Top UFC Fighters & MMA Talents from Colorado

The list of the top mixed martial arts fighters from Colorado reveals many top names including gritty UFC veterans and younger prospects making their way up the ladder.

Take a look at the biggest names in this sport to come from in and around Denver, and see what they’ve achieved in their careers to date.

What is Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC)?

Colorado is the starting point for considering this hugely popular sport. That’s because the UFC began in Denver. At the McNichols Sports Arena, to be exact. This is where Art Davie and Rorion Grande created a new type of competition to find out the best martial art. 

There were no different weight divisions and very few rules at first – no biting and no gouging only, but this changed as it became more popular.

As the fighters introduced styles and moves from different combat styles, the sport became known as mixed martial arts or MMA. Technically, MMA is the sport and the UFC is the biggest company that promotes it, with Bellator another you might have heard of. 

The UFC has changed hands several times since then and expanded into a multi-million dollar, worldwide business. It’s the biggest MMA promotion company in the country and that’s why many people think of the UFC and MMA as being the same.

The most recent change saw the UFC merge with the WWE wrestling company in April 2023 – as reported by ESPN – with Vince McMahon becoming the executive chairman. With viewership and prize money rising steadily over the years, the UFC broke their own revenue record in 2002 with $1.3 billion earned over the full year. 

What is MMA?

Mixed martial arts (MMA) has emerged as a popular sport in recent decades. Based on the idea of using moves from a variety of fighting styles, it uses techniques including hitting, ground fighting, and grappling. A win can come from a KO or TKO, as well as a submission or decision.

First mentioned in the mid-1990s, MMA has enjoyed a spectacular rise in global popularity. It’s partly based on the Brazilian vale todo competitions where styles like capoeira, jiu-jitsu, and wrestling all came together and is now one of the planet’s most successful sports. 

In fact, we can see various types of mixed fighting styles and training methods over the years in different parts of the world. So, while it’s not exactly new, it’s now reached the highest level of popularity across the country and further afield thanks to the money on offer and the popularity of the top ranked athletes.

Given this sport’s roots in Denver, it’s no surprise to see that some great fighters have come from here and across Colorado. You can also watch a big fight at various sports bars here. However, the last major event held in the state was UFC 135, which was fought in the Pepsi Center in Denver in 2011.  Is sports betting legal in Denver and can you bet on UFC in Colorado? Yes you can, it is completely legal now.

Why It’s So Varied

Events can be won by either of the two fighters with moves like a rear naked choke forcing submission or by knocking out their rival or getting a TKO. This makes it a highly varied sport with many different styles and possible outcomes.

Each fighter works hard when training in the gym to take a lot of power and aggression into the cage. We can also see the different backgrounds of the fighters, as some enter the octagon with a kickboxing or traditional boxing approach and others prefer to wrestle and grapple.  

This is why you can see intriguing match-ups between TKO specialists and others who are constantly looking for a rear naked choke opportunity, for example.

Top Ranked MMA Fighters of All-Time from Colorado

Ben Henderson

Check out also the best UFC fighters in Iowa here.

Justin Gaethje: A Colorado MMA Icon

Justin Gaethje was born in Tuscon, Arizona in 1988 and joined the University of Northern Colorado as part of the NCAA Division I program. His college wrestling career saw him post an 18-9 record in his freshman year and then 14-4 as a sophomore. 

Things got even better as a junior, as Justin became the college’s first All-American wrestler since Larry Wagner achieved this status way back in 1970. After changing his weight category, he had a 17-8 record in his senior season and was inducted into the University of Northern Colorado Athletics Hall of Fame.

Despite his excellent wrestling credentials, Justin doesn’t use these skills in his MMA fighting. Instead, he has a crowd-pleasing stand-up style where he looks to knock out rival fighters with his punches or use powerful leg kicks. 

Why Doesn’t He Wrestle His Opponent More?

Gaethje says he could turn his fights into wrestling bouts but it wouldn’t be as much fun for him. He realized early on that winning in the UFC wasn’t enough, as he wanted to entertain the crowd with his fighting style and knock out his opponent rather than wrestle other fighters to get a submission. He suggested this is how the best fighters win the most fand and money.

His MMA career began while a college freshman, as he wrestled against the likes of Donald Cerrone after he spoke to his coaches about trying this style. His first amateur event in MMA came with short notice and ended with a slam knockout win and he soon held a 7-0 record as an amateur. 

Pro Career and Earning Big Money in Main Events

His professional career started just as strongly. He beat Kevin Croom with a slam in the first round and before long his pro record stood at 7-0 as he beat gritty veteran fighters as well as newcomers.

In 2012, Justin signed up for the World Series of Fighting and three victories gave him a shot at winning the WSOF Lightweight Championship with Richard Patishnock as his opponent. He became the world champ with a first round win in the main event and then successfully defended his title several times.

His career took another twist in 2017, when Gaethje vacated the WSOF title to join the UFC.
He was soon winning fights thanks to his trademark punches and leg kicks but his first pro loss came at UFC 218, when Eddie Alvarez beat him by KO in what was called the fight of the year by some. 

He won the interim UFC Lightweight Championship with victory at UFC 249 but lost the unification bout with the UFC Lightweight Championship at stake, with Khabib Nurmagomedov his rival. At the time of writing, Justin Gaethje has a pro record of 25 wins, with 20 of them by knockout and one by submission. His four losses have been two by KO and two by submission. 

Check the prediction for his new fight here:

The Future of MMA in Colorado

The presence of top teams like the Elevation Fight Team in Denver should ensure a bright future for the sport here. Who is the next big prospect whose dream is about to come true? Who is the next Ben Henderson or Brendan Schaub who is going to thrill us with their KOs or have us on the edge of our seats as they claim a hard-fought TKO or lose narrowly before coming back strongly in their next fight?

Brendan Schaub, co-host of “The Fighter and the Kid” Podcast

With nine wins and a single loss 28-year-old Grant Neal isn’t yet a veteran but he gives us an idea of the type of Colorado fighter bubbling away who trains hard to make a bigger impact in the years to come. This middleweight is on a streak of three wins and with a wrestling style wins by submission more than by KO or TKO.

Aryion Young is a couple of years younger and has a 7-2-0 record to date. Known as The Kid, he trains and fights out of factory Muay Thai in Englewood so it’s no surprise to see some kickboxing in his style and a mix of subsmissions and KO / TKO wins so far.

The Next Generation

These guys train hard to achieve their dream of appearing on ESPN and being watched by millions over pay per view as they move up from amateurs to the pro ranks. Who will be next to join them in the paid ranks of the MMA fights? A look at the current amateurs fighting out of Colorado has Elias Rodriguez at the top of the list. With five wins so far including a rear naked choke and a guillotine choke, his coach at High Altitude Martial Arts in Aurora will have high hopes for his future.

Giovanni Sosa, known as The Chief, was born in Chicago but is now fighting out of Colorado Springs with coach Barb Ciesnolevicz at Cies MMA. He’s won all four fights so far without one loss on his record, making him another Colorado fighter to keep an eye on as he tries to make it to the highest level and earn life changing money.

With top-class coaching and a strong MMA community, we can expect to see more young fighters from Denver and the surrounding area fight in major promotions before too long. Hopefully, we don’t need to wait too long to see a big fight with a rising star coming out of Colorado as the main event.

Conclusion

It’s easy to see the impact that Colorado has had on the MMA fight scene, with the idea of this sport coming from here and many top names in sports born in Denver or being coached in the state. 

If you enjoy watching action-packed sports where a submission, a knockout, or a TKO can happen at any time, mixed martial arts is a great choice. You could consider following the journeys of Colorado’s top UFC competitors as they reach the pro stage and carry on chasing their dream in the sport’s big events here and elsewhere across the planet.