The funny thing about MMA is how different its two major facets – striking and grappling – are. While striking is the flashier of the two, with the one-hit KOs and what-not, it is grappling which mesmerises the purists of the sport.
There is something fundamentally beautiful in seeing the likes of Georges St. Pierre just shoot and take down his opponents with a grace that is usually reserved for gymnasts. The art of grappling is often the backbone of a great MMA career and watching two grapplers go at it is poetry in motion.
With that in mind, today we look at the 5 most dominant grapplers in the UFC today.
Note: Only active fighters have been considered for this list, and they are ranked in no particular order.
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#5 Ronda Rousey
The leader of the women’s revolution in the UFC, Ronda Rousey is a bonafide badass. She is by far one of the most dominant female fighters that the sport has ever seen, and it all comes down to her incredible grappling skills.
The Californian is a master of takedowns, as she has a 73% success rate in her takedown attempts – an absolutely insane number.
The former Bantamweight champion enjoyed a 6-0 start to her UFC career, ending three out of those six fights with her devastating armbar submission before her untimely loss to Holly Holm at UFC 193 on 15 November 2015.
While Rousey hasn’t been in the Octagon for nearly a year, there is absolutely no one who has come close to the kind of domination displayed by the 29-year-old. You can hate on her all you like for her extended time off, but you can’t take away from the fact that prior to the Holly Holm fight, she was considered the single biggest fighter in the UFC – male or female.
It will be interesting to see if the 4th degree Judo black belt can make a successful return to MMA and if she will still be the force of nature she was prior to her loss.
#4 Jacare Souza
The Brazilian, Ronaldo Souza, was given the nickname Jacare (the Aligator) for his ferocious grappling ability. He operates on a whole different level compared to his middleweight counterparts and is a master at passes and submissions.
With a variety of submissions in his arsenal, Jacare Souza has proven time and time again that he can submit you from any position in the Octagon. This has been more than apparent in the UFC, with the 36-year-old having tapped out three out of his 7 opponents.
He is 6-1 in the UFC, with the only loss being a controversial split-decision loss to Yoel Romero where it was almost unanimous amongst the media outlets that Jacare was the deserving winner.
The former Strikeforce Middleweight Champion is currently the #2 contender in the UFC’s middleweight division. The Judo and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt will surely be in the discussions to face the winner of Michael Bisping vs Dan Henderson at UFC 204.
#3 Fabricio Werdum
What makes Fabricio Werdum an anomaly is the fact that despite being an incredible striker, he is the best grappler in the heavyweight division, bar none. The Brazilian is one of the most well-rounded fighters in the history of MMA as evidenced by the sheer variety in his finishes.
The former heavyweight champion has an enviable 9-3 record in the UFC including an incredible fight against Cain Velasquez where he choked out one of the biggest names in the business to win the Heavyweight Championship.
Despite losing the title to Stipe Miocic at UFC 198, he went straight back to being #1 in the heavyweight contender ranking after taking out Travis Browne at UFC 203. With his deadly combination of striking and grappling, don’t be too surprised if the 39-year-old is on top of the heavyweight division again soon.
#2 Khabib Nurmagomedov
Khabib Kurmagomedov might just be the scariest fighter in the UFC today. He is a grappling machine, recording some unbelievable stats – 37 takedowns, 28 passes, and 3 submission victories – in the UFC alone.
The Eagle, as he is nicknamed, is undefeated throughout his MMA career going 23-0 so far in his career, including being 7-0 in the UFC. He has repeatedly decimated his opponents, regardless of their pedigree, as evidenced by his mauling of veteran Rafael dos Anjos.
The 28-year-old was due a shot at Eddie Alvarez’s lightweight title, but had to take a backseat due to the upcoming UFC 205 clash between Alvarez and Conor McGregor. Numragomedov has made it very clear that regardless of who wins at 205, he will be ready and waiting to take them out.
It’s really difficult to see who could take out the Sambo master with a black belt in Judo. Regardless, if McGregor becomes a dual-weight champion at UFC 205, it makes for a mouthwatering clash between the Irishman and Nurmagomedov.
#1 Demian Maia
Demian Maia is probably the best grappler in the UFC today. He is a veteran who has been fighting in the UFC from way back in 2007 where he debuted with a submission victory against Ryan Jensen at UFC 77. It was a sign of things to come.
Maia has a 18-6 record with the company, and out of his eighteen victories a staggering nine have come from submissions. He has 56 successful takedowns, 86 passes, and his rear-naked choke is the stuff of legend.
The 38-year-old is long overdue a shot at the welterweight title and considering he his on a 6 fight win streak – including choking out Carlos Condit in less than 2 minutes – we should hopefully see the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt in contention for the belt soon.
