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    Most Strikes Absorbed

    The fighters who have soaked up the most head strikes across every tracked bout — the iron chins, the pressure brawlers, and the wars. Switch zones to see who takes it to the head, body, or legs.

    Target Zone Rank By
    50 fighters
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    1
    Max Holloway
    Max Holloway 24-9 Lightweight
    1,559 Head Strikes Absorbed 47.2/fight·33 fights
    2
    Angela Hill
    Angela Hill 14-16 Women's Strawweight
    1,361 Head Strikes Absorbed 45.4/fight·30 fights
    3
    Edson Barboza
    Edson Barboza 18-14 Lightweight
    1,302 Head Strikes Absorbed 40.7/fight·32 fights
    4
    Marlon Vera
    Marlon Vera 15-11 Bantamweight
    1,163 Head Strikes Absorbed 44.7/fight·26 fights
    5
    Pedro Munhoz
    Pedro Munhoz 10-10 Bantamweight
    1,142 Head Strikes Absorbed 51.9/fight·22 fights
    6
    Rafael Dos Anjos
    Rafael Dos Anjos 21-15 Lightweight
    1,102 Head Strikes Absorbed 30.6/fight·36 fights
    7
    Jessica Andrade
    Jessica Andrade 17-13 Women's Strawweight
    1,094 Head Strikes Absorbed 36.5/fight·30 fights
    8
    Donald Cerrone
    Donald Cerrone 23-14 Lightweight
    1,069 Head Strikes Absorbed 28.1/fight·38 fights
    9
    Jim Miller
    Jim Miller 28-18 Lightweight
    1,055 Head Strikes Absorbed 22.4/fight·47 fights
    10
    Robbie Lawler
    Robbie Lawler 15-10 Welterweight
    1,049 Head Strikes Absorbed 42.0/fight·25 fights
    11
    Dustin Poirier
    Dustin Poirier 22-9 Lightweight
    1,048 Head Strikes Absorbed 32.8/fight·32 fights
    12
    Clay Guida
    Clay Guida 18-19 Lightweight
    1,031 Head Strikes Absorbed 27.9/fight·37 fights
    13
    Frankie Edgar
    Frankie Edgar 18-11-1 Featherweight
    995 Head Strikes Absorbed 33.2/fight·30 fights
    14
    Jose Aldo
    Jose Aldo 14-9 Featherweight
    991 Head Strikes Absorbed 43.1/fight·23 fights
    15
    Diego Sanchez
    Diego Sanchez 19-13 Welterweight
    954 Head Strikes Absorbed 29.8/fight·32 fights
    16
    Vicente Luque
    Vicente Luque 17-8 Welterweight
    932 Head Strikes Absorbed 37.3/fight·25 fights
    17
    Michael Johnson
    Michael Johnson 16-16 Lightweight
    923 Head Strikes Absorbed 28.8/fight·32 fights
    18
    Glover Teixeira
    Glover Teixeira 16-7 Light Heavyweight
    902 Head Strikes Absorbed 39.2/fight·23 fights
    19
    Cub Swanson
    Cub Swanson 16-10 Featherweight
    885 Head Strikes Absorbed 34.0/fight·26 fights
    20
    Marvin Vettori
    Marvin Vettori 9-8-1 Middleweight
    881 Head Strikes Absorbed 48.9/fight·18 fights
    21
    Brian Ortega
    Brian Ortega 8-5 Featherweight
    875 Head Strikes Absorbed 62.5/fight·14 fights
    22
    Jared Cannonier
    Jared Cannonier 11-10 Middleweight
    870 Head Strikes Absorbed 41.4/fight·21 fights
    23
    Dan Hooker
    Dan Hooker 14-10 Lightweight
    863 Head Strikes Absorbed 36.0/fight·24 fights
    24
    Calvin Kattar
    Calvin Kattar 7-8 Featherweight
    859 Head Strikes Absorbed 57.3/fight·15 fights
    25
    Karolina Kowalkiewicz
    Karolina Kowalkiewicz 9-10 Women's Strawweight
    858 Head Strikes Absorbed 45.2/fight·19 fights
    26
    Darren Elkins
    Darren Elkins 19-11 Featherweight
    853 Head Strikes Absorbed 28.4/fight·30 fights
    27
    Andrei Arlovski
    Andrei Arlovski 23-18 Heavyweight
    853 Head Strikes Absorbed 20.3/fight·42 fights
    28
    Brandon Moreno
    Brandon Moreno 11-7-2 Flyweight
    840 Head Strikes Absorbed 42.0/fight·20 fights
    29
    Irene Aldana
    Irene Aldana 8-6 Women's Bantamweight
    828 Head Strikes Absorbed 59.1/fight·14 fights
    30
    Gian Villante
    Gian Villante 7-11 Light Heavyweight
    824 Head Strikes Absorbed 45.8/fight·18 fights
    31
    Chase Sherman 4-11 Heavyweight
    823 Head Strikes Absorbed 54.9/fight·15 fights
    32
    Jeremy Stephens
    Jeremy Stephens 15-20 Lightweight
    812 Head Strikes Absorbed 22.6/fight·36 fights
    33
    Anthony Smith
    Anthony Smith 13-12 Light Heavyweight
    810 Head Strikes Absorbed 32.4/fight·25 fights
    34
    Roxanne Modafferi
    Roxanne Modafferi 4-8 Women's Flyweight
    799 Head Strikes Absorbed 66.6/fight·12 fights
    35
    BJ Penn
    BJ Penn 12-13-2 Lightweight
    793 Head Strikes Absorbed 29.4/fight·27 fights
    36
    Joe Lauzon
    Joe Lauzon 15-12 Lightweight
    792 Head Strikes Absorbed 29.3/fight·27 fights
    37
    Tony Ferguson
    Tony Ferguson 15-9 Lightweight
    790 Head Strikes Absorbed 32.9/fight·24 fights
    38
    Ross Pearson
    Ross Pearson 12-13 Lightweight
    789 Head Strikes Absorbed 30.3/fight·26 fights
    39
    Belal Muhammad
    Belal Muhammad 15-6 Welterweight
    780 Head Strikes Absorbed 35.5/fight·22 fights
    40
    Court McGee
    Court McGee 11-13 Welterweight
    777 Head Strikes Absorbed 32.4/fight·24 fights
    41
    Nate Diaz
    Nate Diaz 16-11 Lightweight
    772 Head Strikes Absorbed 28.6/fight·27 fights
    42
    Brad Tavares
    Brad Tavares 16-12 Middleweight
    769 Head Strikes Absorbed 27.5/fight·28 fights
    43
    Sean Strickland
    Sean Strickland 18-7 Middleweight
    769 Head Strikes Absorbed 30.8/fight·25 fights
    44
    Kelvin Gastelum
    Kelvin Gastelum 14-11 Middleweight
    768 Head Strikes Absorbed 29.5/fight·26 fights
    45
    Gilbert Burns
    Gilbert Burns 15-10 Welterweight
    766 Head Strikes Absorbed 30.6/fight·25 fights
    46
    Justin Gaethje
    Justin Gaethje 11-5 Lightweight
    766 Head Strikes Absorbed 47.9/fight·16 fights
    47
    Petr Yan
    Petr Yan 12-4 Bantamweight
    764 Head Strikes Absorbed 47.8/fight·16 fights
    48
    Nik Lentz
    Nik Lentz 14-9-1 Lightweight
    762 Head Strikes Absorbed 30.5/fight·25 fights
    49
    Tim Means
    Tim Means 15-14 Welterweight
    733 Head Strikes Absorbed 24.4/fight·30 fights
    50
    Lauren Murphy
    Lauren Murphy 8-7 Women's Flyweight
    731 Head Strikes Absorbed 48.7/fight·15 fights

    About Strikes Absorbed

    This leaderboard flips the striking numbers around: instead of who lands the most, it ranks the UFC fighters who have absorbed the most significant strikes across their tracked careers. Every count here is an opponent's clean, damaging strike that found its mark — measured from the other side of the exchange.

    High numbers tell two very different stories. Some names belong to legendary iron chins who walk through fire and keep coming; others belong to high-volume brawlers who trade in the pocket and simply spend a lot of time in wars. Read it alongside a fighter's record and finish rate to tell durability from damage.

    Head, Body & Leg

    Use the Head, Body, and Leg tabs to see where fighters take their punishment. Heavy head-strike totals flag durability and knockout risk; body and leg absorption reveal fighters worn down over five-round grinds by calf kicks and body work.

    Methodology

    "Absorbed" is computed by summing an opponent's significant strikes landed in the same fight and round, across every bout a fighter has recorded stats in. Fighters need at least 3 tracked fights and a minimum absorbed threshold to appear, keeping the leaderboard statistically meaningful. All data comes from official UFC per-round fight statistics.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    What does "strikes absorbed" mean?
    Strikes absorbed counts the significant strikes an opponent landed on this fighter, summed across every tracked bout. It is the mirror image of the "most strikes landed" leaderboard — the same clean, damaging blows, tallied from the receiving end. A high total means a fighter has spent a lot of time on the wrong side of the exchange, whether through durability, aggression, or a chin that refuses to quit.
    Is absorbing a lot of strikes a bad thing?
    Not necessarily. Some of the most beloved fighters in the sport sit near the top of this list precisely because they are so hard to hurt — they eat shots that would end other careers and march forward. It only becomes a red flag when high absorption pairs with a low finish rate and mounting losses, which can signal accumulated damage rather than toughness.
    What do the Head, Body, and Leg tabs show?
    Each tab re-ranks the leaderboard by significant strikes absorbed to that specific zone. Head absorption is the clearest durability and knockout-risk signal; body absorption often reflects fighters broken down over long fights; leg absorption highlights those chopped up by calf-kick specialists. Comparing the three shows exactly where a fighter takes their damage.
    Why do career totals favor veterans?
    More fights and more rounds mean more chances to absorb strikes, so long-tenured fighters naturally accumulate higher totals. Switch to the Per Fight view to normalize for career length and see who genuinely takes the most punishment every time they step in, rather than who has simply fought the longest.