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

#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.

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#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.