and ground-and-pound style made him very competitive and challenging to beat.
His style was so successful that he held the UFC record for competing in sixteen title fights in his career. He also became the first UFC fighter to hold a UFC Championship belt across two weight classes.
Even more incredible is that he still holds the record as the oldest champion in UFC history with his title win over Tim Sylvia at age 43.
Randy Couture’s MMA efforts granted him induction into the UFC Hall of Fame. He was the 4th UFC fighter to ever reach that recognition.
But Randy wasn’t only an MMA star. He was also a movie superstar who worked alongside Hollywood names like Dwayne Johnson, Bruce Willis, and Rob Schneider.
Randy also opened his own chain of mixed martial arts gyms named Xtreme Couture MMA and a clothing line, Xtreme Couture Clothing.
5. Anthony Smith
Anthony “Lionheart” Smith is another bald fighter who has had many fights and faced his own challenges with staying consistent and in the win column.
Despite that, he has had some really extraordinary performances against some of the best opponents in that Light Heavyweight division.
Big wins against Alexander Gustafsson, Rashad Evans, and Hector Lombard have kept his name up there in the mix to continue challenging for title spots.
Lionheart isn’t often beaten easily, with his loss to Jon Jones going to the decision of a full five rounds. And another to Glover Teixeira taking the majority of five rounds.
Recently, Anthony’s name has been coming up again in good fights that he’s winning. It may not be long before this bald Lion is ready to challenge for a title once again before his career is over.
6. BJ Penn
The Prodigy that is BJ Penn is a name cemented into the very fabric of the UFC. Penn started his fighting career with UFC 31 in 2001 and ended his career there in 2019.
Although he did have a couple of fights with other promotions like ROTR and K-1.
The Hawaiian would trouble many opponents with a tight brawling style. He could throw straight punches down the middle while predicting counters and avoid them easily.
It was common for Penn to catch his opponent with a knee strike straight up the centerline to then jump on them on the ground and finish with punches.
When those didn’t work, you’d see him beat up the faces of many opponents until their face was pouring with blood and then wrap them up in his legs and swing hooks until they entirely gave their back. Then he’d just finish them off with a rear-naked choke.
He was one of the few fighters in UFC history to give Georges St-Pierre a rough time in two fights, despite losing both.
BJ Penn’s brand is now so big that he runs his own gym and entertainment network.
7. Kamaru Usman
Often regarded as one of the best pound-for-pound fighters, Kamaru Usman is a black fighter born in Nigeria.
Usman has only suffered a few losses in his entire career. The first was way back in 2013, and the rest only until recently when Leon Edwards dethroned him.
Usman blew up the ranks in the LFC promotion and arrived in the UFC in 2015 with The Ultimate Fighter.
His undefeated reign against many notable opponents has helped him be considered one of the greatest UFC fighters of all time.
Usman has wins against Demian Maia, Tyron Woodley, Colby Covington x2, Jorge Masvidal x2, plus many more.
This clean-shaven Nigerian Nightmare sits on this list comfortably.
8. Alexander Volkanovski
I’m still not quite sure if Alexander is bald by choice or ultimately for preference in training for a fight.
But he sure does rock a great bald look that seems to only aid him in being one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in recent UFC history.
The man is all hard work and all class, all the time. If you need the motivation to get things done in life, this is one UFC fighter who ticks all the boxes.
Volk reached our list of the top fights of 2021 for his incredible resilience against Ortega’s signature triangle choke.
The man is just plain beastly in grappling, striking, and stamina.
9. Glover Teixeira
For my money, Glover Teixeira is simply one of the most inspiring light heavyweights that the UFC has ever seen.
He’s the second-oldest UFC champion in history (behind Randy Couture) and the oldest first-time champion in UFC history.
Just two days after his 42nd birthday, Glover became the Light Heavyweight Champion after defeating the excellent Jan Blachowicz. In my opinion, it’s an incredible achievement.
After a six-fight winning streak, the Brazilian became champion and overcame strong opponents (and other fellow baldies) like Anthony Smith and Thiago Santos. He simply worked hard, kept himself fit and injury-free, and built his way to the challenger’s spot.
This bald powerhouse fights out of his own Teixeira MMA & Fitness gym. I’m hopeful that he’ll be able to end his career in style as a champion. But it doesn’t look like he’s planning to retire anytime soon.