5 current UFC fighters who are equally deadly with striking and submissions

#2. Marlon Vera – UFC bantamweight contender

Marlon Vera always looks to finish his opponents, and doesn't care how he does it

The headline bout of this weekend’s upcoming UFC Fight Night event features one of the most deadly finishers in the promotion right now, Ecuadorian bantamweight contender Marlon Vera.

‘Chito’ has quickly developed a reputation as one of the best 135lbers on the planet, and he’s done it by taking the majority of his foes out before the final buzzer.

Initially billed as a grappler, flashes of Vera’s dangerous skills in all areas were seen during his appearance in the first season of TUF: Latin America, as he knocked out Henry Briones with a brutal upkick from his back.

Since making his debut in the UFC proper in late 2014, he’s picked up a total of 12 victories in the octagon, with just two of them going the distance. Out of those 10 finishes, four have come via submission, with the other six coming via knockout or TKO, including his victories over Frankie Edgar, Sean O’Malley and Brad Pickett.

Perhaps most impressively, ‘Chito’ is equally dangerous with both his kicks and punches, as he’s stopped foes with a variety of different strikes, including punches to the head and body, as well as the incredible front kick that he used to take out Edgar.

Whether Vera can take out Rob Font this weekend is another matter, but it’s probably safe to guess that if the Ecuadorian does win, it won’t come via the judges’ scorecards.

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#1. Charles Oliveira – UFC lightweight champion

Charles Oliveira's finishing skills have taken him all the way to the UFC lightweight title

Not only is Charles Oliveira the reigning UFC lightweight champion and one of the best pound-for-pound fighters on the planet right now, but he’s also a deadly finisher with both his strikes and submissions.

In fact, with 18 finishes to his name during his tenure with the promotion, there’s a very fair argument to suggest that ‘Do Bronx’ is the most dangerous finisher in the history of the UFC, point blank.

It’s safe to say that the Brazilian has come a long way since he initially debuted in the octagon back in the summer of 2010. While he did hold an unbeaten 10-0 record with a variety of finishes, Oliveira was almost purely a grappler.

His first six octagon wins came via submission, including tapouts of Hatsu Hioki and Darren Elkins. It wasn’t until 2019 that he picked up his first win in the promotion via knockout when he took out Nik Lentz in the second round of their third bout.

Since then, though, it’s clear that ‘Do Bronx’ has discovered the true power in his punches, and since then he’s picked up another two finishes via knockout, most notably recovering from a bad first round to spark out former Bellator titleholder Michael Chandler to claim the lightweight title in 2021.

Essentially, Oliveira is a truly deadly fighter from every single area, and at this point, it’s hard to pinpoint his weaknesses. No matter how skilled they are, no opponent can ever consider themselves safe inside the octagon if they’re faced with ‘Do Bronx’.