Jon Jones, Jose Aldo and the 25 Most Explosive Fighters in the UFC Today

Over the past several years the UFC has been elevated to an elite level. It has become the world's fastest-growing sport and shows no signs of slowing down.

Much of the UFC's success comes from the world-class fighters that represent the sport.

And while the UFC consists of nearly 300 fighters, there are a select few that stand out amongst the others.

What separates these fighters is their unbelievable explosiveness that they bring to the sport. The explosiveness of these fighters has resulted in some of the greatest fights of all time.

The following slides display the 25 most explosive fighters in the UFC today.

Let's take a look...

25. Urijah Faber

Since Urijah Faber won the WEC Featherweight Championship in 2006 he has established himself as one of the most explosive fighters in the sport.

What sets Faber apart from most fighters is his ability to be explosive in both the knockout and submission.

Even during his defeat against Dominick Cruz at UFC 132 he showed why he belongs on this list.

24. Phil Davis

There's a reason Phil Davis has never lost a mixed martial arts fight: his explosiveness.

Coming off an All-American wrestling career at Penn State University, Davis has thrown his opponents around since entering the UFC.

In fact, he's never been taken down.

While Davis doesn't necessarily knock his opponent out every bout, his explosiveness is undeniable.

23. Gray Maynard

While it's difficult to define explosiveness in the UFC, Gray Maynard is certainly in there somewhere.

Just ask lightweight champion Frankie Edgar.

Maynard, has never lost a fight and much like Davis, explodes on his opponent through the takedown.

What sets Maynard apart from every other fighter is his explosiveness lasts the distance in nearly every fight.

22. Vitor Belfort

Despite being knocked out by Anderson Silva at UFC 126, Vitor Belfort has proven time and time again he is one of the most explosive fighters in the UFC.

Belfort's punches and knees are second to none.

Of his 20 career victories, Belfort has displayed 14 vicious knockouts.

21. Frankie Edgar

Too often the term "explosive" is shaded away from fighters in the lesser weight classes.

Not Frankie Edgar.

The UFC lightweight champion became a force to be reckoned with after his loss to Gray Maynard at a UFC Fight Night in 2008.

Since then, Edgar has emerged as the best fighter in his weight class and one of the more explosive fighters in the UFC today.

20. Diego Sanchez

Despite being pulled from the UFC 135 fight card due to an injury, Sanchez remains one of the most explosive fighters in the UFC.

And, what makes Sanchez's explosiveness even more impressive is he displays it in all three aspects of the sport: knockouts, submissions and decisions.

It also doesn't hurt that he has one of the biggest hearts in the UFC.

19. Chris Leben

While Chris Leben doesn't appear as an explosive fighter, don't be mistaken.

Leben showed exactly how explosive he is at UFC 132 when he knocked out Wanderlei Silva in the biggest victory of his career.

That's not the only time Leben's been recognized. Even in his defeats Leben shows his explosiveness through his strikes.

18. Chael Sonnen

While Chael Sonnen has always been a fairly explosive fighter, he showed just how explosive at UFC 117 against Anderson Silva.

Despite a losing effort, his ground-and-pound was one of the most explosive sitings in the history of the UFC.

Much of Sonnen's explosiveness is credited to his powerful takedowns and vicious strikes.

17. Anthony Johnson

Anthony Johnson has established himself as one of the most explosive fighters in the UFC today.

Johnson's knockout power has caught the eyes of many as he puts on a performance every time he enters the Octagon.

Johnson's strikes and punches have contributed greatly to his explosiveness.

16. Wanderlei Silva

What other fighter could lose six of his last eight bouts and remain in the UFC?

You may ask why he hasn't been let go and the answer is simple. The excitement and explosiveness Silva brings to the Octagon is undeniable.

Silva has established himself as one of the greatest knockout artists in mixed martial arts history. Win, lose or draw, Silva is explosive.

15. Clay Guida

Clay Guida is arguably the most explosive fighter in the lightweight division.

If you've ever seen Guida inside the Octagon you'll know his energy and takedowns are in a category of their own.

Guida's explosiveness has led him to two Fight of the Year awards along with several Fight of the Night awards.

14. Shane Carwin

Despite having lost two straight fights, Carwin is still one of the most explosive fighters in the UFC today.

Prior to entering the UFC, Carwin was more recognized for his submission skills.

Carwin proved his submission skills were merely just apart of his game as he knocked out his first four UFC opponents in the very first round of action.

If you were to describe Carwin's fights in one word, it would be explosive.

13. Lyoto Machida

Lyoto Machida is one of the most dangerous fighters in the UFC today. Along with being dangerous, Machida is very explosive.

Beside Anderson Silva, Machida is one of the most explosive kickers in the sport.

Macida displayed exactly how explosive he is when he literally kicked Randy Couture into retirement at UFC 129.

12. Brock Lesnar

Despite being out of the Octagon for nearly a year, Brock Lesnar belongs in the category of UFC's most explosive fighters.

When healthy Lesnar presents immeasurable explosiveness in his ground-and-pound game. 

Lesnar's brutal strikes and punches have set him in an elite group compared to most mixed martial artists.

11. Rampage Jackson

Despite not displaying his knockout power in his last four fights, Quinton "Rampage" Jackson remains one of the most explosive fighters in the business.

Everything about Jackson is explosive—his knockouts, energy, wrestling, slamming ability and his heart.

Jackson is always one punch away from being victorious every time he enters the Octagon.

10. Alistair Overeem

While many mixed martial arts fans believe Alistair Overeem is the most explosive fighter in the sport he needs to prove it inside the Octagon.

Overeem recently signed a contract with the UFC where he will be on the biggest stage of his career.

Regardless of who he fights he brings unmatchable explosiveness to every fight.

Overeem is explosive in every aspect of fighting consisting of knockouts, submissions and the rare decision.

9. Junior Dos Santos

Junior Dos Santos is arguably the most explosive fighter in the heavyweight division beside Cain Velasquez.

Dos Santos, who will fight for the heavyweight title at UFC 139, is vicious in his strikes and overwhelms opponents with his electrifying energy.

A major part of Dos Santos' perfect record since entering the UFC is attributed to being explosive.

8. Rashad Evans

Rashad Evans has lost just one fight in his mixed martial arts career and has established himself as one of the most explosive fighters in the UFC.

Nearly every time Evans enters the Octagon he wins Fight of the Night, Knockout of the Night and he's even won Knockout of the Year in his fight against Chuck Liddell at UFC 88.

Evans' toughness, heart, ground-and-pound, wrestling skills and strikes all contribute to his overall explosiveness.

7. Georges St-Pierre

Georges St-Pierre could easily be in the top five for most explosive fighters in the UFC.

St-Pierre may very well be the greatest fighter ever to fight in the welterweight division as he has demolished every fighter who's come his way.

While St-Pierre's explosiveness doesn't always come by way of knockout his takedowns, wrestling and overall expertise in the sport have catapulted him into this category.

6. Cain Velasquez

Cain Velasquez, who's never lost a fight in his mixed martial arts career, is arguably the most explosive fighter in the heavyweight division.

Since entering the UFC in 2008 he has six amazing knockouts in just seven bouts.

Velasquez's explosiveness comes from being an overall well-rounded fighter in the ground-and-pound, striking and the takedown.

5. Mauricio "Shogun" Rua

Mauricio "Shogun" Rua is arguably the most explosive fighter in the light heavyweight division.

Rua, who's been fighting since 2002, has shown no signs of slowing down anytime soon.

Every time Rua enters the Octagon he puts on a show of explosiveness and has become a fan favorite because of it.

Of his 20 career victories, 17 of them have come by way of an electrifying knockout, including the Fight of the Year in 2007 against Mark Coleman.

4. Melvin Guillard

Melvin Guillard, who tested positive for cocaine in April of 2007, has turned his career around and is on a fast track for a lightweight title shot.

Guillard is arguably one of the best knockout artists to ever step in the Octagon and is also one of the most explosive fighters in the UFC today.

Guillard, also known as "The Young Assassin," is just that.

Any opponent who squares off with Guillard is usually overwhelmed by his unbelievable explosiveness and knockout power.

3. Anderson Silva

Anderson Silva is unarguably the greatest fighter to have ever walked the earth.

Silva, who hasn't lost since a disqualification in January of 2006 against Yushin Okami, has defended his middleweight championship nine straight times.

What makes Silva more explosive is his ability to knock his opponents out via strikes, elbows, knees or even kicks.

Silva also is explosive in the ground-and-pound, submission and every other aspect of mixed martial arts.

2. Jon Jones

Jon Jones is arguably the most explosive fighter in the world.

Jones, who's never legitimately lost a fight in his mixed martial arts career aside from a disqualification at the Ultimate Fighter Finale in 2009, has established himself as the best fighter in the light heavyweight division.

When "Bones" Jones enters the Octagon every fan is on their feet. Everything about Jones is explosive including his striking, kicks, takedowns and submissions.

An expert in wrestling, jiu-jitsu, and Muay Thai, Jones is in a class of his own.

1. Jose Aldo

Jose Aldo has proved time and time again that he is, in fact, the most explosive fighter in the UFC today.

Aldo, who hasn't lost since November of 2005, is the featherweight champion and arguably the toughest pound-for-pound fighter in the world.

The Brazilian jiu-jitsu mastermind may very well be the most explosive striker in the world.

And, what makes Aldo even more explosive is his ability to soccer-kick, elbow, strike or even knee his opponent to victory.