Best striking defense in the UFC (currently and in the past)

[TonyK]

Criticism flows from everywhere about Cain's and JDS' striking defense in the wake of their memorable fight yesterday, but who are the fighters with the best striking/boxing defense in the UFC? Feel free to talk about retired fighters and fighters currently not in the UFC too.

 

[Tibbles]

Cruz has got to be up there.

 

[dieknowsore]

anderson silva and it is
not.
even.
close.

 

[Petoria]

Gsp

 

[knspiracy]

Cruz..?

Edit: Beaten to it.

PS is this an opinion based thing or someone have stats..?

 

[Wiskey]

Anderson Silva. BJ Penn use to, at least he did in LW. Also, Roy Nelson covers up well but doesn't use much head movement; he still gets tagged.

 

[KnockoutBlow]

anderson silva and it is
not.
even.
close.

This. Anyone who says someone else is wrong.

 

[Threetrees]

Aldo, Cruz, GSP when he's moving forward, Jon Jones in a weird way
Phil Davis in a weird way

 

[Manila**]

Anderson Silva, GSP, Lyoto Machida, Jon Jones, Dominick Cruz...

But Anderson is the number 1.

 

[vuco KJV***]

Cabbage Correira

 

[NotSoSure]

Best Striking defense?
I bizarrely think it's Anderson Silva, but I want to be proven wrong when JBJ elbows meet his face.

 

[Lavitz]

Chris Leben
Matt Riddle
Jim Hettes

 

[Miiiiiiighty]

Anderson, Machida

 

[Happiness]

I dont know about Cruz. He has some bad holes.

Best, Anderson and Aldo.

Rampage has pretty decent boxing defense.

 

[ManBearPig2000]

Ken Shamrock.

 

[The13]

Chris Leben
Matt Riddle
Jim Hettes

Leben as in past or now?
Because the Leben we saw at 155 got tagged by gassed Brunson who isn't known for good boxing.

 

[Brotha Will]

anderson silva and it is
not.
even.
close.

Juat another thread where this Silva is the correct answer

 

[Tibbles]

Anderson is an interesting one.

He has insane reactions and head movement but he does get hit. Bonnar connected on 28 out of his 59 strikes before he was brutally stopped. Maia and Sonnen (in the first fight) were also able to land some punches despite having relatively poor striking. Forrest couldn't land anything but he's slow on a good day and was drugged up on anti-anxiety medication for that fight.

 

[Happiness]

Anderson is an interesting one.

He has insane reactions and head movement but he does get hit. Bonnar was landing quite a few strikes before he was brutally stopped. Maia and Sonnen (in the first fight) were also able to land some punches despite having relatively poor striking. Forrest couldn't land anything but he's slow on a good day and was drugged up on anti-anxiety medication for that fight.

Anderson is slowing down. It's really his control of range that makes his deface so good.

 

[Cuauhtemoc]

Leben as in past or now?
Because the Leben we saw at 155 got tagged by gassed Brunson who isn't known for good boxing.

It's a joke, he posted the guys with worst defense.


Best defense is Anderson Silva, number 1 and nobody is close.
Jon Jones got good defense but in a weird way, mostly by keeping distance and taking guys down, not really in a boxing/kickboxing way but it works for mma.
Lyoto is good at keeping distance and avoiding inexperienced strikers(most mma fighters get tagged even by wrestlers spamming overhand rights), but makes terrible mistakes and gets tagged.