5 of the most skilled grapplers in the UFC today

4) Nate Diaz (UFC welterweight)

Known particularly for handing Conor McGregor his first submission loss in the UFC, Nate Diaz is a 2nd-degree black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Diaz was the winner of The Ultimate Fighter season 5. The Stockton, California native is also known for standing fourth on the list of most submission wins in the UFC (9).

Although Diaz has a background in BJJ, it is rare to see him taking fights to the ground. But in those rare cases, he almost always finishes with a submission attempt.

Diaz was recently challenged by his successor on this list, Demian Maia. The Brazilian wanted his last opponent to represent BJJ in the UFC like himself, and Nate Diaz is a perfect choice.

I appreciate the respect and I would be honored to have my last fight against someone I respect a lot @NateDiaz209 ,we may seem very different, but we are the same, cause we’re real. From one BJJ representative and one real person to another.Much respect.https://t.co/Gg9wv1whba pic.twitter.com/q9wuyjJ9hC

— Demian Maia (@demianmaia) June 14, 2021

3) Tony Ferguson (UFC lightweight)

Winner of The Ultimate Fighter season 13, 'El Cucuy' is the only fighter on this list who is an accomplished wrestler. Apart from having a grappling background in wrestling, Tony Ferguson is also a black belt in the controversial off-shoot of BJJ called 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu.

Eddie Bravo founded 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu with a focus on training without the traditional gi. Thus, making it one of the first jiu-jitsu schools focused entirely on its use in MMA. Ferguson is one of Bravo's top students.

Due to his background in 10th Planet Jiu-jitsu, Ferguson's approach to grappling is naturally more creative than most other grapplers. He prefers to use a lot of rolls and tumbles when the fight goes to the ground. This opens horizons to the grappling aspect of his fights that many of his opponents struggle to prepare for.

Another notable thing about Ferguson is that he just refuses to tap out when held in submission locks. In his last two fights, he found himself on the receiving end of the armbar and ankle lock submissions by Charles Oliveira and Beneil Dariush, respectively. 'El Cucuy' did not tap on either occasion, even though he was held in both locks for a substantial amount of time.

Ferguson has successfully used his grappling skills by winning eight fights in his professional MMA career by submission. Hence, it is not surprising that several fight experts touted 'El Cucuy' as the only fighter in the UFC who could out-grapple and defeat the legendary, undefeated, and former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov.