This year has featured a lot of change in MMA. From the spectacle that was Mayweather vs McGregor, to the sale of the UFC finalizing at $5 Billion and of course numerous injuries
, last minute fight cancellations and PED suspensions. Despite all that, a new crop of MMA stars have emerged on the scene.
Every year after the first year I started the 30 under 30 list, I have to go through and look who is now 30 years old. 13 fighters were removed due to age for this year’s list. Of those 13, four are former UFC champions and two were or are currently Bellator champions. The biggest name off the list is Jon Jones. Even with him now being 30, I may have removed him to due to suspension as I did a few years ago with this list. Regardless of what anyone thinks of this man, he was very deserving of being the number one fighter under 30 for five years in row.
Also off the list this is former UFC Champion Jose Aldo. After re-claiming the UFC featherweight title in late 2016 due to McGregor vacating the title, Aldo was matched up with Max Holloway. Aldo showed signs of aging in that fight and didn’t fight with a great strategy. Despite losing the belt in that fight, he is still widely considered the greatest featherweight of all-time. Now at 30, it will be interesting if this loss coupled with the Conor defeat will spell an end to the Brazilian’s career.
The fighters removed off the list are all mentioned upon the completion of this year’s list. I included their rank upon leaving the list as well. Other notable names removed include Anthony Pettis, Renan Barao, Patricio Pitbull and Will Brooks. After these fighters were removed, that left me 13 spots to fill and 17 fighters still eligible to remain on.
To fill any open spots, I first look at how the fighters stack up in terms of rankings in their individual divisions. How they performed so far this year, how close to a title shot and of course potential. I look at those factors coupled with who is already on the list to get it down to 30. I had about 35 fighters that fit all of my criteria but had to make some tough cuts to get in the final 10 fighters. Once I have the right amount, I move on to placement.
For placement, I look at pretty much the same criteria as putting someone on the list but I now factor in previous ranking and championship experience. Being a champion or a former champion will usually put someone higher up. I also look at how they would compete against other fighters in the same weight class.
A few fighters made some big jumps this year as one moved up 21 spots and another at 19. No one fighter made as big a jump down but the biggest was nine. Again 13 fighters made their debut and of those entries, number six was the highest spot they were placed. Six current MMA champions are on the list as well as four former champions. 26 fighters are from the UFC, three are from Bellator and just one from a non-US promotion. After all the numbers were crunched, I came up with this year’s list.
2017 Best 30 Under 30 in MMA
1. Conor McGregor UFC LW Champion (#2 last year) +1
2. Max Holloway UFC FW Champion (#9 last year) +7
3. Cody Garbrandt UFC BW Champion (#11 last year) +8
4. Robert Whittaker UFC Interim MW Champion (#25 last year) +21
5. Rory MacDonald UFC WW (#8 last year) +3
6. Volkan Oezdemir UFC LHW*
7. Jimmie Rivera UFC BW (#26 last year) +19
8. Justin Gaethje UFC LW (#10 last year) +2
9. Kevin Lee UFC LW*
10. Douglas Lima Bellator WW Champion*
11. Khabib Nurmagomedov UFC LW (#5 last year) -6
12. Darrion Caldwell Bellator BW Champion*
13. Charles Oliveira UFC LW (#18 last year) +5
14. Eduardo Dantas Bellator BW (#7 last year) -7
15. Kelvin Gastelum UFC MW (#19 last year) +4
16. Marlon Moraes UFC BW (#13 last year) -3
17. Aljamain Sterling UFC BW (#22 last year) +5
18. Ray Borg UFC FLY*
19. Alexander Volkov UFC HW*
20. Dustin Poirier UFC LW*
21. Kamaru Usman UFC WW*
22. Brian Ortega UFC FW*
23. Sergio Pettis UFC FLY*
24. Thomas Almeida UFC BW (#20 last year) -4
25. Doo-Ho Choi UFC FW*
26. Kyoji Horiguchi Rizin FLY (#17 last year) -9
27. Beneil Dariush UFC LW*
28. Brad Tavares UFC MW*
29. Stefan Struve UFC HW (#27 last year) -2
30. Myles Jury UFC FW (#30 last year)
Removed due to age: Jon Jones #1, Jose Aldo #3, Alexander Gustafsson #4, Patricio Pitbull #6, Will Brooks #12, Anthony Pettis #14, Lorenz Larkin #15, Renan Barao #16, Henry Cejudo #21, Dennis Bermudez #23, Francis Ngannou #24, Bobby Green #28, Tarec Saffiedine #29
*Denotes 1st year on list. Below are lists from previous years of 30 under 30.
2016 List
1. Jon Jones UFC LHW (#1 5 years in a row)
2. Conor McGregor (#5 last year) +3
3. Jose Aldo UFC FW Champion (#3 last year)
4. Alexander Gustafsson UFC LHW (#6 last year) +2
5. Khabib Nurmagomedov UFC LW (#9 last year) +4
6. Patricio Pitbull Bellator FW Champ (#13 last year) +7
7. Eduardo Dantas Bellator BW (#25 last year) +18
8. Rory MacDonald UFC WW (#7 last year) -1
9. Max Holloway UFC FW (#14 last year) +5
10. Justin Gaethje WSOF LW Champ (#27 last year) +17
11. Cody Garbrandt UFC BW*
12. Will Brooks Bellator LW Champ (#11 last year) -1
13. Marlon Moraes WSOF BW Champ (#12 last year) -1
14. Anthony Pettis UFC LW (#8 last year) -6
15. Lorenz Larkin UFC WW (#15 last year)
16. Renan Barao UFC BW (#10 last year) -6
17. Kyoji Horiguchi UFC FLY (#16 last year) -1
18. Charles Oliveira UFC FW (#18 last year)
19. Kelvin Gastelum UFC MW (#19 last year)
20. Thomas Almeida UFC BW (#20 last year)
21. Henry Cujedo UFC FLY (#21 last year)
22. Aljamain Sterling UFC BW (#22 last year)
23. Dennis Bermudez UFC FW (#26 last year) +3
24. Francis Ngannou UFC HW*
25. Robert Whittaker UFC MW*
26. Jimmie Rivera UFC BW*
27. Stefan Struve UFC HW (#28 last year) +1
28. Bobby Green UFC LW (#29 last year) +1
29. Tarec Saffiedine UFC WW (#30 last year) +1
30. Myles Jury UFC FW (#23 last year) -7
Removed due to age: Demetrious Johnson #2, #4 TJ Dillashaw, #17 Edson Barboza, #24 Jeremy Stephens
2015 List
1. Jon Jones UFC LHW (#1 4 years in a row)
2. Mighty Mouse UFC FLY Champion (#2 last year)
3. Jose Aldo UFC FW Champion (#3 last year)
4. TJ Dillashaw UFC BW Champion (#5 last year) +1
5. Conor McGregor UFC FW (#13 last year) +8
6. Alexander Gustafsson UFC LHW (#8 last year) +2
7. Rory MacDonald UFC WW (#10 last year) +3
8. Anthony Pettis UFC LW (#4 last year) -4
9. Khabib Nurmagomedov UFC LW (#12 last year) +3
10. Renan Barao UFC BW (last year #6) -4
11. Will Brooks Bellator LW Champ (#15 last year) +4
12. Marlon Moraes WSOF BW Champ (#16 last year) +4
13. Patricio Pitbull Bellator FW Champ (#23 last year) +10
14. Max Holloway UFC FW*
15. Lorenz Larkin UFC WW*
16. Kyoji Horiguchi UFC FLY*
17. Edson Barboza UFC LW*
18. Charles Oliveira UFC FW*
19. Kelvin Gastelum UFC WW*
20. Thomas Almeida UFC BW*
21. Henry Cujedo UFC FLY*
22. Aljamain Sterling UFC BW*
23. Myles Jury UFC FW (#18 last year) -5
24. Jeremy Stephens UFC FW (#24 last year)
25. Eduardo Dantas Bellator BW (#29 last year) +4
26. Dennis Bermudez UFC FW (#17 last year) -9
27. Justin Gaethje WSOF LW Champ*
28. Stefan Struve UFC HW*
29. Bobby Green UFC LW (#19 last year) -10
30. Tarec Saffiedine UFC WW (#20 last year) -10
Removed due to age: #7 Dominick Cruz, #9 Chad Mendes, #11 Cub Swanson, #14 Rafael dos Anjos, #21 Luke Rockhold, #25 Nate Diaz,
#26 Jake Ellenberger, #30 Gegard Mousasi
Removed due to injury: #27 Michael McDonald
Didn’t make the cut: Pat Curran (#28 last year) Michael Chandler (#22 last year)
2014 List
1. Jon Jones UFC LHW Champion (#1 3 years in a row)
2. Mighty Mouse UFC FLY Champion (last year #3) +1
3. Jose Aldo UFC FW Champion (last year #2) -1
4. Anthony Pettis UFC LW Champion (last year #5) +1
5. TJ Dillashaw UFC BW Champion*
6. Renan Barao UFC BW (last year #4) -2
7. Dominick Cruz UFC BW (#8 in 2012, off in 2013 with injury)
8. Alexander Gustafsson UFC LHW (#8 last year)
9. Chad Mendes UFC FW (last year #11) +2
10. Rory MacDonald UFC WW (last year #18) +8
11. Cub Swanson UFC FW (last year #19) +8
12. Khabib Nurmagomedov UFC LW*
13. Conor McGregor UFC FW*
14. Rafal dos Anjos UFC LW*
15. Will Brooks Bellator LW Champ*
16. Marlon Moraes WSOF BW Champ*
17. Dennis Bermudez UFC FW*
18. Myles Jury UFC LW*
19. Bobby Green UFC LW*
20. Tarec Saffiedine UFC WW*
21. Luke Rockhold UFC MW (last year #22) +1
22. Michael Chandler Bellator LW (last year #17) -6
23. Patricio Pitbull Bellator FW Champ*
24. Jeremy Stephens UFC FW*
25. Nate Diaz UFC LW (last year #23) -6
26. Jake Ellenberger UFC WW (last year #24) -3
27. Michael McDonald UFC BW (last year #16) -12
28. Pat Curran Bellator FW (last year #12) -17
29. Eduardo Dantas Bellator BW (last year #30) +1
30. Gegard Mousasi UFC MW*
Removed due to age: #6 Chris Weidman, #7 JDS, #9 Johny Hendricks, #10 Ben Henderson, #13 Joseph Benavidez, #14 Carlos Condit, #15 Phil Davis #20 Ben Askren, #21 TJ Grant, #25 Ian McCall, #26 Eddie Wineland, #27 John Dodson, #28 Alexander Shlemenko
#29 Korean Zombie also removed due to extenuating circumstances (military service)
2013 List
1. Jon Jones UFC LHW Champion (last year #1)
2. Jose Aldo UFC FW Champion (last year #3) +1
3. Mighty Mouse UFC FLY Champion (last year #4) +1
4. Renan Barao UFC Interim BW Champion (last year #7) +3
5. Anthony Pettis UFC LW Champion (last year #24) +19
6. Chris Weidman UFC MW Champion (last year #11) +5
7. Junior Dos Santos UFC HW (last year #2) -5
8. Alexander Gustafsson UFC LHW (last year #20) +12
9. Johny Hendricks UFC WW (last year #14) +5
10. Ben Henderson UFC LW (last year #5) -5
11. Chad Mendes UFC FW (last year #18) +7
12. Pat Curran Bellator FW Champion (last year #13) +1
13. Joseph Benavidez UFC FLY (last year #12) -1
14. Carlos Condit UFC WW (last year #6) -8
15. Phil Davis UFC LHW (last year #16) +1
16. Michael McDonald UFC BW (last year #19) +3
17. Michael Chandler Bellator LW Champion (last year #30) +13
18. Rory MacDonald UFC WW*
19. Cub Swanson UFC FW*
20. Ben Askren Bellator WW Champion (last year #29) +9
21. TJ Grant UFC LW*
22. Luke Rockhold UFC MW (last year #17) -5
23. Nate Diaz UFC LW (last year #15) -8
24. Jake Ellenberger UFC WW (last year #23) -1
25. Ian McCall UFC FLY (last year #22) -3
26. Eddie Wineland UFC BW*
27. John Dodson UFC FLY (last year #27)
28. Alexander Shlemenko Bellator MW Champion*
29. Korean Zombie UFC FW (last year #26) -3
30. Eduardo Dantas Bellator BW Champion*
Removed due to age: Nick Diaz #9, Cain Velasquez #10, Jim Miller #21, Donald Cerrone #25, Ryan Bader #28
Removed by Injury: #8 Dominick Cruz
2012 List
1. Jon Jones UFC LHW Champion
2. Junior Dos Santos UFC HW
3. Jose Aldo UFC FW Champion
4. Mighty Mouse UFC FLY Champion
5. Ben Henderson UFC LW
6. Carlos Condit UFC WW
7. Renan Barao UFC Interim BW Champion
8. Dominick Cruz UFC BW Champion
9. Nick Diaz UFC WW
10. Cain Velasquez UFC HW
11. Chris Weidman UFC MW Champion
12. Joseph Benavidez UFC FLY
13. Pat Curran Bellator FW Champion
14. Johny Hendricks UFC WW
15. Nate Diaz UFC LW
16. Phil Davis UFC LHW
17. Luke Rockhold UFC MW
18. Chad Mendes UFC FW
19. Michael McDonald UFC BW
20. Alexander Gustafsson UFC LHW
21. Jim Miller UFC LW
22. Ian McCall UFC FLY
23. Jake Ellenberger UFC WW
24. Anthony Pettis UFC LW
25. Cowboy Cerrone UFC LW
26. Korean Zombie UFC FW
27. John Dodson UFC FLY
28. Ryan Bader UFC LHW
29. Ben Askren Bellator WW Champion
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