The finishing rates of UFC champions might surprise you 🔥 Justin Gaethje tops the rankings with nearly 80% of his wins coming by stoppage, while Petr Yan sits last at 38%. A reminder that finishing fights isn’t the only way to become a champion 🏆 [ h/t @homeoffight ]
A new breakdown of UFC champions' finishing rates has put Justin Gaethje at the top and Petr Yan at the bottom. The lightweight titleholder has nearly 80 percent of his wins coming by stoppage, while the bantamweight champion sits last among current titleholders at 38 percent, according to the figures shared by @homeoffight.
The ranking is a reminder that finishing fights is not the only route to a belt.
Gaethje: the finisher
Gaethje, 37, is 28-5-0 and holds the lightweight title. The American out of Genesis Training Center lands 6.48 significant strikes per minute at 58 percent accuracy, a pairing of volume and precision that fits a stoppage-heavy résumé. He rarely looks for the mat, averaging just 0.33 takedowns per 15 minutes and no submission attempts.
His most recent recorded fight, on June 14, 2026 at UFC Freedom 250, was a fourth-round KO/TKO of Ilia Topuria in a title bout. Before that, he beat Paddy Pimblett by unanimous decision over five rounds at UFC 324 on January 24, 2026, so even his recent run shows a mix of finishes and decisions.
Yan: the decision specialist
Yan, 33, is 21-5-0 and holds the bantamweight title. The Russian switch-stance striker out of Archangel Michael Club lands 5.16 significant strikes per minute at 55 percent accuracy, and averages 1.56 takedowns per 15 minutes, nearly five times Gaethje's rate.
His recent form explains the low finishing percentage. His latest recorded fight was a unanimous decision over Merab Dvalishvili in a title fight at UFC 333 on October 24, 2026. He also beat Dvalishvili by unanimous decision at UFC 323 on December 6, 2025, and took a three-round decision over Marcus McGhee in July 2025. That is three straight decision wins in our records.
Why it matters
- The gap between the two champions is roughly 40 percentage points in finishing rate, yet both hold UFC titles.
- Gaethje's higher striking output and accuracy line up with his stoppage rate, while Yan's wrestling-leaning numbers point to a points-based path.
- Yan's back-to-back five-round wins over Dvalishvili show how a champion can control long fights without chasing the finish.
