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The jab is one of the most effective and necessary tools in the sport of boxing. Striking is a significant part of mixed martial arts as the fight ultimately starts on the feet. Like boxers, UFC fighters bring a variety of stand-up skills inside the cage to use against their opponents.
Over the years, the jab has become significantly more useful in MMA as numerous fighters have successfully implemented the common yet effective punch into their game plan. The UFC has featured some of the most creative and powerful strikers in all combat sports, and as time goes on, these strikes will only continue to evolve.
10 Robert Whittaker
Since joining the UFC in 2021, Robert Whittaker has become an extremely successful middleweight combatant. He claimed the UFC interim middleweight title back in 2017 and was later promoted to undisputed champion.
Whittaker possesses some of the most high-level striking in the UFC today, which includes a sharp and powerful jab. He typically sets his combinations up by firing off a precise jab and then follows up with a cross and kick. He is currently the #1 ranked middleweight contender and will face Israel Adesanya in a rematch at UFC 271.
9 B.J. Penn
At the peak of his career, B.J. Penn was one of the most dominant and well-rounded champions in UFC history. The Hawaii native started his career in mixed martial arts primarily as a grappler. He quickly developed clean and effective striking to complement his formidable ground game.
Penn was known for walking down his opponents with powerful jabs and following up with powerful uppercuts and hooks to continuously batter his opponents. He captured both lightweight and welterweight championships throughout his UFC career.
8 Joanna Jedrzejczyk
Joanna Jedrzejczyk is considered the most dominant and successful women's strawweight champion and defended her belt five times. Her success as a mixed martial artist stems from her long experience as a kickboxer.
Jedrzejczyk is a talented striker who uses her jab and combinations to flurry opponents and quickly overwhelm them. Although she does not possess one-punch knockout power, her ability to gradually break her opponents using her prolific jab and precise combinations is second to none.
7 Petr Yan
Petr Yan has only been in the UFC for three years but has quickly established himself as one of the most skilled boxers in UFC history. The current interim bantamweight champion is a Master of Sport in Boxing and has inarguably separated himself as the best stand-up striker currently on the UFC bantamweight roster.
Yan utilizes basic yet precise striking to fire off stinging jabs and body punches to break his opponent's defense round after round. He has used this strategy to defeat Urijah Faber, Jose Aldo, and most recently, Cory Sandhagen, throughout his UFC career.
6 T.J. Dillashaw
T.J. Dillashaw's legacy has been tarnished due to testing positive for EPO and being stripped of the UFC bantamweight title in 2019. Despite the unfortunate situation, the former champion is undoubtedly one of the most fluid and versatile strikers to set foot in the octagon.
Dillashaw's jab is especially effective because he uses his movement to land on his opponents from unorthodox and awkward. His creative striking couple by his effortless movement makes him one of the more difficult opponents to prepare for in training camp.
5 Max Holloway
It is impossible to be considered the best boxer in the UFC and not possess a dangerous jab. Watching Max Holloway masterfully dismantle his opponents using his prolific striking is a thing of beauty. The former featherweight champion is one of the most feared volume strikers in the UFC today.
Holloway can land a lightning-fast jab before his opponents know what hit them. Despite being considered the best boxer in the UFC, his striking improves even more with every octagon appearance.
4 Jon Jones
Jon Jones has been out of professional competition since February of 202 and there is no concrete information on when he will return to action. Despite this, Jones is easily one of the best jabbers in UFC history.
The former light heavyweight champion utilizes an 84-inch reach to blast his opponents with long and stiff jabs. What makes Jones' jab special is that he is consistently able to land on his opponents from a distance that his opponents cannot return fire. Jones has even utilized an elbow jab at certain times, which should tell you everything you need to know about his unique striking ability.
3 Georges St-Pierre
Georges St-Pierre was not necessarily an expert in any martial arts discipline. However, he was very good at all of them. St-Pierre is widely considered the most dominant champion in UFC welterweight history.
The Canadian would utilize a stinging yet accurate jab to break the striking defense of his opponents and land more powerful as the fight progressed. St-Pierre landed 55 jabs on Josh Koscheck when they faced each other at UFC 124. His jab was so precise that he broke Koscheck's right orbital bone within the first couple minutes of round one.
2 Jose Aldo
If it were not for Anderson Silva, Jose Aldo would probably be considered the best pure striker in UFC history. The former featherweight champion defended his belt nine times and is the most successful featherweight champion in MMA history.
Like St-Pierre, Aldo utilized a precise jab to break down the striking defense of his opponents and set up powerful combinations. One of Aldo's most notable combinations is a simple yet effective jab and leg kick combination that he would land with ease on many of his opponents. The Brazilian continues to compete in the UFC bantamweight division today and is currently the #3 ranked bantamweight in the world.
1 Anderson Silva
Not many UFC fighters have been able to drop their opponents with nothing but a jab. Anderson Silva has done this on several occasions and is likely the most skilled and polished striker in UFC history. The former middleweight champion dominated 185 for many years and has provided the MMA community with some of the most iconic moments in UFC history.
Silva would utilize a powerful right jab that would visibly disrupt his opponent's during the fight. He used his jab to drop both Forrest Griffin and Yushin Okami when he faced them. Silva's legendary championship run and striking skills will land him a spot in the UFC Hall of Fame soon.