Some fighters join the UFC roster yearly, while some retire or transition to other MMA organizations.
With these constant roster changes, you can’t help but wonder how many UFC fighters are there in total.
There are 721 active fighters on the UFC roster as of December 2022. These 721 fighters are scattered over nine weight divisions. In this 721 headcount, 590 are male fighters, while 130 are female.
All the data collected for this article was from the official UFC athletes roster, sourced in December 2022.
There is much more to learn about what makes the UFC roster diverse and exciting. Dive in and find out.
Table of Contents
Active male UFC fighters by weight class
There are a total of 590 active male fighters on the UFC roster. These 590 fighters are designated into eight divisions: Flyweight, Bantamweight, Featherweight, Lightweight, Welterweight, Middleweight, Light Heavyweight, and Heavyweight. Different champions are present in each weight class.
These headcounts might vary depending on how many new fighters to sign with the UFC. Retirement or a fighter changing his organization could also be a good factor.
| Division | Number Of UFC Fighters |
|---|---|
| Flyweight | 54 |
| Bantamweight | 86 |
| Featherweight | 86 |
| Lightweight | 88 |
| Welterweight | 93 |
| Middleweight | 78 |
| Light Heavyweight | 51 |
| Heavyweight | 54 |
| Total | 590 |
Each men’s division has its own level of excitement that comes with it. For example, Flyweights are known for their speed, while Heavyweights are famous for their knockout power.
Flyweight
There are 54 active male UFC fighters in the Flyweight division. Flyweight fighters fight weighing 125 lbs (56.7 kg). Many guys showed greatness in this division: Kai Kara-France, Deiveson Figueiredo, Brandon Moreno, and a former UFC star, Demetrious Johnson.
The UFC Flyweight has been considered the black sheep among all the divisions.
People tend to favor other weight classes because the division has a low variety of fighters making huge matches a repeating loop, for example, the rivalry between Moreno and Figueiredo.
Despite that, Flyweight championship fights have been among the most electrifying on the roster. The lightness of the fighters makes them elusive, explosive, and fast with their moves.
Bantamweight
There are 86 active male UFC fighters in the Bantamweight division. Bantamweights need to weigh 135 lbs (61.2 kg) to be eligible to fight.
Some well-known Bantamweight superstars are ‘Sugar’ Sean O’Malley, TJ Dillashaw, Petr Yan, and Aljamain Sterling. Current Flyweight Cody Garbrandt once dominated this division.
The Bantamweight division is a kingdom of knockout artists who have been getting all the attention lately.
O’Malley, Yan, and Sterling have been crashing some headlines these past UFC events. With the division’s ferociousness, Bantamweights are often changed.
This high amount of action makes people tune in to almost every Bantamweight match despite being the main event or an undercard.
Featherweight
There are 86 active male UFC fighters in the Featherweight division. Featherweight fighters weigh 145 lbs (65.8kg) during the official weigh-ins.
Some notable names who once or continue to fight in Featherweight are Max Halloway, Alexander Volkanovski, Jose Aldo, and Conor McGregor.
The Featherweight division was once the most action-packed division in the UFC during the reign of Jose Aldo and McGregor.
However, the division became boring when Max Halloway and Volkanovski held the Featherweight gold.
This is because, for almost 4 years, only 4 to 5 guys had repeatedly fought each other for the gold.
Despite being a loophole, the Featherweights have produced various UFC modern classics. A good example is Halloway vs. Kattar.
Lightweight
There are 88 active male UFC fighters in the Lightweight division. Lightweight fighters weigh 155 lbs (70.3 kg)
Lightweight is the home for various UFC superstars and possibly UFC greatest of all time.
Some notable names are Justin Geathje, the first double-champ, McGregor, and the most dominant Lightweight alive, Khabib.
Despite being one of the smallest guys on the whole roster, the Lightweight division is considered the most exciting division there is.
Almost all Lightweight bouts are guaranteed to keep everyone at the edge of their seats.
This division has also produced some fight-of-the-year performances under the credits of Justin Gaethje and Michael Chandler.
Moreover, the Lightweight division is where Conor McGregor made history when he became the first-ever champ-champ in UFC history by destroying Eddie Alvarez.
Welterweight
There are 93 active male UFC fighters in the Welterweight division. Welterweight fighters need to weigh 170 lb (77.1 kg).
The Welterweight division is the home of the current pound-for-pound king as of July 2022, Kamaru Usman. Some other Welterweight titans are Khamzat Chimaev, Gilbert Burns, and Colby Covington.
The Welterweight division has been the hunting grounds of Georges St-Pierre. GSP is one of the big names which are considered to be among the UFC G.O.A.Ts.
However, this division lost its variety regarding champions because of how good the belt-holder is today.
Kamaru has been the champ for more than 3 years and has been destroying everyone who dares to try him. Welterweight also has a consistent number 1 contender, Colby Covington.
Middleweight
There are 78 active male UFC fighters in the Middleweight division. Middleweight contenders usually weigh around 185 lbs (83.9 kg)
Some big Middleweight names that you might know are Israel Adesanya, Robert Whittaker, Marvin Vettori, Jared Cannonier, Anderson Silva and Michael Bisping are some of the Middleweight’s Hall of Famers.
The Middleweight division can be described as the first division where you can see big men battle it out for the elusive UFC gold.
This division has the same situation as the Welterweight division. Adesanya, the current champ as of July 2022, has been holding the belt for over 3 years now.
Adesanya finally lost his belt recently to Alex Pereira.
Middleweight also has a ‘gatekeeper’ who is the consistent number one contender, Robert Whittaker.
Some people are also starting to get bored during Middleweight championship fights because of how Israel fights safely and racks up some points.
Light Heavyweight
There are 51 active male UFC fighters in the Light Heavyweight division. Light Heavyweights weigh around 205 lbs (102.1 kg) after cutting weight.
Many beast-like fighters have called this division their home. Some of them are Jiri Prochazka, Glover Texeira, and Jan Blachowicz.
The Ligh Heavyweight division has been the former playground of the most dominant Light Heavyweight on the planet, Jon ‘Bones’ Jones.
This division is known for its knockout power due to the size of the men who fight here.
Light Heavyweight has recently been a good attention magnet because of its continuous change of champions.
Heavyweight
There are 54 active male UFC fighters in the Heavyweight division. These mountain-like fighters way at a minimum of 265 lb (120.2 kg)
Various fighters have terrorized this division, including Francis Ngannou, Stipe Miocic, Tom Aspinal, and Curtis Blaydes.
The heavyweight division is the UFC’s most brutal and dangerous weight class. Most bouts here don’t need the judges’ decision because fights will likely end via knockout in the early rounds.
This division is also the home of the world record holder of the strongest punch in the world, Francis Ngannou. Ngannou’s punch is like being rammed by a Ford Escort going full speed.
Active female UFC fighters by weight class
There are a total of 130 registered female fighters in the UFC. These female warriors are fighting across four specific weight classes: Strawweight, Flyweight, Bantamweight, and Featherweight. Due to the lack of divisions and fighters, champions are rarely changed.
Despite the few numbers of fighters and divisions when compared to men, these women fighters never fail to make a headline for themselves.
The reason why there are only four weight classes for women is that there are little to no female fighters who weigh Lightweight and up.
| Division | Number Of UFC Fighters |
|---|---|
| Strawweight | 47 |
| Flyweight | 42 |
| Bantamweight | 34 |
| Featherweight | 7 |
| Total | 130 |
The women’s division is known for having ruthless fighters behind their gorgeous appearances. Below is a deeper explanation of each weight class.
Strawweight
There are 47 active female UFC fighters in the Strawweight division. Ladies in this division weigh an average of 106 to 115 lb (48 to 52 kg)
This weight class is by far the lightest division in the UFC. Some big names that fought here are former Strawweight Queen, Rose Namajunas, Weili Zhang, and Carla Esparza.
Despite being the lightest fighters in the roster, Strawweights are one of the most exciting warriors in the women’s division.
Having only 47 women fighting for the title makes this weight class a bit boring and loses its match-up variety.
Almost all the recent title fights are rematches between fighters who’ve already fought before.
Flyweight
There are 42 active female UFC fighters in the Women’s Flyweight division. Flyweights weigh around 115 to 125lbs (52.2 to 56.7kg)
This division is the playground for the champion, Valentina ‘Bullet’ Shevchenko. She has been the champ since December 8, 2018.
Due to the lack of fighters, the Women’s Flyweight division rarely appears in UFC big events.
However, the champion is an entertainer, so whenever she defends her belt, everyone tunes in as it’s guaranteed destruction.
Other than Valentina, Flyweights like Taila Santos and Katlyn Chookagian also fight here.
Bantamweight
There are 34 active female UFC fighters in the Women’s Bantamweight division. Bantamweight fighters usually weigh 135 lbs (54kg)
This was once the kingdom of the ‘Lioness’ Amanda Nunes before she got dethroned by Julianna Pena last December 11, 2021.
The Bantamweight division has been a boring division for nearly a decade due to the reign of Nunes.
For four years, no one was successful in defeating Nunes until Pena bounced her way back for a rematch that shocked the MMA world.
Featherweight
There are 7 active female UFC fighters in the Women’s Featherweight division. Women’s Featherweight weighs around 145 lbs (65.8kg)
The current Featherweight champion is Amanda Nunes. She captured the Featherweight belt by defeating Cris Cyborg on December 29, 2018.
Having only 7 fighters makes the Women’s Featherweight lose regular fights compared to other more populated divisions.
This also makes the champion be the champion longer because few fighters are worthy enough to take on the belt. Moreover, a female fighter who weighs 145 lbs is rare.
Common questions about the number of UFC fighters
The huge number of UFC fighters might sprout curiosity in the fans’ minds. Below are answers to some frequently asked questions about the UFC roster count.
How many Chinese UFC fighters are there?
There are 24 active Chinese fighters in the UFC currently. Some Chinese fighters who have succeeded in the organization are Weili Zhang and Li Jingliang. Zhang was the first ever Chinese UFC champion; she grabbed the Strawweight gold by defeating Jesicca Andrade.
How many African UFC fighters are there?
There are 10 active African fighters in the UFC currently. African-rooted fighters have been ruling the UFC for years now. Some big names are Francis Ngannou (Current Heavyweight champ as of July 2022) Israel Adesanya (Middleweight Champ as of July 2022) Kamaru Usman (Welterweight champ as of July 2022)
How many Irish fighters are there in the UFC?
There are 4 active Irish fighters in the UFC currently. The most famous Irish fighter to ever step inside the octagon was ‘The Notorious Conor McGregor. He is the first ever man to hold two belts simultaneously in the history of UFC.
Conor is also the record holder for the fastest KO during a unification bout.
Other Irish fighters include Ian Garry and Johnny Walker.
How many Mexican UFC fighters are there?
There are 19 active Mexican fighters in the UFC currently. Fighters with Mexican heritage are not new to the organization.
Some Mexican MMA fighters are Brandon Moreno, Gabriel Gonzaga and Cain Velasquez. Few of them are former champions of their respective divisions also.
How many Polish fighters are there in the UFC?
There are 17 active Polish fighters in the UFC currently. Some successful Polish fighters you might know are Jan ‘The Polish Power’ Blachowicz (former Light Heavyweight Champ) and Joanna Jędrzejczyk, the former Women’s Strawweight Queen. Joanna is retired now, while Jan is still pursuing another shot.
How many British UFC fighters are there?
There are 44 active British fighters in the UFC currently. British UFC fighters have been the fan favorites of some MMA fans due to their high-level skills and entertaining trash talks.
Some famous British UFC fighters are Paddy Pimblett, Tom Aspinal, Molly Mccann, and Leon Edwards.
The first British UFC champ is Michael Bisping, now retired and working for the UFC as a commentator and fight analyst.
What to read next
Now that you’ve got the stats behind the number of UFC fighters, you might want answers to questions about UFC fight fixing or how much UFC fighters get paid – these are explained in detail in the next articles. Check them out: