UFC is one of the rare sports where players are separated by their weight.
And it makes sense. After all, what sane person would step into a cage to fight someone 50 pounds heavier than them?
So we know how much fighters weigh, but how tall are they? As you’ll see, there’s quite a bit of variance there. Height plays a large role in the UFC.
On one hand, longer reach gives you an advantage in the octagon. On the other hand, the taller a fighter is the bigger the target.
According to official data from the UFC and Sherdog, the average height of a UFC fighter is 5 feet 9.5 inches (176.62 centimeters) across all weight classes.
That’s smaller than the average MLB player, NFL player, and – obviously – the typical NBA player.
I crunched the numbers below for a more detailed analysis.
Here is a complete breakdown of the average height of UFC fighters by weight class – plus nuggets for undersized fighters looking for inspiration.
- Editor’s Note: This data includes only fighters who have fought in the UFC within the last two years, as of August 1st, 2024.
Table of Contents
- Average Height of UFC Heavyweights
- Average Height of UFC Light Heavyweights
- Average Height of UFC Middleweights
- Average Height of UFC Welterweights
- Average Height of UFC Lightweights
- Average Height of UFC Featherweights
- Average Height of UFC Bantamweights
- Average Height of UFC Flyweights
- Average Height of Women’s UFC Fighters: By Weight Class
Average Height of UFC Heavyweights
The average height of a UFC heavyweight is 6 feet 3.41 inches (191.55 centimeters).
Heavyweights can weigh up to 265 pounds, packing serious power behind their strikes. For the better part of the last decade, the division has been dominated by a few big names: Daniel Cormier, Stipe Miocic, and Jon “Bones” Jones.
Listed at 6’7″, Alexander Volkov and Robelis Despaigne are tied for the tallest heavyweights in the UFC. They are 10 inches taller than the shortest heavyweight, 5’9″ Chris “Huggy Bear” Barnett.
Average Height of UFC Light Heavyweights
The average height of a UFC light heavyweight is 6 feet 2.89 inches (190.22 centimeters).
Dominated by champion Alex Pereira, the division is full of dangerous fighters like Jiří Procházka and Jamahal Hill who are vying for his belt.
There’s a four-way tie for the title of tallest light heavyweight in the UFC, with each listed at 6’5″. That’s 7 inches taller than the division’s smallest fighter, 5’10” Azamat “The Professional” Murzakanov, who is undefeated through his first three UFC bouts.
Average Height of UFC Middleweights
The average height of a UFC middleweight is 6 feet 0.89 inches (185.13 centimeters).
Led by reigning champion Dricus Du Plessis, the division is full of big names: Israel Adesanya, Sean Strickland, Robert Whittaker, Paulo Costa, and more.
Standing at just 5’9″, Kelvin Gastelum and Aliaskhab Khizriev are the shortest in the division. They are 8 inches smaller than 6’5″ Antonio Trócoli.
RELATED: How Tall Is The Average NBA Player? Position-by-Position
Average Height of UFC Welterweights
The average height of a UFC welterweight is 6 feet 0.07 inches (183.05 centimeters).
Leon Edwards, Kamaru Usman, and champion Belal Muhammad headline the welterweight division.
While the divisional weight limit is 15 pounds less than middleweight, fighters are not much smaller on average.
Yet welterweights have a pretty large height disparity, as fighters range all the way from 5’8″ to 6’5″ – a 9 inch difference from smallest to tallest.
Average Height of UFC Lightweights
The average height of a UFC lightweight is 5 feet 10.06 inches (177.95 centimeters).
This is where we start to see a height dropoff. With the weight limit at 155 pounds, being well over 6 feet tall would put you at risk of being categorized as “underweight” on most BMI scales. (I know BMI is flawed, but this is a way to think about height vs. weight in this context).
Only 18% of UFC lightweights are 6 feet or taller. Four fighters are tied for the tallest in the division – listed at 6’3″ – while four at 5’7″ are the smallest.
Islam Makhachev is the pound-for-pound best fighter in the UFC, and he dominates the lightweight division as its reigning champion.
Average Height of UFC Featherweights
The average height of a UFC featherweight is 5 feet 9.27 inches (175.94 centimeters).
While Max Holloway and Brian Ortega are the household names in this division, there is plenty of talent at the featherweight level.
There is an 8-inch height disparity between 6’2″ Sean Woodson and 5’6″ Alexander Volkanovski. Guess who the higher ranked fighter is?
As you’ll see later, UFC fighters prove the idea that height is just a number. The featherweight division is a prime example.
Average Height of UFC Bantamweights
The average height of a UFC bantamweight is 5 feet 7.44 inches (171.3 centimeters).
“Suga” Sean O’Malley is the reigning Bantamweight Champion. At 5’11”, he’s tied for the tallest fighter in the weight class.
At 5’4″, Henry Cejudo is the shortest fighter in the welterweight division. Cejudo is no slouch either, with a 16–4 record as a professional MMA fighter.
Average Height of UFC Flyweights
Rounding out the men’s divisions are the flyweights. Per the data, the average height of a UFC flyweight is 5 feet 6.44 inches (168.76 centimeters).
The younger generation might refer to these guys as “short kings”. But they’d still kick your butt.
Current champion Alexandre Pantoja is nicknamed “The Cannibal” for a reason. He’s recorded 28 wins in 33 professional matches, with 8 coming by knockout.
At 5’5″, Pantoja isn’t even the shortest in the division. That title belongs to the five fighters listed at 5’4″. They are 8 inches smaller than 6’0″ Jose Johnson, the tallest fighter at the 125-pound level.
Average Height of Women’s UFC Fighters: By Weight Class
Now it’s time for the women’s divisions. Since there are only two active fighters in the women’s featherweight division, I decided to consolidate the data below.
The average height of all women’s UFC fighters is 5 feet 5.17 inches (165.54 centimeters).
Here’s how the average height breaks down at each women’s weight division in the UFC:
- Women’s Featherweights = 5 feet 8.5 inches (173.99 centimeters)
- Women’s Bantamweights = 5 feet 7 inches (170.18 centimeters)
- Women’s Flyweights = 5 feet 6.22 inches (168.2 centimeters)
- Women’s Strawweights = 5 feet 3.08 inches (160.23 centimeters)
The shortest female fighter – and also the shortest fighter in the entire UFC – is Puja Tomar who is listed at 4 feet 9 inches. Nicknamed “The Cyclone”, she won her debut fight at UFC on ESPN 57 in June of 2024.
With her victory, she became the first fighter from India to secure a win inside the UFC Octagon.
Tomar is a full 22 inches shorter than the UFC’s tallest fighter, 6’7″ Alexander Volkov. That’s almost a full 2 feet!
- Check out more average height breakdowns from every major sport, position-by-position:
- Average Height of NFL Players
- Average Height of MLB Players
- Average Height of NBA Players
- Average Height of NHL Players
- Average Height of WNBA Players
- Average Height of Volleyball Players
- Average Height of Premier League Players
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