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The UFC brings together the best in martial arts. One of those arts is boxing - the sweet science.
The UFC has many skillful strikers but few expert pugilists. Here are the 5 best pure boxers in the UFC today.
#5 Jorge Masvidal
The man who is famous for the 5-second flying knee knockout is also one of the best boxers in MMA. Jorge ‘Gamebred’ Masvidal has some of the smoothest boxing ever seen in the UFC octagon.
The Miami-based fighter has Cuban roots, so it’s no surprise he picked up boxing at a young age. Before he became an MMA fighter, Masvidal found fame as a street fighter starring in fellow MMA star Kimbo Slice’s backyard fights.
Masvidal showcased his boxing skills when he won the BMF belt against Nate Diaz at Madison Square Garden. Jorge battered Diaz’s face with punches, leading the cage-side Docr to stop the fight after the third round.
#4 Holly Holm
The former professional boxer and kickboxer is famous for knocking Ronda Rousey out with a head kick, but her boxing accolades can’t be ignored either.
Before she joined the UFC, Holly Holm was a multi-time world boxing champion with a record of 33-2-3. She was inducted into the New Mexico Boxing Hall of Fame in 2013.
In MMA, Holm has successfully used her striking to win 8 fights by knockout. She has defeated Ronda Rousey, Raquel Pennington, Irene Aldana, Marion Reneau, Megan Anderson and Bethe Correia in her UFC career.
#3 Max Holloway
Former UFC featherweight champion Max ‘Blessed’ Holloway has used his volume boxing style to batter and defeat his featherweight contenders. In his most recent bout against top contender Cavin Kattar, the Hawaiin fighter delivered a record-breaking performance.
Famous boxing trainer and analyst Teddy Atlas spoke with Holloway on his podcast The Fight. This is how the boxing great described Max's style:
“ I had seen you as a volume puncher. But I had never seen you as a complete package that I saw. I actually made a comparison to the great Mexican fighter Marco Antonio Barrera."
#2 Amanda Nunes
The women's UFC 'GOAT' Amanda Nunes has fearsome power in both hands. The reigning UFC featherweight and bantamweight champion has not been defeated since 2014.
‘The Lioness’ has knocked out the who’s who in UFC fighters - Ronda Rousey, Holly Holm, Cris Cyborg, Germaine De Randamie, and Raquel Pennington. She also has multiple submissions caused by knocking her opponents to the mat before finishing them on the ground.
It would not be surprising to see Nunes have some professional boxing bouts after her UFC career is over.
#1 Stipe Miocic
There has to be room on the list for the "Baddest man on the planet" Stipe Miocic. The UFC heavyweight champion and GOAT possesses world-class boxing skills.
A former Cleveland golden gloves champion, Miocic has 15 wins via knockout in MMA. Former UFC heavyweight champions Andrei Arlovski, Daniel Cormier, Junior Dos Santos and Fabricio Werdum have all been stopped by Stipe’s powerful hands.
Miocic has combined his boxing and wrestling career to become a legendary UFC fighter and sure-fire future Hall of Famer.
Honorable mentions: Dustin Poirier, Derrick Lewis, Conor McGregor, Francis Ngannou.
