Striking skill is an integral part of MMA that every fighter has to possess.
Although MMA allows strikes with all limbs, having expertise in boxing puts you at a significant advantage among the competition because boxing is so much more than just striking.
Take a look at an unranked list of the 11 best boxers in UFC at the moment.
Also, I made lists similar to this for a few more martial arts. Take a look at the best wrestlers in the UFC, best Muay Thai fighters in the UFC, best BJJ practitioners in the UFC, and best kickboxers in the UFC.
Max Holloway
If you are surprised to see Max Holloway on this list, you probably haven’t watched much MMA. “Blessed” is one of the best boxers in the UFC and in MMA in general.
His volume is simply unmatched, as he is the promotion’s record holder for the most significant strikes landed in his career with 2618. The 2nd place? Joanna Jedrzejczyk – with 1711! [1]
He never ceases to amaze the fans with his incredible boxing abilities. His footwork is unfathomable for an MMA fighter, and he knows how to be aggressive but stay in control at all times.
There is no need to put maximum power behind every strike when you can land 445 significant strikes in a single fight (UFC record vs. Calvin Kattar). [2]
Max is a phenomenal boxer that has the respect of many respected faces not only in the world of MMA but in the world of boxing as well.
Robert Garcia, a well-known boxing trainer, once said he believed that Holloway could easily make it as a professional boxer.
If you look at his fights, especially against Jose Aldo, Brian Ortega, and Calvin Kattar, you really can’t disagree.
Dustin Poirier
Dustin Poirier might be the only fighter in Max Holloway’s entire career that managed to outbox him in the octagon.
The phenomenal lightweight fighter was excellent in the featherweight division, but brutal weight cuts forced him to move up to lightweight, which was his career’s best decision.
He was utterly outclassing his competition on the feet, knocking out top-tier fighters cold with his incredible striking and perfect counter-hooks.
Dustin smashed the likes of Justin Gaethje, Eddie Alvarez, and Holloway, only to be stopped on the mat by the champion Khabib Nurmagomedov in a title match.
He didn’t need much time to regain momentum, though. Again, he used his superior boxing to dismantle Dan Hooker and then knocked out one of the best UFC boxers of all time, Conor McGregor.
There is not much Dustin Poirier can’t do with his hands. Combine that skill with the crazy power he has, and it’s easy to see why fighters usually refuse to trade punches with him.
Conor McGregor
His career might have come to a downfall after his brief stint in professional boxing, but there is no denying that Conor McGregor is one of the greatest boxers ever to put on the fingerless gloves.
He finished fantastic strikers in a matter of seconds during his prime, combining his background in boxing with karate.
He knocked Jose Aldo out cold in thirteen seconds while Aldo was in his prime, too, and that is just a single instance where he showed off his prolific boxing skills.
His patented left hook meant naptime for so many great fighters, including Aldo, Eddie Alvarez, Chad Mendes, and others.
McGregor’s only professional boxing match was against one of the best boxers in history, Floyd Mayweather.
Sure, even though Conor had some nice moments, the champ quickly dismantled him in the 10th round.
Still, McGregor showed some impressive boxing skills in that fight, and let’s be honest – nobody expected him to win against a once-in-a-generation, undefeated boxer such as Floyd.
Jorge Masvidal
If you want to watch great hands in a fighter, Jorge “Gamebred” Masvidal should be on your priority list.
He is a spectacular striker that not only knows how to punch but how to take hits, evade, ride punches, and defend – all skills of a great boxer.
Early in his career, he tended to get carried away and disregard the fact that MMA allows techniques other than punching, so he was frequently taken down or decimated with low kicks.
Now, he rejuvenated his career with a much more smart, tactical approach to his fights.
What’s interesting is that Gamebred started his fighting career as a street fighter, going at it in Kimbo Slice’s backyard, bare-knuckled.
He also has one professional boxing match (and one win), but it came against a 1-11 guy.
I’d love to see this guy put on boxing gloves in the future and see how he does in a ring.
Stipe Miocic
You stop to take a look at Stipe Miocic’s career and ask yourself – how does this man manage to do it all?
The greatest heavyweight MMA fighter in history is a father, a husband, and a full-time firefighter.
Oh, did I mention he’s the UFC heavyweight champion?
There are some incredible boxers in his division, but Stipe has decimated them all.
From Junior dos Santos and Mark Hunt to Francis Ngannou and Daniel Cormier, Miocic has set a new striking standard.
His boxing is better than some professional boxers, and he is showing it every time he steps into the octagon, apart from the hiccup against Cormier in their first fight.
Stipe knows how to take away space and limit his opponents’ movement, to get them right where he wants them before unleashing a quick, precise, and powerful striking barrage, and he rarely uses kicks.
The American-Croatian holds the UFC records for the most wins in heavyweight title bouts (6), most finishes, and knockouts in heavyweight title bouts (4), most heavyweight title defenses in a row (3), and more. [3]
He is more than just a striker, but his boxing pushes the entire division to work on their striking game.
Israel Adesanya
Although the UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya is primarily a kickboxer, nobody can deny his spectacular boxing skills.
Not only is he strong, but he has the perfect striking technique and unmatched precision.
He can connect 3, 4 significant punches to the chin while staying at an immense distance from the opponent.
His length allows him to play around with punching more, but it’s not rare to see him throw in a kick or two.
The young New Zealander swept his division – including the best fighters like Robert Whittaker, Kelvin Gastelum, Yoel Romero, and Paulo Costa.
Now, he decided to test his boxing against literally bigger competition, fighting Jan Blachowicz next for the LHW title.
Petr Yan
It didn’t take long for Petr Yan to become the UFC bantamweight champion after debuting in the promotion in 2018.
He showcased his phenomenal boxing skills in every fight on the way to the top, culminating in a spectacular knockout against Jose Aldo to obtain the vacant bantamweight title.
Yan is miles ahead of the competition in his division when it comes to pure striking, especially boxing.
He has four knockouts and three decisions in his UFC career, and he won every decision by a landslide.
The Russian rarely allows the fight to go to the ground and stays on his feet to punch his opponent out of the match.
Cody Garbrandt
Cody “No Love” Garbrandt deserves more praise for his boxing than he gets after losing three straight matches via knockout (before knocking out Raphael Assuncao in his last fight).
The lackadaisical defense, showmanship, and rage caused him to brawl instead of boxing – which is what he does best.
He showcased all his capabilities when he tore Dominick Cruz to pieces to become the bantamweight champion, and that was a time where Cruz simply seemed unbeatable.
Cody still has some mean hands, and when he is concentrated to defend as much as he swings, he is one of the best boxers the UFC has on the roster.
Junior dos Santos
Another fighter that might be at the deep end of his fighting career is Junior dos Santos.
But, even though age has done its part and the former heavyweight champ isn’t the fighter he once was, he is still one of the greatest boxers the UFC has ever seen.
Rarely does Junior ever use kicks in his fights, as he is always trying to dominate fighters with his reach, and his incredible boxing.
Throughout his career, Cigano knocked out numerous fighters with boxing techniques, including Fabricio Werdum, Stefan Struve, Cain Velasquez, Frank Mir, and many others.
Holly Holm
Although she is mostly known for her spectacular kickboxing, Holly Holm should be on every list of the top boxers in the UFC.
Casual fans might not know that the former UFC champ held the WBC, WBA, and IBF world titles in boxing.
She’s also ranked as the 10th best woman boxer of all time by BoxRec, and she was named Fighter of the Year two times by The Ring magazine.
Not a lot of fighters can say they were world champions in both boxing and MMA, but Holm can.
She is slowly approaching retirement and lost her mojo in recent years, but she is undisputably one of the best boxers in UFC (and MMA in general) history.
Nate Diaz
The Diaz brothers have displayed their fantastic boxing numerous times. But, Nate Diaz is on a level above.
He uses his lengths incredibly well to outbox his opponents before taking the fight to the mat, where he is a BJJ black belt.
Nate is a high-volume striker, meaning he won’t swing “Hail Maries” trying to knock you out with a single punch.
Instead, he dissects the opponent’s defense and picks you apart round after round.
He has incredible hands and uses boxing footwork to get into the desired positions, making him one of the best boxers in the UFC. Of course, when he’s active.
