Although MMA is, of course, a sport where plenty of different martial art disciplines are implemented, over the years, since the UFC was formed back in 1993, the sport of MMA has gone through plenty of different phases and eras where a discipline tends to have huge success. Back in the early days of the UFC, the main disciplines which had immense success were wrestling and jiu-jitsu, however, as the sport has grown and evolved, disciplines such as kickboxing and karate started to rise, and there were many champions who fought with those styles.
Right now, it could be argued that the singular discipline which is on the rise and starting to have incredible success in the UFC is boxing, specifically with reigning UFC lightweight champion Ilia Topuria. Although ‘El Matador’ is the most talked-about case when it comes to fantastic boxing in MMA, fellow champions such as Jack Della Maddalena and Tom Aspinall have also showcased immense boxing skills inside the Octagon.
During a recent appearance on the Full Send Podcast, one of the best pound-for-pound boxers in the world today, Terence Crawford, named the best boxer in the UFC. Although fighters such as Topuria and Conor McGregor have showcased extremely high-level boxing skills inside the Octagon, ‘Bud’ instead opted to name a former world champion whose talents are often forgotten nowadays.
Terence Crawford Named Cody Garbrandt as the Best Boxer in the UFC
Terence Crawford has snubbed several huge UFC superstars, such as Ilia Topuria and Conor McGregor, when naming the best boxer in the UFC during a recent episode of the Full Send Podcast. Instead of favouring the likes of Topuria and McGregor, ‘Bud’ has named former UFC bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt as the best boxer in the UFC. Although Garbrandt has won just three of his last 10 fights since becoming the UFC bantamweight champion back in 2016, the talent he has in his hands is clear, even though he hasn’t been as successful recently.
Crawford said the following:
“My guy, what’s his name, Cody (Garbrandt), he’s the best UFC boxer.”
He continued by remarking that he had seen Topuria. However, he added: “I don’t know, man, Cody has got them hands. I’m saying when we’re talking about straight boxing, we ain’t talking about nothing else, we’re talking about straight boxing skills, I just think Cody has got the best boxing skills in the UFC.”
When he defeated Dominick Cruz and became the UFC bantamweight champion at UFC 207, Garbrandt put in arguably one of the best performances in the history of the promotion. For the majority of the fight, ‘No Love’ styled on Cruz, and his boxing was just too much for him to deal with. This performance, despite his recent lack of success, is why his boxing is still so highly rated.
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