World's worst MMA fighters – from Brit with 84 losses to failed WWE superstar

Conor McGregor is one of MMA's most famous fighters thanks to his stellar past, but there are a number of combatants who have etched their name into history for their losing streaks...

Conor McGregor, Ronda Rousey and Jon Jones are three names that most people will have heard at some point of their life.

Each of these athletes have catapulted themselves to superstardom by carving out incredible mixed martial arts records through years of blood, sweat and tears – and you don't even have to be a fan of the likes of the UFC to know who they are thanks to their celebrity status.

While each of the aforementioned names have been Ultimate Fighting champions in their respective weight classes over the years, there are a number of other athletes who will have to settle with simply dreaming of achieving such glory – their records far from polished with a serious amount of losses to their name.

While many would argue that it takes the utmost heart to achieve championship status, others would argue that it takes far more perseverance to continue fighting when you're down on your luck and suffering a sensational losing skid. But the following MMA fighters did just that, and didn't let the number attached to their names affect their fighting spirit.

Without further ado, Mirror Fighting breaks down some of the most one-sided records in mixed martial arts history...

CM Punk - 0 wins, 1 loss, 1 no contest

CM Punk made a name for himself with the WWE before deciding to transition into the world of mixed martial arts, following in the footsteps of the likes of Brock Lesnar – who even went on to become the UFC's heavyweight champion while racking up a respectable record of 5-3-1 thanks to wins over Frank Mir, Shane Carwin and Randy Couture.

Real name Phil Brooks, CM Punk's journey into the world of MMA was far less impressive. Now 45, the Chicago native has had just two fights in the UFC and has failed to win either. He made his debut against Mickey Gall in September 2016, losing via rear-naked choke in the very first round after being taken down five seconds into the bout.

Gall pummelled Brook from the top while working to pass guard, eventually sinking in the RNC leaving the former WWE star tapping. Brook had a two-year lay-off from MMA before returning reinvigorated to take on a relatively unknown Mike Jackson, however, he once more tasted defeat after three rounds.

While the bout was later overturned to a no-contest, Punk remains 0-1-1 in the UFC and hasn't fought since his scrap with Jackson in 2018. After the bout, UFC president Dana White said of Punk: "We gave him two shots and he had a lot of heart tonight in this fight, and yeah, I think he should call it a wrap."

Bruce Johnson - 9 wins, 53 losses

Having lost his first amateur fight before winning his next two, Bruce Johnson made his pro debut against Nyantu Bolo with Brutaal in September 2008 – losing via a first round rear-naked choke. In fact, Johnson failed to find a victory until his seventh fight as a professional – beating Steve Krumrei via a first-round armbar in February 2009.

Fast forward to 2024, and Johnson has amassed a professional record of just nine wins and 53 losses, with a whopping 40 of the latter coming by way of submission. After suffering an eight-fight skid spanning the best part of two years, Johnson hung his gloves up for good in October 2014 and hasn't fought since.

Craig Allen - 5 wins, 53 losses

With five wins and 53 losses to his name, Welshman Craig Allen has had far from a straightforward career in the realm of mixed martial arts. He failed to win either of his two amateur bouts before turning pro in 2009, and continued his losing streak for five professional fights before first tasting victory the following year.

His first win came in the form of a first-round rear-naked choke against Dale Mason at Mayhem Fighting Championships 3, but the highs of winning didn't last long for Allen. That's because he endured a brutal 23-fight losing streak before having his hand raised again in 2011 – this time beating James Fitzgerald via guillotine in the second round of their Savage Fight Night 5 bout.

Fast forward to 2024, and Allen is currently six fights without a win, and hasn't fought since May 2022. Interestingly, the fighter has never lost on points in any of his professional fights, suffering 23 KOs/TKOs and 30 submissions.

Ted Worthington - 35 wins, 57 losses

Des Moines brawler 'Red' Ted Worthington may have suffered 57 losses in his career to date, but the fighter has also racked up an astonishing 35 wins, making his record not too one-sided. The 40-year-old was unbeaten in his two fights as an amateur, but hit a rocky road in his pro debut thanks to a round-one armbar loss to Bryan Bresler in 2004.

Worthington bounced back though, going on to win his next two fights before being put up against Jeremy Stephens in 2005 – losing via a first-round knockout. For context, Stephens has since went on to fight in the UFC and the PFL, and is the man who called out a prime McGregor leading the Irishman to infamously question "who the f*** is that guy?"

And Stephens isn't the only big-name brawler that Worthington has faced throughout his career either, he has bested the likes of Michael Johnson, Abel Trujillo and Darren Elkins, and has been beaten by Drew Dober and Joe Ellenberger. Fans of the UFC may recognise many of these names.

Worthington hasn't competed professionally since his 2019 loss to Patrick Delgado, seemingly hanging up his gloves on a three-fight losing streak – and despite promising parts of his career, he never quite made it to the big leagues.

Jonathan Ivey - 33 wins, 58 losses

'Big John' Ivey has also enjoyed a hit and miss career since making his pro debut back in 1998. The mountain of a man kicked off his career with two wins over Chad Bartlett and Sam Smith before tasting defeat to Todd Broadaway in his third fight. A TKO loss to Tyrone Roberts made him 2-2 in 1999, but undeterred, Ivey bounced back with a win over Doug Powell.

Like the aforementioned Worthington, Ivey has also faced a tank of highly-trained fighters who have went on to have remarkable careers in their own rights over the years – losing to Jeremy Horn, Ben Rothwell, Ken Shamrock, Dan Severn, Ricco Rodriguez and Travis Fulton over the years, each of whom have fought in the UFC at one point or another.

Now 48-years-old, Ivey can look back on a record of 33-58 with pride, knowing he shared the cage with a number of the world's biggest stars in mixed martial arts. His most recent fight came in the form of a TKO loss at Jorge Masvidal's Gamebred FC in 2021.

Dennis Reed - 45 wins, 63 losses

Another man who has faced a who' s who of top talents throughout his MMA career is Dennis Reed. Now 57, the American sits on a record of 45-63, having shared the cage with the likes of Rich Franklin, Jason Miller, Rashad Evans, Dave Menne, Evan Tanner and Dan Severn – four out of the six going on to become UFC champions.

The star never quite made it to the UFC himself, however, with long losing streaks plaguing the latter stages of his career. His last fight was in 2017, losing to Jeremiah Nelson via a first-round guillotine at Iowa Challenge 127 to cap off a nine-fight streak without a win.

Bryan Robinson - 45 wins, 65 losses

Hardcore by name, hardcore by nature - Bryan Robinson didn't call it quits when the going got incredibly tough. The 40-year-old kicked off his pro career with a loss to Ed Boyd at Sunday Night Fights in October 2001, before bagging his first win just seven days later against Shawn Nolan under the same promotion.

Despite being bested in the cage a whopping 65 times, Robinson can take peace from the fact that he got the better of UFC favourite Jason 'Mayhem' Miller in 2003, besting the athlete via TKO. Miller would ultimately get the loss back five years later when he tapped Robinson at Iowa Challenge 46.

It seems as though Robinson called it quits in 2013 on an eight fight losing streak - after being beaten by Vic Hall at Iowa Challenge 93 via a TKO. With a pro record of 45-63, the fighter suffered 32 submission losses and TKOs a-piece, only bested on points once in his career by Brandon Eubanks.

Shaun Lomas - 27 wins, 84 losses

Englishman Shaun 'The Legend' Lomas' record is a far cry from what is moniker may suggest. While the Sheffield native has managed to rack up 27 wins to date, his 84 losses are a tough pill to swallow for any combat sports athlete. Lomas kicked off his pro career with a win against Abdullah Abou Hamdan at Ultimate Warrior Challenge 10 in June 2009, but was handed his first defeat the very next month by Chris Greig.

Thanks to the Brit's patchy record, Lomas has remained on the regional scene for his entire career – never making it near the big leagues of Bellator, the UFC or the PFL. Interestingly, Lomas is currently on a two-fight winning streak securing back-to-back wins over Nikolata Zlatev in Forza Fighting Championship last year.

Shannon Ritch - 58 wins, 88 losses

Another mountain of a man, Shannon 'The Cannon' Ritch has enjoyed quite the career in mixed martial arts. He kicked off his pro career with wins over Ramone Monserrate and Tim Horton in 1998, before losing his third fight to Victor Hunsaker. Ritch managed to notch up an impressive eight-fight winning streak in 1999 as fans of the sport saw a turnaround in form – however, this was halted by Yves Edwards the same year who beat him via rear-naked choke at Armageddon 1.

Fast forward to 2024, and Ritch hasn't fought in four years – his last bout coming in the form of a calf-slicer loss to Glenn Sparv in January 2020. However, the 58-88 heavyweight has had the honour of sharing the cage with a number of top names including Travis Fulton, Shonie Carter, Joe Riggs, Dan Severn and Diego Sanchez to name but a few.

Jay Ellis - 16 wins, 110 losses

Capping off our list is none other than 16-110 Jay Ellis, who has time and time again showed determination in the cage despite being bested over a century of times. The 'Hurricane' showed promise at amateur level with a first-round knockout win over Kevin Ferguson, before losing his first four fights as a pro.

To say that Ellis has been handed a tough crop of fighters over the years would be an understatement. He was bested by former UFC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis in 2008, submitted by a dangerous Rory Markham the same year, and fed to Colby Covington in 2014.

He endured a 27-fight losing streak between 2018 and 2021, before beating Rodrigo Almeida at NEF 45, but has failed to achieve victory since. One of the only active fighters on this list, Ellis currently has 110 losses to his name, is riding a ten-fight losing streak and has fought twice this year.

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