In boxing it’s not uncommon to see fighters going unbeaten for extended periods of time, racking up dozens of wins along the way. With so many different facets to the sport of mixed martial arts however, both on standing up and on the ground, it’s rare to see a fighter going more than a handful of fights without coming undone to either a strike, submission, or judges decision.

With the UFC possessing many of the world’s best fighters within their ranks it becomes even more challenging, but their are some who have achieved it. In this article we will look at the fighters who are currently defying the odds and notching up an extended winning run on the sports biggest stage.

Note: Article last updated on February 8th 2011

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Anderson Silva: Thirteen Consecutive Wins (June 2006 – Present Day)

Holding the record for most consecutive wins in the history of the UFC, Anderson Silva’s remarkable winning streak spans almost five years, two divisions, and eight successful defenses of his middleweight title.

When you take a closer look at his winning record more impressive statistics emerge. For instance, up until his fight with Demain Maia, only once in his unbeaten run has he went the distance in a fight – against Thales Leites, who appeared reluctant to engage with the champion. It’s hard to blame Leites when you realize that Silva has KO’d five of his UFC opponents, and only a handful have made it out of the first round with the deadly striker.

At UFC 117 was given his toughest fight yet by Chael Sonnen, but showed the heart of a champion to snatch a last gasp submission win and maintain his remarkable unbeaten run. Billed as the biggest fight in middleweight history, Silva’s fight with fellow Brazilian Vitor Belfort turned out to be just another opportunity for him to show of his unparalleled skills, becoming the first fighter to KO Belfort with a stunning front kick to the face in the first round.

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Georges St.Pierre: Eight Consecutive Wins (August 2007 – Present Day)

Widely considered to be one of the top three pound for pound fighters in the world, welterweight champion Georges St.Pierre has had a remarkably successful career in the UFC.

Alongside his current winning streak he also previously recorded another six fight unbeaten run in the octagon. What makes his current streak all the more impressive is the caliber of competition he has faced – Josh Koscheck, Matt Hughes, Matt Serra, Jon Fitch, BJ Penn, Thiago Alves and Dan Hardy – a veritable who’s who of the welterweight division.

The major problem for GSP now is finding opponents worthy of stepping in the cage with him. At this stage a long rumored fight with the fighter at the top of this list – Anderson Silva, may be the biggest threat to St.Pierre’s dominant run.

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Cain Velasquez: Seven Consecutive Wins (April 2008 – Present Day)

Cain Velasquez had just two fights (both wins) on his record prior to finding himself in the UFC’s heavyweight division, but the highly regarded prospect didn’t let his lack of experience get in his way, and has since notched up seven consecutive wins.

An unrelenting competitor in the octagon, Velasquez has succeeded in ending five of his seven fights before the final bell by TKO. He’s also bettered some established fighters in the heavyweight division, including Cheick Kongo and former IFL champion Ben Rothwell, who had over 30 fights more than Velasquez heading into that bout.

Against Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira we finally got to see Velasquez earn his first KO victory, taking just over two minutes to finish the Brazilian, who has never been stopped by cleanly knocked out before.

That convincing win sent a message to the rest of the heavyweight division that Velasquez was the real deal, but just a few months later he took it one stage further by defeating Brock Lesnar by TKO to become the new UFC heavyweight champion, and is now regarded by many as the No.1 heavyweight fighter in the world.

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George Sotiropoulos: Seven Consecutive Wins (December 2007-Present Day)

Entering into the UFC via The Ultimate Fighter Season 6, Australian George Sotiropoulos has since taken three years to put together his seven fight unbeaten run, and that includes a year out injured between April 2008 – August 2009.

Until recently Sotiropoulos had compiled the majority of his run away from the spotlight of the main card, against the likes of George Roop and Jason Dent which led to fans calling for him to receive a more recognized opponent.

Those calls were answered at UFC 110 in Australia when he took on former No.1 lightweight contender Joe ‘Daddy’ Stevenson. In front of his home fans Sotiropoulos produced his best performance in the octagon to date to secure a decision win and keep his winning streak intact, and has since added Kurt Pellegrino and Joe Lauzon to his list of victims.

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Junior Dos Santos: Six Consecutive Wins (October 2008 – Present Day)

The first in a string of fighter with five consecutive victories in the UFC under their belt, Junior Dos Santos has been making serious waves in the heavyweight division.

Dos Santos hasn’t had it easy since his arrival in the UFC in October of 2008. His first opponent was Fabricio Werdum, the man who just ended Fedor Emelianenko’s 10 year undefeated run. Since then other respected fighters, Stefan Struve, Mirko Cro Cop, Gilbert Yvel and Gabe Gonzaga have also been handily dispatched – four of them within the first round. Impressive – and he’s still only 25 years old.

Most recently Dos Santos faced Roy Nelson and outstruck the veteran fighter for three rounds to secure a title shot against Cain Velasquez. Unfortunately with Velasquez out injured Dos Santos will have to wait for his shot at the belt, but in the mean time he’ll be kept busy coaching on TUF season 13, followed up with a blockbuster showdown with Brock Lesnar.

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Jim Miller – Six Consecutive Victories (July 11th 2009 – Present Day)

lightweight contender Jim Miller has managed to rack up a six fight winning streak in impressively short order.

In less than two years Miller has hacked his way through the lightweight jungle, taking out Mac Danzig, Steve Lopez, Duane Ludwig, Mark Bocek, Gleison Tibau and Charles Oliveria.

He’ll get a chance to add to his current record and strengthen his case for a title shot when he welcomes the WEC’s Kamal Shalorus to the Octagon at UFC 128 in March.

Honorable mention: Just below the front-runners is Jon Fitch who has five consecutive victories. When added to the eight fight winning streak he already holds in the promotion, with just one defeat in-between, that’s one of the most impressive runs of any fighter on the roster.

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Article By RossC (Last updated on July 19th)

Pictures courtesy of sherdog.com

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