5 best strikers in the UFC right now

Israel Adesanya (left) and Robert Whittaker (right) [Image courtesy of @MirrorFighting]

Since the inception of the UFC in 1993, a number of striking specialists have plied their trade in the promotion. The likes of Gerard Gordeau, Mirko Cro Cop and Lyoto Machida stood out as excellent strikers during their time in the world's premier MMA organization.

Anderson Silva, at the height of his powers, was renowned for his ability to knock out his opponents. Upon joining the UFC in 2006, Silva went on a 16-fight winning streak, comprising 14 finishes. His incredible run between 2006 and 2012 saw 'The Spider' cement his legacy as one of the greatest strikers of all time.

Nine years ago today, @SpiderAnderson settled his beef with Vitor Belfort with a front kick to the face 🦶😵 https://t.co/QJXbGJ1YFr

That said, we thought we'd rank the five best strikers in the UFC right now. Honorable mentions include Rafael Fiziev, Cory Sandhagen, Sean O'Malley, Max Holloway and Conor McGregor.

#5. Jiri Prochazka – UFC light heavyweight contender

In under a year, Jiri Prochazka has gone from being the UFC’s latest recruit to the light heavyweight division in 2020 to the No.1 contender in 2022.

The Czech’s unbelievable rise in the promotion is unprecedented. He is expected to compete for undisputed light heavyweight gold in 2022 despite the fact that he has fought just twice in the promotion. His performances have warranted everything he’s received so far.

Prochazka’s first appearance inside the octagon was a sensational knockout victory over former title challenger Volkan Oezdemir in 2020.

One year ago today, Jiri Prochazka made his UFC debut and knocked out Volkan Oezdemir

https://t.co/0x50unNhKB

Somehow, he managed to produce an even better KO in his second outing in the octagon when he took on another former title challenger in Dominick Reyes. The contest was one of the best fights of the year. Both fighters, being powerful strikers, managed to land bombs on one another throughout the course of the opening round.

The second round saw Prochazka take over as he started to have more success on the feet. With 30 seconds left on the clock, Prochazka connected with an incredible spinning elbow to knock Reyes out cold.

Absurd knockout from Jiri Prochazka to finish it in the 2nd round #UFCVegas25 https://t.co/kQZI6eQKBw

Watch a compilation of his finishes below: