UFC 129: Jose Aldo and the 10 Greatest Killer Instincts in MMA
When UFC feahterweight champion Jose Aldo fights number one contender Mark Hominick at UFC 129 later this month, there might be one difference that sets them apart, and it's Aldo's killer instinct.
Some fighters have it and some don't, but it is a key to success for many of the most exciting, explosive and aggressive fighters in MMA.
It's not always the best and safest skill, but it sure is entertaining to see a fighter take advantage of every opening their opponent leaves with a knockout or a submission.
These are the top 10 fighters with the best killer instinct in MMA right now.
Notable Mention: Gilbert Melendez
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The top-10 lightweight and current Strikeforce lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez has finished 11 of his 21 opponents and has wins over every opponent he has faced.
Melendez picked up the biggest victory of his career when he stopped top-10 lightweight fighter Tatsuya Kawajiri at Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Daley.
After rocking the Japanese fighter, Melendez jumped all over him and finished with a brutal ground-and-pound attack three minutes into the bout.
Melendez fights in the most stacked and toughest division in MMA. With fighters like Frankie Edgar, Gray Maynard, Jim Miller and Eddie Alvarez fighting in the same division but in different organizations, Melendez will have to continue to impress fans with his finishing ability.
No. 10 Carlos Condit
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Carlos Condit's killer instinct has been a factor to him obtaining a 3-1 record inside the Octagon. He will need it when he takes on Dong Hyun Kim at UFC 132.
After losing his UFC debut to Martin Kampmann, Condit took on dangerous up-and-comers Jake Ellenberger and Rory MacDonald.
In two very entertaining back-and-forth welterweight bouts, the former WEC welterweight champion seemed to be on his way to losing before taking his killer instinct to the next level, coming back in both fights to win.
He was one round away from losing to MacDonald but came back in the third to stop the 20-year-old Canadian fighter with seven seconds left in the fight.
He also was the first fighter to knock out Dan Hardy at UFC 121.
No. 9 Melvin Manhoef
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Even though Manhoef is 2-5 in his last seven bouts, this Dutch kickboxer has only been the distance twice in his MMA career of over 30 professional bouts.
Of his 24 victories, 23 have come by knockout. He also has a kickboxing record of 37-9 with 27 knockouts.
Manhoef has some of the most vicious and ruthless knockouts in MMA. His aggressive fighting style also leaves him opened to be knocked out, but it's his ground game that has led to most of his losses. Most of his opponents, if they are smart, are quick to take it there.
No. 8 Nick Diaz
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Strikeforce welterweight champion Nick Diaz has finished nine of his last 10 opponents including stoppage wins over Paul Daley, Frank Shamrock, Hayato Sakurai and Scott Smith.
The fight everyone wants to see is Diaz versus the UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre. Diaz hasn't expressed much interest in fighting the top pound-for-pound fighter but will likely be interested in pursuing it if his teammate, Jake Shields, fails to take out the Canadian superstar.
St. Pierre along with top welterweight Jon Fitch haven't been able to finish many of their latest opponents, and it may be their lack of killer instinct, at least on the level that Diaz, Thiago Alves and B.J. Penn show.
No. 7 Fedor Emelianenko
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MMA legend and top-10 heavyweight fighter Fedor Emelianenko has lost his last two fights, but he also has 31 victories including eight by knockout and 16 by submission.
Emelianenko's killer instinct doesn't come where most other fighers' show it, and his ability to quickly catch his opponents in arm-bars and chokes has been an impressive part of his arsenal.
His last two wins, which were both by one-punch knockout, came against Andrei Arlovski and Brett Rogers. In two tough fights, he waited for the opening and landed one shot to put both heavyweights away in impressive fashion.
No. 6 Jose Aldo
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UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo has a highlight reel of knockouts featuring a double flying knee, elbows, punches and kicks, which have led him to finishing seven of his last eight opponents.
Aldo didn't show it in his title fight with Urijah Faber at WEC 48, but the 24-year-old has used his killer instinct to finish fighters like Mike Brown, Manny Gamburyan and Cub Swanson. It only took one clean strike to finish off Gamburyan and eight seconds to stop Swanson.
Aldo's next bout will be his first UFC title defense against dangerous striker Mark Hominick in Toronto, Canada at UFC 129. Two words; don't blink.
No. 5 B.J. Penn
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B.J "The Prodigy" Penn is the former UFC lightweight and welterweight champion and holds victories over Matt Hughes (x2), Kenny Florian, Sean Sherk, Joe Stevenson and Diego Sanchez. He also has a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
Penn has seven victories by knockout and six by submission. His last win to not come by either of those was in 2005 when he fought Renzo Gracie.
If you want to see Penn's incredible ability to quickly finish his opponents, check out his win over Caol Uno or his third bout with former UFC welterweight champion Matt Hughes. Both of them combined only last a total of 32 seconds.
No. 4 Anderson Silva
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Current UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva doesn't start most of his fights aggressively, but one small opening later, and it's usually lights out for his opponent.
Silva has shown some of the greatest ability to take advantage of any small opening his opponent leaves, and he has knockouts over Vitor Belfort, Forrest Griffin, Rich Franklin (x2), Chris Leben and James Irvin to support his claim.
In his next fight versus Japanese fighter Yushin Okami, who is the last opponent to defeat the numer one pound-for-pound fighter, killer instinct will be the most essential key to victory for Silva to keep retain his undefeated UFC record of 13 consecutive victories.
No. 3 Mauricio "Shogun" Rua
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It's the key to victory for most of his fights, and the former UFC light-heavyweight champion has used his killer instinct to his advantage to earn 16 knockouts in 19 victories.
Rua's last four wins have all come by knockout. They include victories over Alistair Overeem, Lyoto Machida, Chuck Liddell and Mark Coleman.
His devastating muay-thai and striking attack has helped him earn other victories over Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira and Ricardo Arona.
Rua's next opponent will be Forrest Griffin at UFC 134 in Brazil, which will be a rematch with the first man to defeat the 29-year-old inside the UFC.
No. 2 Vitor Belfort
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Brazilian mixed martial arts fighter and former UFC light-heavyweight champion Vitor Belfort has made a career out of his unique combination of speed, power and finishing ability.
At the age of 19, he won his first four bouts all by knockout with three of them taking place in the UFC.
He holds knockout victories over Wanderlei Silva, Rich Franklin and Matt Lindland in brutal displays of aggressive, accurate displays of punching power and speed.
It's never long after he gets his opponents hurt that he usually has them finished, and it is a skill he has had his entire career.
No. 1 Wanderlei Silva
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Wanderlei Silva may no longer be the fighter fans remember him being when he fought in Pride, but the Brazilian is more aggressive and hungrier than ever to get victories in convincing fashion.
The question is just whether or not that has taken a toll on his body after suffering knockout losses in three of his last seven bouts.
He doesn't have the killer instinct he once had, but he has made a career out of a "knock out or be knocked out" mindset, and he has to take that into consideration in the select few fights he has left before retiring.
His next opponent will be Chris Leben, who is also a worthy mention for having a killer instinct. Expect fireworks when these two middleweight sluggers meet.
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