The 5 Best Strikers in Women's MMA
While Ronda Rousey has radically elevated the popularity of women's MMA with her grappling wizardry, the fighters on this list have made their bones utilizing superb striking chops.
Some, like Cristiane "Cyborg" Justino, tap into brute striking repertoires to finish opponents swiftly. Others, like Holly Holm, use their technical prowess to pick foes apart in calculated stand-up exchanges.
They pull off ferocious striking techniques with the same precision as their male counterparts and they do it with a strange brand of grace and elegance.
Here are the five best strikers in women's MMA.
Honorable Mentions
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Joanne Calderwood
Age: 26
Record: 7-0 (4 KO's)
Weight Class: Strawweight
Style: Muay Thai
Miriam Nakamoto
Age: 37
Record: 2-0 (2 KO's)
Weight class: Bantamweight
Style: Muay Thai
5. Germaine De Randamie
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With the longest reach (72.5-inches) in her division and a pristine kickboxing record, Germaine de Randamie represents the most promising and unorthodox striker in the UFC's 135-pound division.
Once a 145-pounder, the 29-year-old native of the Netherlands racked up a 37-0 record in her kickboxing career, which included 14 KO's.
Randamie outpointed Julie Kedzie in her promotional debut at UFC on Fox 8. She then suffered her first career KO/TKO setback when Amanda Nunes floored, mounted and elbowed her into submission at UFC Fight Night 31.
She's scored just one KO since turning pro in 2008, but if Randamie can improve her defensive wrestling skills, the American Kickboxing Academy product will surely realize her endless striking potential.
4. Sarah Kaufman
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Sarah Kaufman didn't perform up to snuff in her promotional debut in a split-decision loss to a smaller Jessica Eye at UFC 166.
However, Kaufman, who's tallied KO's in 10 of her 16 wins, has used her kickboxing abilities to outstrike some of the sport's best, including Liz Carmouche, Alexis Davis and Miesha Tate.
Kaufman capped her Strikeforce career with a 6-2 mark, losing via armbar to both UFC bantamweight champ Ronda Rousey and former Strikeforce welterweight linchpin Marloes Coenen.
Ranked fifth in the UFC's bantamweight division, Kaufman earned a spot on the list because of her knack for consistently hurting opponents with blows on the ground and strikes in stand-up flurries.
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3. Cat Zingano
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Cat Zingano doesn't signify the most well-groomed or technically sound striker on this countdown. The UFC's top-ranked women's bantamweight made the cut because of her raw aggression, savage strength and ability to deliver fight-ending strikes on the ground or from the standing position.
Zingano sports the second-longest reach (70 inches) in the UFC's women's bantamweight division, and the 31-year-old Colorado native has used it to score KO's in four of her eight career wins.
Zingano's most significant and impressive win came in her latest outing, a brutal TKO of Miesha Tate at The Ultimate Fighter 17 Finale.
Zingano survived a tumultuous first round against Tate before turning the tables on the former Strikeforce champ and bouncing back to nearly finish her in the second.
Tate, however, failed to withstand Zingano's continued assault, which included vicious strikes on the ground and thunderous knees and elbows from the clinch. Zingano ultimately polished Tate off at the 2:55 mark of the third round with additional knees and elbows.
Unfortunately for Zingano, a knee injury she suffered in May prevented her from both coaching opposite Ronda Rousey on The Ultimate Fighter 18 and later squaring off with the champ for the belt at UFC 168.
2. Cristiane "Cyborg" Justino
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Akin to Cat Zingano, former Strikeforce featherweight linchpin Cristiane "Cyborg" Justino possesses the rare combination of frightening killer instinct and one-strike KO power.
Of her 12 wins, Cyborg has collected 10 KO's, tallying one-sided beatings over the likes of Shayna Baszler, Gina Carano and Marloes Coenen (twice), among many others.
Justino holds a brown belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu under Andre Galvao, but the 28-year-old Invicta FC featherweight champ has yet to flash many submission skills in her eight-year MMA career.
Truth be told, Cyborg has done just fine using a balls-to-the-wall approach to her striking game, pushing a pace that few can handle.
However, the 28-year-old Brazilian hasn't faced a stiff challenge in years and seems desperate to get her feet wet with the sport's most lucrative draws in the UFC.
But until the UFC adds a featherweight division, or until Cyborg cuts to 135, she'll remain on the outside looking in.
1. Holly Holm
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Holly Holm doesn't have an extensive MMA resume yet, but that's only because the 32-year-old Albuquerque native spent 11 years honing her striking skills as a pro boxer.
A multi-division WBF champ, Holm amassed a 33-2-3 record between 2002 and 2013. At her pinnacle, Holm, who's blessed with a 70-inch reach, was named The Ring Magazine female fighter of the year in 2005 and 2006.
Under the guidance of Jackson's MMA striking coach Mike Winkeljohn, Holm also went unbeaten in eight amateur kickboxing matches, winning the International Kickboxing Federation's amateur national title in 2001.
Holm transitioned to MMA in 2011 and made her pro debut with a second-round TKO in March. Roughly six months later, Holm KO'd former Strikeforce title challenger Jan Finney with a thunderous third-round kick to the body.
In 2013, Holm has won three fights via second-round KO/TKO, including a brutal beating of Katie Merrill at Bellator 91.
A 5'8" bantamweight, Holm possesses the plethora of tools needed to become the UFC's most dominant striker.
Like Ronda Rousey before her, Holm just needs to continue to turn heads until UFC president Dana White realizes she belongs with the sharks.
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