Frequently referred to as the “the fastest growing sport in the world,” MMA is always attracting new talent. These MMA hopefuls come from all demographics, regions, and backgrounds, and every now and then, the same family. Yes, the ever-growing popularity of MMA means that every so often, households produce not just one, but two MMA dreamers—an intriguing storyline told most notably by the 2011 MMA film, Warrior.
Whether it’s these cases are the result of parents enrolling two siblings in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu classes for a discounted rate, or little brother following in the footsteps of big brother, over the course of its relatively short history, MMA has produced a surprising number of these successful brother duos.
Without further ado, here are our favorites!
10. The Guida Brothers
The reputation of these fighting brothers is carried almost exclusively by the younger of the two, Clay Guida—so much so that the Guidas very nearly lost their spot on this list to Caros and Ben Fodor or the Rosholt brothers.
Yes, Clay’s older brother Jason is a professional fighter, but with a rather ugly pro record of 19-28, his career is nothing to write home about. Clay, on the other hand, has been a staple of the UFC’s lightweight and featherweight divisions since 2006, where he’s amassed a solid 12-9 promotional record, and developed a reputation as an always-exciting veteran (barring his 2012 snoozer with Gray Maynard).
9. The Overeem Brothers
Like the Guida brothers, the renown of the Overeem brothers hinges primarily on the younger of the two, Alistair. As a pro, Alistair Overeem has competed as a light heavyweight and a heavyweight, and defeated the likes of Vitor Belfort, Igor Vovchanchyn, Mark Hunt, Fabricio Werdum, Brock Lesnar and Frank Mir. He’s also collected three world titles, under the MMA banners Strikeforce and Dream, and as a kickboxer in K-1. Despite a few slip-ups with steroid use, the younger of the two Overeems has asserted himself as one of MMA’s greatest heavyweights ever.
His older brother, Valentijn, on the other hand, owns a paltry record of 30-32. And though he has defeated the likes of Renato “Babalu” Sobral, Randy Couture, and Ray Sefo, he’s also submitted to punches a whopping 5 times—not exactly the stats of a legend.
8. The Lauzon Brothers
The more famous of the two Lauzon brothers, Joe, has established himself as one of the most exciting fighters in the sport. With a 24-10 record overall, he’s the recipient of a record 13 post-fight bonuses, and has defeated the likes of Jens Pulver, Jeremy Stephens, and Jamie Varner.
His younger brother Dan, on the other hand, has not realized the same success. Sure, he has only lost 5 times in 22 pro fights, but his 3 failed outings in the UFC render him the vastly less successful fighter of the Lauzon family.
7. The Lima Brothers
The Lima brothers present one of the rare instances where the more successful brother resides outside the UFC. We’re talking, of course, about Douglas Lima, the current Bellator welterweight champion, and the owner of a solid 26-5 record.
His younger, less-successful brother, on the other hand, competes as a welterweight inside the UFC. A member of the UFC roster since early 2014, Dhiego Lima has fought three times in the organization, and has lost two of those bouts by knockout. That said, the 26 year old has tons of promise, and with a little work, may yet realize the success of his Bellator-based big bro.
6. The Miller Brothers
Dan and Jim Miller both compete in the UFC—the former as a middleweight and welterweight, the latter as a lightweight. And while both have enjoyed some big wins inside the organization, it’s Jim who has realized the greater heights.
As a UFC fighter, Jim has defeated the likes of Matt Wiman, Gleison Tibau, Charles Oliveira, Melvin Guillard, and Joe Lauzon. Dan, on the other hand, has come up short against the likes of Chael Sonnen, Demian Maia, Michael Bisping, Nate Marquardt, Rousimar Palhares, Jordan Mein, and others.
5. The Freire Brothers
Neither of the Freire brothers—who both compete in Bellator with the nickname “Pitbull”— have fought in the UFC. And while the older of the two, Patricky, who owns a tepid 13-6 record, may not deserve that honor, his younger brother Patricio certainly does. Yes, with a solid 23-2 record, the 27-year-old Patricio Freire is the current Bellator featherweight champ and one of the best featherweights in the world.
Over the course of his decade-long career, he’s defeated the likes of Wilson Reis, Daniel Straus (twice), Diego Nunes, and Pat Curran. More impressively still, he owns a solid 74% finishing rate. So while Patricky’s career on its own is nothing special, that of his younger brother is more than enough to warrant their high placement on this list.
4. The Pettis Brothers
The younger of the two Pettis, brothers, Sergio, has enjoyed hot-and-cold success in the UFC, pairing 3 wins with 2 losses. That said, at just 21, the flyweight has plenty of time to find his groove, and may yet find his footing as a bona fide contender. That however, is not the reason for the lofty placement of the Pettis brothers on this list.
The reason the Pettis brothers enjoy our number-4 spot is thanks to the dominance of Anthony, the older of the two. Before entering the UFC, this Pettis became the final WEC lightweight champion with the world famous, off-the-cage “Showtime Kick.” And from there, things only got sweeter for the dynamic lightweight.
Despite a hiccup in his UFC debut against Clay Guida, Anthony went on to score wins over Jeremy Stephens, Joe Lauzon, Donald Cerrone, and Benson Henderson, which won him the UFC lightweight title. From there, he defended his belt once, submitting Gilbert Melendez in the second round, before being dethroned by Rafael Dos Anjos just weeks ago.
So, while Anthony has lost his belt, his status as a former champion, coupled with his younger brother’s promise, more than justify their number four spot.
3. The Emelianenko Brothers
Neither of the now-retired Emelianenko brothers ever competed inside the UFC. That didn’t stop one of them, however, from becoming the consensus best heavyweight of all time (sorry Mr. Velasquez, you’ve still got some work to do).
Yes, with brilliant sambo-based grappling and crippling power, Fedor Emelianenko ripped through the PRIDE heavyweight division to establish himself as one of the sport’s very best fighters. For just shy of 10 years, the Russian dynamo went without a legitimate loss, defeating the likes of Antonio “Minotauro” Nogueira (twice), Mark Coleman (twice), Kevin Randleman, Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic, Mark Hunt, Tim Sylvia, and Andrei Arlovski in the process. And though he stumbled toward the end of his career with three-consecutive losses, his legend is truly irrefutable. And his little brother didn’t do so badly either.
Over the course of his career, Fedor’s stone-faced sibling Aleksander assembled a solid 23-7 record, with wins over fighters like James Thompson and Sergei Kharitonov. This career, when combined with his brother’s iconic run, easily earns the Emelianenkos a top-3 spot on our list.
2. The Diaz Brothers
Nick Diaz has never worn UFC gold. That said, the Stockton, CA native and former Strikeforce champion has defeated the likes Robbie Lawler, Gleison Tibau, Paul Daley, and BJ Penn. He’s also contended for the UFC title twice, falling by decision to welterweight greats Georges St. Pierre and Carlos Condit, and made several forays up to middleweight, including his most recent outing, which saw take on greatest-of-all-time candidate, Anderson Silva. Yes, despite his failure to earn a UFC title, Nick Diaz has done just about everything else one can do in the world of pro fighting. The dude is a bona fide bad ass.
Then there’s his younger brother, Nate, whose run is only slightly less impressive. Over the course of his career, which has seen him compete in leagues like Pancrase, Strikeforce, WEC, and of course, the UFC, Nate has accrued a 17-10 record, defeating the likes of Melvin Guillard, Takanori Gomi, Donald Cerrone, and Jim Miller. And considering several of his losses have come against beasts like Benson Henderson (who he fought for lightweight gold), Josh Thomson and Rafael Dos Anjos, it’s hard to hold his rather multitudinous losses against him.
Yes, what these bird-flipping brothers lack in UFC titles, they make up for in gusto, which is why they easily secure the number-2 spot on our list. Don’t be scared, homies.
1. The Nogueira Brothers
The last few years have not been kind to the Nogueira brothers, but they remain two undeniable legends of MMA—so much so that awarding any other brother pair the number one spot on this list would be unacceptable.
Let’s start with the lighter of these iconic Brazilian twins, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, playfully nicknamed “Lil Nog.” Though he has never won UFC gold—or gold in PRIDE, for that matter—he goes down as one of the most game light heavyweights in history. Over the course of his long career, he’s defeated the likes of Kazushi Sakuraba, Alistair Overeem (twice), Dan Henderson, Tito Ortiz, and Rashad Evans. He’s also one-half of one of the most entertaining fights of all time, which paired him with fellow light heavyweight legend, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, and will be repeated at UFC 190 this August.
Then there’s “Big Nog”, who outshines even his decorated younger brother with his status as one of the greatest heavyweights in MMA history. Over the course of his almost 20-year career, Big Nog has amassed a 34-9 record, with wins over Mark Coleman, Heath Herring, Dan Henderson, Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic, Sergei Kharitonov, Fabricio Werdum, Josh Barnett, Randy Couture, and Tim Sylvia—a victory that earned him the UFC interim heavyweight title. Then of course, there is his legendary trilogy with Fedor Emelianenko. Though failed to win any of his bouts with Emelianenko, Big Nog’s grittiness in these fights transformed him into one of the most beloved figures in our sport. And he’s still at it, too. He’ll also be fighting at UFC 190, where he’ll take on 7-foot Dutchman, Stefan Struve.
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