Brazilian kickboxer Alex “Potan” Pereira has recently made headlines by capturing the UFC middleweight title, ending the reign of Israel Adesanya. With a gold medal in just his fourth UFC appearance, Alex is one of the few kickboxers who has found success inside the octagon. While some big names like Gökhan Saki and Badr Hari have struggled inside the octagon, there have been a few who have successfully made the switch. Here is the list of ten other kickboxers who have found success in MMA in no particular order :
1. Israel Adesanya
Former UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya might be the most popular entry on this list. “The Stylebender” is known for his incredible resume, which boasts of more than a hundred wins, including victories over Jason Wilnis and Yousuri Belgouri.
The Kiwi made his debut back in 2018 and has been on a terror run since, capturing the middleweight strap in the process. He defended his belt five times against the likes of Yoel Romero, Paulo Costa, Marvin Vettori, Robert Whittaker, and Jarred Cannonier. His win streak, however, recently came to an end after a TKO loss against his arc rival and current middleweight champion, Alex “Poatan” Pereira.
2. Germaine De Randame
There are few combat athletes who can claim to match Germaine De Randame’s accomplishments. The Dutchwoman has an undefeated kickboxing record of 46-0, holding the record for the most consecutive wins in women’s kickboxing. Her kickboxing career has seen her become the WIKBA, WPKL, and IKCC world champion.
She has an equally impressive resume inside the octagon, with a combined record of 10 wins and 4 losses. The Iron Lady became the inaugural UFC women’s featherweight champion by beating Holly Holmes at UFC 208. Her career highlights include wins over Julianna Pea, Aspen Ladd, and Raquel Pennington.
3. Valentina Shevchenko
UFC flyweight queen Valentina Shevchenko is known for her dominance of the female’s 125-pound division. Currently on a nine-fight winning streak, the Kyrgyz-Peruvian fighter is widely considered one of the best female mixed martial artists to ever embrace the octagon, having defended her strap six times. She has also challenged UFC two-division champion, Amanda Nunes, on two different occasions, narrowly coming up short on both.
However, many people ignore Valentina’s brief kickboxing career in favour of her decorated Muay Thai and MMA career, which saw her become the WKC K-1 and Kunlun Fight women’s lightweight champion. The Bullet has a combined kickboxing and Muay Thai record of 57-2.
4. Joanna Jdrzejczyk
Former women’s strawweight champion Joanna Jdrzejczyk is another fighter who successfully transitioned from the kickboxing ring to the octagon. After capturing the belt at UFC 185 from Carla Esparza, the Polish fighter went on to defend the belt five times before losing it to Rose Namajuanas.
Before her octagon run, Joanna competed in Muay Thai and kickboxing, amassing a record of 27-3. Her kickboxing career saw her as J-Girls World Featherweight Champion, WBKF Pro Title, and WKF European Champion. Before going professional, Joanna had also been Poland’s national Muay Thai champion.
5. Maurice Smith
Many new fans might not remember Maurice Smith, but the ones who followed the sport in the late 1990s can easily recall this legend. Smith captured the UFC heavyweight championship by beating Mark Coleman at UFC 14. He would go on to defend the title against fan favourite Tank Abbott, ultimately losing it to Randy Couture.
Before entering the octagon, Maurice was known for his kickboxing career. His kickboxing record stands at 53-13, which includes WKA and WKC heavyweight titles.
6. Mirko Filipović
Famously known as “Cro Cop” for his time as the head of an anti-terror squad in Croatia, Mirko Filipović is a big name in sports. The former kickboxer is widely regarded as one of the greatest heavyweights in both kickboxing and MMA, becoming the only person to win K-1, Pride, and Rizin Grand Prix Championships with numerous other accolades to his name.
Mirko’s MMA accomplishments include being the Pride World Open-Weight Grand Prix Champion, the Rizin World Open-Weight Grand Prix Champion, and the IGF Champion. He also holds the record for most finishes, most wins through kicks, and most head kick knockouts in Pride history.
7. Alistair Overeem
Arguably one of the most feared heavyweights in the history of combat sports, Alistair Overeem is one of the few fighters to find success in both the cage and the ring. The Dutchman started his kickboxing career at the age of 17. Since then, he has amassed a respectable record of 11-4, winning the 2010 K-1 Grand Prix in the process.
In MMA, Overeem has fought in many major promotions, winning the heavyweight title in Dream and Strikeforce. He also challenged Stiepe Miocic for the UFC heavyweight title but lost his effort. He is the only fighter to simultaneously hold three championship belts (Strikeforce, K-1, and Dream).
8. Stephen Thompson
Entering the octagon as an undefeated full-contact kickboxer, Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson made a name for himself in the UFC’s welterweight division with his high-level striking. Thompson’s kickboxing career includes 20 wins with no losses, winning the IKF championship six times.
Thompson’s MMA career’s highlight includes his 7-fight win streak, beating the likes of Rory MacDonald, Robert Whittaker, and Johnny Hendricks. This streak earned Thompson two title opportunities against Tyron Woodley for the 170 lb. gold.
9. Sebastian Rutten
Although Sebastian “Bass” started as a kickboxer, he is better known for his MMA career, which saw him become the UFC heavyweight champion. The Dutch-American has also held the title of King of Pancreas. Initially known as a dangerous striker, infamous for his liver strikes, he soon developed into a grappling specialist. His rivalry with Ken Shamrock is widely regarded as one of the most popular in the early days of the MMA.
Entering the kickboxing ring at the age of 20, Rutten’s most memorable opponents inside the kickboxing ring were Frank Lobman and Rene Rooze. His resume includes 14 first-round wins out of his 16 kickboxing bouts.
10. Weilie Zhang
The current woman’s strawweight champion, Weilie Zhang, is another kickboxer who has found success inside the octagon. The Chinese fighter has previously competed in kickboxing with mixed results, losing two of her four professional bouts.
However, it’s in the octagon where the “Magnum” found real success with an impressive record of 23 wins and 3 losses, capturing the UFC strawweight title in the process. Zhang had locked horns with former Champions Rose Namajuanas (twice), Carla Esparza, Jessica Andrade, and Joanna Jdrzejczyk (twice), coming out victorious in each encounter except the two against Rose.