A comparison of the longest active winning streaks in the UFC lightweight division shows how the landscape has changed over three years. Currently, Islam Makhachev leads with 16 wins, followed by Paddy Pimblett and Renato Moicano with 7 each. One year ago, Makhachev had 14, with Pimblett second at 6 and several fighters tied at 5. Two years ago, Makhachev had 12, Moicano and Pimblett each had 5, and Arman Tsarukyan was among several at 4. In April 2022, Charles Oliveira led with 10, Makhachev had 9, Beneil Dariush had 7, and multiple fighters including Tsarukyan sat at 5. The data illustrates the constant flux in divisional momentum and competitive positioning.
Three years of data tracking the longest active winning streaks in the UFC lightweight division reveals just how dramatically momentum has shifted among the division's top competitors, with champion Islam Makhachev standing alone at the summit while the names beneath him have continued to change.
Makhachev currently leads all lightweights with 16 consecutive wins, a number that has grown steadily from 12 two years ago and 14 one year ago. His dominance at the top of the streak leaderboard has been the one constant across the entire three-year window. Paddy Pimblett and Renato Moicano each sit at seven wins in the current snapshot, with Pimblett having held six a year ago and five two years prior, showing consistent upward movement.
The April 2022 picture looked notably different. Charles Oliveira, now ranked third at lightweight with a 37-11-0 record, led the entire division with 10 straight wins. The 36-year-old Brazilian out of Chute Boxe Diego Lima also sits at number 11 in the pound-for-pound rankings and carries one of the most dangerous submission games in the sport at 2.6 attempts per 15 minutes. Makhachev trailed him with nine wins at that point.
Beneil Dariush, now 23-8-1 and ranked eighth in the division, held seven consecutive wins in that same April 2022 snapshot. The 37-year-old American southpaw out of Kings MMA is one of the more active strikers in the weight class, landing 3.78 significant strikes per minute. Arman Tsarukyan appeared among a group clustered at four wins two years ago before dropping from the leaderboard in more recent snapshots.
Why it matters
- Makhachev's unbroken run at the top of the streak chart underlines his sustained dominance at 155 pounds
- Oliveira's drop from divisional streak leader in 2022 to third in current rankings reflects how volatile lightweight positioning remains
- Pimblett and Moicano both building streaks simultaneously creates legitimate pressure from multiple directions below the champion
