5 fighters with the fastest hands in the UFC in 2021

Many UFC fighters are naturally gifted with blinding hand speed, which is an asset like no other in today's striking-dominant sport.

Unlike many other skills in MMA, hand speed is almost impossible to learn and is primarily an inherent trait. This adds to the wonder while watching striking savants put away their opponents with a rapid combination or two.

Here are the five UFC fighters with the fastest hands in 2021.

#5 Valentina Shevchenko

Arguably the most skilled fighter in women's MMA at the moment, UFC flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko is a cut above most of her opponents. 'Bullet' lives up to her name, as she has some of the fastest hands in the promotion at the moment.

Speed of shevchenko is tooo much 👀 #UFC255
— Marvin Vettori (@MarvinVettori) November 22, 2020

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Primarily a counter-puncher who picks apart her opponent from a distance, Shevchenko has been impossible to stop at flyweight, with wins over Joanna Jedrzejczyk, Jessica Eye, Liz Carmouche, Katlyn Chookagian, Jennifer Maia and Jessica Andrade.

Shevchenko is fast running out of competition in the flyweight division, with the trilogy fight against Amanda Nunes appearing to be her only real challenge.

#4 Jorge Masvidal

Prior to his devastating knockout loss to Kamaru Usman, Jorge Masvidal had rarely been outclassed on the feet in the UFC. That was largely due to his impressive boxing background and hand speed, which brought him knockout wins over Darren Till and Donald Cerrone among others.

Not a boxer. A fighter #theresurrection #orale 🇲🇽 #mezcal pic.twitter.com/Bv9hO9e50n
— Jorge Masvidal UFC (@GamebredFighter) November 28, 2019

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Masvidal's technically sound boxing, built over years of street fighting and time in the ring, opens up avenues for other modes of attack. But he still heavily relies on his speed and accuracy to do the job, with his jab and hook being the most potent weapons.

Despite a pair of losses to Usman, Masvidal remains one of the better fighters in the UFC welterweight division.

#3 Conor McGregor

Conor McGregor is famous for his quote "Precision beats power, and timing beats speed". Fortunately for the former UFC featherweight and lightweight champion, he has both timing and speed in abundance.

McGregor is renowned for his counter-punching, which usually relies more on anticipation and accuracy than quickness. But that shouldn't take away from the fact that the Irishman has some of the fastest hands in MMA.

With knockout wins over Eddie Alvarez, Jose Aldo, Chad Mendes, Dustin Poirier and 'Cowboy' Cerrone, McGregor is one of the greatest strikers in the history of the UFC. He will look to exact revenge on Poirier in their trilogy fight at UFC 264 on July 10.

#2 Israel Adesanya

Israel Adesanya recently suffered a loss to Jan Blachowicz, with the UFC light heavyweight champion claiming that his opponent was slower than he thought he'd be. But at middleweight, 'The Last Stylebender' has the fastest hands in the division.

Adesanya's speed and skill have helped him clear out almost the entire middleweight division, with finishes over Robert Whittaker, Paulo Costa and Derek Brunson. He has a snappy jab and an excellent lead hook, both of which are enhanced by deceptive feints.

Adesanya will attempt to get back among the win column against Marvin Vettori at UFC 263, and we should see his trademark speed return at 185 lbs.

#1 Cody Garbrandt

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UFC Fight Night on May 22 sees Cody Garbrandt take on Rob Font in an enticing bantamweight match-up. 'No Love', who will be in action for the first time since his highlight-reel knockout over Raphael Assuncao at UFC 250, is known for his blinding hand speed and outrageous offensive boxing.

Garbrandt made an inspired run to the UFC bantamweight title, relying almost solely on his speed. He knocked out Augusto Mendes with a rapid three-punch combination in 2016, before putting Thomas Almeida and Takeya Mizugaki away in the first round as well.

Garbrandt then turned in the best performance of his career against Dominick Cruz in the bantamweight championship fight. Cruz, known for his elusiveness and defensive prowess, was repeatedly caught and dropped by the speed of the challenger.

After suffering three knockout losses in a row, Garbrandt revived his career against Assuncao and could enter the title conversation once again with a win against Font.