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#4. Ryan Hall (MMA: 8-2, Grappling: 16-8)
Ryan Hall isn’t the most accomplished male grappler on this list, but that doesn’t make him any less dangerous in MMA on the mats. “The Wizard” is a BJJ black belt, and has won a plethora of BJJ competitions throughout his grappling career. Most notably, he’s been a force at the Mundial and the prestigious ADCC, in addition to his many accolades at Grapplers Quest.
Hall made his MMA debut early, losing to Eddie Fyvie way back in 2006. But he wouldn’t fight again until six years later when he was victorious against Phillip Deschambeault in 2012. He then went on to win eight straight, including victories over Artem Lobov and former top contender Gray Maynard in TUF finales.
But what is perhaps Hall’s greatest achievement is his 2018 submission victory over the legendary BJ Penn. At UFC 232 and with the whole MMA world watching, Hall caught Penn in a nasty heel hook that forced a quick tap from Penn, who was in the middle of a comeback.
The performance earned Hall the “2018 Submission of the Year” award.
He may be a late bloomer in MMA, but Hall’s upside is tremendous. At 36 however, time could be running out for the American. Still, that doesn’t change how dangerous of a grappler he is.
#3. Shinya ‘Tobikan Judan’ Aoki (MMA: 47-9 1NC, Grappling: 12-5)
If there’s one man who has proven that age is nothing but a number, that’s multiple-time former ONE lightweight world champion and Asian MMA legend Shinya ‘Tobikan Judan’ Aoki.
The man’s nickname loosely translates to “the grandmaster of flying submissions,” that in itself is already a clear indication of what Aoki has been capable of during his entire MMA career. But if that’s not evidence enough, then perhaps the 30 submissions out of 47 wins across nearly two decades as a professional should do it.
In terms of Asian MMA fighters, there’s no better grappler than Aoki. Aoki’s schtick is predictable. He never goes out there looking to finish fights on the feet. Every opponent he’s been faced with knew he was looking for a fight-ending submission, but they just couldn’t stop him from achieving his goal, regardless.
In addition, Aoki is one of the most ruthless. If his opponents don’t want to tap, Aoki has no qualms about putting them to sleep or breaking their arms. It may be unsportsmanlike, but to the Japanese MMA legend, it’s necessary to maintain his terrorizing reputation on the mats.
