In the MMA world, whenever there is a bout between fighters, perfectly landed body shots make the crowd crazy. Body shot has become one of the most famous and effective moves in combat sports today. Although it originated through boxing, body shot has gradually become an effective weapon to add to the arsenal of mixed martial artists. Fans have witnessed many remarkable body shots that have crippled the opponents and led to knockouts. On this note, let’s have a look at some of the best Body strikers in UFC history.
#10 Edson Barboza
Edson Barboza is a fighter who looks plain and simple. He is one of the most dynamic strikers in UFC history and has recorded several highlight knockouts, including a stunning spinning back kick KO at Terry Etim. The Brazilian fighter’s body strike knockouts over Dan Hooker and Evan Dunham are some of the best to date, as he consistently throws powerful hooks and lightning-fast body kicks to the midsection of his opponents.
#9 Fabio Maldonado
Fabio Maldonado is especially known for his spectacular boxing combinations that cripple his opponents and slowly drain them out. “Caipira de Aco” constantly attacks his opponent’s body, throwing powerful and accurate hooks in an attempt to tire them and drag them out in the later rounds. The Brazilian was part of one of the most entertaining fights of 2016 when he faced the legendary Fedor Emelianenko in a three-round battle. Fabio recorded an impressive 19 wins via knockout and his body strikes were one of his most used weapons.
#8 Stipe Miocic
Stipe Miocic isn’t the strongest heavyweight in UFC history, but his strategic game plan and patience exploit his opponent’s weaknesses. The former two time UFC Champion achieved one of the greatest finishes in UFC Heavyweight history when he faced Daniel Cormier at UFC 241. Miocic lost the first three rounds, but he began to tear apart his opponent’s body with powerful left hooks in the fourth round, which eventually led to a knockout. “The Silencer” utilizes body strikes in his wide range of offensive attacks and is one of the great fighters on the UFC roster.
#7 Mark Hominick
Hominick had a very short career in the UFC, but he was one of the first to make good use of body strikes when he defeated Leonard Garcia by successfully using powerful head-body combinations. He continued to use them during his time in the UFC, most notably in his five-round battle against Jose Aldo. “The Machine” finished his MMA career in 2012 with a 20-12 record.
#6 Max Holloway
There aren’t a lot of fighters who are great at boxing in MMA. But Max Holloway has consistently been one of those who continues to impress in the featherweight division of the UFC. He notoriously attacked Justin Lawrence and Anthony Pettis in finishing sequences before earning remarkable TKO victories. Holloway is confident in his striking and dominates his opponents with his feet while also moving forward to attack the body.
#5 John Lineker
John Lineker currently competes in the ONE Championship, where he is the Bantamweight Champion. During his stint with the UFC, “Hands of Stone” would tear his opponent’s bodies with powerful looping hooks that would ultimately lead to knockout victories. Lineker’s win over Phil Harris was particularly terrifying, as he repeated blows to his opponent’s body before landing a powerful right hook that dropped him to the canvas. In Lineker’s entire career, he has recorded 37 wins, of which 18 are by knockout.
#4 Junior Dos Santos
One of the best fighters in UFC history, Junior Dos Santos is truly a legend of the sport who has competed in many top-level, highly publicized bouts. One of his most notable victories came against Shane Carwin, when “Cigano” completely dominated his stronger opponent with superior boxing and footwork. The Brazilian doesn’t compete with the UFC any more, but he will still be remembered as one of the best strikers of all time.
#3 Jon Jones
The current UFC Heavyweight Champion, Jon Jones, is a dynamic fighter and he constantly uses knees, kicks, crosses and hooks in his aggressive game while trying to break down his opponents and knock them out. He always has a great height advantage over most of his opponents, which allows him to easily determine the range of his attacks. One of his famous knockouts was over Shogun Rua, when he delivered a powerful knee. “Bones” has always made body strikes during his matches, which is an important part of his strategy.
#2 Jose Aldo
Jose Aldo is the fighter who throws a left hook and leg-kick combination most beautifully. Aldo’s striking is still remembered even after his retirement because of his skilled Muay Thai, dangerous leg kicks and left hooks to the body. In his entire career, the Brazilian has earned 31 victories, of which 17 were by knockout. After losing to Max Holloway twice in a row, Aldo made a rapid comeback by taking on Jeremy Stephens and defeating him via knockout. Jose reminded the UFC fans that he is capable of competing with the top division fighters.
#1 Nick Diaz
Of all the strikers in UFC history, none have performed like Nick Diaz. He was notorious for head/body combinations that would literally crumble his opponents as they leaned over the cage in an effort to remain standing. Diaz’s right hook to deliver a body knockout of Frank Shamrock is still one of the most famous finishing sequences in MMA history. Although Nick never became a UFC champion, he is still one of the most popular MMA fighters in history.
Also Read:- 10 Best Fighters of the UFC Who Are Undefeated
