A comparison of active winning streaks in the UFC lightweight division reveals significant changes over the past two years. Currently, the top active streaks include fighters with varying momentum compared to previous years. One year ago, Islam Makhachev led with 14 wins, followed by Paddy Pimblett with 6, and a three-way tie at 5 wins between Chase Hooper, Nasrat Haqparast, and Fares Ziam. Two years prior in May 2024, Makhachev had 12 consecutive wins, with Renato Moicano and Pimblett at 5, and several fighters including Arman Tsarukyan at 4 wins. In April 2022, Charles Oliveira led with 10 wins, Makhachev had 9, Beneil Dariush had 7, and multiple fighters including Tsarukyan, Rafael Fiziev, and Claudio Puelles sat at 5 consecutive victories. The data illustrates the volatile nature of the lightweight division and how momentum shifts rapidly among top contenders.
A statistical look at active winning streaks in the UFC lightweight division, compiled as of early May 2026, reveals just how dramatically momentum can shift among the 155-pound roster over a two-year span.
The snapshot traces streak leaders at three points in time. In April 2022, Charles Oliveira sat atop the division with ten consecutive victories, while Islam Makhachev trailed closely at nine. Beneil Dariush was third at seven, and a cluster of fighters — including Arman Tsarukyan, Rafael Fiziev, and Claudio Puelles — each held five-fight winning runs. By May 2024, Makhachev had extended his streak to 12, with Renato Moicano and Paddy Pimblett at five and Tsarukyan at four. One year later, Makhachev's run had grown to 14, with Pimblett at six and a three-way tie at five between Chase Hooper, Nasrat Haqparast, and Fares Ziam.
Oliveira, now 36 years old and ranked third at lightweight with a 37-11-0 record, was the division's pace-setter in that April 2022 window. The Brazilian finisher out of Chute Boxe Diego Lima averages 2.6 submission attempts per 15 minutes, illustrating why his streak carried such weight at the time.
Dariush, a southpaw fighting out of Kings MMA, held seven straight wins in that same period. Now 37 with a 23-8-1 record and ranked eighth in the division, he lands 3.78 significant strikes per minute and remains a technical constant in the top ten.
Ziam, one of the current co-leaders at five wins, is 29 years old and carries an 18-4-0 record for France. The six-foot-one orthodox striker lands 2.85 significant strikes per minute with a 75-inch reach and a 51 percent striking accuracy.
Why it matters
- Makhachev's streak growth from nine wins in 2022 to 14 by 2025 underlines his sustained dominance at the top of the division
- Oliveira's drop from streak leader to the chasing pack reflects the volatility the data is designed to capture
- Ziam's emergence as a current co-leader signals rising French talent pushing into lightweight contention
- Tsarukyan's presence across multiple snapshots marks him as one of the division's most consistent performers over the full two-year period
