When discussing physical attributes like height, you may think taller people are more successful in combat sports. While that is true for sports like boxing, it does not have to be true for MMA. Taller fighters have a more extended reach and thus have an advantage.
But short fighters have an advantage when it comes to wrestling and ground game. Both types of fighters have an equal chance. Be sure to check out our list of tallest MMA fighters as well.
Demetrious Johnson – 5’3’’ – 160cm
Demetrious Johnson is a fighter from the United States. He currently holds a record of 23 wins, four losses, and one no-contest. He competed for many organizations such as KOTC, WEC, and UFC and is currently fighting for ONE Championship.
Out of those 23 wins, Johnson has a 53% finish rate, and four out of those 23 wins are by knockout. The rest are by submission and by decision, eight by submission to be exact, and 11 by decision.
Demetrious Johnson became famous after he started competing in the UFC. His first professional debut was in 2009, and he fought against Frankie Mendez under the KOTC organization. Johnson won that fight by submission in round one. His first UFC appearance was in 2011 for the UFC 126, where he fought Norifumi Yamamoto. He won that fight via decision in round three.
Johnson fought for UFC until 2019 when he joined one championship and had his first fight against Yuya Wakamatsu. He wondered fight yeah submission in round two. His last fight was in 2021 against Adriano Moraes, where he was lost by TKO.
Henry Cejudo – 5’4’’ – 163cm
Henry Cejudo, born on February 9, 1985, is a male fighter from the US. His professional record is 16 wins and two losses. Cejudo is one of the most famous bantamweight competitors in the UFC. Out of those 16 wins, he had a 50% finish rate, seven knockouts, one submission, and eight wins by decision.
He is most famous because he competed in the UFC. Still, Henry competed for other organizations such as legacy FC and gladiator challenge. His first fight and professional debut happened in 2013 when he fought against Mike Poe and won by submission.
After that win, Cejudo had a 9-win streak, losing to Demetrious Johnson. He would meet Demetrius Johnson again at the UFC 227, where he would win by a decision in round five. Henry also fought against some other great flyweight competitors like T.J. Dillashaw.
After that fight, he went on to compete in the bantamweight division. His first fight in that division was against Marlon Moraes, where he won by TKO in round three. Cejudo’s last fight was in 2020 against Dominick Cruz, who he also won by TKO.
Hector Sandoval – 5’2’’ – 157cm
Hector Sandoval (born July 19, 1986) is a fighter from Mexico and holds a professional record of 15 wins and four losses. Out of those 15 wins, he has a 40% finish rate. Four wins are by knockout, 2 by submission, and nine by decision. Hector competed for a couple of organizations and made several appearances in the UFC.
His first fight and professional debut happened in 2008. It was against Ulysses Gomez, where he lost by submission in round one. After that loss, Hector went on to have a 7-win streak. His first appearance for the UFC happened in 2016 when he fought against Wilson Reis and lost by submission in round one.
Sandoval then fought again for the UFC. His opponent this time was Freddy Serrano, and he won that fight by decision. His last fight was in 2019, where he fought against Jorge Calvo Martin and won by decision at the end of round three.
Norifumi Yamamoto – 5’4’’ – 163cm
Norifumi Yamamoto (born March 15, 1977) is a fighter from Japan and holds a professional record of 18 wins and six losses. Out of those 18 wins, he has an 84% finish rate and has 13 wins by knockout, two by submission, and three by decision. Yamamoto fought for various organizations such as Shooto, K-1, Dream, and UFC.
His first professional fight end debut happened in 2001 when he fought against Masato Shiozawa. Norifumu Yamamoto won that fight by decision at the end of round two. Back then, he was competing in the bantamweight division. He also competed in various divisions: bantamweight, lightweight, featherweight, and catchweight.
His first UFC appearance happened in 2011 when he fought against Demetrious Johnson in the bantamweight division. Yamamoto lost that fight by decision at the end of round three. That happened at the UFC 126 event. In total, Yamamoto had four fights for the UFC.
Out of those four fights, he had three losses and one no contest against Roman Salazar. Unfortunately, Yamamoto died on September 18, 2018, from cancer.
John Dodson – 5’1’’ – 155cm
John Dodson (born September 26, 1984) is a male fighter from the United States. He holds a professional record of 22 wins and 13 losses. Out of those 22 wins, twelve are by knockout, two by submission, and 11 by decision. Dodson has a 50% finish rate in his fights. He fought for a couple of organizations, such as KOTC and ultimate warrior, before he started fighting for UFC in 2011.
Dodson competed in regional circuits and was the ultimate warrior organization until 2011. He then started fighting for the XMMA in 2001, and his first opponent was Cody Gibson. His first professional fight and debut happened in 2004 when Dodson fought against Zach White and won by submission in round one.
In 2011 Dodson had his first fight for the UFC, where he fought against Brandon Mertk. He won that fight by TKO in round one. He fought for the UFC up until 2020. His last fight for the UFC was against Merab Dvalishvili, where he lost by decision at the end of round three.
His last fight was in 2022, where he fought against Francisco Rivera end one by decision at the end of round 5.
Joseph Benavidez (born July 31, 1984) is a fighter coming from the United States. He holds a professional record of twenty wins and eight losses. Out of those 28 wins, Benavidez has eight knockouts, 9 submissions, and eleven wins by decision. He has a 61% finish rate in his fights.
His first fight and professional debut happened in 2006 when he fought against Brandon Shelton and won by submission in round two. Joseph fought for smaller organizations up until 2008, when he had a fight under the WEC organization. His first fight was against Danny Martinez, winning by decision at the end of round three.
His first UFC appearance happened in 2011 for UFC 128 event. Where the opponent was Ian Loveland. Joseph won that fight by decision at the end of round 3. He fought in the bantamweight division until 2012, when he fought in the flyweight division against Yasuhiro Urushitani and one by TKO in round two.
Benavidez fought against tough flyweight opponents such as Demetrious Johnson and Henry Cejudo. Joseph’s last fight was in 2021 for the UFC 259 event, where he fought against Askar Askarov. Then he lost that fight by decision at the end of round three.
John Lineker – 5’3’’ – 160cm
John Lineker (born July 12, 1990) is a fighter from Brazil and holds a professional record of 35 wins and nine losses. Out of those 35 wins, he has 17 wins by knockout, four by submission, and 13 by decision. John has a 63% finish rate in his fights.
John’s first professional debut was in 2008 when he fought against Mauricio Alves. You want that fight by TKO in round two. He continued fighting for regional circuits until 2012, when he joined the UFC. His first fight for the UFC was against Louis Gaudinot in the catchweight division. He lost that fight by submission in round 2.
He fought for the UFC until 2019 when he joined ONE Championship. His first fight for ONE Championship promotion was against Muin Gafurov. He won that fight by decision at the end of round three. He is currently on a four-win streak and still fighting for ONE Championship.
Jarred Brooks – 5’3’’ – 160cm
Jarred Brooks (born May 2, 1993) is a fighter coming from the United States. He holds a professional record of 19 wins and two losses. Of those 19 wins, two are by knockout, eight by submission, and nine by decision. Brooks has a 53% finish rate in his fights. He fought under many promotions, and some of them are; Absolute FC, MFL, Bellator, and ONE Championship.
He had his first professional debut in 2014 when he fought Chris Catala. Jarred won by submission at the beginning of round one. After that fight, he went on to have a 12-win streak and then lost to Deiveson Figueiredo on UFC Fight Night 119 by the end of round 3.
In 2021 he started fighting for the ONE Championship, and his first fight was against Lito Adiwang. He won that fight by submission in round two. Jared is currently on a 5-win streak.
Ray Borg – 5’4’’ – 163cm
Ray Borg (born August 4, 1993) is a fighter coming from the United States. He holds a professional record of 15 wins and five losses. Out of those 16 wins, he had one win by knockout, six by submission, and nine by decision. Ray has a 44% finish rate in his fights.
His first professional debut was in 2012 when he fought against Gene Perez. Ray won that fight by submission in round one. After that fight, he went on to have a five-fight win streak before losing to Dustin Ortiz on his first-ever appearance in the UFC. That happened in 2014. Borg went on to fight for the UFC up until 2020.
Throughout his career, he fought in the flyweight and bantamweight divisions. In 2022 he decided to join Eagle FC, which Khabib Nurmagomedov runs. He only had two fights in the Eagle FC, and his last fight was against Ricky Bandejas, where Ray won by submission at the end of round three.
Frankie Edgar – 5’6’’ – 168cm
Frankie Edgar (born October 16, 1981) is a fighter from the United States. He holds a professional record of 24 wins and ten losses. Out of those 24 wins, he has seven wins by knockout, four by submission, and 13 by decision. Frankie has a 46% finish rate in his fights.
His first professional fight happened in 2005 when he fought against Eric Uresk. Frankie won that fight by TKO in round one. After that fight, he went on to have an 8-fight win streak before losing to Gray Maynard. His first ever appearance in the UFC happened in 2007 when Frankie fought against Tyson Griffin. He also won that fight by decision at the end of round three.
Frankie fought in the lightweight division until 2013, when he decided to try himself out in the featherweight division. His last fight was in 2021 against Marlon Vera. They fought in the bantamweight division, and Frankie lost by TKO in round three.
Sean Sherk – 5’6’’ – 168cm
Sean Sherk (born August 5, 1973) is a retired fighter from the United States. He holds a professional record of 35 wins and four losses. Out of those 35 wins, eight are by knockout, 13 by submission, and 14 by decision. Sean has a 60% finish rate in his fights.
Sean had his first professional fight back in 1999 when he fought against Joe Paun. He won that fight by decision at the end of round one. Sean went on to have a 17-win streak before losing to Matt Hughes. His first UFC appearance happened for the UFC 36 event in 2002, where Sean fought against Jutaro Nakao.
He was one of the best fighters in the lightweight division. Sean even fought some great names like Georges St. Pierre, Nick Diaz, and Frankie Edgar. His last fight, however, was in 2010 for the UFC 119 event. Sean won that fight by the scission at the end of round three.
T.J. Dillashaw – 5’6’’ – 168cm
T.J. Dillashaw (born February 7, 1986) is a fighter coming from the United States. T.J. is a bantamweight division competitor who’s most famous for his appearances in the UFC. He holds a professional record of 17 wins and four losses. Out of those 17 wins, nine wins by knockout, four by submission, and seven by decision. T.J. has a 59% finish rate in his fights.
He had his professional debut back in 2010 against Czar Sklavos. T.J. won that fight by decision at the end of round three. That happened under the KOTC organization. His first-ever appearance in the UFC occurred in 2011 when he fought against Matt Jaggers. T.J. won that fight as well by TKO in round one.
T.J. and some great opponents like Dominick Cruz, Cody Garbrandt, and Henry Cejudo. His last fight was in 2021 against Cory Sandhagen, which he won by decision. he is currently scheduled to fight Aljamain Sterling in October of 2022.
Marlon Moraes – 5’6’’ – 168cm
Marlon Moraes (born April 26, 1988) fighter coming from Brazil. He is a bantamweight competitor who competed in a couple of organizations such as XFC, WSOF, and UFC. Marlin holds a professional record of 23 wins and ten losses. Out of those 23 wins, he has ten wins by knockout, six by submission, and seven by decision. Moraes has a 70% finish rate in his fights.
His first professional fight happened in 2007 when he fought against Bruno Santana. Marlon won that fight by submission in round one. His first ever appearance in the UFC occurred in 2017 on UFC Fight Night 120. He fought against John Dodson and won by decision in round three.
His last fight happened in 2022, and it was against Yadong Song. Unfortunately, Marlon lost by TKO in round 1. He is currently on a four-fight losing streak.
Alexander Volkanovski – 5’6’’ – 168cm
Alexander Volkanovski (born September 29, 1988) is a fighter from Australia. He holds a professional record of 25 wins and one loss. Out of those 25 wins, 12 are by knockout, three by submission, and ten by decision. Alexander has a 60% finish rate in his fights. He is one of the best featherweight contenders in the UFC currently.
His first debut happened back in 2012 when he fought against Gerhard Voigt. Alexander won that fight by decision at the end of round three. He fought for various organizations before he joined the UFC in 2016. His first opponent in the UFC was Yasuke Kesuya. Alexander won that fight by TKO in round two. Since then, he has been fighting in the UFC featherweight division.
His last fight was in 2022, and it was against Max Holloway. Alexander also won that fight by decision at the end of round five. He hasn’t lost a fight since 2013 and is currently on a 22-fight win streak. So, Alexander can be called one of the greatest fighters in the featherweight division now.
Bruno “Bulldog” Silva – 5’4’’ – 163cm
Bruno Silva (born July 13, 1989) is a fighter coming from Brazil. He has competed in the bantamweight division as well as in flyweight. Silva has a professional record of 12 wins, five losses, and two draws. Out of those twelve wins, he has six wins by knockout, three by submission, and four by decision. Bruno has a 67% finish rate in his fights.
His first professional debut happened in 2011 when he fought against Paulo Magueta and won by submission in round one. His first appearance in The Ultimate Fighter Brazil was in 2015, when he fought Gustavo Sedorio. Bruno won that fight by TKO in round one.
The Bulldog continued to fight in other organizations like Aspera FC, LFA, and WFF before joining UFC in 2019. Bruno had his first no-contest for the UFC 243 event, where he was supposed to fight Khalid Taha. His last fight was in 2021, and it was against Victor Rodriguez. Bruno is currently on two fight win streak.
Ty Johnson – 5’0’’ – 152cm
Ty Johnson (born January 1, 1997) is a fighter from the United States. He holds a professional record of nine wins and six losses. Out of those nine wins, there are six wins by submission and three by decision. Ty has a 67% finish rate in his fights. He has competed in the lightweight, featherweight, and bantamweight divisions.
Johnson debuted in 2019 when he fought against Johansser Paulino under the Force ONE organization. He lost that fight by submission in round three. Ty fought for many promotions such as; Global Legion FC, Titan FC, and XKO.
His last fight was in 2022, when he fought against Juan Pablo Mendoza. TY won that fight by decision at the end of round three. He is currently on a three-fight win streak.
Matt “The Terror” Serra – 5’6’’ – 168cm
Matt Serra (born July 2, 1974) is a retired fighter from the United States. he holds a professional record of 11 wins and seven losses. Out of those 11 wins, he has two wins by knockout, six by submission, and five by decision. Matt has a 55% finish rate in his fights. Matt competed in the welterweight and lightweight divisions.
He had his first professional fight back in 1998 against Khamzat Vitaev, winning by submission. Matt had his first UFC appearance in 2001 for the UFC 31 event. His opponent then was Shonie Carter. Matt was lost by TKO in round three.
He went on to fight in the UFC up until 2010. His last fight was at the UFC 119 event, where he fought against Chris Lytle. Matt lost that fight by decision at the end of round three. Soon after that, he retired and stopped fighting.
Fredy “El Profe” Serrano – 5’3’’ – 160cm
Fredy Serrano (born September 22, 1979) is a retired fighter from Colombia. He holds a professional record of four wins and two losses. Of those four wins, two are by knockout and one by decision. Freddy has a 75% finish rate in his fights. He competed in the bantamweight and flyweight divisions.
His first fight was back in 2013 when he fought against Andres Ayala. El Profe won that fight under the SFC promotion. After his first fight, he went on to fight in The Ultimate Fighter Latin America, where he fought against Alejandro Perez. Freddie lost that fight by decision at the end of round two.
He continued to fight for the UFC up until 2016. His last fight in the UFC was against hector Sandoval. Freddy lost that fight by decision at the end of round three. His last fight was in 2018, and it was against Joseph Vieira. Freddy won that fight by decision at the end of round three. That fight happened under the Empire MMA promotion.
Jose “Shorty” Torres – 5’4’’ – 163cm
Jose Torres (born August 2, 1992) is a fighter coming from the United States. He has competed in the bantamweight and flyweight divisions in his career. Shorty holds a professional record of 10 wins, one loss, and one draw. Out of those ten wins, he has four wins by knockout, two by submission, and four by decision. Jose has a 60% finish rate in his fights.
His first professional fight was in 2016, when he fought against Travis Taylor. Torres won that fight by submission in round one. After that fight, he went on to have a seven-fight win streak before losing to Alex Perez. Jose competed in Titan FC until 2018 when he first appeared in the UFC. Torres fought Jared Brooks at the UFC Fight Night 131 event.
Shorty only had two fights for the UFC, and after that, he went on to fight in the Brave CF. His last fight was in 2021, when he fought against Blaine O’Driscoll. He won that fight by decision at the end of round three.
Ali “Puncher” Bagautinov – 5’4’’ – 163cm
Ali Bagautinov (born June 10, 1985) is a fighter coming from Russia. He holds a professional record of 21 wins and seven losses. Out of those 21 wins, six are by knockout, four by submission, and 11 by decision. Ali has a 48% finish rate in his fights. He is a flyweight division contender.
The Puncher had his first professional fight back in 2010 when he fought Dmitry Kazancev. Ali won that fight by submission in round one. His first UFC appearance happened in 2013 for UFC Fight Night 28. Ali fought against Marcos Vinicius and won by TKO in round 3.
He went on to fight in the UFC up until 2016, and then he started fighting for the Fight Nights Global organization. His last fight was in 2021 against Sean Santella. The Puncher won that fight by TKO in round one. That fight happened under the BRAVE CF promotion.
Zach “Fun Size” Makovsky – 5’4’’ – 163cm
Zach Makovsky (born April 19, 1982) is a fighter coming from the United States. He holds a professional record of 21 wins and 11 losses. Out of those 21 wins, one is by knockout, seven by submission, and 13 by decision. Zach has a 39% finish rate in his fights. He competed in the catchweight flyweight and bantamweight divisions in his career.
Makovsky debuted in 2006 when he fought against Tinh Tupy and won by decision at the end of round three. In 2010 he joined Bellator, and his first fight was against Eric Luke. Makovsky won that fight by submission in round two. His UFC debut was in 2013 when he fought against Scott Jorgensen. Zach won that fight by decision at the end of round three.
Zach continued to fight for the UFC until 2016, when he lost against Dustin Ortiz. He fought against Asu Almabaev and lost by decision at the end of round 3. He is now fighting for the BRAVE CF; his last fight was in 2022.
Antonio Banuelos – 5’3’’ – 160cm
Antonio Banuelos (born September 23, 1979) is a retired fighter from the United States. He holds a professional record of twenty wins, 11 losses, and one draw.
Antonio had his first fight back in 2001 when he fought against Daniel Garlits. He won that fight by TKO under the IFC promotion. Antonio competed in many different organizations such as; IFC, WEC, Legacy FC, and Dream.
His last fight was in 2014, when he fought against Joby Sanchez and lost.
Marcus “The Bama Beast” Brimage – 5’4’’ – 163cm
Marcus Brimage (born April 6, 1985) is a fighter from the United States. The Bama Beast fought in the featherweight and bantamweight divisions. He holds a professional record of seven wins and eight losses. Four of those seven wins are by knockout and four by decision. Marcus had a 43% finish rate in his fights.
His first professional fight happened in 2007 when he fought against Jason Kwast. Marcus won that fight by decision at the end of round three. He first appeared on The Ultimate Fighter in 2011 against Bryson Hanson. Marcus again won that fight by TKO in round two.
He continued to fight for the UFC until 2015, when he lost to Jimmie Rivera by TKO. His last fight was in 2021, and he fought against Kyle Bochniak. Marcus lost that fight by decision at the end of round three. That happened under the XMMA organization.
Tim “The Psycho” Gorman – 5’4’’ – 163cm
Tim Gorman (born April 29, 1983) is a retired fighter in the United States. He holds a professional record of 10 wins and four losses. Out of those ten wins, eight are by knockout, two by submission, and one by decision. Tim has a 90% finish rate in his fights. He was a bantamweight division competitor.
He had his first professional fight back in 2005 when he fought Will Ross. The Psycho won that fight by TKO in the first 15 seconds of the first round. He first appeared in the UFC for the UFC Fight Night in 2014, where he fought and lost against Mitch Gagnon.
Tim had another fight for the UFC Fight Night and lost again to Thomas Almeida. His last fight happened in 2015, and it was against Justin Morrison. Tim won that fight by submission in round two. That happened under the MCC organization.
Chad “Money” Mendes – 5’6’’ – 167cm
Chad Mendes (born May 1, 1985) is a fighter coming from the United States. He is a featherweight contender who is most famous for his UFC fights. Mendes holds a professional record of 18 wins and five losses.
Out of those 18 wins, eight are by knockout, two by submission, and eight by decision. Chad has a 56% finish rate in his fights. His first professional fight was back in 2008 against Giovanni Encarnacion. Chad won that fight by submission in round one. He went on to have a 10-fight win streak before losing to Jose Aldo.
His first ever UFC appearance was in 2011 for the UFC 126 event. From then, Mendes would only fight in the UFC before retiring in 2018. His last fight happened at the UFC 232 event against Alexander Volkanovski. Chad lost by TKO in round two.
[BONUS] Gustavo “El Gladiador” Balart – 4’11’’ – 150cm
Gustavo Eddy Balart Marin, nickname “El Gladiador” born on 10th February 1987 in Cuba. He is an MMA fighter in the Strawweight division of ONE Championship. For ONE he has competed for the Titan FC (Titan Fighting Championships).
There he had the record of 8 wins and only one loss. And in April 2019 he moved to ONE Championship promotion where he currently ranked number 4 in the division. Balart is also a former amateur Greco-Roman wrestler who competed in the men’s featherweight category.
He won a gold medal in Pan American Games in 2011. Balart also represented Cuba at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. He is only 4 ft 11 and his MMA record is 15 fights with 11 wins and 4 losses.
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