1. Anderson "The Spider" Silva
Every technical aspect of striking within mixed martial arts has seemed to be mastered by none other than Anderson "The Spider" Silva. Anderson Silva easily tops the list of strikers in mixed martial arts as a whole and the middleweight division specifically. Silva currently holds the UFC middleweight title and has made it look relatively easy since his first UFC fight against Chris Leben. Upon joining the UFC's team of fighters, Silva has knocked out former middleweight champion Rich Franklin twice, Nate Marquardt, Chris Leben and has submitted PRIDE Champion Dan Henderson and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu star Travis Lutter.

Anderson Silva, former member of the Brazilian Chute Boxe Academy, has since moved on to Black House where he trains with Lyoto Machida, Vitor Belfort, and the Nogueira Brothers. Although Silva may best be known for his lightning quick and precise Muay-Thai striking arsenal, he also holds a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under current UFC heavyweight champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira.

Remaining undefeated with a record of 5-0 in the UFC, Silva has seemed to run through any sort of competition he's had in his division. Silva has expressed interest in a boxing match with boxer Roy Jones Jr., which was vetoed by UFC president Dana White and has also mentioned a possible move to light heavyweight in the near future.

2. Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic
Although "Cro Cop" hasn't been on his customary tear lately, he still makes it to the second slot of our top strikers list. Looking past some of his recent and more disappointing performances, "Cro Cop" still holds his more than stellar background in striking. Cro Cop began his legacy ripping through competition in K1 and PRIDE Fighting Championships, where he won the PRIDE 2006 Open Weight Grand Prix.

With a record composed of victories over top notch opponents such as: Josh Barnett, Wanderlei Silva, Kazushi Sakuraba, Cro Cop is best known for his explosive and destructive left kick. After the UFC's acquisition of PRIDE Fighting Championships, Cro Cop went 1-2 in the UFC before heading back to Japan's DREAM organization.

Cro Cop, with a current record of 23 wins and 6 losses, won his most recent bout against Japanese fighter Tatsuya Mizuno in DREAM 1 by TKO. Cro Cop was slated to face off against Ralek Gracie in a special rules grappling match, but has pulled out due to an injury. Cro Cop is now set to face off against feared K1 striker Jerome Le Banner at DREAM 5, set to take place on July 21, 2008.

3. Lyoto "The Dragon" Machida
Lyoto "The Dragon" Machida has received much praise (and some criticism, too) for his unorthodox fighting style. However, the efficacy of Machida's style cannot be denied having secured notable wins over former UFC middleweight champion Rich "Ace" Franklin, BJ "The Prodigy" Penn, Rameau Thierry "The African Assassin" Sokoudjou and most recently over former light heavyweight champion Tito "The Huntington Beach Bad Boy" Ortiz.

Machida is the son of Japanese-Brazilian Shotokan master Yoshizo Machida. Machida is one of the few fighters who utilizes a great skill set of karate skills and displays it beautifully in the cage. A good example of this is the Shotokan foot sweep, which he has executed in multiple fights. Machida actually began training sumo at the tender age of 12 and picked up Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu at age 15. Upon entering the UFC, Machida now trains with fighters such as: current UFC middleweight champion Anderson "The Spider" Silva, current UFC Heavyweight champion Antonio "Minotauro" Nogueira, and Antonio "Minotoro" Nogueira.

Machida is still undefeated with 13 victories, 3 by way of (T)KO and 2 by way of submission. Though many mixed martial arts fans lambaste his elusive and technical style, he has quickly risen to the top as a legitimate contender for a shot at the light heavyweight title.

4. Quinton "Rampage" Jackson
Quinton "Rampage" Jackson gained much of his popularity back in Japan and has been improving his fighting game almost exponentially since he left PRIDE Fighting Championships. Jackson has gained quite the following amongst American fans with his lively personality and exciting fighting style. Rampage is quickly making a name for himself outside of the cage, having movie and TV show appearances, being a coach on the current season of The Ultimate Fighter, and creating his own shoe with the company Osiris.

Jackson's standout wrestling abilities back in high school paved the road to success for his mixed martial arts career today. In most of Jackson's fights, he best utilizes his wrestling skills for slamming his opponents into oblivion, submission defense, and keeping the fights standing. Jackson now trains under newly obtained veteran boxing and MMA trainer Juanito Ibarra and has since been on a tear with six straight wins.

Jackson, current The Ultimate Fighter 7 coach, will soon be squaring off against opposing Coach Forrest Griffin at UFC 86. Fans are also eagerly waiting a rubber match between Jackson and former PRIDE Fighting Championship Middleweight champion Wanderlei "The Axe Murderer" Silva, who defeated Jackson in devastating fashion back in Japan.

5. Chuck "The Iceman" Liddell
At 38 years of age, this San Luis Obispo native still has what it takes to make our list of top strikers in mixed martial arts today. Not only has "The Iceman" given fans stunning knockouts for nearly ten years, he has become a celebrity. Liddell has made appearances in such movies as: The Death and Life of Bobby Z, Drillbit Taylor and even in the Emmy Award-winning HBO original series Entourage. He has easily become one of the most familiar faces in the sport today.

Liddell's fighting roots stemmed from karate and collegiate wrestling and eventually into kickboxing. Liddell is best identified by his takedown defense and unorthodox striking abilities. Chuck's current trainer is John Hackleman, who is also the head of his camp and fight team, The Pit in Arroyo Grande, California.

Liddell holds a notable fight record of 21 wins, 13 by way of (T)KO, and just 5 losses. Liddell's most recent victory was at UFC 79: Nemesis against Wanderlei Silva, in a matchup that had been in the works for nearly 5 years.

Liddell was slated to fight Rashad Evans in UFC 85's main event, but has since cancelled due to a badly torn hamstring.