The Best Boxers In MMA – Top 10 Elite Strikers
Boxing is an integral part of mixed martial arts. There are various forms and methods of implementing boxing in MMA but there are a handful of fighters that stand out. The cream always rises to the top and throughout the years, Mixed Martial Arts have produced some truly spectacular strikers with impressive boxing skills. Listed below are our top 10 picks for the best boxers to emerge from Mixed Martial Arts:
- Conor McGregor
- Alex Pereira
- Israel Adesanya
- Jorge Masvidal
- Jon Jones
- Leon Edwards
- Petr Yan
- Dustin Poirier
- Max Holloway
- Sean O’Malley
Not everyone on this list is necessarily a well-rounded Mixed Martial Artist but all of them are fighters that have displayed superb levels of striking in the boxing department. Some of these fighters don’t even come from a boxing background but their striking and implementation of boxing in Mixed Martial Arts is so elite, they had to be included on this list.
Conor McGregor “The Notorious”
| Name | Alias | Professional Record | KO Rate | Base |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conor Anthony McGregor | “The Notorious” | 22-6-0 | 86% | Western Boxing |
Despite his recent losses, there is no denying that the UFC’s cash king is still the greatest boxing talent we’ve seen grace the octagon. When he’s at his peak, McGregor’s distance management, accuracy, and head movement are levels above anyone else in Mixed Martial Arts.
Despite being an unpredictable, crafty southpaw, McGregor maintains smooth boxing. All of his shots are clean with impeccable technique. McGregor is naturally a counter puncher and his best weapon is his left hand which he expertly times just as his opponents come into range. During the earlier fights in his career, he would often use a karate stance with creative kicks to confuse his opponents and lure them into a range where he could unload his left hand.
Conor is also the only MMA fighter to ever compete at a high level in professional boxing going 10 rounds with arguably the greatest boxer ever in Floyd Mayweather Jr. Floyd’s sly approach and experience won him the fight with relative ease but regardless, it was an impressive effort from McGregor considering it was his professional debut. Whether you love him or hate him, he’s undoubtedly the best boxer MMA has produced.
Alex Pereira “Poatan”
| Name | Alias | Professional Record | KO Rate | Base |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alexsandro Pereira | “Poatan” | 7-1-0 | 86% | Kickboxing |
Pereira is an incredibly awkward fighter with freakish power. He initially made his name in kickboxing before transitioning over to MMA. While Pereira is mainly recognized for his power, he is actually very technical and will constantly set up traps throughout his fights. The most notable example of this in MMA was his fight with Sean Strickland where he drops Strickland with a powerful left before finishing the fight with a solid right hand.
Pereira was also able to defeat Adesandya in their first bout in the UFC. While Adesanya was ahead on points, Alex was able to apply pressure in the fifth round and finish Adesanya to become the UFC Middleweight Champion.
What makes Pereira’s boxing particularly exceptional is his patience, he’ll move around and throw grazing punching while waiting for you to over-commit. As soon as Pereira sees a gap, he unloads heavy punches with serious intentions behind each strike. The left hook appears to be his most effective punch but it’s clear that Pereira possesses power in both hands.
Isreal Adesanya “The Last Stylebender”
| Name | Alias | Professional Record | KO Rate | Base |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Israel Mobolaji Odunayo Oluwafemi Temitayo Owolabi Adesanya | “The Last Stylebender” | 23-2-0 | 65% | Kickboxing |
Israel Adesanya has solidified himself as one of the greatest middleweights of all time. Like Pereira, he was an exceptional kickboxer before he ventured into MMA. Adesanya’s greatest attribute is his accuracy. He’s long and manages range very well. A lot of fans and critics often suggest that Adesanya doesn’t possess knockout power.
However, his fights with Robert Whittaker, Paulo Costa, and now Alex Periera suggest differently. Isreal has excellent boxing fundamentals and a sharp, crisp, right hand. This coupled with his fast, snapping leg kicks made him king of the Middleweight division for a long time before he was dethroned by his long-time rival, Alex Pereira. However, in the rematch, Israel was able to get the better of his competitor and KO’d Pereira to regain his championship.
Jorge Masvidal “Gamebred”
| Name | Alias | Professional Record | KO Rate | Base |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jorge Masvidal | “Gamebred” | 35-16-0 | 46% | Freestyle/Western Boxing |
Jorge Masvidal’s boxing really gained notoriety in 2019. After a long layoff, Masvidal came back and delivered 3 spectacular performances beating Darren Till, Ben Askren, & Nate Diaz in an emphatic fashion. The fight that displays his boxing skills best is his bout with Darren Till. Masvidal applies boxing very well to the MMA range. He uses clever entries like stance switches to close the distance from his opponents to land sweeping overhands.
The rest of Masvidal’s punches are just as sharp and he’s also displayed good head movement throughout his career despite getting caught with Kamaru Usman’s right hand. Masvidal has been around for a long time and many fighters and fans have often regarded him as one of the best pure boxers in the UFC.
Jon Jones “Bones”
| Name | Alias | Professional Record | KO Rate | Base |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jonathan Dwight Jones | “Bones” | 27-1-0 | 37% | Wrestling |
While Jon is most notable for his wrestling, he also has excellent boxing fundamentals. What makes Jon’s boxing so brilliant is the way he incorporates it into MMA. For example, Jones has mastered landing his signature spinning elbow after landing a right hand. He blends techniques effortlessly which is why he has been solidified as the “GOAT” of MMA.
Jon’s boxing is among the best of the heavyweights. No one his size and weight really comes close. Combined with his kicks, elbows, & wrestling, this makes Jon Jones the best fighter on the planet. The only reason Jones isn’t higher on this list is that he hasn’t demonstrated many knockdowns using his fists. Instead, he prefers to use kicks and wrestling to get his opponents to the ground.
Leon Edwards “Rocky”
| Name | Alias | Professional Record | KO Rate | Base |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leon Edwards | “Rocky” | 21-3-0 | 33% | MMA |
Leon Edwards truly embodies the definition of an MMA fighter. He is competent in every facet of the game. However, you only have to watch a few minutes of his fights or training videos to see that his boxing is incredibly crisp and smooth.
Leon’s technique is impeccable. Every punch comes from the right place and he has natural boxing instincts. I’m sure in another life, he would have also been successful in the professional boxing game which can’t be said for most MMA fighters. At the time of writing this article, Leon used his phenomenal striking to once again upset the odds and defeat Kamaru Usman for the second time to retain the Welterweight UFC Championship.
Petr Yan “No Mercy”
| Name | Alias | Professional Record | KO Rate | Base |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Petr Evgenyevich Yan | “No Mercy” | 16-5-0 | 44% | Muay Thai |
Coming from a Muay Thai background, Petr Yan has very strong boxing fundamentals. He likes to throw power behind every punch and is accurate with his striking. Being quite short, Petr has learned how to expertly close the distance and hurt taller opponents with his vicious hooks and overhand.
Despite his recent losses to Merab and Sean O-Malley, Petr remains among the elites of the Bantamweight division. Petr even put in an excellent performance against Sean O-Malley, many people thought that Petr won the fight but it was very close in the striking department. Yan uses lots of slips and level changes to land punches and oftentimes he was his opponents look amateur with his level of striking. Sometimes, he genuinely looks like a seasoned conventional boxer which can’t be said for many MMA fighters.
Dustin Poirier “The Diamond”
| Name | Alias | Professional Record | KO Rate | Base |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dustin Poirier | “The Diamond” | 29-7-0 | 48% | BJJ |
Dustin Poirier has shown great boxing fundamentals over the years. He sometimes punches from his hips which isn’t exactly the proper technique but his punches still hold a lot of power. Poirier’s biggest win was a couple of years ago in January of 2021 where he upset the odds and TKO’d Conor McGregor in a title eliminator. While Dustin doesn’t have the same boxing intuition as McGregor, he blended leg kicks and takedowns brilliantly to debilitate McGregor before finishing him off with a flurry of hooks.
The other brilliant element of Poirier’s boxing is his forward pressure. Every fight he’s in seems to be a war. He’s always looking to engage in the boxing range which makes him very dangerous in the hands. His combinations are always on point and it seems that he gets better timing as the fight progresses.
Max Holloway “Blessed”
| Name | Alias | Professional Record | KO Rate | Base |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jerome Max Keli’i Holloway | “Blessed” | 23-7-0 | 43% | MMA |
The best element of Max Holloway’s boxing is his insane cardio and work rate. On top of this, Max’s combinations are incredibly well put together and he’s shown good head movement. However, after his extremely dominant performance against Calvin Katter, I think people have slightly overestimated his boxing skill going as far as to call him the best boxer in the UFC.
While Max is among the best in the organization, he isn’t the biggest puncher. The knockouts he does obtain are often in the later rounds and are created by simply exhausting his opponents. However, as far as his timing, speed, and head movement goes, he’s among the most skilled in the organization.
Sean O’Malley “Suga”
| Name | Alias | Professional Record | KO Rate | Base |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sean Daniel O’Malley | “Suga” | 16-1 | 69% | Western Boxing |
O’Malley has shades of Conor McGregor in his striking approach and is often compared to the former two-weight world champion. He likes long straight punches with precision but has also put together some phenomenal combinations. Sean has an incredibly long reach for his division so he’s easily able to dictate the range.
On top of this Sean has good knockout power and has produced some great finishes and emphatic performances during his time with the UFC. While many people doubt his wrestling abilities or whether he’ll be able to achieve his goal of becoming a UFC world champion, there is no denying he is one of the smoothest boxers in the sport.
