5 of the best British MMA fighters of all time

England's contribution to MMA can't be understated. The country has produced some of the most iconic fighters of all time and two current champions heading into London's UFC 304 hail from the proud nation. Those two men, UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards (22-3)(1) and interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall (14-3), ensure the British MMA tradition and influence are still felt. Some of the greatest fighters in MMA's long and storied history have represented England.

Ian Freeman (20-7) was the first British fighter to compete in the UFC. He had several stints with the organization starting with UFC 24 in 2000. He was the first to defeat the legendary former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir (19-13). Freeman was an unheralded pioneer, debuting with the UFC before the organization's first trip to London for UFC 38 in 2002.

These pivotal events caused MMA to gain more exposure and gradually capture the interest of British combat athletes searching for an alternative sport. Many of those fighters came from striking backgrounds in boxing or kickboxing. Englishmen gradually earned reputations for dangerous standup games.

English fighters gradually broke into the UFC and MMA mainstream en masse, earned title opportunities, became fan favorites, and displayed ever-evolving skillsets.

UFC fight cards in England have become prestigious and popular. These highly anticipated trips prove MMA is growing at an astronomical rate there and the country will continue producing top-tier talent.

Regional promotions like Cage Warriors provide a starting platform for up-and-coming fighters from the area, serving as a pipeline to larger organizations like the UFC. Cage Warriors' success is usually a promising sign for young British MMA fighters, as many of the country's elite have competed there.

These are some of the best British MMA fighters of all time.

5. Dan Hardy

Dan Hardy (25-10)(1) was one of the prototypes for what fans came to expect from British MMA stars crossing over to the UFC. He was brash and outspoken in his fight career which lasted from 2004-2012. He also had a dangerous striking game due to his background in traditional martial arts like tae kwon do.

Hardy was born in Nottingham, England in 1982. He was introduced to martial arts at a young age. This led him down a path seeing him make his MMA debut at 22 years old. He fought in various promotions before settling in at Cage Warriors. Hardy earned the Cage Warriors welterweight title in 2006, establishing himself as a highly touted prospect and budding star.

The UFC saw great potential in Hardy and brought his signature red mohawk to the Octagon in 2008. He quickly became a controversial, yet popular star due to his electric standup and stellar mic skills. Hardy was as good at crumbling opponents outside of the Octagon as he was inside, establishing himself as a welterweight contender after winning his first four fights with the promotion.

Unfortunately, Hardy's title shot came against one of the greatest fighters of all time, Georges St-Pierre at UFC 111. Hardy lost, but his striking was dangerous enough to force St-Pierre to grapple for the bout's majority, stifling any chance for the Englishman to make things competitive. Even so, Hardy proved British fighters could headline major cards and work their way toward title contention.

Hardy's loss to St-Pierre started a four-fight losing streak, which gradually saw him drop from contention. He ceased his skid at four and picked up back-to-back wins over Duane Ludwig (21-14) and Amir Sadollah (11-5) before retiring in 2012 in part due to a heart irregularity caused by Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome.

Despite having his career cut short, Hardy's run in the UFC and regional scene make him one of the most iconic British fighters ever.

4. Michael Page

UFC fans were only introduced to Michael Page (22-3) at UFC 299. This is a shame because despite the fact the 37-year-old is still an electric fighter, his best work was displayed in the rival promotion Bellator. The No. 14 ranked UFC welterweight is one of the most dynamic and unorthodox strikers in MMA history.

Page was born to a martial arts family in London, England. He began training about as soon as he was able to walk and has competed in full-contact karate, kickboxing, and MMA ever since. He even had a stint in BKFC as a bare-knuckle boxer.

Explosive kicks, jumping attacks, and an illusive style influenced by karate point fighting became Page's calling card. His Bellator debut was in 2013 after going viral scoring knockouts with rarely-seen techniques like tornado kicks. Page continued scoring flashy finishes throughout his Bellator tenure. One of his most iconic knockouts came off a flying knee on Evangelista Santos (21-18) which caved the man's skull in.

Page captured wins over Bellator stars like Douglas Lima (33-11) and Paul Daley (44-18-2) before signing with the UFC and winning his debut matchup with Kevin Holland (26-11)(1).

Despite coming up short in his last bout with Ian Machado Garry (15-0) at UFC 303, Page remains one of the most puzzling fighters in the UFC. He keeps his hands low, blitzes into opponents well, and carries enough power to worry any opponent. His wrestling has historically been a weaker attribute, but the standup threat keeps him competitive.

It's uncertain how much more accomplished Page could have been had he made his UFC debut earlier. However, he is already one of the most notable fighters to emerge from England and shows no signs of slowing down.

3. Tom Aspinall

England's lone heavyweight star Aspinall not only happens to be one of the best active fighters in the world but has already established himself as one of the greatest warriors to ever emerge from the nation. The current UFC interim heavyweight champion is only 31 years old and theoretically has time to further establish as one of the all-time greats.

Aspinall's father introduced him to martial arts in childhood and from there, it became his lifelong passion. Brazilian jiu-jitsu became Aspinall's base before transitioning to MMA and making his amateur debut in 2013.

He kept up a high rate of activity and made his professional MMA debut in 2014, competing throughout England's regional scene before being scooped up by Cage Warriors in 2019. His two finishes in the promotion put him on the UFC's radar and he was soon signed and set to rock the heavyweight division in 2020.

Aspinall's finishes over top talent like former heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski (34-24)(2) and Serghei Spivac (16-4) propelled him through the division. He was eventually tapped to headline the UFC's London return in 2022, again making the most of the opportunity by submitting the ever-intimidating Alexander Volkov (38-10) in the first round.

He was given a second main event chance against Curtis Blaydes (18-4)(1) later that year on yet another London card but Aspinall unfortunately injured his knee in the first round and lost.

This was a temporary setback for Aspinall, as he returned a year later for his third straight headlining event at London's O2 arena and defeated Marcin Tybura (25-8) for another first-round finish. This victory was impressive enough to launch Aspinall into a short-notice interim heavyweight title opportunity against a feared brawler, Sergei Pavlovich (18-3).

Aspinall further proved himself as one of today's most stellar MMA talents by toppling Pavlovich via first-round knockout and earning gold. Despite tough challenges ahead including a UFC 304 rematch with Blaydes, Aspinall has certainly cemented his spot as one of the best British fighters ever.

2. Leon Edwards

The UFC welterweight champion Edwards (22-3)(1) has paved a legacy for himself like no other. He captured the title by knocking out his rival and longtime title holder Kamaru Usman (20-4) with a last-minute head kick at UFC 278. Edwards was losing the fight to that point and had to dig deep to make something happen. It's a testament to his greatness that he was able to do just that.

Edwards was born in Kingston, Jamaica but his family moved to Birmingham, England when he was nine years old for a safer life. Edwards' troubles didn't end with his new environment and his father was eventually killed when the boy was only 13. This sent Edwards down a path toward crime that was only curtailed once he discovered MMA.

He trained hard and eventually made his professional MMA debut in 2011. It only took three more years for the skilled kickboxer to find himself in the UFC. Despite dropping two of his first four fights with the promotion (his last loss to eventual champion Usman), Edwards went on a tear, going on a 13-fight unbeaten streak that saw him achieve championship status.

Edwards successfully defended his title against Usman in the rematch and defeated a bitter rival and risky stylistic matchup, Colby Covington (17-4) at UFC 296 for his second title defense.

Representing England as a soft-spoken and cerebral champion has become Edwards' calling card. He's one of the smoothest and most technical fighters in the UFC. He also has the most successful title defenses of any British champion so far with two. His third successful title defense may be on the horizon when he fights Belal Muhammad (22-3)(1) at UFC 304 in a rematch of their controversial no-contest from 2021. Edwards has a high ceiling and may establish himself as the greatest British fighter of all time if he keeps stacking title fight victories.

1. Michael Bisping

Michael Bisping (30-9) is the most influential and greatest British MMA fighter of all time. The former middleweight champion and The Ultimate Fighter 3 winner catapulted himself to MMA's pinnacle due in part to his mic skills, but mostly on the back of his numerous accomplishments and accolades.

Bisping began his pro-MMA career in 2004 after successful stints on the amateur kickboxing and no-holds-barred fighting circuits. He gained the UFC's attention after competing in smaller promotions like Cage Rage and Cage Warriors.

Bisping was cast in TUF season three and quickly established himself as a trash-talking wise guy capable of getting under his opponent's skin long before the cage doors shut. He won the show's tournament, made his official UFC debut in 2006, and carried his villainous persona throughout his career, becoming one of the first fighters to spit articulate and witty trash talk. Many folks after him have used his blueprint to capitalize on their mic time.

Talk was one of Bisping's trademarks but his fighting skill certainly reminded opponents he was more than just a big mouth. After climbing the rankings and suffering setbacks numerous times in his career, Bisping finally broke through and won the UFC middleweight title at UFC 199 by defeating bitter rival Luke Rockhold (16-6) on short notice. This win made him the first British UFC champion ever. He defended the belt once, avenging one of his worst knockout losses against Dan Henderson (32-15) at UFC 204.

Persistent eye injuries forced Bisping to retire after back-to-back losses to eventual middleweight champion St-Pierre and future contender Kelvin Gastelum (19-9). Bisping however more than established his spot amongst the greats at that point by collecting legendary scalps from the likes of Anderson Silva (34-11)(1), Cung Le (9-3), and Chris Leben (22-11) among others.

Bisping's presence is still felt as a UFC color commentator. His career is a testament to persistence, hard work, and self-promotion. For these reasons, he is the greatest British fighter of all time.