10 Best Strikers In UFC Today
From vicious head kicks to one punch KOs, few things are as exciting as striking in MMA. In this day and age, you can’t expect to succeed in the game without solid striking skills. Sooner or later, you will come across a skilled boxer or Muay Thai fighter who will expose your holes in a very painful way.
In this article, we will take a look at the 10 best strikers in modern MMA, and bring you close to their fighting styles and stories. Let’s dive right into it!
10. Sean O’Malley
From the moment he appeared on DWTNCS, it was obvious that O’Malley is here to make a change, at least when it comes to striking. Apart from maybe TJ Dillashaw, we can’t recall any other fighter who moves and attacks the way O’Malley does. Although he is yet to prove his worth, the hype is real, and “Sugar” deserves a spot on this list.
O’Malley is a tall and lengthy fighter who has the biggest reach in the division. What he does best is being on the move, and fighting behind his long jab from a safe distance. You will rarely see him getting into wild brawls and close range, even if you do, it’s because O’Malley has decided to do so.
When you look at his fights, you can see that all of his opponents have a hard time cutting his movement, or even landing anything clean on him.
9. Cory Sandhagen
What most people don’t know about the “Sandman” is the fact that he started off as a basketball player. But somewhere along the line, he began training kickboxing where he won many WKA titles. And in 2015, he made a decision to test his skills inside the steel cage, and he fell in love with it straight away.
Even though he doesn’t have a karate base, Sandhagen reminds us of fighters like Stephen Thompson. He is always on the move, never in the line of the attack, and throwing all types of faints. And things go to another level when you add his versatile and creative striking skills on top of this. From flying knees to spinning kicks, Sandhagen has many weapons in his arsenal.
8. Zabit Magomedsharipov
Zabit Magomedsharipov is not your average fighter coming from Dagestan. Although his ground game is on an elite level, it’s his striking that makes him special. He is, by far, the most exciting striker in the 145 lbs weight class, or maybe even on the entire UFC roster.
Magomedsharipov started his journey by training in freestyle wrestling when he was 10 years old. But shortly after, he would switch over to train in Sanda before joining the “Wushu” boarding school in 2003. He would spend the next 13 years training martial arts three times per day and become Russian champ four times, European champ, and World Cup winner.
In 2017, he came into the UFC with a record of 12–1, and fans instantly fell in love with his fighting style. From wild spinning and jumping techniques to elite grappling, Magomedsharipov is a definition of a well rounded fighter.
7. Robert Whittaker
Although he is a former UFC champ, Whittaker might be the most underrated striker in the UFC. You will rarely see other media members bringing him into the conversation when talking about the best strikers. And in our view, this is a big mistake.
Born in New Zealand, Whittaker grew up training in Goju-Ryu karate alongside his brother. After earning a black belt, he would drop out of karate and move to train Hapkido, and later on, MMA. And this strong karate background is what makes him unique and lethal inside the cage.
Whittaker is all about fighting from the pure karate stance, bouncing around and holding his hands low. He prefers to attack in a blitz with straight punches, and finish each attack with a hard kick, often going high with it. On top of that, he has a really good takedown defense and ground game.
6. Valentina Shevchenko
We don’t have to spend too many words explaining why Shevchenko is ranked so high on our list. We are talking about, perhaps, the greatest striker in MMA history who has left nothing but carnage in just about every fight she has been in. Like her nickname “The Bullet” suggests, she is fast and deadly.
It’s fair to say that Shevchenko made her first footsteps on the mats training Taekwondo from the age of 5. After 7 years of training, she switched over to Muay Thai, Vale Tudo, and judo. In her career, she would win many world titles in Muay Thai and Kickboxing. Just take a look at the striking resume she brought into MMA:
- I.F.M.A World Champion (10x)
- World K-1 Champion
- World Combat Games, Muay Thai winner (2x)
What she does best is counter the opponent’s attacks with a fast right hook or a spinning wheel kick or a back fist. She always mixes her striking high and often attacks in a flurry.
5. Amanda Nunes
Amanda Nunes is often seen as the female version of Mike Tyson as she looks and hits like a tank. Her game is versatile, but it is the power and precision of her punches that often catch her opponents off guard. We are talking about the greatest female fighter of all time, and if you still have any doubts, just take a look at the picture below.
Amanda may look like a brawler when she decides to attack, but, she is also very methodical and calculated. What she does best is reading her opponent and figuring out her timing and distance first. Once she locks on target, she would start dropping bombs on you and land with laser precision.
4. Dustin Poirier
Dustin Poirier is one of those fighters who has seen and felt it all inside the octagon. And the experience he has gained over the years is what sets him above the others in the 155 lbs weight class. Whether it was a win or a loss, Poirier learns from every fight and always looks better in the next one. This is notably true when it comes to his striking game that has looked amazing in the last couple of years.
Poirier didn’t grow up training combat sports from a very young age. Although he is an all-around fighter and a black belt in BJJ, Poirier’s main weapon are his boxing skills. He used his hands only to put out some of the best strikers in the UFC like Conor McGregor. It’s not just about the technique as he also carries a lot of power in both of his hands.
In recent times, he started training with Thiago Alves. This helped him to elevate his kicking game to another level, which now makes him a complete striker.
3. Ciryl Gane
Gane is a man who changed the way heavyweights fight in standup. We have never seen a man so big so agile, fast, and move that well. It seems like the Frenchman is always a step ahead on the feet and it’s really hard to figure him out.
Like most kids in Europe, Gane grew up playing football and basketball, which are the two most popular sports in France. But a close friend would introduce him to Muay Thai, and he instantly fell in love with the training. So much, that he went on to fight in pro matches and put together a record of 13–0 before joining the “MMA FACTORY” to train MMA.
In MMA, Gane relies on his footwork and range control which allows him to avoid damage, and fight at his pace. He doesn’t load on every strike in an attempt to knock his opponent out. No, Gane prefers to stay technical and methodical and drag his opponent into the deep waters as he did against Derrick Lewis.
2. Petr Yan
Petry Yan might be the best boxer in MMA who also has a good takedown defense. From the high output and precision to footwork and angles, Yan is very, very technical. His game is very versatile, especially if we are talking about his hands.
Yan set off on his fighting journey by training in Taekwondo when he was just eight years old. After a couple of years, he would switch over to boxing for the next eight years and would earn a “Master of Sports” rank.
Later on, Yan would start making trips to Thailand and brush his skills in the famous “Tiger Muay Thai” gym. He used to train and spar together with other elite strikers like Dan Hooker and Israel Adesanya.
Inside the cage, Yan is a slow starter and he needs at least one round to gather all the data. But once he does that, he would start picking his opponents apart ‘till they can’t take it anymore.
1. Israel Adesanya
We just can’t make any type of striking list without talking about Israel Adesanya. He deserves a lot of credit for changing the striking game in modern MMA. This is the main reason why people see him as “Anderson Silva 2.0”.
Adesanya didn’t spend his youth training on the mats, but rather watching anime. But it would all change when he decided to enroll in kickboxing at 18 years of age. He went on to put together a record of 32–0 on the amateur scene, before turning pro in 2010. In his career, he fought for the best kickboxing promotions like:
- King in the Ring
- Glory
- Wu Lin Feng
When he moved over to cage fighting, Adesanya was able to learn and rise very quickly. He needed less than 2 years to go from making his UFC debut in 2018, to winning the 185 lbs title in April 2019.
