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Wrestling and grappling have become an essential part of Mixed Martial Arts. While in the beginning, UFC had more jiu-jitsu fighters than any other style, soon all the fighters were incorporating different styles of fighting into their repertoire.
Wrestling seems like the most boring part of fighting inside the Octagon. After all, they are not standing opposite each other, letting down their guards completely and trading haymakers. Instead, they are grappling on the floor where the action seems to be slower.
However, grappling and wrestling has proven to be one of the most effective skills in MMA. Most of the UFC fighters who are Champions currently are also those fighters who are best at wrestling.
In this article, I'm going to talk about the 5 best wrestlers among the current UFC fighters.
#5 Jon Jones
The UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones is a man who has a number of skills. His current record is undeniable, with only one loss marring his otherwise perfect past fights, that too due to disqualification.
While Jones' legacy is forever questionable due to his history of having used Performance Enhancing Drugs (PEDs), the fact remains that he has achieved a lot in his time in the Octagon. Anyone who enters the Octagon with him will testify that it is almost impossible to keep up with him.
Other than Stipe Miocic, Jon Jones remains the only one who has been able to defeat the former UFC Heavyweight and Light Heavyweight Champion Daniel Cormier.
The wrestling prowess of Jones is by no means his only skill on the mat, as he is extremely talented at striking as well. However, over the course of his career, Jones has come to heavily rely on his wrestling as well, and has picked up several decision wins.
In fact, if it were not for his wrestling, he might not have been able to win some of the bouts, showcasing the critical nature of that particular skill.
#4 Daniel Cormier
Daniel Cormier has only two losses on his impressive record as he heads into the final UFC fight of his career. One of the reasons for most of his achievements in the Octagon is his impressive wrestling career before he even came to UFC.
Throughout his career, Cormier has used a combination of power and grappling to get exactly what he wants inside the Octagon. Despite his size and weight, he maintains a continuous pace and breaks down his opponents from the outside in.
With that sort of control in the Octagon, it is difficult for anyone to take advantage of Cormier. He's an immense wrestler and uses all of that alongside his striking power to pick up win after win. Stipe Miocic might be in danger as Cormier will look to go out with a bang in the last fight of his life.
#3 Henry Cejudo
A fighter on this list who may not seem like a likely candidate, is none other than Double Champion, holding both Flyweight and Bantamweight titles, Henry Cejudo.
Cejudo may be quite... odd outside the Octagon; but when he is fighting, he is laser-focused. Not only can he knock down his opponents with well-placed striking he can also out-wrestle them on the mat. Through a Split Decision, he was able to take home the Flyweight title and became the person to end Demetrious Johnson's undefeated streak in the company.
Also, if he needed just that little bit more added to his credentials, Cejudo is an Olympic Gold Medallist.
#2 Yoel Romero
Yoel Romero is a beast and most fighters and fans are rather scared of what he can do in the Octagon.
Not many know that despite his knockout power, Yoel Romero is actually a very accomplished wrestler inside the Octagon. He competed in the 2000 Summer Olympics and finished second.
Any time that he goes to the ground with his opponent, there's a very good chance that his opponent would not be able to get up again. If nothing else, his medal in the Olympics certainly proves that.
#1 Khabib Nurmagomedov
Anyone who has seen Khabib Nurmagomedov in action knows the tactic that he employs the most. There are very few fighters who are able to withstand his relentless 'mauling' style of wrestling.
Khabib has immense cardio and uses it to maintain continuous contact with his opponents, making them exert their strength in trying to get out of his holds, instead of focusing on being able to take him out.
He wrestles his opponents to the ground, and there, he batters them with a ground and pound, where the intensity never lets up. If a fighter lets his guard down for even a second, Khabib is then in there, trying to cinch in that chokehold to finish the fight.
All of this makes him the undoubted leader in the world of wrestling in MMA.
