An analysis of the UFC lightweight division's longest active win streaks shows significant changes over time. Currently, Islam Makhachev leads with a 16-fight win streak, followed by Diego Lopes at 7 fights and Paddy Pimblett at 6. One year ago, Makhachev had 14 wins with Pimblett at 6 and three fighters tied at 5. Two years prior, Makhachev had 12 wins, with Renato Moicano and Pimblett at 5, and several fighters including Arman Tsarukyan at 4. In April 2022, Charles Oliveira led with 10 wins, Makhachev had 9, Beneil Dariush had 7, and three fighters including Tsarukyan and Rafael Fiziev had 5. The data illustrates how Makhachev has extended his dominance while other contenders' streaks have been interrupted.
A snapshot of the UFC lightweight division's longest active win streaks over a four-year span underscores just how thoroughly Islam Makhachev has separated himself from his peers, with the Russian champion now sitting atop the list at 16 consecutive victories.
Makhachev, 34, carries a 28-1 professional record and holds the number-one spot in the pound-for-pound rankings. Although the verified data places him in the welterweight division, his win streak was built largely through his lightweight reign and remains the defining benchmark for the 155-pound class. He lands significant strikes at a 58 percent accuracy rate and averages 3.2 takedowns per 15 minutes, combining elite grappling control with efficient offense that has made sustained challenges against him difficult to sustain.
Diego Lopes currently sits second on the active streak list at seven wins, while Paddy Pimblett follows at six. That Pimblett has held six straight for at least two of the four snapshots captured in this data illustrates both his consistency and the volatility of the division around him.
Looking back to April 2022, Charles Oliveira led all lightweights with ten straight wins. The Brazilian, now 36 and ranked third in the division with a 37-11-0 record, is a submission specialist averaging 2.6 submission attempts per 15 minutes. His streak has since been broken, as has the seven-fight run that Beneil Dariush, now 37 and ranked eighth with a 23-8-1 mark, carried at that same moment in time.
Why it matters
- Makhachev's streak has grown from 9 wins in April 2022 to 16 today, a run that has absorbed the entire era of viable contenders.
- Streaks from Oliveira, Dariush, and Arman Tsarukyan have all been snapped in the intervening period, thinning the pool of uninterrupted challengers.
- Lopes at seven and Pimblett at six represent the only active threats with momentum, though neither streak approaches Makhachev's length.
