Kickboxing is more than present in modern MMA and it has been like that since the early days of the sport. If you look back in history and go from the initial events all the way to the modern-day ones, you will find top-level kickboxers in every era. 

Yes, MMA is a sport dominated by grapplers, but, a lot of kickboxers have managed to find a way to succeed in cage fighting. In fact, some of the best fighters in UFC history have had a strong background in this standup art.

In this article, you will discover the greatest kickboxers who have fought in the UFC from all eras. On top of that, you will learn more about their careers and what makes them so special.

Honorable Mention: Pat Berry

Pat Berry was a huge name in the late 2000s and a man known for top level kickboxing skills who had some of the best leg kicks in the business. What’s more, 3 out of his 7 finishes in MMA are listed as “leg kicks”. Although his MMA career was a mix of great wins and unfortunate losses, Berry was a showman and a very popular fighter back in the day.

What most people miss about Barry is the fact that he started training in martial arts quite late at the age of 21. He got into Wushu, Sanshou and kickboxing and would start competing as a pro just two years after. In his kickboxing career, he scored 17 wins and was beaten on 6 occasions.

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15. Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson

Most MMA fans know Thompson as a fighter with top-level karate skills, and a man who put this traditional martial art on the map in MMA. But, he also has a lot of experience in kickboxing, which is not unusual as a lot of karatekas tend to switch over to kickboxing at some point.

Thompson got into martial arts at a very young age and he trained under the close eye of his father, Ray, who was a pro kickboxer himself. At the age of 15, he would start competing in American Kickboxing matches where he managed to retire undefeated with the record of 58–0 and achieve the following:

• W.A.K.O World Champion (2005)
• I.A.K.S.A. World Champion (2003)
• I.K.F World champion (2003; amateur)
• Multiple national champion

14. Thiago Alves

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Alves is the former UFC contender and a man with perhaps the most technical standup skills of his era. He fought at the highest level of the UFC for almost 14 years and he beat some of the big names like Matt Hughes and Josh Koscheck, and most fans remember him for his exceptional leg kicks. 

Alves got into Muay Thai in the late 90s when he was 15 years old to get in shape and learn how to fight as most teenagers do. But just two years later, he would switch over to MMA where he enjoyed great success despite the lack of top level grappling skills. Although he never won world titles in kickboxing, Alves used to be synonymous with kickboxing in MMA. 

Nowadays, Alves works as the main striking coach at “American Top Team”

13. Cung Le

It’s really hard to put into words how popular Cung Lee was back in the 2000s when the sport of MMA just started to rise in the US. He is best known for his run in Strikeforce, where he managed to secure 7 wins and the middleweight title. He would later switch over to have a short stint with the UFC where he failed to achieve the same success. However, his KO win over the former champion Rich Franklin (UFC on Fuel TV 6) in 2012 remains one of the best right hook KOs in UFC history.

Before arriving in MMA, Le was a prominent name in the kickboxing world. He fought as a pro both in Sanshou and Kickboxing, where he put together an undefeated record of 17–0 and won the IKF Sanshou World title. He also had a couple of wins in K-1 but has never won any titles there.

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12. Pedro Rizzo

Pedro Rizzo is an MMA legend often seen as one of the best UFC fighters to never win the crown. Back in the 90s, Rizzo was a force to be reckoned with and a man with whom nobody wanted to play too much on the feet. Even by modern standards, Rizzo is among the most technical Muay Thai fighters who had brutal leg kicks and crisp boxing skills. In his long MMA career, he scored 20 wins out of which 15 were brutal KOs over elite fighters like:

• Andrei Arlovski (UFC 36)
• Josh Barnett (UFC 30)
• Dan Severn (UFC 27)

Playing with Rizzo on the feet was risky, but taking him down to the canvas was nothing safer either as he was a black belt in BJJ and a 4th-degree black belt in Luta Livre.

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11. Donald Cerrone

Cerrone is a UFC legend and a fan favorite fighter who is always ready to put his elite kickboxing skills to work to entertain the crowd. However, Cerrone didn’t spend time training in martial arts as a teenager. No, when he was 20 years old, he was dreaming about becoming a pro bull rider. But when that fell apart, he made a decision to start training in kickboxing to satisfy his adrenaline nature, and this turned out to be a wise decision.

During his run in kickboxing, Cerrone managed to compile an undefeated record of 28 wins and win:

• ISKA amateur Colorado State middleweight championship
• Dominion Warrior Muay Thai world lightweight title

In MMA, he holds a record for most knockdowns in history, which speaks a lot about his striking skills.

10. Edson Barboza

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Barbosa is a man synonymous with Muay Thai in MMA who is among the most exciting UFC fighters of all time. When he was just 8 years old, he started training in Muay Thai and competing all across Brazil. He compiled a pro record of 25 wins (17 first-round finishes) and 3 losses before moving to the US in 2009 which was also a time when he got into MMA.

As a talented striker with an exciting style, Barboza needed just five dominant finishes on the regional scene to secure his place in the UFC in 2010. In his career, he scored many memorable knockouts, but on the other side, has lost some important fights. This is the main reason why Barboza is one of those famous fighters who have never fought for the UFC gold. But if anything, he remains one of the best Muay Thai fighters in MMA history.

9. Holly Holm

The former UFC 135 lbs champ, Holly Holm, might be the most technical female strike in history, and it is really hard to argue against that. She arrived in MMA from boxing and kickboxing where she managed to win multiple world titles in both sports. As a kickboxer, she owns a record of 14 wins, 1 loss, and 7 draws (6–0 as an amateur).

In MMA, Holm is known for her fast and precise striking. She shines with fast footwork, and her ability to mix kicks with the punches is second to none. On top of that, she has a strong takedown defense, rarely makes any mistakes, and is always a step ahead of her opponents on the feet.

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8. Joanna Jędrzejczyk

Jedrzejczyk is one of the very few fighters in MMA history who have built their entire success on utilizing high-level kickboxing skills. Inside the UFC octagon, she is fast, accurate, has a really high output of strikes, could take a lot of damage, and never gets tired. Or in other words, she was a nightmare matchup for anyone. In 2022, she retired as a former 115 lbs champion with five title defenses.

Jedrzejczyk started her martial art journey at the age of 16 and she fought both in Muay Thai and kickboxing for over 10 years. During this time, she won many titles and has retired with a record of 67 wins and just 6 losses:

• Five IFMA world gold medals
• WBKF champion (2013)
• WKF European champion (2010)
• WKN champion (2010)
• WMC European champion

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7. Mark Hunt

Mark Hunt is a former UFC and PRIDE FC legend who will go down in history as one of the hardest hitters. He had an iron chin, solid takedown defense, nuclear power in both hands, and cardio for five rounds. Standing in front of him and in his line of the attack was a fatal mistake. 

After knocking a couple of drunk people in the bar, one of the bouncers invited a young Hunt to his gym to train together. Just a week later, Hunt would win a regulated Muay Thai match. After scoring a couple of more wins, he signed with K-1 in 1999, and just two years later, he would win the title by beating Francisco Filho.

In 2003, he switched over to MMA where he managed to beat none other than Wanderlei Silva in his third pro bout, and Crocop in the fourth. Over the years, he managed to develop solid takedown defense, which mixed with his elite striking made him a scary individual. In 2014, he fought for the interim UFC heavyweight title at UFC 180, but Fabricio Werdum managed to finish Hunt in the second round. 

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6. Valentina Shevchenko

Valentina Shevchenko needs no introduction here. She is the most dominant UFC flyweight champion in history, and perhaps the most feared female fighter as well. Although her game is well-rounded, what clearly makes Shevchenko better than the rest are her incredible kickboxing skills. On the feet, she is fast, accurate, and lethal, which is why she carries the nickname “The Bullet”.

Shevchenko started her kickboxing journey when she was 16 years old. Between 2003 and 2015, she managed to win over 90 matches in both Muay Thai and kickboxing and multiple world titles:

• Eight-time I.F.M.A world champ
• I.F.M.A Royal World Cup winner (2015)
• World K-1 champ in Peru and Mexico (2013)
• World Champ KF-1 MMA pro (2003)
• World Champ KF-1 MMA pro(2005)

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5. Alistar Overeem

Also known as the “Demolition Man”, Overeem will go down in the history books as one of the most intimidating fighters of all time. But apart from his imposing physique and being one of the most jacked-muscled fighters, what made him really scary were his elite kickboxing skills.

Back in the 90s, kickboxing was the number one sport in Holland. But Overeem actually started his martial art journey in Judo before switching to MMA at the age of 15 to follow in the footsteps of his older brother Valentijn. In the initial stages of his career, he managed to win heavyweight titles in Strikeforce and DREAM, and score many wins in PRIDE FC. But in 2009, he decided to switch over to kickboxing and take part in the famous K-1 World GP tournament.

In his debut year (2009), he secured third place, but a year later, he would shock the world by beating the great Peter Aerts in the finals in 2010. Later on, he would go back to MMA where he would fight for the UFC belt against Stipe Miocic and lose at UFC 203.

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4. Maurice Smith

The UFC pioneer, Maurice Smith, deserves a lot of credit for putting kickboxing on the map in MMA. He was one of the first elite kickboxers to transition to cage fighting, and show the world the effectiveness of this art. What made him special was his ability to keep the fight standing against elite grapplers, which allowed him to always impose his will inside the cage, and destroy his opponents on the feet. In his career, he won the UFC heavyweight title in 1997 by defeating elite wrestler Mark Coleman. As for his kickboxing career, Smith won the following:

• W.K.A. kickboxing heavyweight champ (1983)
• W.K.A. Muay Thai heavyweight champ (1994)
• I.S.K.A. world Muay Thai champ (1996)

3. Mirko “Crocop” Filipovic

You just can’t compile any striking list in MMA without talking about CroCop. He is, without a doubt, among the most technical and violent strikers in the history of the sport. In his career, he fought for all major organizations like UFC, RIZIN, Bellator, and PRIDE, and he left nothing but carnage in just about every fight. But, the Croatian was also quite famous even before he arrived in MMA.

During the mid-90s, Crocop served as a member of the elite Special Forces unit called “Lucko”. During his service, he used to train with the Croatian national kickboxing team. After spotting talent in him, one of the colonels told Crocop to leave the unit and focus on becoming a pro fighter and making his country proud.

In 1996, Cropop signed with the best kickboxing promotion at the time, K-1, with an amateur record of 48–0. In his pro-debut, he beat Jerome Le Banner, one of the best fighters at the time, which speaks volume about how talented Crocop was. During his first stint with K-1, he managed to beat many great names and reach the finals in ’99 (lost against Ernesto Hoost) and 2000 (lost to Mike Bernardo)

After competing in MMA for 12 years, he would come back to K-1 in 2012 to win the prestigious K-1 World GP title in his native Croatia.

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2. Israel Adesanya

The UFC champ, Israel Adesanya, is one of the best and most technical strikers the MMA world has ever seen. In fact, Adesanya is so good on the feet that it is fair to say he has elevated the striking game to another level.

Adesanya started his fighting journey at the age of 18 by training in kickboxing. In his own words, the famous “Ong-Bak” and a couple of other action movies inspired him to pursue a career in combat sports. After just two years of training, he would start competing as an amateur and put together a record of 32–0 before turning pro. This was also a time when he moved to Auckland, New Zealand to join the “City Kickboxing” gym.

As a pro, Adesanya compiled a record of 75 wins and just 5 losses while fighting under the top banners like “Glory” and “King in the Ring”. Upon switching to MMA, he didn’t need much time to succeed. In 2017, he came into the UFC as an AFC champ and needed less than 2 years to achieve the same in the UFC.

1. Alex Pereira

There is one big reason why Pereira was one of the most talked-about signings by the UFC. Pereira, who is a former Glory kickboxing champion, is best known for defeating the reigning UFC 185-pound middleweight champion, Israel Adesanya, twice in a kickboxing match.

Therefore, when Adesanya had cleared out his entire division in the UFC as a middleweight champion, leaving him without any formidable opponent to face next, Pereira was fast-tracked to fight Adesanya for the title despite his lack of MMA fighting experience.

In their third bout in the UFC, Pereira managed to do the unthinkable by winning via TKO, but subsequently lost in their fourth fight as he was defeated via brutal KO.

Pereira has since moved up to the light heavyweight division. On November 11, 2023, at UFC 295, Pereira defeated Jiří Procházka via TKO in the second round to become the new UFC Light Heavyweight Champion.

Regardless of his future UFC achievements, Alex Pereira is arguably the best kickboxer to ever cross over to the UFC.

Here are some of Pereira’s notable achievements as a combat fighter:

• 2021 Glory Light Heavyweight Champion
• 2019 Glory interim Light Heavyweight Champion
• 2017 Glory Middleweight Champion
• 2014 Glory Middleweight Contender Tournament Winner
• 2022 UFC Middleweight Champion
• 2023 UFC Light Heavyweight Champion

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In recent years, the trend of MMA fighters competing or wanting to compete in boxing has only grown. This is largely due to Conor McGregor’s 2017 boxing match with Floyd Mayweather, with many other MMA fighters looking to emulate the Irishman and earn a lucrative payday. 

MMA fans would assume that MMA fighters should be good at boxing since they are professional fighters after all who train for areas of fighting. But this is not true and there’s a good reason why MMA fighters are bad at boxing.

MMA fighters are bad at boxing because they can’t focus only on boxing training. MMA fighters have to divide their time between training for wrestling, muay thai, and jiujitsu, resulting in not enough time left to train to become good at boxing.

In order to truly understand why MMA fighters are bad at boxing, one must look at what MMA training entails compared to boxing training.

Why Do UFC/MMA fighters have terrible striking compared to boxers?

Any MMA or even UFC fighter competing in boxing against a high-level boxer will not only lose, but they will also probably get outclassed, knocked out or simply be made to look like an amateur. This might surprise you given that boxing is a predominant art in the many arts featured in mixed martial arts. There are so many fighters with crisp hands in the UFC. So why doesn’t it translate to boxing?

Well, for one, there’s the level of expertise. In MMA, fighters not only have to train their striking (boxing), but their kickboxing, takedown defense, wrestling, jiu-jitsu and much more. No art can be neglected in MMA. Boxers, however, only have to worry about their hands. Because they are solely focusing on boxing from their amateur career to daily training to their professional career, they are already at a much higher level compared to the average MMA fighter’s boxing ability. There are some MMA fighters who come from a boxing base, but even then, they are likely to lose against high-level professional boxers.

Another thing to add is because MMA fighters are so used to utilizing other parts of their bodies such as their elbows, knees, and legs, it can be very difficult to make the transition to boxing when you’re sacrificing so many of your weapons. It’s not only the weapons, but stances and overall strategy.

Someone like Khabib Nurmagomedov can get away with a decent-at-best boxing level in the UFC because he is so specialized in grappling and wrestling which, in turn, causes his opponents to worry about defending takedowns. But with no takedown threat in boxing, a boxer won’t have anything to fear and will likely have their way with Nurmagomedov.

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Can MMA Fighters successfully compete in pro boxing?

As a general rule, MMA fighters’ chances of succeeding in pro boxing are not good. This is not to say that MMA fighters will always lose in pro boxing. After all, one just needs to look at former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva’s success since competing in pro boxing following his release from the UFC. Silva was notably able to defeat a former boxing champion in Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. even if he had a size and height advantage. Another MMA fighter who found success in boxing is former UFC and current PFL lightweight Clay Collard, though he has lost his last couple of outings in the sweet science. 

Context is required though as both Silva and Collard weren’t facing the highest level of competition, with Silva even facing a fellow UFC alumni in Tito Ortiz last year. If they were to compete against the best in their weight class, they would undoubtedly suffer defeat. But the main point is that MMA fighters can be successful and get wins in pro boxing, especially if they get carefully-selected matchups with boxers closer to their level.

Does boxing transition well into MMA?

While there are few examples of MMA fighters transitioning to boxing, there are many cases of boxers transitioning to MMA, sometimes even as a full-time career. The most notable names include former UFC women’s bantamweight champion Holly Holm, Ray Mercer, James Toney and Heather Hardy to name a few. Holm was undoubtedly the most successful boxer to transition to MMA. The others haven’t been so successful or active, and it’s only natural when you go from training one art exclusively to now having to worry about wrestling, jiu-jitsu, a clinch game, kickboxing and much more.

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Do MMA fighters punch harder than boxers?

There certainly seem to be more knockouts in MMA than in boxing, which may lead you to consider that MMA fighters punch harder than boxers. That’s not necessarily the case. In MMA, four oz gloves are usually used. This usually means fighters can generate a lot more power with their shots which ultimately leads to more knockouts. In boxing, however, gloves usually range from 10 oz to 12 oz which means you need a lot more natural power to get frequent knockouts.

Of course, a well-timed shot doesn’t need to be powerful and can turn the lights out even in boxing. But it’s not definitely correct to say that MMA fighters have more power than boxers.

Conor McGregor, for example, is known for his knockouts inside the UFC octagon while wearing four oz gloves. But while wearing eight oz gloves against Floyd Mayweather, McGregor was unable to hurt the former five-weight champion one bit with the strikes he was able to land. Then, when you consider the likes of Gennadiy Golovkin and Deontay Wilder, who are able to earn knockouts so frequently while wearing heavier gloves in boxing, you begin to understand that it might be the opposite and that boxers may be the ones punching harder. But this all depends on the circumstances and the durability of the opponents.

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Why are MMA fighters going to boxing?

As aforementioned, a big trend that started in recent years has been MMA fighters calling out boxers or simply wanting to compete in boxing. One just needs to look at UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman who has been campaigning for a fight with boxing super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez. UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou has also been campaigning for a fight with WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury. McGregor’s boxing match with Mayweather may have kick-started the trend entirely. So what is the main reason just about every MMA fighter seems to be interested in competing in the sweet science? The simple answer is money.

High-profile boxing matches pay a lot more than high-profile MMA fights. Many of the big names in boxing can earn as much as a million dollars facing a low-level opponent. In the UFC, earning a million dollars would put you among the highest-paid fighters in the entire promotion.

Even McGregor earned just $3,000,000 as his base pay (not including bonuses, sponsorships or pay-per-view points) for his mega-fight with Khabib Nurmagomedov back in 2018. In comparison, Canelo Alvarez received a guaranteed purse of $15 million with a reported cap of $40 million for his recent fight with Dmitry Bivol. With the possibility of a higher payout in boxing, it’s clear to see why so many other MMA fighters are looking to land a big-money boxing fight.

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Is UFC more popular than boxing?

MMA is certainly the fastest-growing sport in the world, especially in recent years, and it’s no surprise that it has overtaken boxing in terms of global popularity. A big reason for this is the growing popularity of the UFC and this has especially been the case since the pandemic. How can one say MMA is more popular than boxing? This can be seen by social media metrics as well as pay-per-view numbers with the UFC having far bigger events than boxing as a whole over the course of the last few years.

With that said, it is still hard to say whether the UFC is bigger than boxing. Boxing cards generally do really well when it’s on free television and given the history of the sport, will always have an audience. And when a high-level boxing match is on the cards, it will garner the attention of the world, especially in the United States. It must also be noted that four of the five highest-selling pay-per-view combat sports events are still boxing matches. So while the UFC might be more popular, whether it’s truly bigger remains to be seen for now.

MMA vs Boxing – Which is harder to learn?

When it comes to which sport is harder to learn, the natural answer is MMA. Of course, if you want to be a high-level boxer, boxing will be harder. But as far as just learning is concerned, MMA is undoubtedly harder. This is because you’re not only learning boxing and how to strike, but a number of other arts.

These include wrestling, jiu-jitsu, Muay Thai, kickboxing and much more. You are expending a lot more energy and using pretty much every weapon of your body as possible. This means you not only have to devote a lot more time to each art, but you are also taxing your body a lot more in the process compared to boxing.

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Who are the best boxers in the UFC?

With all the aforementioned, you shouldn’t believe that they aren’t any good boxers in the UFC. There are many great boxers who are sure to do well in the sport of boxing should they make a full and proper transition. Some of them include the likes of Max Holloway, Dustin Poirier, Petr Yan, Jose Aldo, Israel Adesanya and Jorge Masvidal.

These fighters are known for their striking, counter striking, pivoting and slick hands in general. When most fighters face them, they look to avoid a standup battle and instead take the fight to the ground. That’s one of the benefits of MMA as you can impose a different game plan depending on the opponent. But when it comes to a straight striking battle on the feet, these are the fighters who are generally favored to come out on top.

Final Thoughts

In the end, MMA and boxing are two different sports even if they both use the same martial art. MMA fighters will not do well against high-level boxers in a boxing match and it’s the same case when a boxer faces an MMA fighter inside a cage. However, with the right training, circumstances and opponents, fighters from either sport can still find success in the other.

Throwing caution to the wind and swinging haymakers with full force has always been a double-edged sword in combat sports. On one side, you risk getting KO’d, but on the other, this fighting style can also bring you a lot of success in the entertainment business, as long as you keep winning, of course. It can quickly bring you a lot of money, global fame, and a lot of good opportunities.

In modern times, the majority of UFC fighters are strategic, methodical and prefer to follow a strict game plan in matches. But, there has always been that other, more aggressive, and violent group of UFC fighters who is, in some way, the total opposite inside the octagon. The ones who do not try to impress the judges, win points and decisions. Instead, they rely more on their violent instincts and are always pushing for a finish. Without further ado, let’s see how they are.

15. Khamzat Chimaev

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Khamzat Chimaev is the most intimidating 170-pound fighter and a man who needed less than a year to reach a contender position in the UFC (2020-2021). He is one of those fighters who doesn’t care much about when, which weight class, and who he is going to fight next and is always eager to sign a contract to fight the next opponent. He has all-around skills and is very confident and very aggressive inside the cage. Despite being a wrestler with a dangerous BJJ game, he is not afraid of stepping into a pocket and swinging bombs. He never takes a step backward and is always on the hunt. 

The best example was his fight against Gilbert Burns at UFC 273. In this fight, Chimaev threw the game plan right through the window, and he relied on sheer aggression and violent instincts to stand and bang with Burns for 3 rounds, and win a decision.

14. Cris Cyborg

In some way, you can look at Cris Cyborg as the female version of the boxing legend, Mike Tyson. Yes, she punches that hard, attacks with the same terrifying ferocity, and can shut your lights out with a single touch. She is like a predator, constantly walking down her prey and waiting for the perfect chance to unleash a barrage of punches. And when she does, her attacks usually end up with her opponent going down unconscious.

In her career, she scored more than 20 memorable knockouts, which is a lot for a female fighter. She is the only female fighter who managed to capture belts in the following four major organizations:

• Invicta FC
• Bellator 
• UFC
• Strikeforce

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13. Khabib Nurmagomedov

You might be surprised to see Khabib taking a spot on this list. Yes, he is a humble man, always respectful and guided by strong religious beliefs. But inside the cage, he had always been aggressive, relentless, and even violent to some extent. He would break the opponent’s will with strong top control, vicious ground and pound skills, and exhausting pace. The way he demolished Edson Barboza and Michael Johnson are the best examples of how he used to break people’s will inside the cage.

Khabib looked like a man possessed in most of the fights he stepped in to compete and his fighting style is as intense as it gets. Although he didn’t score many brutal KOs, Khabib is, and always will be, one of the most aggressive fighters.

12. Vitor Belfort

Vitor Belfort is an MMA legend and the former UFC titleholder and tournament winner who had been competing on top of the sport for more than two decades. Back in his prime, Belfort was a total MMA package. He had a jacked physique, was very fast and technical on the feet, and as far as entertainment is concerned, very aggressive inside the UFC octagon.

Although he started in the 90s, his best and most violent performances came in the closing stages of his career, or the famous “TRT” days between 2011 and 2013. At the time, Belfort looked and fought like a monster that came straight out of the laboratory or horror movies. He knocked some of the biggest legends of the sport like Michael Bisping, Luke Rockhold (both later became champions), and Dan Henderson.

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11.  Francis Ngannou

Whenever you see Ngannou on the UFC card, you know that you are about to see violence and people flying across the cage unconscious. Ngannou is, by far, the hardest hitter the world has ever seen, and if you combine this with his aggressive style, you get why Ngannou is the most feared man on the planet. From the way he lifted Alistair Overeem off the ground with the vicious uppercut to the way he recklessly charged at Rozenstruik with the barrage of punches, Ngannou is a terrifying human being inside the octagon.

He is known as an MMA fighter who doesn’t have the most technical striking skills. But throughout his career, he managed to make up for the lack of technique with sheer power and aggression. No matter what happens in a fight, Ngannou is always one punch away from winning the fight, and that’s why you can never count him out.

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10. Calvin Kattar

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Calvin Kattar is one of the wildest and most durable fighters on the planet who also has top-level boxing skills, maybe the best in the business. He never backed down from a fight, and the majority of his UFC matches have been brutal standup wars. Even when things are not going to plan and he is taking a lot of damage, you will never see Kattar moving backward, slowing down, or playing it safe. No, the man is all about the pressure, is ready to absorb five shots just to land one, and is often too aggressive and tough for his own good, like against Max Holloway at UFC on ABC 1. 

But despite being a wild man, Kattar is highly technical and very talented, and standing and banging for 3 or 5 full rounds is just the way he fights. Although this approach cost him a couple of wins, it also brought him a lot of love from the fans.

9. Michael Chandler

Chandler is one of the best Bellator fighters in history, and the former UFC title challenger. Whenever you see Chandler on the card, you know that entertainment is guaranteed from start to finish. He is a hard matchup for anyone simply because of his aggressive approach and the freak power in both of his hands. He’d start swinging power shots and chasing his opponent from the onset of the first second, and it’d be difficult to shake him off.

In his career, he has left nothing but carnage in just about every fight he stepped in to compete. He is one of those fighters who throw each and every strike with full force, without carrying much about the gas tank or counterattacks. Whether it’s a kick, punch, or entry for a takedown, Chandler is very explosive and always pushing for a finish.

In some cases, this approach cost him a better result like the fight he lost against Justin Gaethje. But on the other side, it also brought him a lot of success like against Dan Hooker and Tony Ferguson.

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10 Most Fearless MMA Fighters In History Who Are Undersized

8. Matt Brown

Matt Brown is a UFC legend and one of the most underrated fighters of all time. He holds a record for most finishes in UFC’s 170-pound division (14) and most knockouts (12), and he managed to achieve all of that in “just” 16 UFC fights (as of 2022). Known for his brutal Muay Thai game on the feet and dangerous submissions on the ground, Brown is simply a tough matchup for anyone, even in his 40s.

The main reason why so many fans love him is his consistency when it comes to violence inside the cage. You know what you are going to get each time Brown competes simply because of his violent nature. In his career, Brown won many post-fight bonus awards and will go down in history as one of the most aggressive fighters of all time.

7. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua

Shogun is an MMA legend who managed to win titles both in PRIDE FC and UFC, and he did it in a spectacular fashion. Known for his top-level Muay Thai, Rua used to knock people left and right utilizing various brutal techniques such as soccer kicks, head stomps, and pinpoint perfect boxing skills. He quickly gained a reputation for being a very aggressive fighter who wasted no time playing games inside the ring and following tactics and game plans. Each kick or punch he throws carries a lot of force and is aimed to knock you out cold. 

The best examples of how wild and aggressive Rua used to be were his two violent brawls against Dan Henderson. Despite losing both times, Rua displayed a lot of heart, courage, and skill, which, in the end, secured him a place in the “UFC Hall of Fame 2018-Fight Wing.“

6. Robbie Lawler

The former UFC 170-pound champ Robbie Lawler might be the most intimidating fighter in sports history. He is one of those quiet guys who rarely raise their tone during the interview and is always calm. He is not that into trash talking and even looks like an average man. But once the cage door closes, he turns into a pure madman, moving forward and swinging power shots until he rips your head off.

Over the course of his long career, Lawler has been into many violent brawls and has won a “fight of the year” award an amazing three times. They don’t call Lawler “ruthless” for nothing, right?

Still, his most violent performance came in his first UFC title defense when he finished Rory MacDonald at UFC 189. This fight stands for one of the most brutal and bloodiest displays of violence in UFC history. It is also a great example of who Lawler is as a fighter, and why people love him so much.

5. Diego Sanchez

Diego Sanchez is a man associated with violence in UFC, and a name that brings so many memories when it comes to brutal fights. Once the cage doors close, you know Sanchez is about to go full-blast, and unleash all of his violent instincts right from the opening second. He is a definition of a warrior, and back in his prime days, he was a tough matchup for anyone simply because you can’t prepare for that type of aggression.

As if the constant pressure and swinging haymaker punches were not enough, Sanchez was very durable and almost impossible to put out. He would drag you into the deep waters, and if needed, overcome adversities and lose a pound of blood in the process just to knock you out. 

4. Cain Velasquez

The former UFC heavyweight champ, Cain Velasquez, is widely regarded as one of the most aggressive fighters of all time. What made him so special were his top-level wrestling skills, solid boxing, and very, very good cardio. He was a terrifying individual simply because of the fact that he could push a high pace for five full rounds without getting tired. Most of his opponents just couldn’t keep up with his tempo and would gas out after the first round. He used to maul his opponents inside the octagon, and the majority of his fights were one-sided beatdowns.

One such beatdown came in his second and third fight against Junior Dos Santos. He beat him so bad that even Velasuez’s fans had a hard time watching their fighter mauling the exhausted Dos Santos in the fourth and fifth rounds. The Brazilian was never the same after these two fights. Velasquez literally deformed his face. 

3. Wanderlei Silva

Silva is the former PRIDE FC legend and a man who holds a record for most KOs in PRIDE history, 15. In MMA history, there has never been a more violent fighter and some of his fights are really hard to watch. From vicious soccer kicks and stomps knockouts to relentless pressure and high output, Silva was the most feared fighter of his era.

While most fighters prefer to keep their range and dictate the tempo, Silva was a bit different. He would force you to fight inside the pocket, a place where he felt like a fish in the water. But although he often looked too aggressive, Silva was actually very technical during those wild brawls and in full control. This is one of the main reasons why he managed to get away with such a “reckless” fighting style, and achieve so much.

2. Justin Gaethje

Justin Gaethje is a man who needs no introduction. The former 155-pound interim UFC champ is, by far, the most exciting lightweight in the history of the sport. In his career, he won multiple “fight of the year” awards, many post-fight bonuses, and has probably lost more than a few brain cells.

Despite having top wrestling skills, Gaethje is a brawler who has built his success on being in wild standup wars. He is always moving forward looking for the pocket exchanges and has a chin made out of iron. He is capable of taking huge damage and fight his way out of bad situations. Most of his fights go back and forth until he, or in most cases, his opponent doesn’t get knocked out or submitted.

Some of his memorable wars were against Michael Chandler (UFC 268) and Michael Johnson (TUF 25 finale). In both of these fights, he was in serious trouble early in the fight but managed to recover and beat them in the later rounds with strong pressure and aggression.

1. Charles Oliveira

The UFC champ, Charles Oliveira, is a very aggressive fighter who has prominent finishing instincts. But what makes him special, apart from his very good ground game and sharp Muay Thai skills, is his ability to recover and make adjustments in the middle of the fight. Due to his wild fighting style, Oliveira oftentimes gets caught on the feet, and even dropped early in the fight, as he did against Chandler and Gaethje. 

But, he somehow always manages to keep his cool, make small changes in his approach, and find a way to finish the fight. It often happens that these small changes and the ability to adapt is what separates great fighters from the average ones. 

Last but not least, Oliveira is a man who holds a record for most UFC finishes, which clearly shows you how aggressive he is.