'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
The UFC houses some of the best mixed martial artists in the world. Be it judo, boxing, Brazilian jiu-jitsu or karate, fighters have been able to dominate their opponents for years. While the generalist approach has worked for many fighters, where they rely on a mix of multiple martial arts, several specialists in the UFC have enjoyed huge success too.
Many fighters coming from wrestling backgrounds have earned big names for themselves in MMA. Some of them have even gone on to become UFC champions, using their superior wrestling skills to outclass their competition. While these athletes also knew how to strike, they were primarily wrestlers who toyed with their opponents on their way to UFC championships.
On that note, let's take a look at five such wrestlers who became UFC champions.
#5 Randy Couture
Randy Couture is one of the greatest MMA fighters ever who dominated the competition for nearly 15 years, riding on his wrestling prowess. He is a six-time UFC champion and the first of seven fighters to win titles in multiple weight classes in the UFC. 'The Natural' holds wins over legends like Vitor Belfort, Tito Ortiz and Chuck Liddell.
Couture is a decorated wrestler who started training and competing in wrestling in middle school. By the time he reached high school in Washington, he had won a state championship in wrestling.
The UFC legend was a three-time Olympic team alternate and a semi-finalist at the 2000 Olympic Trials. An NCAA Division I All-American, Randy Couture has also won several Pan-American championships and world championships in Greco-Roman wrestling.
Randy Couture has the most championship fights in UFC history (15), and is also the oldest UFC fighter to win a championship. Couture has also served in the US Army as a Sergeant .and it was here that he got acquainted with the Greco-Roman style of wrestling.
He was honored by the National Wrestling Hall of Fame as an Outstanding American for 2018. After having a child on the way, Couture realized that it was time to leave athletics behind and lead a regular life. However, after joining the US Army in 1982, he returned to the wrestling mat. The MMA legend said:
"Kind of figured wrestling and athletics were out. It was time to get busy taking care of a family, and living a regular life. Lo and behold ... I ended up back wrestling."
Watch 1990 Greco Trials Final Michial Foy v/s Randy Couture:
#4 Jon Jones
Jon Jones is a former two-time UFC light heavyweight champion and currently the no.1 UFC pound-for-pound fighter. At the age of 23, he became the youngest champion in the history of the UFC. 'Bones' holds many UFC records in the light heavyweight division, including the most wins, most title defenses and the longest winning streak.
He is widely considered one of the best MMA fighters of all time owing, to his ever-evolving game and extremely high fight IQ. While not as decorated as the other fighters on this list, Jon Jones was essentially a wrestler before he started competing in MMA. He has used his wrestling fundamentals to evolve into one of the most complete MMA fighters ever.
Jon Jones started wrestling at a young age. Before starting his MMA career, he won several championships in amateur wrestling. He won the New York State Championship in high school and the NJCAA All-American.
With his wrestling, 'Bones' has given a tough time to world-class wrestlers in the UFC. His takedowns against the likes of Chael Sonnen and Ovince Saint Preux, along with his takedown defense against Olympian wrestler Daniel Cormier speak volumes about his wrestling prowess.
#3 Kamaru Usman
Kamaru Usman is the #2-ranked UFC pound-for-pound fighter and rightly so. He is currently on an 18-fight winning streak (14 in the UFC), and is one of the most active fighters in the promotion. 'The Nigerian Nightmare' is one of the most well-rounded fighters in the UFC, and only has his wrestling fundamentals to thank for that.
Usman started wrestling early in high school, and compiled a 53-3 record on his way to winning the Texas State Championship. He joined the University of Nebraska at Kearney, and helped their team win its first-ever wrestling title in 2008. He made it to the top 3 in each of his three years in college, becoming a two-time national finalist.
In 2010, Kamaru Usman won the NCAA Division II national championship, finishing with a 44-1 record and 30 straight wins. He then tried for the Olympics, and despite making the 2012 Olympic team, fell short of his dream due to untimely injuries.
Switching to a career in MMA, Usman came into his ow,n and is now considered one of the most complete fighters in the UFC. He averages 3.27 takedowns per 15 minutes. The welterweight champion has never been taken down in the UFC, and holds the record for having a 100% takedown defense.
#2 Henry Cejudo
Henry Cejudo is a former UFC bantamweight and flyweight champion and the fourth UFC fighter to hold titles in multiple divisions simultaneously. He is considered one of the greatest athletes of all time due to his accomplishments in MMA and freestyle wrestling.
'Triple C' started wrestling in high school, and became a four-time Arizona state champion. He was named the ASICS National High School Wrestler of the Year in 2006, and was selected in the USA Wrestling Magazine's Dream Team of High School All-Americans.
Henry Cejudo has won many wrestling championships at the national level, Pan American level, world level and at the Olympics. At the age of 21 and competing at the 2008 Summer Olympics, Cejudo became the youngest American Olympic gold medalist.
He made his UFC debut in 2014, and went 10-2, before retiring as the reigning champion of the flyweight and bantamweight divisions in 2020.
#1 Daniel Cormier
Like all wrestlers on this list making their mark in the UFC, Daniel Cormier also started wrestling in high school. He won three state championships in Louisiana, and was voted the most outstanding wrestler of the state tournament on two occasions. In 1995, Cormier won a bronze in the world championship in Greco-Roman wrestling.
After high school, he became a two-time junior college national champion, in 1998 and 1999, picking up a record of 61-0. He became an NCAA Division I All-American after winning silver in 2001, and then transformed into one of the most promising wrestlers in the US.
Daniel Cormier won gold in the 2002 and 2003 Pan American championships, and then picked up six gold medals every year, starting from 2003 to 2008 in the US National Championships. DC also competed twice in the Olympics, coming fourth at the 2004 Games. He was named the team captain at the 2008 Olympics, but had to pull out due to kidney failure.
He is a former UFC light heavyweight and heavyweight champion and the second fighter in UFC history to hold two titles simultaneously. Riding on his superior wrestling skills, Cormier has toyed with some of the most seasoned veterans in the UFC.
Prior to his time in the UFC, Daniel Cormier was the heavyweight champion at Strikeforce and King of the Cage. He holds the distinction of winning a championship belt in every MMA promotion he fought.
