Sean O’Malley has named himself as one of the four best UFC strikers.
The UFC bantamweight champion recently sat down for an interview with YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul, who blasted Nate Diaz for lacking power when they fought in August 2023.
Conor McGregor, Alex Pereira, Jose Aldo, Tom Aspinall, Ciryl Gane and countless other stars missed out when talk turned to the greatest strikers in the UFC today.
“I’m up there,” O’Malley said when asked about the best hitters in MMA.
“Max [Holloway] is really good. Max is super sick.
“Ilia Topuria, his striking is really good.”
“Me, Max, Ilia, and [Israel] Adesanya.”
To put O’Malley’s list to the test, talkSPORT.com has broken down his and the other three fighters’ records to see how successful they’ve been with their kicks and punches.
Sean O’Malley
O’Malley won his 135lb belt with a picture-perfect knockout win over Aljamain Sterling last year, and since then he’s defended it was a ‘masterclass’ in striking against the only man to beat him, Marlon Vera.
The 29-year-old has scored KOs in 12 of his 18 wins, including a spinning kick finish in a fight that earned him a shot on Dana White’s Contender Series where he wowed Snoop Dogg with another epic finish.
Many more savage stoppages came in the Octagon, and although some people think he lost, O’Malley forced world-class boxer Petr Yan to wrestle when they fought in October 2022.
‘Suga’ is undoubtedly a great striker and will be hoping to cement his name on other people’s lists by defending his belt and KO’ing more people over the next few years.
Max Holloway
Holloway has been calling himself the ‘best boxer in the UFC’ for years and it’s hard to argue with his stacked CV and epic highlight reel.
‘Blessed’ isn’t blessed with brutal knockout power but he more than makes up for his with his fast hands and ridiculous output, which has left several opponents a bloody mess.
The BMF champion has KO’d 12 opponents during his 33-fight career, but it is the level of opposition that separates him from all others on O’Malley’s list.
Justin Gaethje, Chan Sung Jung, Jose Aldo, Brian Ortega, Antony Pettis and Charles Oliveira all failed to go the distance with Holloway when he was at his blistering best.
Ilia Topuria
Topuria, who is the current UFC featherweight champion, is just getting started at the elite level, but he already looks like he could dominate for a while.
‘El Matador’ boasts a perfect 15-0 record which features eight submission wins and five KO finishes that suggests he’s more of a grappler even though his hands are a joy to behold.
English fighter Jai Herbert was his most famous victim before Topuria proved he was one of the very best by knocking Alexander Volkanovski out cold in February.
The Georgian-born Spaniard is already targeting a crossover bout with Canelo Alvarez, so he clearly has even more confidence in his hands than O’Malley does.
Israel Adesanya
Adesanya is certainly the most accomplished striker on O’Malley’s list.
‘The Last Stylebender’ was a top kickboxer before transitioning to MMA, winning 24 fights, knocking out 16 opponents and becoming a two-time middleweight champion.
Adesanya essentially lapped the division before running into his old kickboxing rival, Pereira, who beat him for the third time in November 2023 before the New Zealander finally got his revenge earlier this year.
Another striking clinic against Dircus du Plessis could lead to Adesanya becoming a three-time titleholder at UFC 305 in Perth on August 17.
News Summary:
- Sean O’Malley makes several massive omissions as he names the four best UFC strikers
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