5 current UFC fighters who have been successful despite being one-dimensional

While the UFC once pitted different styles of martial arts against one another, these days, to survive in the promotion, a fighter must have well-rounded skills in all areas.

Despite most of the UFC’s stars being well-rounded in the current era, there are still a handful of more one-dimensional fighters who have been able to find success in the octagon.

How these fighters have made their success tends to vary based on a number of variables, but it’s always fascinating to see, particularly as it’s not all that common any more.

With that in mind, here are five current UFC fighters who have been successful despite being one-dimensional.

---

#5. Israel Adesanya – UFC middleweight champion

Israel Adesanya has never needed to use anything but his striking to find success

One of the most successful fighters currently in the UFC who appears to be one-dimensional is definitely reigning middleweight kingpin Israel Adesanya. Thus far, he’s only been beaten once in 12 visits to the octagon and that was when he moved up to 205 pounds.

However, while he’s basically run right through every opponent he’s faced at 185 pounds, including great fighters like Robert Whittaker, Paulo Costa and Derek Brunson, the only tool that ‘The Last Stylebender’ has really used has been his striking.

Sure, Adesanya is not a one-dimensional striker by any means, as he’s capable of boxing, kicking and also using a more unorthodox attack, but he certainly isn’t likely to be seen reaching for the clinch or shooting for a takedown any time soon.

To be fair to ‘The Last Stylebender’, he may well have a highly-underrated grappling game, although his loss to Jan Blachowicz suggested that wasn’t the case. After all, Anderson Silva was a very dangerous grappler who simply didn’t need to use that facet of his game, and the same could be said for Adesanya.

Therefore, until he’s actually forced to change up his approach, something that isn’t likely given the level of success he’s had, it’s probably safe to label the middleweight king as a one-dimensional fighter, albeit one who is truly great.

#4. Holly Holm – UFC bantamweight contender

Holly Holm has rarely needed to display anything but her striking skills in the octagon

Ever since the UFC introduced female fighters back in 2013, there’s been an argument to suggest that the level of competition in their various divisions is slightly less evolved than the level we see from their male counterparts.

Overall, though, that simply isn’t true. The likes of Julianna Pena, Amanda Nunes and Rose Namajunas are all remarkably well-rounded fighters with dangerous skills in all areas.

However, one fighter who is largely one-dimensional but who has also been able to find plenty of success is Holly Holm. The former UFC bantamweight champion, Holm debuted in the octagon with a reputation as a deadly striker, and it’s safe to say she’s lived up to that reputation.

‘The Preacher’s Daughter’ was able to knock out legendary champion Ronda Rousey in 2015, and while her rate of finishing isn’t great, she’s picked up other huge wins too over the likes of Bethe Correira, Raquel Pennington and Irene Aldana.

Despite this, though, Holm has never shown off any real skills outside of her striking in the octagon. Sure, she did use some takedowns to grind out a win over Megan Anderson in 2018, but it didn’t look comfortable for her, and since then, she’s gone right back to focusing purely on her stand-up.

Overall, though, her approach makes sense. When she’s able to pick apart almost all of her opponents without even taking much damage, why would ‘The Preacher’s Daughter’ look to change anything up? If anything, she’s the definition of a one-dimensional but highly-successful modern fighter.

---

#3. Tai Tuivasa – UFC heavyweight contender

Despite his recent success, we don't know much about Tai Tuivasa's ground game

The UFC’s heavyweight division tends to be a little different to the rest of the promotion’s roster in that punching power – or lack thereof – is a much bigger factor than in any other division. This means that over the years, fighters who might not have had the best-rounded skills have become hugely successful.

Right now, one such fighter is Tai Tuivasa. The native of Australia has skyrocketed to the top of the division in recent years. After a tricky period, he’s now riding a lengthy five-fight win streak, with all of those victories coming via KO or TKO.

Most recently, ‘Bam Bam’ dispatched Derrick Lewis with a vicious elbow in the second round of their fight, and showed off a truly iron chin when he was able to absorb big shots from ‘The Black Beast’.

However, all three of Tuivasa’s losses in the octagon came when his opponents were able to ground him, and despite his current run, there’s no real evidence to suggest that he’s closed that hole in his game.

Given that the top of the division is peopled largely by strikers like Ciryl Gane and Francis Ngannou, does Tuivasa need an excellent ground game to succeed? Generally, the answer is no, but if he were to fight a wrestler like Curtis Blaydes in the near future, then it’d definitely help.

For now, though, it’s safe to call him a one-dimensional fighter, but a notably dangerous and successful one, too.

#2. Michael Chiesa – UFC welterweight contender

Michael Chiesa's stifling grappling skills mean that he doesn't often need to bother striking with his foes

It’s probably fair to say that in the modern-day UFC, there are more one-dimensional strikers succeeding in the octagon than there are one-dimensional grapplers. There are a number of reasons for this.

Firstly, there are a large number of high-level wrestlers who’ve developed their striking to the point that they’re comfortable in using their wrestling in reverse, meaning they can stuff the majority of their opponent’s takedowns and force them to remain standing.

Secondly, the UFC’s rules seem to favor strikers somewhat, particularly when a referee can call a stand-up during a fight at any given time. However, that hasn’t stopped welterweight contender Michael Chiesa from finding plenty of success in the octagon over the years.

‘Maverick’ is willing to brawl with an opponent on the feet, but he’s never looked like the most comfortable or natural striker. However, if he can close the distance and grab hold of an opponent, he’s almost unstoppable.

Despite not really holding any high-level wrestling credentials, Chiesa’s takedowns are strong and when he’s on the mat, if he can get to a dominant position then he’s nearly impossible to shake off.

Sure, ‘Maverick’ has lost his last two fights, but interestingly, those two losses came against a pair of grapplers. Prior to that, he’d dealt with dangerous strikers like Carlos Condit and Neil Magny in remarkable fashion, making him one of the most dangerous one-dimensional fighters in the promotion today.

---

#1. Jairzinho Rozenstruik – UFC heavyweight contender

Jairzinho Rozenstruik's striking is incredibly deadly, allowing him to cover the holes in his ground game

This weekend’s UFC headline bout will see two heavyweights do battle, as Jairzinho Rozenstruik takes on Alexander Volkov. Both men are currently ranked in the top 10 in the division, but it’s probably fair to say that of the two, ‘Bigi Boy’ is more one-dimensional.

In fact, it’s arguable that the native of Suriname is one of the most one-dimensional fighters currently competing in the octagon, and that makes his success even more remarkable.

A former kickboxing champion in multiple organisations, Rozenstruik made his octagon debut back in 2019 and took out grappler Junior Albini in violent fashion. In his second bout, he needed just nine seconds to dispatch Allen Crowder.

Since then, ‘Bigi Boy’ has defeated a further four opponents, including former champions Andrei Arlovski and Junior dos Santos, as well as the legendary Alistair Overeem. However, despite his success, he’s never really shown all that much on the ground.

In fact, Rozenstruik was completely outgrappled by Curtis Blaydes in their bout in 2021, and was also on his way to losing to Overeem thanks to the Dutchman’s takedowns before pulling off a big knockout in the fifth round.

Does ‘Bigi Boy’ have any skills on the ground? Simply put, we don’t really know, as if he’s up against a beatable opponent, then his striking ability means he doesn’t need to hit the mat. Therefore, it’s fair to label him one-dimensional, even if he’s that good in that one dimension that he’s been highly successful.