best technical strikers in MMA

[a guy]

I am really impressed by Whitaker. He's a very good striker,
He beat both Jacare and Romero, two great athletes. He basically cleaned up his division
and now Bisping is in deep shit as well.

Whittaker's been making a name for himself and it's hard to leave him off the list based on results. However, he struggled in spots with Hester, barely beat Hall and also struggled early with Brunson. Pressure is a problem for him, and he got knocked out by the only elite striker he fought in Wonderboy. Romero also won the first two rounds and Whittaker didn't pull ahead until Romero gassed significantly, but he still couldn't put away a fighter who was barely even throwing back. Romero wasn't ever really in much trouble despite the fatigue. MW is pretty devoid of striking talent so it's not his fault for not fighting great strikers, but we'll see how he fares against Bisping before I commit to ranking him among the elite. I'd also have liked to see him fight someone like Mousasi (can't believe they let him go), Weidman, Silva or Rockhold to get an idea of where he stands on the feet. Fuck it, I'd love to see him against Gastelum.

Side note, I've seen a lot of talk about how deep MW is recently, but I don't believe that's true. Bisping is about to retire, Romero is a freak and all but still over 40, Jacare's getting old and has lost 2 of his past 4, Weidman's been finished 3 times in a row, Rockhold is MIA (waiting for Bisping to retire?), Silva's also over 40 and just fucking around at this point, Brunson is pretty good but has lost to Jacare, Romero, Whittaker and Silva so I doubt he'll be elite, Branch is pretty good but 35, I guess Jotko still has potential but he just lost to Branch, Vitor is a dinosaur and hit gatekeeper status at this point, Hall's on a three fight losing streak and has been stopped in two of those, Mousasi signed to fucking Bellator even though he was just hitting his stride and won 5 in a row, the last 4 by fucking TKO. The future of MW is only Whittaker, Gastelum (if he makes weight and doesn't get suspended for getting high) and Rockhold for sure. MAYBE Jotko, maybe Branch, maybe Brunson, maybe Jacare goes on a late career warpath like Maia after losing to Rory. Overall though, compare it to a division like FW where you have an amazing top 5 (Holloway, Aldo, Edgar, Mendes, Cub) and fantastic up and coming talent like Choi, Bektic, T-City, KZ and Rodriguez, as well as a stable of skilled veterans like Stephens, Lamas and Elkins. That's a deep division, both now and in the foreseeable future, which is why I rank strikers at the top of it like Holloway, Aldo and McGregor so highly.

 

[kenji goh]

So you think that Whitaker's success in MW has more to do with a stylistic advantage (he was by far the better striker in his bouts)
than with him improving his technique and getting more experienced?

Also, I am not sure he is to blame for not KOing Romero, when he had trouble using his left leg.
I honestly thought he was gonna lose after he confessed that to his corner.

 

[a guy]

So you think that Whitaker's success in MW has more to do with a stylistic advantage (he was by far the better striker in his bouts)
than with him improving his technique and getting more experienced?

Also, I am not sure he is to blame for not KOing Romero, when he had trouble using his left leg.
I honestly thought he was gonna lose after he confessed that to his corner.

I think it's a bit of both. He could prove to be a truly great striker, but I don't call people that until I see them beating other great strikers. I especially don't say that when I see them struggling with guys like Hall, Bruson and Hester. Also, just watching him technically, he does a good amount of things I don't like, lunging on his strikes for example. He isn't that great defensively either, his jab is good but he doesn't use it enough and I just haven't seen much from him that wowed me.

His leg was in pain sure, but like the commentators were saying it didn't look to be actually effecting him when he needed to use it. Sure, not finishing Romero isn't the worst criticism, but he didn't even have Romero in serious trouble at any point. When a guy starts gassing that early I expect someone who's known as such a dangerous finisher to be able to get something going. Whittaker failed to do that.

For those reasons, both in terms of technique and resume, I don't currently rank Whittaker as one of the elite strikers in MMA. I do think he has the potential to be one, but he isn't yet.

 

[Paradigm]

Well first of all.... what does "technical striker" mean in the first place? is it the same as "good striker"?

Someone who strikes with clean technique. A good striker could be a successful brawler.

Wanderlei Silva was successful at striking, but I don't know that many would consider him a technical striker.

 

[Sano]

lol good question. Most of them, even the top ones, have terrible striking. The best ones are I think fighters from an actual striking sport beforehand like: Joanna Jedychekckcjkdsjfdsl, Ubereem, Mark Hunt, etc.

They definitely do not. There are some very good MMA strikers out there, most have been mentioned already. Hunt is past it and Overeem was arguably never a great striker in MMA.

Conor
TJ
Cody
Masvidal
Barboza (despite his questionable boxing defense)
Larkin
Venom
Nate to some degree
Wonderboy to some degree
Holloway is good
Gastelum is alright
Rumble could bang
JJ and Shevchenko are high level too.

Hunt, Anderson, Aldo, Cro Cop all had their time. There are more. Obviously Spong is fighting MMA as well and Tenshin Nasukawa Point is many of these guys can or could at some point compete at a high level in pure striking sports, nevermind how many have good MMA striking.

If you're looking for high level pure MT in MMA it is definitely Dejdamrong.

 

[Paradigm]

They definitely do not. There are some very good MMA strikers out there, most have been mentioned already. Hunt is past it and Overeem was arguably never a great striker in MMA.

Conor
TJ
Cody
Masvidal
Barboza (despite his questionable boxing defense)
Larkin
Venom
Nate to some degree
Wonderboy to some degree
Holloway is good
Gastelum is alright
Rumble could bang
JJ and Shevchenko are high level too.

Hunt, Anderson, Aldo, Cro Cop all had their time. There are more. Obviously Spong is fighting MMA as well and Tenshin Nasukawa Point is many of these guys can or could at some point compete at a high level in pure striking sports, nevermind how many have good MMA striking.

If you're looking for high level pure MT in MMA it is definitely Dejdamrong.

And Dej is old, too...embarrassing for all the under 40 year olds in MMA.

 

[Sano]

And Dej is old, too...embarrassing for all the under 40 year olds in MMA.

I don't get your point.

 

[Paradigm]

I don't get your point.

The point is that one of the most technical strikers in the MMA game is someone who is 40+. All these young guys should be ashamed of themselves.

You don't have to be a Lumpinee champ to be a technical striker. Then again, you don't need to be a technical striker to succeed in MMA with 4oz gloves.

 

[My2Cents]

Best striker just left for Bellator imo

 

[CFGroup]

Best striker just left for Bellator imo

They definitely do not. There are some very good MMA strikers out there, most have been mentioned already. Hunt is past it and Overeem was arguably never a great striker in MMA.

Conor
TJ
Cody

Conor?
Record speaks for its self

TJ?
Great movement and wrestling combind with striking

Cody?
Speed, timing patience to beat Cruz

Holloway?
Might have been a fluke against Pettis, proved in spades against Aldo

Anderson?
Remind me again how many he wholloped?

Machida?
Was it a 13 zip run to LHW belt?

Best striker just left for Bellator imo

U might b on to something!

 

[Superhet]

Someone who strikes with clean technique. A good striker could be a successful brawler.

Wanderlei Silva was successful at striking, but I don't know that many would consider him a technical striker.

But what is "clean technique" considering there are different ways of throwing and doing stuff? Isn't it more fair to say, clean technique for what technique/game they are attempting? Wanderlei may not have had the "smartest" game, but calling it untechnical may not necessarily be true just because of that. And is timing a part of technical striking or is it a facet of athleticism? (Just trying to come up with a counterargument to narrow "technical striker" down.)

I guess it could it be fair to say a technical striker is simply someone with relatively good striking defense and offense stats.

 

[Sano]

The point is that one of the most technical strikers in the MMA game is someone who is 40+. All these young guys should be ashamed of themselves.

You don't have to be a Lumpinee champ to be a technical striker. Then again, you don't need to be a technical striker to succeed in MMA with 4oz gloves.

Dejdamrong is now 38 I believe with a 7-2 record since 2014, without fighting elite fighters. He is still excellent at his age, which is uncommon. Other Thais have transitioned less well to kickboxing or MMA, but he makes it work because of the ruleset he fights under and his affinity for it.

No you don't have to be a Lumpinee champ, and the guys I mentioned are not and are still excellent strikers. Dej was an example of the best pure MT in MMA, not necessarily the best striker overall. His career in MMA doesn't reflect on the other top level strikers as they are in different orgs and in different weightclasses.

 

[a guy]

Best striker just left for Bellator imo

Rory, Larkin or Mousasi?

 

[My2Cents]

he just left this week ;-)

 

[AndyMaBobs]

Overeem? He's been knocked out 10 times in his career by guys like Rothwell, Travis Browne and Bigfoot--not to mention a bunch of times at LHW. He's got arguably the best striking credentials outside of the UFC, but he's been outstruck way too often in the cage. Even Werdum just hurt him in their last fight. There are strikers who have been much more successful in MMA, and in much deeper divisions.

I don't think Overeem's problems are technical, I think they're fight IQ and cardio problems.

 

[AndyMaBobs]

I love The Reem but why did you pick him? He's not a sloppy brawler but his strike selection is fairly limited.

I'm not sure I agree, I don't think he's a big combination puncher - but I don't think that means he's not a great technical striker. He has very good distance and timing especially since working with Jackson, he knows exactly where to be, and exactly the right moment to catch someone, as well as the best knee strikes in the game.

Like I said before though, I don't think there is a real answer to the question

 

[AndyMaBobs]

Definitely don't agree that Joanna is better than the men. The level of competition she's up against is far, far too low to make a claim like that. Wonderboy got dropped multiple times by Woodley and once by Ellenberger, the only really good striker he's beaten is Rory who's a good stylistic matchup for him. As I said in another post, I don't think he can be ranked in the top 5 until he beats someone like Lawler, Cerrone, Masvidal or dos Anjos. Jones and MM are great on the feet, but why rank them over guys like Aldo, McGregor, Holloway, Garbrandt and Dillashaw?

Aldo was undefeated for a decade and outstruck everyone who isn't Holloway or McGregor, though he did outstrike Holloway for the first round. His leg kicks are crippling, his jab is fantastic, he can knock people down with either hand and his knees are vicious. In addition, he has some of the best footwork in MMA history and arguably the best TDD of any striker ever. Notable wins include Edgar twice, Mendes twice, Lamas, KZ, Hominick, Florian, Brown and Faber.

McGregor is probably unbeatable at featherweight and ran straight through that division, his only setback in the UFC was a loss to Diaz after gassing out but he avenged that loss then embarrassed Alvarez in a way that's never been done before. His counter punching is pinpoint, his combinations are deadly, his head movement and distance management are top tier and he has a versatile kicking game on top of it. His main weakness is cardio. Notable wins include an early one over Holloway, Poirier, Aldo, Diaz, Mendes and Alvarez.

Holloway's last loss was to McGregor, and since then he followed in McGregor's footsteps by essentially cleaning out the division with the exceptions of Mendes and Edgar, who's up next. He's the best bodysnatcher in MMA, measures and manages distance extremely well with his jab, has a varied attack with a ton of volume and is one of the best, most active feinters in MMA. Notable wins include Cub, Stephens, Lamas, Pettis and Aldo.

Garbrandt is undefeated with 9 of his 11 wins by knockout, he derailed the Thomas Almeida hype train, steamrolled Mizugaki then styled on the Bantamweight GOAT and knocked him down multiple times. Many even think he could have finished Cruz if he did less dancing. He has insane power and can put guys out in the first minute, but if he needs to fight a more technical fight he can hang back and show off some of the slickest defense around. Notable wins include Almeida, Mizugaki and Cruz.

Since working with Ludwig, Dillashaw turned into a killer. He won the Bantamweight title with his striking and lost it controversially to Cruz. He's known for being the most prolific stance switcher in MMA, supplementing that with great head movement, a nice jab and a strong kicking game, plus volume for days and crazy combinations and exchanges in the pocket. Notable wins include Barao twice, Assuncao and Lineker.

I'll give you Barboza, I included him in my original list too, but even he's been outstruck by Varner, Cerrone and Johnson so it's hard to put him above the guys I just listed.

I could see replacing Garbrandt and Dillashaw with Jones and MM, Garbrandt because he's had so few fights and Dillashaw because he did lose to Cruz, got TKOd by Dodson, struggled a bit with Soto and also could use more big name wins.

I'm not sure getting outstruck means that you're not a technical striker. I mean, kickboxers outstrike kickboxers all the time - and there have been times where lesser strikers have outstruck better ones through certain means, doesn't mean that they're more technical in of itself.

Maybe I'm taking the question to literally, but just my two cents

 

[Soul Rebel 2]

Barboza (despite his questionable boxing defense)
.

I dont actually think Barbozas boxing defence is that bad at all, its definatly well above average and, to be fair, I dont think that anybody in MMA has the defence to cover a chin as shaky as Edsons. His head movement, jab and pivots are really underrated, Mark Henry really did a good job on him,

 

[aerius]

I don't think Overeem's problems are technical, I think they're fight IQ and cardio problems.

IMO they are technical issues. Overeem is a great fighter on the front foot, give him time & space to pick his shots and he'll land vicious strikes with incredible accuracy. But defensively he's just crap, throw more than a couple strikes at him at one time and he starts going to pieces. He'll put the earmuffs on and get backed into the fence where he gets teed off on and finished or run for his life while trying to reset. This happens every time someone an opponent puts some pressure on him, I don't think it's mental, it's bad habits & technical flaws.

I don't follow much outside of the UFC so my list is UFC only.
Max Holloway's results speak for itself. His strike selection, ability to make adjustments on the fly, strike effectively at any range going forward or backward, and use of feints, timing changes, and setups makes him the total package.

Valentina Shevchenko is my other pick. She uses many of the techniques & concepts that are seen only at the elite level in men's MMA and she's doing things which the men haven't figured out yet, like how to counter the push kick to the knee. The parries into counters made famous by Garbrandt? She did it to Holly. Hand traps & guard rips used by Overeem, Saki, and other Dutch kickboxers? She uses those as well. She still hasn't fully adapted her striking from Muay Thai/kickboxing to MMA, but if she does her division is fucked.

 

[Soul Rebel 2]

I'm really on the fence about JJ being one of the best strikers in the sport. You cant argue with the fact that she's facing far lesser competition than male fighters but the range of aptitudes shes shown is truly noteworthy. Barring her competiton she's still shown skills that many male MMA fighters barely hint that they've ever learned; for example, I think its safe to say that her pivots and movement near to the cage is better than JDS or Pettis or that her jab is better than Cerrone's. Fuck, I bet that 90% of the UFC roster have never even practiced countering a left hook with a reverse switch kick.

Shes also particularly mean and vindictive in a way thats rare even among elite fighters and makes you suffer for your successes.