5 best grapplers in UFC history
Today, most UFC fans gravitate towards flashy or devastating strikers who can end their fights at a moment's notice with a thrilling skill or nuclear knockout power. But no one will ever forget the level of excitement that the likes of legendary middleweight Anderson Silva generated in his prime when he front-kicked Vitor Belfort.
However, elite-level grapplers are just as thrilling to behold. The promotion's first-ever event ended with Royce Gracie emerging as one of the most important grapplers in MMA history. He introduced Brazilian jiu-jitsu to the masses, but since then, grappling as a whole has evolved.
Fighters have come and gone, but a select few have written their names in the UFC history books as the greatest grapplers the promotion has ever seen.
With that in mind, this list looks at five of the best grapplers in UFC history, whether they are wrestlers, judokas or Brazilian jiu-jitsu specialists.
#5 Demian Maia, former UFC welterweight/middleweight
In MMA, Demian Maia is Brazilian jiu-jitsu royalty. He holds a fifth-degree black belt in grappling-based martial arts and given his 14 career wins via submission, it's easy to understand why.
Legendary heavyweight grappler Fabrício Werdum, who is himself a second-degree black belt, once lauded Maia’s skill-level.
The battle of the grapplers!
Demian Maia got the submission to subject Ben Askren to back-to-back defeats.
Only Cowboy Cerrone has more wins inside the Octagon! https://t.co/3mGkoc82fP
Throughout his career, the one-time title challenger represented Brazilian jiu-jitsu with seamless grace. His guard play and sweeps are exceptional. Nothing, however, supersedes the brilliance and ease of his back-takes. Once Maia mounted an opponent's back, the round was firmly under his control.
His high-level grappling skills were on full display in his final UFC win after he defeated legendary Olympic wrestler Ben Askren via rear-naked choke in the third round. It marked the only submission loss on Askren's record and came via Maia's hands.
#4 Ronda Rousey, former UFC women's bantamweight
No woman in MMA has matched the heights of Ronda Rousey's success. Yet 'Rowdy' has not set foot inside the octagon since December 2016. At her peak, the Olympic bronze medalist in judo was an undefeated phenomenon who sparked fear in her opponent's hearts.
Her grappling skills were so ferocious that 'Rowdy' won all of her first eight fights via armbar, with seven of those victories taking place in the first round itself.
No one could stop her once the fight hit the canvas. Her ability to secure armbars from seemingly every position struck terror in the women's bantamweight division.
Watch more on @UFCFightPass now!#OnThisDay in 2008: Ronda Rousey was unstoppable as she landed her trademark armbar on Miesha Tate!
📺 Watch more on @UFCFightPass now! https://t.co/c41GZcvVlg
Her judo throws often meant that upon landing on the ground, she was already past her opponent's full-guard. Any time her foes sought to secure an underhook to control her posture, Rousey immediately trapped them with an overhook before throwing her legs over their arm.
She was nearly unstoppable on the mat, and it's easy to see why.
#3 Fabrício Werdum, former UFC heavyweight
It's one thing to be feared as an exceptional grappler by strikers who want nothing to do with you on the mat. It's another thing to be so dominant that your skills overcome a legend known for reigning supreme in that specific area. This is the case with Fabrício Werdum.
26 June 2010
Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Werdum
Fabrício Werdum pulls off one of the greatest subs in MMA history. Ending Fedor's legendary streak.
Triangle Armbar in 1:09 https://t.co/GkHXa9paeV
The former UFC heavyweight champion has never been defeated via submission. More than that, he has defeated legendary figures in the sport due to the strength of his grappling skills. He is one of only two fighters to submit to the great Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira, who owns a fifth-degree Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt.
Furthermore, he remains the only fighter to ever defeat heavyweight GOAT Fedor Emelianenko via submission. Similarly, he is the only fighter to ever choke out former heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez, for which he won his own title under Dana White's promotion.
#2 Charles Oliveira, UFC lightweight
Former lightweight champion Charles Oliveira is the only fighter on this list who remains an active mixed martial artist competing under the UFC banner. 'Do Bronx' is one of the most lethal submission specialists in the history of MMA. He has vanquished 21 foes via submission throughout his career.
Charles Oliveira (+115) submits Dustin Poirier to retain his LW title #UFC269
He now owns the record for most submissions in the history of the sport 🏆
https://t.co/bAagTTcgiW
More than that, however, he currently holds the promotional record for the most submission wins in the featherweight division, the lightweight division and the entire UFC as a whole. His variety as a submission machine is unparalleled, whether he's fishing for chokes or joint-locks.
He effortlessly outgrappled Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belts like Dustin Poirier and Tony Ferguson, while also defeating high-level wrestler Kevin Lee via guillotine-choke.
#1 Khabib Nurmagomedov, former UFC lightweight
The sheer strength of Khabib Nurmagomedov's grappling skills carried him to an undefeated record of 29 wins and no losses. Furthermore, he has barely ever lost a round and has never even bled or been bruised in any of his bouts. He is directly responsible for revolutionizing the style of grappling used in MMA.
The Dagestani school of wrestling that's taken the UFC by storm remains unsolved, and it all stems from 'The Eagle'. His combination of wrist-control, mat returns, ground-and-pound and leg-triangling made him an invincible force inside the octagon.
No one could overcome the puzzle he presented.
Two years ago today, UFC 254
Khabib Nurmagomedov retires undefeated.
Submits Justin Gaethje in Round 2
via triangle choke https://t.co/QIoy6rR9dr
Not only was he a submission threat, he was one of the few grapplers who used his high-level mat skills to create openings for brutal strikes on the ground. Whether it was due to his ground-and-pound or submission skills, no one was safe.
The standard defense against wrestling, which is to use the fence to scale one's way to a standing position, only allows Nurmagomedov to keep his foes pinned against the cage, where he can chain together takedowns en route to overwhelming them.