As much as skill and technique play into how MMA fights unfold, intangibles can present insurmountable obstacles for even the most well-equipped combatant.
Long reaches, and how a fighter utilizes them, can pose a myriad of problems for opponents when they struggled to get inside. In UFC history, few fighters’ biological builds have surpassed 80 inches – and fewer have creeped toward 90 inches. But it’s happened.
At Saturday’s UFC 299, the all-time record for the longest reach will be broken – by 2.5 inches.
The 12 fighters have a combined professional MMA record of 210-74-2, including a combined UFC record of 85-47.
Check out the dozen fighters listed below who were able to touch up their opponents with punches from a farther distance than any others in history, using data from database Tapology.
8
Maurice Greene, Antonio Silva - 82"
Maurice Greene
- Record: 11-9 MMA, 4-4 UFC
- Height: 6’7″
- Years in UFC: 2018-2021
Antonio Silva
- Record: 19-5 MMA, 3-7 UFC
- Height: 6’4″
- Years in UFC: 2012-2016
7
10. Johnny Walker - 82.3"
Johnny Walker
- Record: 21-8 MMA, 7-5 UFC
- Height: 6’6″
- Years in UFC: 2018-present
6
9. Mike Rodriguez - 82.5"
Mike Rodriguez
- Record: 12-9 MMA, 2-5 UFC
- Height: 6’4″
- Years in UFC: 2018-2021
5
7. Francis Ngannou, Kennedy Nzechukwu - 83"
Francis Ngannou
- Record: 17-3 MMA, 12-2 UFC
- Height: 6’4″
- Years in UFC: 2015-2022
Kennedy Nzechukwu
- Record: 12-4 MMA, 6-4 UFC
- Height: 6’5″
- Years in UFC: 2019-2023
4
6. Oumar Sy* - 83.9"
Oumar Sy
- Record: 9-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC
- Height: 6’5″
- Years in UFC*: Yet to debut
3
4. Cheick Kongo, Sergei Pavlovich - 84"
Cheick Kongo
- Record: 31-12-2 MMA, 13-4 UFC
- Height: 6’4″
- Years in UFC: 2006-2013
Sergei Pavlovich
- Record: 18-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC
- Height: 6’3″
- Years in UFC: 2018-present
2
2. Jon Jones, Stefan Struve - 84.5"
Jon Jones
- Record: 27-1 MMA, 22-1 UFC
- Height: 6’4″
- Years in UFC: 2008-present
Stefan Struve
- Record: 29-13 MMA, 13-11 UFC
- Height: 7’0″
- Years in UFC: 2009-2020
1
1. Robelis Despaigne* - 87"
Robelis Despaigne
- Record: 4-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC
- Height: 6’7″
- Years in UFC*: yet to debut
