5 of the most skilled grapplers in the UFC today

2) Demian Maia (UFC welterweight)

Demian Maia is a UFC veteran who holds the record for second-most submission wins in the UFC at 11 and the second-most number of wins in the UFC by an active fighter at 22.

Maia is a 5th-degree black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. His more frequent and meticulous use of his grappling skills makes him one of the most feared grapplers in the UFC. While he does not have an outstanding stand-up game compared to other UFC fighters, the lack of it is more than made up for by his expertise on the ground.

Most of his submission wins in the UFC have come by way of a rear-naked choke. Maia is extremely good at passing guard from top position and almost always gets a rear-naked chokehold of his opponents as they eventually give away their backs to avoid his ground-and-pound.

On occasions when Maia is in the bottom position during a scramble, it's safe to assume it's because he wants to be there. The Brazilian wants his opponents to think that they are getting the better of him. However, Maia's proficiency in sweeps allows him to assume a dominant position right after luring his opponents into half-guard. If at all he is faced with the rare instance of his opponents forcing him to stay at the bottom, Maia pulls off triangle chokes successfully.

1) Charles Oliveira (UFC lightweight)

Charles 'Do Bronx' Oliveira is the only fighter on this list who is in the prime age of his career. And yet, he holds the record for the highest number of submission wins in UFC history at 14, along with the record for the most finishes in UFC history at 17. His submission victories have come by way of various chokes, joint locks, and a rare compression lock called the calf slicer.

Oliveira's proficiency in grappling is on display, starting right from stand-up. He holds a high guard in his stance that prevents opponents from securing underhooks on him in the clinch. Although that leaves room for his opponents to use his legs to take him down, he does not mind it since he almost always ends up reversing the move.

In cases where he is forced to stay on his back, he loves to threaten his opponents with an armbar or a triangle choke. Regardless of whether they're successful, it slows down his opponents' offense on the ground.

Unlike most guard fighters, he is likely to be more successful when attempting submission holds from a back position when he is close to the fence. Oliveira uses the cage to maneuver his way into a submission hold. 'Do Bronx' also uses overhooks from a back position to set up sweeps that allow him to gain the dominant position in a scramble.

If his opponents successfully pass his guard, he makes his way to another guard or goes back to the feet.

Although Oliveira is a 3rd-degree black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, his wrestling skills are something to behold. He has an incredible sense of timing when it comes to landing takedowns. Unlike many wrestlers, he has landed his takedowns in the center instead of pushing his opponents against the fence. He also has snap-downs and hip throws in his takedown arsenal.

Oliveira makes opportunistic use of ground-and-pound as part of a setup towards submissions. When his opponents make triangle chokes and armbar attempts on him when he's on top, his knowledge of setups allows him to shove the attempts off.

Charles Oliveira is undoubtedly the best grappler in the UFC today.