Every bout in mixed martial arts starts with contestants standing. Within the UFC, proficiency in boxing stands out as a crucial skill possessed by numerous champions. Among the elite boxers who have showcased their talents in the octagon, there exists a diverse range, from those lacking any professional experience, to those with amateur backgrounds, to former world boxing champions.

The substantial pay gap between UFC fighters and their counterparts in boxing has prompted many of the top MMA talents to contemplate transitioning to the boxing realm in pursuit of a more lucrative payday. Jake Paul has achieved success enticing seasoned MMA stars into the boxing arena, such as Nate Diaz, Tyron Woodley and Ben Askren. It is anticipated that fans will witness an increasing number of athletes making this transition during the peak of their careers. With that in mind, here are the best boxers to have passed through the UFC — some of whom will be boxing again soon.

UPDATE: 2025/03/19 18:03 EST BY FRANK YEMI

Ilia Topuria Moves To No.1

Ilia Topuria has emerged as the best boxer in the UFC, showcasing elite precision, knockout power, and defensive mastery. His clean technique, head movement, and ability to counter effectively set him apart. His ability to seamlessly mix power, speed, and footwork makes him the most dangerous boxer in the UFC today. Jose Also makes his debut on the list along with Cody Garbrandt.

16

José Aldo

Aldo’s Boxing Was Key To His Long Featherweight Reign

The former UFC featherweight champion is widely regarded as one of the greatest strikers in MMA history. While his devastating leg kicks were a major weapon, Aldo’s boxing was equally crucial to his success. His crisp jab, powerful left hook, and excellent head movement helped him dominate top-tier competition for years.

Aldo displayed his boxing skills in wars against Frankie Edgar, Chad Mendes, and Pedro Munhoz, where he landed precise counterpunches and punished opponents with body shots. Even in the latter stages of his career, Aldo continued to rely on his sharp boxing, notably battering Rob Font in a five-round clinic. He eventually transitioned to professional boxing in 2023, proving that his hands were just as dangerous outside the Octagon.

15

Cody Garbrandt

‘No Love’ Showed Championship-Level Boxing In His Prime

Cody Garbrandt burst onto the UFC scene with blistering hand speed, knockout power, and a boxing pedigree honed from his amateur background. A former Golden Gloves champion, Garbrandt used his quick reflexes and pinpoint accuracy to dismantle opponents in the bantamweight division.

His finest boxing performance came in 2016 when he outclassed Dominick Cruz to win the UFC bantamweight title, showcasing elite head movement, counterpunching, and flashy combinations. Throughout his career, ‘No Love’ has secured highlight-reel knockouts over Thomas Almeida, Takeya Mizugaki, and Raphael Assunção, proving that his boxing skills remain among the best in UFC history.

14

Petr Yan

No Mercy Transitioned To MMA

The former Bantamweight Champion is celebrated for his powerful punches and adaptability, switching stances seamlessly and focusing on technical boxing skills.

13

Conor McGregor

The Irish Star Boxed Floyd Mayweather

Known for his striking ability and precise boxing technique, McGregor’s left-hand knockout power and footwork have made him a standout in the UFC. His skills were on display not only in the Octagon but also during his high-profile boxing match against Floyd Mayweather in 2017​.

12

Junior dos Santos

His Boxing Stance Left Him Vulnerable To Leg Kicks

A former UFC Heavyweight Champion, dos Santos is known for his knockout power, speed, and technical precision, notably knocking out Cain Velasquez to capture the title. His ability to set up shots with a solid jab and footwork stands out.

11

Max Holloway

‘Blessed’ Cracks Skulls Without Having Any Professional Boxing Experience

Max Holloway has never boxed professionally. But he is one of the best strikers in the UFC. Fans remember him most for confidently turning away from his opponent, Calvin Kattar, in 2021, asserting to the broadcast team ringside that he was the best boxer around. ‘Blessed’ battered Kattar brutally and left fans, commentators and his opponent stunned.

It’s no surprise, though. Holloway is one of the UFC’s best featherweight champions. H put on exceptional displays of offensive boxing. Mind you, his defensive boxing needs work, but he knows how to vary head and body shots. As a result, Holloway claimed victims such as Yair Rodríguez, Frankie Edgar, and Arnold Allen along the way. He also slept the ‘Korean Zombie’ and TKO’d José Aldo twice due to punches. Even in losses versus Alexander Volkanovski, Holloway has shown his slim hands are precise, quick and powerful. Holloway claimed the BMF title at lightweight with a buzz beater knockout of Justin Gaethje, displaying his elite boxing in the pocket.

10

Dustin Poirier

‘El Diamante’ Is a Defensive & Offensive Boxing Genius

Despite lacking any formal boxing background, Poirier impressively aces the eye test with his outstanding skills. His prowess in boxing has garnered widespread acclaim, evident in notable triumphs over elite strikers like Justin Gaethje, Eddie Alvarez, Max Holloway, Dan Hooker, Bobby Green, and the ‘Notorious’ Conor McGregor.

Louisiana’s ‘Diamond’ is particularly recognized for his dynamic shifting punching style, adept use of the shoulder roll, and his ability to exploit the high guard. Once he pulls the shorts up, expect heavy hands, as seen with his win over Benoit Saint-Denis at UFC 299. It pays off he is training with Mike Brown and American Top Team in Florida — a stable that put out other boxing-driven MMA fighters like Jorge Masvidal.

9

Alex Pereira

‘Poatan’ Finishes Most Of His Fights By Knockout

Throughout his illustrious kickboxing tenure at Glory, Pereira gained a reputation for his startling boxing abilities. He beat Israel Adesanya twice there, including one vicious KO in 2017. He had one professional boxing bout that same year, securing a TKO finish over Marcelo de Souza Cruz.

‘Poatan’ hasn’t boxed professionally since, but he has brought those “Hands of Stone” to the UFC. He slept Sean Strickland and Israel Adesanya, winning the UFC middleweight belt along the way. Pereira then went up to become the light heavyweight champ by beating Jiří Procházka via TKO in 2023. He loves to stand and trade, coming in for praise from top heavyweight boxer Zhilei Zhang. Additionally, Pereira left a lasting impression on fans when footage surfaced of his sparring session with Olympian boxer Khalil Coe, showcasing his impressive boxing acumen.

8

Tom Aspinall

Aspinall Is An Absolute Sniper

Aspinall relied on his boxing skills when he took on noted knockout artist, Sergei Pavlovich, on short notice at UFC 295. The British heavyweight knocked out his opponent in a little over 60 seconds to win the interim UFC heavyweight championship. Aspinall has a total in-cage average time of 2:10, often getting opponents out of the way early. If he isn’t submitting or grounding and pounding, he is throwing hands and sending people to the shadow realm.

Apart from Pavlovich, he has TKO’d the likes of Marcin Tybura, Serghei Spivac and Alan Baudot with elbows and punches. His hands count for a lot. In his only professional boxing fight, he won by knockout in the first round against Tamas Bajzath in 2017. Aspinall has trained with Tyson Fury, reminding fans he has a very hard-hitting boxing base and partners to elevate him.

7

Holly Holm

Holm Has The Best Boxing Credentials In UFC History

Before Katie Taylor, Holm ruled the light-welterweight and welterweight divisions in boxing. She was a multiple-time world champion in boxing, defending her titles 18 times in three weight classes. Holm was also a two-time Ring magazine fighter of the year.

It may shock many who know her for that kick that slept Ronda Rousey. Or for those who think she is just good at grappling and submissions. Holm is well-rounded. Near the end of her boxing career, Holm avenged her loss to knockout artist Anne Sophie Mathis and defeated Diana Prazak and Mary McGee in her last two bouts. Holm has a 33-2-3 boxing record, confirming she is one of the greatest crossover athletes ever after joining the UFC two years later in 2015.

6

Alexander Volkanovski

‘Volk’ Knows How to Clinch And Bust Chins

Alexander Volkanovski is another former UFC featherweight champ. He is a diverse fighter, known for takedown defense, sprawls, ground and pound, as well as sharp boxing. ‘Volk’ can shell up and dish it out, as Islam Makhachev found out in their first fight. Other fighters like Holloway, ‘Korean Zombie’ and Aldo learned this the hard way, too.

Interestingly, ‘Volk’ won his lone boxing scrap in 2015 against Dillon Bargero, setting the basis for his MMA reign. A year later, the former rugby player would debut in the UFC and show how to handle taller and rangier opponents; a testament to his adept use of distance control and angles. Volkanovski might have lost the belt, but he has a chance to reclaim the featherweight title after Ilia Topuria vacated the belt.

5

Anderson Silva

The ‘Spider’ Has Chinned Opponent In MMA And Boxing

At age 46, Silva defeated Julio César Chávez Jr., the son of a boxing legend and a former world champion. The former UFC middleweight champion utilized his boxing skills to parry, slip, and counter effectively there — which MMA fans have seen him do for years.

Silva drubbed the likes of Forrest Griffin and Yushin Okami with his fists in the UFC to reiterate that he was as deadly with his hands as he was with his feet. When he retired, ‘Spider’ knocked out Tito Ortiz in 2021 and lost a unanimous decision boxing fight to Jake Paul a year later. Win or lose, fans won’t mind seeing the veteran in Silva continue boxing as he is a formidable, durable opponent. Hopefully, he can extend his 3-2 record.

4

Stipe Miocic

The Ohio Native Has Slept Some Big Guns

Stipe Miocic is a firefighter, a gentle giant, and someone many consider the most polite UFC fighter ever. However, he isn’t a gentleman in the cage or boxing ring. Miocic is a former UFC heavyweight champ, boasting TKO wins over Daniel Cormier, Mark Hunt, Andrei Arlovski and Junior dos Santos.

He also has KOs over Alistair Overeem, Fabricio Werdum and Phil De Fries. Simply put, Miocic has explosive hands. It stems back to before the UFC. He won the regional Golden Gloves championship in amateur boxing and reached the national quarter-finals, losing on points to future WBA interim heavyweight titleholder, Bryant Jennings. Impressively, he achieved this with only eight months of training. Miocic preferred the diversity of MMA over boxing and ended up becoming a two-time UFC champ with 15 knockouts.

3

Francis Ngannou

‘The Predator’ Got Ranked As A WBC Top 10 Heavyweight In 2023

Francis Ngannou made his boxing debut against reigning WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury. It was a dream come true for him and he over-delivered. The former UFC heavyweight champ knocked down Fury and took him into deep waters in all 10 rounds. Fury narrowly won by split decision; however, many felt Ngannou deserved the victory.

It didn’t surprise many who saw Ngannou send Overeem, Miocic, Jairzinho Rozenstruik, Cain Velasquez, dos Santos, Arlovski and Curtis Blaydes to the shadow realm in his UFC tenure. This left fans hoping Ngannou would do well boxing against Anthony Joshua. Unfortunately, Ngannou got brutally slept in the first round, but as Joshua himself said, Ngannou still has boxing tread on the wheels. Ngannou returned to MMA and made his PFL debut in impressive fashion by knocking out Renan Ferreira in the first round.

2

Israel Adesanya

‘Stylebender’ Has An Underrated 5-1 Record As A Pro Boxer

Few may know this, but Israel Adesanya wasn’t just a kickboxing legend with Glory. He boxed in 2014 and 2015, racking up a 5-1 record. He lost his first fight in a controversial match against the two-time Australian champion Daniel Ammann. Despite this setback, Adesanya rebounded, securing four victories in the remainder of his boxing career and earning the prestigious title of two-time Super 8 Boxing Tournament winner in New Zealand.

He even had one KO against Asher Derbyshire. It explains why he got so slick at counterpunching in MMA, and why he could stand, bang and sleep someone like ‘Poatan.’ His unique defensive style involves using his feet and hips adeptly to evade punches, often keeping his hands down to enhance his strategic movement.

1

Ilia Topuria

El Matador KO’ed Two Legends With His Boxing

Ilia Topuria is one of the most dangerous rising stars in the UFC, blending technical boxing with knockout power. Despite his grappling background, Topuria has developed a striking arsenal centered around sharp combinations, crisp counters, and devastating body shots. His ability to slip punches and return fire has made him a nightmare for opponents inside the Octagon.

At UFC 298 on February 17, 2024, Topuria captured the featherweight title by delivering a stunning second-round knockout against long-reigning champion Alexander Volkanovski. A precise right hook at 3:32 into the round secured his championship status. Topuria’s first title defense came on October 26, 2024, at UFC 308, where he faced former champion Max Holloway. Demonstrating his striking superiority, Topuria knocked out Holloway in the third round, marking the first time Holloway had been finished in such a manner.