Top 5: Best Current UFC Nicknames

Alexandre Pantoja, aka “The Cannibal,” operates without peer in the Ultimate Fighting Championship flyweight division, at least for the time being.

The Brazilian finds himself on an eight-fight winning streak and laid claim to the undisputed 125-pound title with a five-round split decision over Brandon Moreno at UFC 290 on July 8, 2023. Pantoja, 35, has since retained it on four different occasions, pushing his overall record to an impressive 30-5 with victories over Brandon Royval, Steve Erceg, Kai Asakura and Kai Kara-France, the last two via rear-naked choke submission. With his reign atop the flyweight division now approaching 800 days—a figure eclipsed only by the incomparable Demetrious Johnson (2,142)—it seems safe to say that the American Top Team-trained veteran has effectively cannibalized his weight class.


“The Cannibal” ranks as one of the best nicknames among current UFC competitors. Here are four more to consider:

Paul “Bearjew” Craig

The Scottish grappler has been part of the UFC roster for almost nine years despite the relatively one-dimensional nature of his game. Craig authored one of the most memorable Hail Mary victories in the company’s history in 2018, when he submitted current light heavyweight champion Magomed Ankalaev with a triangle choke in the literal last second of their UFC Fight Night 127 pairing. The former British Association of Mixed Martial Arts titleholder holds other notable wins over Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, Jamahal Hill and Nikita Krylov. Craig’s nickname pays homage to Sgt. Donny Donowitz, of “Inglorious Basterds” fame—one of the more unforgettable characters in the Quentin Tarantino library. The 37-year-old Scottish Hit Squad product returns to the cage at UFC Fight Night 258, where he faces Modestas Bukauskas on Sept. 6 in Paris.

Merab “The Machine” Dvalishvili

There may not be a more apt description of any fighter in the sport. The reigning UFC bantamweight champion has posted 13 straight wins, often marrying a seemingly endless gas tank with repeated takedowns, suffocating top control and ferocious ground-and-pound. Dvalishvili last suited up at UFC 316, where he moved to 2-0 in his head-to-head series with Sean O’Malley and dismissed the Dana White’s Contender Series graduate with a rear-naked choke in the third round of their June 7 rematch. The 34-year-old Serra-Longo Fight Team export ranks first on the UFC’s all-time list in takedowns completed with 97. Dvalishvili next puts the 135-pound title on the line against Cory Sandhagen in the UFC 320 co-main event on Oct. 4 in Las Vegas.

Dan “The Hangman” Hooker

The City Kickboxing mainstay has carved out quite a niche for himself as one of the UFC’s true action heroes, as evidenced by the six post-fight performance bonuses that have fattened his wallet. His five-round battle with Dustin Poirier at UFC on ESPN 12 in 2020 stands out, as the two men combined to land more than 300 significant strikes against one another. Poirier walked away with a unanimous decision. Finishes of Hatsu Hioki, Jim Miller, Gilbert Burns and James Vick anchor the extensive Hooker resume, which now spans more than a decade in the UFC. “The Hangman” last saw action at UFC 305, where he eked out a split decision over former two-division Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki champion Mateusz Gamrot and exited the cage with a $50,000 bonus for “Fight of the Night” on Aug. 17, 2024.

Jingliang “The Leech” Li

No one wants to tangle with the bloodsucking parasites, much less one that stands 6-foot and weighs 170 pounds. Li has largely exceeded the expectations set for him when he became the second male Chinese fighter to join the UFC roster in 2014. The Tiequan Zhang protégé has compiled a respectable 11-7 record across his 18 appearances in the organization, his run highlighted by victories over Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos, Santiago Ponzinibbio and Muslim Salikhov. At 37, Li’s best days are likely behind him, though he figures to serve as a reputable gatekeeper for the foreseeable future. “The Leech” has not fought since succumbing to second-round punches from Carlos Prates at UFC 305 a little more than a year ago.

HONORABLE MENTIONS: Israel Adesanya, “The Last Stylebender” | Talita Alencar, “Problem Child” | Jessica Andrade, “Bate Estaca” | Doo Ho Choi, “Korean Superboy” | Henrique da Silva, “Frankenstein” | Justin Gaethje, “The Highlight” | Derrick Lewis, “The Black Beast” | Vicente Luque, “The Silent Assassin” | Rhys McKee, “Skeletor” | Tim Means, “The Dirty Bird” | Rose Namajunas, “Thug” | Geoff Neal, “Handz of Steel” | Charles Oliveira, “Do Bronxs” | Michael Page, “Venom” | Jun Yong Park, “The Iron Turtle” | Andreas Gustafsson, “Bane” | Danny Henry, “The Hatchet” | Jack Hermansson, “The Joker” | Jamahal Hill, “Sweet Dreams” | Nassourdine Imavov, “The Sniper” | Manel Kape, “Starboy” | Dione Barbosa, “The Witch” | Danny Barlow, “Left Hand 2 God” | Javid Basharat, “The Snow Leopard” | Tecia Pennington, “Tiny Tornado” | Alex Pereira, “Poatan” | Kyler Phillips, “The Matrix” | Santiago Ponzinibbio, “Argentine Dagger” | Joe Pyfer, “Bodybagz” | Gregory Rodrigues, “Robocop” | Valentina Shevchenko, “Bullet” | Stephen Thompson, “Wonderboy” | Alexander Volkov, “Drago” | Petr Yan, “No Mercy” | Youssef Zalal, “The Moroccan Devil” | Fares Ziam, “Smile Killer” | Erin Blanchfield, “Cold Blooded” | Gaston Bolanos, “Dreamkiller” | Kevin Borjas, “El Gallo Negro” | Viacheslav Borshchev, “Slava Klaus” | Randy Brown, “Rude Boy” | Priscila Cachoeira, “Zombie Girl” | Jared Cannonier, “Tha Killa Gorilla” | Fatima Kline, “The Archangel” | Steven Koslow, “Obi Wan Shinobi The Pillow”