Most Finishes in UFC History: Oliveira's Record 21

Quick answer

As of October 21, 2026, Charles Oliveira holds the record for the most finishes in UFC history with 21. He is also the active leader. His total includes four KO/TKO wins and 17 submissions. Jim Miller ranks second with 20, while Derrick Lewis and Donald Cerrone share third with 16.

Here, a finish means a UFC win by KO/TKO or submission. Disqualifications don't count.

Data snapshot: AgentMMA analysis of 8,950 UFC bouts across every fighter's UFC record, from 1994-03-11 to 2026-10-17 (computed 2026-10-21).

Most finishes in UFC history: the full list

Most finishes in UFC history

Finishes and UFC wins answer different questions. Oliveira has 25 UFC wins, and 21 ended before the scorecards. Lewis and Cerrone share 16 finishes, but Lewis got all 16 by KO/TKO. Cerrone split his total between 10 KO/TKOs and six submissions.

Tied fighters remain in the order produced by AgentMMA's table.

How this list is counted

AgentMMA counts a finish when a fighter wins a UFC bout by KO, TKO or submission. A doctor stoppage recorded as a TKO belongs in the KO/TKO column. A disqualification win does not count as a finish.

The promotion boundary matters. A fighter's wins in Pride, WEC, Strikeforce, Bellator, PFL or another promotion don't enter this table. Those bouts still belong in the fighter's professional record, but they aren't UFC finishes.

The database also follows the stored UFC Stats result. If a win is later overturned, the bout becomes a no-contest and the finish disappears from the winner's total. That rule avoids keeping a result the official record no longer treats as a win.

Every fighter with a UFC bout was included in the calculation. There is no experience minimum for the study population. The published leaderboard stops at 11 finishes, which is a display cutoff rather than an eligibility rule.

The UFC Record Book agrees with the three leading totals: Oliveira 21, Miller 20 and Lewis 16. Its public leaderboard is shorter, so some tied names shown here may not appear there. Other lists can also differ because they use an older cutoff, include non-UFC bouts or handle overturned results differently.

The status column is a database label captured with this release. It helps you separate fighters who may add to their total from historical entries. It doesn't change any finish count.

Notable names on the list

Charles Oliveira: 21 finishes

Oliveira leads by one finish, but the split tells the better story. Seventeen of his 21 UFC stoppage wins came by submission. The other four came by KO/TKO. The UFC Record Book also places him first for both total finishes and submission wins.

His lead is live. AgentMMA's snapshot lists him as active, so a future stoppage win would move the record again. A decision win would raise his UFC wins total without changing this column.

Jim Miller: one finish from a tie

Miller has 20 finishes from 28 UFC wins. His mix is six KO/TKOs and 14 submissions. That gives him more total UFC wins than Oliveira, but one fewer finish.

The UFC still lists Miller as active. One more stoppage would tie Oliveira's current mark. Two would put Miller ahead, unless Oliveira adds another first.

Derrick Lewis and Donald Cerrone: same total, different routes

Lewis and Cerrone both have 16 finishes. The resemblance ends there. Lewis produced all 16 through KO/TKO, while Cerrone recorded 10 KO/TKOs and six submissions.

Lewis remains active in this snapshot. His latest verified UFC bout was a June 2026 TKO loss, which doesn't reduce his career win total. Cerrone is listed as inactive, so his 16 serves as a fixed historical mark for now.

The group on 15

Dustin Poirier, Matt Brown and Vicente Luque each have 15 UFC finishes. Their method splits differ sharply. Brown has 13 KO/TKOs, Luque is close to even at eight and seven, and Poirier sits at 11 and four.

There is one status mismatch to know. The supplied AgentMMA table labels Poirier active, but UFC retirement coverage describes his July 2025 bout as his farewell. The row stays unchanged because it is the computed table. Treat its status as a snapshot label; the 15-finish total is unaffected.

Related AgentMMA pages

• Most knockouts
• Most submissions
• Most UFC wins
• Fastest knockouts
• Longest UFC win streaks

How solid is this data?

This is a full-database count, not a sample. AgentMMA checked 8,950 UFC bouts from 1994-03-11 through 2026-10-17 and grouped each recorded win by method. Every fighter's UFC bouts were in scope.

The main limit is scope, not sample size. Only UFC bouts count. A professional record may show many more stoppages because it includes fights from other promotions. You shouldn't compare that number directly with this table.

Results follow UFC Stats as stored in AgentMMA's database. Doctor stoppages count within KO/TKO. Disqualifications don't count as finishes, and an overturned result counts as a no-contest. Status labels can lag a public retirement, as Poirier's row shows.

UFC also lists Anthony Smith as retired, while the supplied table says active. That mismatch affects only the status cell, not his 11 finishes.

This maintained page changes when a new UFC result alters the leaderboard or when an official result is overturned. AgentMMA then reruns the same rules. The date line tells you exactly where the current count stops.

FAQ

Who has the most finishes in UFC history?

Charles Oliveira has the most finishes in UFC history with 21 as of October 21, 2026. He has four KO/TKO wins and 17 submissions in the UFC.

Who has the most stoppage wins in the UFC?

Charles Oliveira leads with 21 UFC stoppage wins. Jim Miller is second with 20, while Derrick Lewis and Donald Cerrone have 16 each.

How many UFC finishes does Jim Miller have?

Jim Miller has 20 UFC finishes: six by KO/TKO and 14 by submission. He is one behind Charles Oliveira's record of 21.

Who has the most KO/TKO wins among these fighters?

Derrick Lewis leads this table with 16 KO/TKO wins. Every one of his UFC finishes came through KO/TKO, with no submission wins.

What counts as a finish in this UFC record?

A win by KO, TKO or submission counts. Doctor stoppages count as TKOs. Disqualifications, decisions and no-contests don't count as finishes.

Do finishes from other MMA promotions count?

No. This list counts UFC bouts only. Finishes from Pride, WEC, Strikeforce and other promotions belong to a pro record, not this UFC total.