Best Muay Thai fighters in MMA History (Top 10)
When MMA arrived in the early 90s, no one could predict which striking style would emerge as the most useful one. Over the years, it came to be clear Muay Thai is superior to other arts because its techniques are more versatile. In modern days, its role is larger than ever and you can’t fight inside the cage without at least basic Thai boxing skills.
Every single Muay Thai technique is powerful, does huge damage and you can apply it in MMA fighting. From wild elbows to vicious kicks, almost every great KO in MMA history has some elements of Muay Thai behind.
In MMA history, there have been many great fighters and champions who had a strong base in Muay Thai. We are bringing you the best ones.
Edson Barboza
Barboza might be the purest Muay Thai fighter to ever fight in MMA. His striking skills are second to none and he used them to finish many great fighters. From spinning techniques to violent kicks, Barboza’s MMA game is all about Muay Thai.
Barboza is a black prajied in Muay Thai. Before shifting to cage fighting, he fought as a pro (25–3) all around Brazil. In 2009, he moved to live in the US and pursue a career in MMA.
At the time, we saw many other great Thai boxers fight in UFC. But, Barboza’s game was on another level and more advanced. His speed and timing were insane. Even Joe Rogan once stated Barboza is the best standup fighter he has ever seen compete.
Barboza has the best kicking game in modern MMA. In fact, he has many leg kick TKO wins on his record. Just recall how he beat Dan Hooker with a vicious calf and body kicks before putting him out. I can feel Hooker’s pain just thinking back to that fight.
Paul Felder
Fans need to stop overlooking Felder and how good his striking skills are. Even though he is not the best fighter, fans love him because of his exciting style. He is a very creative Muay Thai fighter who never throws the same combo twice.
Felder does his best work in the clinch where he shines with wild elbows and knees. His Muay Thai game is so good that he once scored three straight elbow TKOs in the UFC. Just think about that for a second. The spinning back fist KO against Denny Castillo was his best one.
At times, we can see him keeping his distance and being very technical. But Felder simply loves to step into the pocket and be in violent brawls.
What sets him above the others is his ability to mix up his striking and always keep his opponents guessing. He has a strong background in Taekwondo, which goes well with his Thai boxing skills.
Joanna Jedrzejczyk
In her prime, Joanna was in the league on her own when it comes to striking. There was no woman fighter who could stand in front of her and trade strikes. With five title defenses, Joanna is by far the most dominant 115lbs champ. We will have to wait for a long time to see some other lady matching all of Joanna’s records.
Before fighting in MMA, Joanna was a famous name in the Muay Thai world. She was able to crown herself with five Muay Thai world titles and many European titles as well. I mean, that’s what you call a striking resume.
In MMA, Joanna is a master in keeping her range and destroying her opponents with volume. She is a volume striker who never throws a single kick or punch at a time.
The most amazing fact about her game is not the volume; it is the laser accuracy behind it. From front kicks to a barrage of straight punches, you will rarely see Joanna miss a single strike. Against Michele Waterson, she threw 78 leg kicks!
Jose Aldo
Jose Aldo is not just one of the greatest to ever do it. He showed us how effective Muay Thai can be in MMA. For almost a decade, Aldo’s striking and knowledge of the standup aspect was a real mystery. Standing in front of him and trading punches was suicidal.
Aldo is a wizard on the feet and a pure Muay Thai fighter. His main weapons are his kicks, notably the low kicks he often trained with Dutch kickboxing legend, Andy Souwer. He used this kick to quickly destroy both legs of his opponents which impact the way they move in a fight. After just a couple of those, his opponents would become sitting ducks waiting for the end.
Don’t let his 13s loss to McGregor fool you about how great Aldo was in his prime. He once was on an amazing 18 fight win streak, out of which 15 were in UFC/WEC promotion. That’s how good he was.
Mauricio “Shogun” Rua
It’s weird how modern day fans are not familiar with the career of Mauricio Rua. He was one of the few people who were able to win titles both in Pride (2005) and the UFC. And oh boy, he left carnage whenever he stepped inside the ring or cage.
Rua grew up training BJJ and Muay Thai alongside his brother. Even though he is a legit BJJ black belt, Rua has always preferred to stand and trade strikes. In his prime, Rua’s Muay Thai game was out of this world, and he was by far the most complete striker.
Lose or win, we all enjoy looking at Rua fight simply because of how violent he was. We never saw him calculating the risks or hesitating to pull the trigger. Whether it was a punch or kick, each strike he threw had a deadly intent behind.
Just recall Shogun’s clinch work when he KO’d Rampage Jackson at Pride in 2005.
Valentina Shevchenko
Shevchenko is the UFC champ who has elite level standup skills and an amazing striking resume. Before MMA, she spent many years training and fighting in Muay Thai. In her career, she won over 15 world and European titles, some of which in Thailand.
Shevchenko is the most violent female MMA fighter on the planet and it’s hard to argue against that. Like her nickname “The Bullet” suggests, she is fast, precise, and deadly on the feet. Looking at her fight in the standup is like seeing Lion playing with his foot. She is that good.
Like a true Muay Thai fighter, she is a counter striker and prefers to catch her rivals coming in. She is a master in mixing her punches with the kicks and finishing combos with outside leg kicks.
Jon Jones
Even though Jones doesn’t have a Muay Thai background, not putting him on this list would be wrong. He is perhaps the greatest MMA fighter ever who uses Muay Thai techniques a lot. I mean, watching Jones perform one could easily think he was born and grew up in Thailand.
His entire game standup game is built on being creative. You can often see him using various spinning techniques, step in elbows, and long distance kicks. If you think clinching him is a great idea; he would blast you with sharp elbows or knees.
On top of that, he has the highest reach in the weight class and his ability to keep his range is clearly what sets him above the others. In short, Jones is all about hitting without getting hit in return.
Douglas Lima
With so many highlight real finishes on his record, Lima might be the most violent fighter on the “Bellator” roster. Don’t look any further if you want to see how Muay Thai fighters do in MMA. Even though he is a rounded fighter and has good BJJ skills, Lima prefers a standup fight.
Lima is a pure Muay Thai fighter and he usually prepares for his matches in Thailand. Before moving to MMA, he fought in amateur Muay Thai matches and put together a perfect record of 21–0.
Like real Thai boxers, Lima is a counter puncher and his main weapons are his kicks. He throws them with laser precision and a lot of power behind them. He needs to land only a couple of calf kicks to destroy your lead leg. Just recall how powerful that low kick he dropped Venom Page with before knocking him out cold.
Matt Brown
To be honest, putting Matt Brown on this list instead of Darrent Till was a hard choice to make. But, Brown is a true MMA veteran and a fan favorite fighter who has been in many wars. Even if you are not his fan, we all must respect Brown’s warrior spirit. The man has a very inspirational story and is a born fighter.
Brown didn’t train Muay Thai before his MMA career. But in the process of developing skills for MMA, he realized Thai boxing suits him the best. Since day one, Brown has been known as one of the wildest and most violent Muay Thai fighters in MMA.
He enjoys being in wild brawls where he can land vicious elbows, knees, and other Thai boxing techniques. In his UFC career, Brown was able to knock a couple of opponents with elbow strikes. He may not be the best fighter in the UFC, but he has always been a tough matchup for anyone, notably because of his Muay Thai skills.
Anderson Silva
Silva wasn’t just a great champion whom people often see as the GOAT. He changed the MMA game by showing us the full effectiveness of Muay Thai in modern MMA. Even by today’s standards, Silva’s standup game remains a tough puzzle to solve. His timing and accuracy were out of this world.
To be honest, Silva wasn’t pure Muay Thai fighter on the feet. He also trained in Taekwondo, Capoeira, and various other fighting systems. But he used Muay Thai as a base on which he added techniques from other arts. This mix made him very awkward on the feet and deadly for every fighter standing in front of him.
Silva ruled the UFC 185lbs for almost a decade and was one of the most dominant champs ever with 10 title defenses.
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