The 50 Fastest Fighters in MMA History

Everybody knows that speed kills.  

It has been shown time and time again in MMA that if you are not fast, you will get eaten alive.

A large object moving slowly is generally less dangerous than a smaller object moving faster.

With the level of competition currently in the UFC, the entire roster is made up of extremely fast individuals.  But who are the individuals who have been able to separate themselves from the pack throughout the history of MMA?

Speed is determined by explosiveness/quickness and reaction time and is manifested in footwork, evasion, striking, takedowns and ground work.

Obviously, a lot of the smaller fighters in the lighter divisions are quicker than their larger counter-parts, but this list is based mostly on divisional performance. That being said, the smaller guys still get represented extremely well because, generally, they have learned to use their speed to greater effect than many big guys.

Over the course of MMA history, these are the athletes that have separated themselves from the pack as the fastest fighters.

Prospects

It's a little bit too early to determine where these guys will be in the future, but Charles Oliveira and Rory MacDonald certainly look like their speed can help them get to the top.

50. Brandon Vera

As a natural light-heavyweight, Brandon Vera was terrorizing the heavyweight division in 2006. His speed was just too much.

He has since moved down to the light-heavyweight division where Vera has still been able to fire off some of the fastest strikes around.

49. Shinya Aoki

It does not matter who you are, nobody out-grapples Shinya Aoki below 170lbs.

His incredible technique, coupled with obvious athleticism, keeps Shinya Aoki a few steps ahead of the competition when the fight hits the mat.

48. Jens Pulver

A decade ago, Jens Pulver had probably the fastest hands in the sport.

While his ability has fallen off over the past several years, no one can take away the accomplishments of the UFC's first ever lightweight champion.

47. Diego Sanchez

Although he was not the fastest fighter when he competed at lightweight, Sanchez could still hold his own, even against the likes of speed demon Clay Guida.

At welterweight, however, Sanchez is a relentless speed demon in his own right.

46. Takanori Gomi

Once the top ranked lightweight in the world, Gomi was revered for his knockout power.

That power came from the blistering speed behind his fists.

45. Nate Marquardt

He can cut down to welterweight, but Nate Marquardt has been a standout middleweight, in heavy part due to his speed.

He can utilize rapid-fire combinations as good as anyone in the sport.

44. Wanderlei Silva

Always moving forward, Silva would often chase his opponent's down in pursuit of the knockout.

A natural middleweight, Silva was helped to achieve legendary status by bashing the skulls of men larger than himself.

43. Anthony Johnson

Perhaps the biggest welterweight competing today, Anthony Johnson still beats his competition to the punch.

His head-kick knockout of Kevin Burns was ferocious and happened in the blink of an eye.

42. Mark Hominick

Correct technique makes you more precise and efficient. That efficiency translates into more speed.

Mark Hominick's minute-and-a-half dismantling of George Roop perfectly illustrated just how devastating his speed is.

41. Hayato Sakurai

Hayato "Mach" Sakurai is one of the greatest fighters in the history of the sport.

His combination of speed and power has overwhelmed some of the biggest names at welterweight and lightweight.

40. Thiago Alves

Whether firing knees, kicks, punches or stuffing takedowns, Thiago Alves is one of the quickest fighters in the welterweight division.

His shutdown of explosive wrestler Josh Koscheck was particularily impressive. 

39. Chuck Liddell

Chuck Liddell easily goes down in history as one of the greatest counter-strikers in the history of the sport.

His strikes were so devastating because of his reaction time and the incredible velocity with which he could throw his fists. 

38. Junior dos Santos

Everybody knows that No.1 heavyweight contender Junior dos Santos has some of the fastest hands in the history of the heavyweight division.

What really impressed me, however, was how explosive he was in nailing double leg takedowns on wrestler Shane Carwin.

37. Charles Bennett

He may not be the most consistent fighter, but this lightweight and featherweight veteran of over 45 fights is lightning in a bottle.

Handle with care, because he can explode.

36. Spencer Fisher

A staple of the UFC lightweight division for over the past five years, Spencer "The King" Fisher is notable for his incredible hand speed.

Against some of the quickest competition around, Fisher's speed is still evident.

35. Joachim Hansen

Joachim "Hellboy" Hansen was the first Scandanavian fighter to win a major MMA title when he beat Takanori Gomi for the Shooto belt.

A natural sub-155 lb fighter, Hansen made a name for himself as a quick and explosive threat against the top 155 lb fighters in the world.

34. Paul Daley

Paul Daley's strikes are like missiles.

You do not even see them coming until it is too late.

33. BJ Penn

One might be inclined to think that Penn has looked fast due to his propensity to challenge bigger fighters, but the reality is that even at lightweight Penn has some of the fastest hands ever seen.

32. Rashad Evans

With quick hands, feet and an explosive double-leg shot, Rashad Evans is fast enough to always keep his opponent guessing.

He has bested the likes of Forrest Griffin, Chuck Liddell, Quinton Jackson and Thiago Silva.

31. Mitsuhiro Ishida

"The Endless Warrior", aside from having one of the coolest nicknames in the sport, is also one of the quickest lightweight fighters in the sport's history.

He has a mean double-leg takedown, and he maintains a rapid pace wherever the fight goes, leading to victories over the likes of Marcus Aurelio and Gilbert Melendez.

30. Denis Kang

His performances have dropped off a little in recent years, but Denis Kang was long considered one of the sport's premiere middleweights.

The ethnic-Korean Canadian fighter has explosive standup but can also shoot in for a takedown in the blink of an eye.

29. Din Thomas

Din Thomas knew how to blitz opponents when he wanted to.

After a storied career as a lightweight, the veteran fighter decided to drop down in weight to the increasingly prominent featherweight division.

28. Joseph Benavidez

Ranked by many as the No. 2 bantamweight in the world, it seems the only fighter able to handle the speed of Benavidez right now is champion Dominick Cruz.

27. Dennis Siver

The German kickboxer is short and stalky and fires off quick explosive strikes.

He is so fast that he has been able to finish off two opponents, in the UFC, with a spinner back kick.

26. Mike Swick

At welterweight, Mike Swick still has good speed and swarming ability, but his speed was outstanding at middleweight.

He earned the nickname Mike "Quick" Swick for his ability to blow opponents out of the water right from the opening bell.

25. Cung Le

Cung Le has not had a lot of MMA fights, but his time in the sport has certainly been noteworthy.

The accomplished kickboxer and Sanshou practitioner kicks, punches and throws his opponents around so quickly, they hardly know what is happening. 

24. Mirko Filipovic

He was a bit undersized by today's heavyweight standards, but Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic was able to become arguably the most feared man on the planet with his devastating strikes.

He could shuck off takedown attempts without a problem, and he could flick up his famous high-kicks fast enough to knock opponents out even though they knew it was his signature move. 

23. Andrei Arlovski

The former UFC heavyweight champion was a physical speciman at 242 lbs and hardly an ounce of fat.

His fists were deadly as he could beat fighters to the punch who were even much small than him.

22. Kevin Randleman

In 1999 and 2000, Kevin Randleman won and defended the UFC heavyweight title with an athleticism yet seen in the sport to that point.

His speed was something not to be overlooked as he was able to catch Mirko Filipovic with a quick punch and pull off a huge upset.

21. Norifumi Yamamoto

A natural bantamweight, "KID" Yamamoto has been terrorizing lighter weight fighters for the past decade.

His incredible speed has helped him finish such fighters as Caol Uno, Genki Sudo, Royler Gracie and Rani Yahya.

20. Clay Guida

Clay Guida maintains a pace that few fighters deal with.

"The Carpenter" throws combinations and shoots takedowns without any rest, constantly putting pressure on his opponents.

19. Demetrious Johnson

Demetrious "Might Mouse" Johnson's career is just now starting to bloom, but he has already proven to be one of the fastest fighters that the sport has seen.

The pint-sized bantamweight knows how to keep other speed demons at bay, and it might only be up and up for this young star.

18. Eddie Alvarez

Eddie Alvarez is a pretty big lightweight and still makes other lightweights seem slow.

He beats guys like Roger Huerta, Pat Curran and Joachim Hansen to the punch.  

17. Melvin Manhoef

Melvin Manhoef has struggled against the upper echelons of MMA fighters, but in terms of pure unbridled speed, it does not get much better than Melvin Manhoef.

16. Lyoto Machida

Lyoto Machida became a champion with a style that was based off reflexes and reaction.

At light heavyweight, there are only a couple of fighters able to even frustrate Machida's game of counter-attacking.

15. Mauricio Rua

Mauricio Rua has always hit like a heavyweight but moved like a welterweight.

He has been one step ahead of most of the competition for several years now.

14. Jon Jones

The sky is the limit for the new light heavyweight champion, Jon "Bones" Jones.

He is a massive light heavyweight, yet is also probably the fastest fighter in the division.

Jones was able to stuff the shot of renowned wrestler Ryan Bader and even shoot in a successful takedown of his own.

13. Melvin Guillard

Melvin Guillard has always been one of the fastest fighters in the sport, but now that he has more polish and focus, his superior speed and athleticism are helping him take out some of the best fighters in the sport instead of getting out ahead of him.

12. Dominick Cruz

The reigning bantamweight champion has a near incomparable style regarding his overall movement.

With incredible footwork, head movement, and of course, strikes, Dominick Cruz is almost always one step ahead of the competition. 

11. Gilbert Melendez

Strikeforce lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez is rising up to make a case as one of the top couple lightweights in the history of the sport.

Melendez is ready for anything because he is constantly moving into advantageous positions, thus enforcing his game on his opponents.

10. Frankie Edgar

A bit undersized for the lightweight division, Frankie Edgar has risen to the top of the sport by being able to out-hustle and outwork his elite opposition.

With top notch wrestling and boxing, it is hard for anyone to contain his speed.

9. Urijah Faber

Urijah Faber has been a pioneer for bringing attention to the smaller weight divisions.

Traditionally, he has allowed himself to try unconventional maneuvers and attacks because he is so fast that he can always recover to a neutral position in the ensuing scramble. 

8. Brock Lesnar

Quite simply, Brock Lesnar moves faster than a 265 lb-plus man should.

He is the kind of freak athlete that rarely comes around, in any sport.

7. Cain Velasquez

Undefeated heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez looks like he cannot be stopped. 

If Brock Lesnar is a freight train, then Cain Velasquez is a jet plane loaded to the gills with ammunition.

Only time will tell if he is the fastest heavyweight that the sport has ever seen.

6. Sean Sherk

Sean Sherk is explosive on the ground, standing and shooting in for takedowns.

His unique speed and athleticism have led Sherk to become one of the most successful fighters of the past decade.

5. Jose Aldo

Aldo snaps his entire body into devastating knees, kicks and punches that give his opponents almost no time to defend.

The speedy young featherweight champion is already a considerable favorite over any potential forthcoming challengers.

4. Fedor Emelianenko

Fedor "The Last Emperor" Emelianenko is deceptively explosive.

He presses forward throwing punches that surprise even the most savvy of opponents.

Check out his first armbar victory over Mark Coleman to see the quickest armbar from guard you will ever see from a man that size. 

3. Vitor Belfort

Vitor Belfort was blowing guys out of the water as a heavyweight back in the dark ages of MMA.

Now, even amongst the stacked middleweight division, Vitor Belfort arguably still has the fastest hands in the business.

2. Anderson Silva

Anderson Silva makes other fighters look like they are moving in slow motion.

His reflexes are maybe his greatest weapon, and he diligently trains them so that he has probably the greatest reaction ability in the entire sport.

1. Georges St-Pierre

Perhaps, there has never been a fighter as fast as Georges "Rush" St-Pierre in the history of MMA.

St-Pierre has famously spoken about his "riddum" (rythm) and how his opposition cannot keep up with it.

He slips punches, shoots doubles and has a piston of a jab—all melded together into one complete form of athleticism—making him one of the greatest champions the sport has ever seen.