Dominick Cruz
What is amazing about the sport of mixed martial arts is the variety of moves it allows. You love ground fighting and submissions? You’ve came to the right place. Or maybe you enjoy beautiful displays of stand-up fighting?
You are served, as well. Today we’re going to focus on the striking aspect of the sport. Kicks, punches, knees, elbows, flying attacks. If you are into technical striking, brutal violence, or thrilling knockouts, then check out the following 5 UFC fighters. They are the best when it comes to striking; make sure to never miss any of their amazing bouts, and while you’re at it, don’t blink when they start showing off their striking acumen.
5) Joanna Jedrzejczyk
Joanna ‘Champion’ Jedrzejczyk is the current UFC Women’s Strawweight champion and let me tell you this, she is a brutal lady. She competed in Muay Thai for 10 years, winning 6 world championships and 4 European championships; needless to say, she is a beast of a striker. But that’s not all; Joanna Champion is VERY ferocious, as well.
She totally dismantled then-champ Carla Esparza to win the title and proceeded to defend her belt by thoroughly mauling contender Jessica Penne after that. Every Joanna fight is an amazing display of striking technique coupled with gut-wrenching violence.
4) Carlos Condit
Carlos ‘The Natural Born Killer’ is a fighter you do NOT want to miss fighting. Condit’s specificity is he utilizes basically every striking technique in the book, AND he does so with textbook technique. Crisp lead uppercuts, jabs, devastating hooks, oblique kicks, head kicks, flying knees, spinning back fists; you name it.
Watching the guy compete is a real treat. Case in point? His last fight against Welterweight champ Robbie Lawler. Lawler, a devastating striker himself, was outclassed in many instances; Condit was just too accurate and unpredictable. The January title affair between the two is already an early contender for the ‘Fight of the Year’ award.
3) Nate Diaz
You’re probably aware of the fact that Nate Diaz submitted Conor McGregor at UFC 196. Thing is though, Diaz’s rear-naked-choke submission came only after McGregor shot a desperate takedown. And why did the Irishman opt for going to the ground against a BJJ black belt? Well, it is because he found himself badly hurt on the feet.
Diaz has one of the best boxing technique in MMA history. His understanding of timing, distance, and angles as well as his deadly one-two combination have allowed him to defeat some of the best strikers in MMA, such as Conor McGregor, Donald Cerrone and Takanori Gomi. Nate Diaz relies primarily on his fists to do the job, but they are so devastating that he can do so easily.
2) TJ Dillashaw
What is amazing about Dillashaw is that his base is wrestling. Yet, he proved to be one the very best strikers in the UFC today by dismantling then-champ Renan Barao, not once, but twice. Barao had not lost for a whopping 9 years before going into his fight against Dillashaw; a great Muay Thai striker, he was the favorite as well. Well, TJ Dillashaw proceeded to utterly maul him.
The American actually fights like very few people; he loves to switch stances often and displays a very polished footwork that catch his opponents completely off guard. On top of that, he is very accurate and powerful. Since Dillashaw made huge improvements in his striking game no one has been able to figure him out. No one, except for the following man…
1) Dominick Cruz
Ladies and gents, let me introduce you to the best striker in the UFC today. Current UFC Bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz has revolutionized MMA striking. How so? Well, not as athletic as many of his foes, Cruz had to find a way to compensate his lack of athleticism by focusing on technique. A brilliant student of the game, Cruz has spent countless hours studying old school tapes of boxers Willie Pep and Muhammad Ali, and has strived to replicate their moves.
The result? No one in the UFC, ever, fights like Cruz. His footwork is so polished his opponents are utterly baffled by it; Cruz moves like no other. He will often crouch, dart, shift, switch stances; basically do what everyone else is not even able to do.
As a result of his mind-blowing striking and footwork acumen, Cruz has become the best defensive striker in MMA history; the ‘Floyd Mayweather of MMA’, if you will. His offense is amazing, too. He beat then-champ TJ Dillashaw in January to become the new Bantamweight champion, which was a HUGE feat considering Cruz’s history of terrible injuries.
Make sure to never miss a Dominick Cruz fight; the guy is a truly rare treat for any striking fan.
