Building a dream team of fighters for MMA Olympic team

With the 2024 Paris Olympics now over, sports fanatics around the world have already begun looking several years into the future, trying to imagine what the 2028 Olympics could look like. Mixed martial arts hasn't been added to the docket yet, but the possibility continues to tantalize both fans and fighters alike. Lerone Murphy No. 11-ranked UFC featherweight, was one of the fighters who was excited by the possibility of MMA in Los Angeles, and he ignited further excitement with this tweet.

While Olympic MMA is certainly a fluid situation at this point, the concept is fun to speculate on, and it spurred dozens of replies from fans trying to picture their countries' dream Olympic squads. But there are really only a few countries that have the depth and the talent necessary to make a run for Olympic gold.

But firstly, a set of baseline rules should be established for this thought exercise. As stated by Murphy in his aforementioned tweet, each country needs to have a fighter to compete in each of the weight classes, using the UFC's weight classes as a baseline for simplicity's sake. Secondly, all fighters who are currently active will be considered, even if they may not be active by 2028. And finally, a fighter must have at least one bout in a weight class in order to be considered for that division.

Now, with a set of guidelines established, it's time to take a look at the five countries that have a serious chance to take home gold in Olympic MMA, in order from best to worst.

1. United States

With top UFC contenders in each weight class, the United States has the best chance at winning gold in Olympic MMA.

This should come as no surprise to anyone. Top to bottom, the United States has the deepest roster of fighters in the world, in large part due to the success that the UFC has had in pushing mixed martial arts into the mainstream. The sport has come a long way since its inception, and its strong presence in American culture has only helped strengthen the MMA talent within the country.

With the exception of Demetrious Johnson, who is only excluded from this distinction due to his status as a ONE Championship fighter, every single fighter on the roster is a top five contender within their respective divisions in the UFC. Outside of Justin Gaethje at lightweight, Tatiana Suarez at women's strawweight and Kayla Harrison at women's bantamweight, every single fighter on this list has been an undisputed UFC champion at some point.

That's eight UFC champions in eleven divisions. All of the fighters on this roster are essentially guaranteed a medal in their respective divisions, something that can't be said about their competition. No other country can claim close to as much dominance at the pinnacle of the sport, which is why the United States should be expected to prevail at the Olympics.

2. Brazil

While not as strong as the United States on paper, Brazil's roster of battle-tested fighters could give them their best challenge at the Olympics.

As the birthplace of one of the most foundational martial arts one can learn, it should be no surprise to see Brazil this high on the list. The home of Brazilian jiu jitsu tends to produce a fair bit of decent fighters, as evidenced by the overwhelming quantity of world class fighters on the roster.

Outside of Patricio Pitbull, who's only excluded due to his status as a Bellator fighter, every single fighter on the roster is a top ten UFC contender, something that can only be said about the aforementioned juggernaut that is the United States. Brazil's best fighters may not be as strong as Russia, or possibly even England for that matter, but the depth really sets them apart here.

While not as decorated as the American roster, the Brazilians have a fair bit of hardware to their name as well. Alexandre Pantoja, Deiveson Figueiredo, Charles Oliveira and Alex Pereira have all won undisputed UFC titles at some point in their careers, while Patricio Pitbull has laid his claim to fame as the longtime featherweight champion in Bellator. Brazil is as deep as any team in the world, and they have the experience to win high-stakes fights at the highest level of the sport.

3. Russia

Russia's team is filled with the boogeymen of their respective divisions, setting them up with a perfect opportunity to play spoiler.

When comparing the strongest fighters on their rosters, Russia matches up well with almost anyone, including the United States and Brazil. At bantamweight, Umar Nurmagomedov has the skillset necessary to dethrone UFC champion and preeminent gold favorite Sean O'Malley. At lightweight, Islam Makhachev is literally unstoppable right now. And at light heavyweight, Magomed Ankalaev's grappling-heavy style could give Alex Pereira fits.

The Russian selection could also feature elite second-tier fighters that could pull off some shocking upsets. At flyweight, Askar Askarov owns a win over Brazil's aforementioned Pantoja, and his style could be a matchup nightmare for most. And in other divisions, fighters such as Movsar Evloev and Magomed Magomedkerimov are well-rounded enough to be a tough matchup for anyone.

However, although their top fighters can give anyone problems on any given night, their roster depth is severely lacking, particularly in the women's divisions. Victoria Dudakova cannot compete with any top contender at strawweight, and Veronika Borisova is too inexperienced to pose a threat to any contenders at flyweight. And while Yana Santos and Ikram Aliskerov aren't as weak as those two, there's still a very real possibility that neither ends up with a medal in their divisions.

4. England

Buoyed by Tom Aspinall and former UFC Welterweight Champion Leon Edwards, England's young roster might look a lot better by 2028.

Outside of the usual suspects, England's roster is undoubtedly the strongest in the world. Despite never touching the undisputed belt, UFC Interim Heavyweight Champion Tom Aspinall has a legitimate claim to being the best heavyweight in the world. He is unstoppable right now, and there is not a single man in the world that can survive in an octagon with him for more than ten minutes.

And despite his recent loss to Belal Muhammad, Leon Edwards is still a challenging matchup for anyone at welterweight, with his immaculate kickboxing technique and strong takedown defense making it difficult to outpoint him. Edwards and Aspinall are two of the best pound for pound fighters in the world, and they could easily medal in the 2028 Olympics.

However, the rest of England's roster is just too young to surpass the top three nations right now. Paddy Pimblett just broke into the UFC rankings at lightweight, Dakota Ditcheva is still emerging in the PFL, and Muhammad Mokaev is only 23, despite his success in the UFC's flyweight division. Fighters such as Basharat and Allen have similar issues, and this relative inexperience could cost them when they face the world-class fighters that other countries offer.

5. Australia

Australia's got a nice mix of world class veterans and rising contenders, but the weak spots on their roster hold them back.

Australia might not have the best roster on paper, but it sure is a fun one to look at. The headliner is obviously Alexander Volkanovski, the long-time UFC Featherweight Champion who was dethroned by Ilia Topuria this past February. But even though he may not hold the belt anymore, Volkanovski can still hang with just about anyone at 145 pounds.

Beyond Volkanovski, the Aussies have some really exciting names on this team as well. Robert Whittaker is still a scary man to face at middleweight, and Jack Della Maddalena just shut the lights out on Brazil's Gilber Burns. And at flyweight, Steve Erceg just went life or death with current UFC flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja, just less than a year after making his UFC debut. Erceg is the truth, and it wouldn't be surprising to see him hold the belt someday soon.

But as with Russia, the top-end talent isn't the problem for Australia. It's the depth. Jacinta Austin is similar to Russia's Veronika Borisova, in the sense that neither is truly ready to pose a threat to any contender in their divisions yet. Jamie Mullarkey technically holds a UFC roster spot, but he's also not worthy of much consideration either. And while Casey O'Neill was once a hyped prospect, her recent performances have made her a question mark at best in this field.

Other countries were in consideration for this list, such as Japan and Ireland, but their inability to fill all eleven divisions with quality fighters barred them from inclusion. As of right now, there are really only five countries who can find eleven fighters to represent them at the highest level, and those five were the ones who ultimately earned a spot on this list.