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Hardcore fans of the UFC have known about the effectiveness of leg kicks for a long time. And for fans that weren’t sure, the fact that Dustin Poirier used them to cut Conor McGregor down to size should’ve been enough to affirm their importance. Leg kicks have been a staple of UFC fights dating back to the late 1990s, but who stands as the best leg kicker in the UFC’s history?
With an honourable mention to the likes of Renan Barao and Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua, here are the top five leg kickers in UFC history.
1. Pedro Rizzo – UFC heavyweight division
Perhaps the first UFC fighter to really make use of leg kicks was heavyweight contender Pedro ‘The Rock’ Rizzo. A native of Brazil, Rizzo fought in the UFC from 1998 to 2003, putting together a record of 9-5 in the process.
A notable kickboxer training under fellow UFC legend Marco Ruas, Rizzo’s striking was always his best asset, and his leg kicks were legendary.
That famous quote about a leg kick feeling like a “baseball bat swinging at 100mph”? That was coined after Rizzo used his leg kicks to chop UFC heavyweight champion Randy Couture down in their title fight at UFC 31.
Couture somehow survived the assault and was able to win that fight. However, plenty of others weren’t – including UFC legend Dan Severn, who became the first fighter to be TKO’d by leg kicks at UFC 27.
Even in his twilight, years after he’d left the UFC, Rizzo’s leg kicks were still deadly. He stopped UFC legend Ken Shamrock with them in 2010 and ended his MMA career with another win via leg kicks in 2015.
2. Edson Barboza – UFC lightweight/featherweight division
A UFC fighter since 2010, perhaps no modern fighter is better known for his leg kicks than Edson Barboza.
The Brazilian is the only UFC fighter to win two fights inside the octagon using leg kicks. The first came in his UFC debut, as he mercilessly chopped down Mike Lullo, finishing him in the third round.
Barboza’s second leg kick win was even more impressive. This time it took him less than seven minutes to destroy Rafaello Oliveira with the kicks.
Other fighters to fall victim to Barboza’s leg kicks include Dan Hooker, Gilbert Melendez, Anthony Pettis and Evan Dunham.
And while those men weren’t stopped via the kicks, they were undoubtedly broken down by them, allowing Barboza to harm them with his other, equally deadly, strikes.
‘Junior’ is now on the downswing of his UFC career, but his leg kicks remain nasty. He used them to great effect in his most recent win over Makwan Amirkhani, and will look to unleash them again when he steps into the octagon next.
3. Thiago Alves – UFC welterweight division
Plenty of great UFC fighters from the late 2000s and early 2010s seem to have been forgotten now. Thiago ‘Pitbull’ Alves is definitely amongst them. Fans of leg kicks, however, will always recall Alves fondly.
‘Pitbull’ debuted in the UFC in late 2005, but it wasn’t until 2007 that fans learned how brutal his leg kicks could be.
He used them to chop down veterans Kuniyoshi Hironaka and Chris Lytle, eventually beating both by TKO. In his fight with Josh Koscheck in late 2008, he opened UFC fans’ eyes.
That fight saw Alves completely wreck Koscheck’s left leg for three rounds, essentially turning it into a useless piece of meat.
He scored a knockdown with his leg kicks, and most importantly, the highly-credentialed wrestler didn’t come close to taking him down.
In his latter UFC tenure, Alves’ leg kicks weren’t quite as effective. But in that short window of time, nobody had a leg whip like ‘Pitbull’, who could turn his hip over and destroy an opponent’s leg with just one or two strikes.
4. Justin Gaethje – UFC lightweight division
The 'wrestle-boxer' has been a staple of the UFC for well over a decade, ever since Chuck Liddell's rise. 'The Iceman' was arguably the first talented wrestler to use that skill "in reverse" to stop his opponent's takedowns in order to open them up for his striking game.
Since then, the likes of Frankie Edgar, Sean Sherk and Gilbert Melendez have seen UFC success. And today, Justin Gaethje is following in their footsteps.
None of those men used leg kicks to the same effect as 'The Highlight', though. Sure, Gaethje can use his punches to knock his opponents out. But it's his leg kicks that usually break his foes down first, leaving them sitting ducks for those heavy hands.
We saw those leg kicks have a devastating effect on the likes of Michael Johnson, Eddie Alvarez and Tony Ferguson inside the UFC. Outside the UFC meanwhile, Gaethje has stopped a total of three opponents with his savage kicks.
Even in his losing effort against Khabib Nurmagomedov, Gaethje had the Russian hurting with his leg kicks – something no other fighter was really able to do.
While his next UFC fight has yet to be confirmed, one thing is for sure. If he continues to throw in the same way, it's only a matter of time before he TKO's someone with his brutal leg kicks.
5. Jose Aldo – UFC featherweight/bantamweight division
Perhaps no other fighter in the history of MMA has been more synonymous with the use of leg kicks than Jose Aldo. The legendary former UFC Featherweight champion has chopped down so many fighters in his time that the list is exhaustive.
A soccer player in his youth, Aldo had strength in his legs that was unusual even for an MMA great. And he put that strength to serious use, tenderizing his foes with savage leg kicks that would leave them limping for days.
During his long reign as UFC featherweight champion, the likes of Kenny Florian, Chad Mendes, Frankie Edgar and Ricardo Lamas all felt the force of his brutal kicks.
But Aldo’s greatest use of leg kicks came prior to his UFC career. During his reign as WEC featherweight champion, he faced off with fellow legend Urijah Faber.
And despite a lionhearted performance, Faber fell victim to Aldo’s leg kicks in a nastier fashion than any other fighter. By the end of the fight, both of his legs were a battered, swollen mess.
Aldo’s best days might be beyond him at this point, but his leg kicks are still as dangerous as ever. Just ask Marlon Moraes, Marlon Vera and Renato Moicano, all of whom suffered at his hands – and legs – recently.
