Best wrestlers in UFC history: 10 fighters that dominated opponents with ins*ne wrestling skills

The UFC is the premier MMA promotion in the world. They have the best fighters from all the nooks and corners of the world. It is one of the reasons why it is the best MMA promotion in the world. The fighters have different bases in martial arts. However, it is the ones with very good wrestling that have achieved bigger success than the others. The UFC has some of the best MMA wrestlers in the world.

The UFC has an abundance of fighters whose origin is Wrestling. Wrestlers have made it look easy inside the octagon. Fighters like Jon Jones, Daniel Cormier, and Khabib Nurmagomedov, among others, have a background in the sport. Here are some of the best wrestlers in the UFC.

Honorable mentions

The current UFC lightweight champion, Islam Makhachev, has impressive wrestling skills. The former UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling and the former UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson also had impressive wrestling skills. However, the trio could not feature in the top 10 list.

Zhang Weili and Rose Namajunas have impressive wrestling skills, and so does Carla Esparza. They just missed out on the top 10 list. Other names in contention were UFC heavyweight Curtis Blaydes, UFC legend and former welterweight champion Matt Hughes, and double champions Daniel Cormier and Jon Jones.

10. Chris Weidman

Chris Weidman, the former UFC middleweight champion, ended Anderson Silva’s record-breaking win streak to become champion. Weidman has not been the same after he lost the title to Luke Rockhold. However, he displayed impressive wrestling skills to become the champion and defend the title three times.

As of now, Weidman has the record for the most takedowns landed in UFC middleweight history with 42. Weidman displayed impressive wrestling skills even in his youth. He is a two-time NCAA Division I All-American and had 6th and 3rd spots in the NCAA 197lbs championship in his Junior and Senior years, respectively.

9. Valentina Shevchenko

Valentina Shevchenko boasts an impressive record in Muay Thai and Kickboxing before UFC. She is a Master of Sports in Boxing, Kickboxing, and Judo. After her move down to flyweight, she ruled the division till her upset loss to Alexa Grasso.

In addition to her impeccable striking prowess, she also used wrestling to dominate her opponents. She landed 39 takedowns in the division, which is the division record. Moreover, she also has the record for the longest control time in the division.

8. Randy Couture

Randy Couture was among the first fighters in the UFC to use wrestling to his full advantage. The Hall of Famer is a decorated Greco-Roman and Freestyle wrestler and was also an Olympic alternate in 1988, 1992, and 1996. He is also the only UFC champion to win back the title multiple times.

Couture is a 5-time UFC champion, thrice in the heavyweight division and twice in the light heavyweight division. In college, Routure was a two-time runner-up in the NCAA Division I championship for Oklahoma State in 1991 and 1992.

7. Amanda Nunes

Amanda Nunes was the only two-division women’s champion in the UFC. She retired as the undisputed UFC champion in the women’s bantamweight and flyweight divisions. Known for her brute power, Nunes also had impressive wrestling skills in her arsenal.

Nunes landed the most takedowns in the women’s bantamweight division with 32 and also has the record for the most takedowns landed in a single bout with 8. It was her wrestling that saved her when her striking could not garner her the victory.

6. Henry Cejudo

Henry Cejudo is one of the most accomplished fighters in combat sports. In addition to being a two-division champion in the UFC, he was also the Gold Medalist in the 57 kg in Freestyle wrestling in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Cejudo rounded up his skillset with his wrestling. His wrestling prowess opened up his striking, which got him many knockouts during his title run. However, his dominant wrestling made him a nightmare matchup for many. Ultimately, his wrestling helped him take down the dominantly long reign of Demetrious Johnson.

5. Kamaru Usman

Kamaru Usman reigned as the welterweight champion before his upset knockout loss to Leon Edwards at UFC 278. Usman was the NCAA Division II champion in 2010. He was second in 2009 and third in 2008 as he competed for the University of Nebraska.

Usman dominated the division with his wrestling prowess. He has a 97% takedown defense in the welterweight division. Moreover, he landed 59 takedowns in the division which is fourth in the division. It was Usman’s wrestling that made him a nightmare matchup for opponents. Moreover, it also set up his striking as he finished Gilbert Burns and Jorge Masvidal with strikes.

4. Georges St-Pierre

Georges St-Pierre began his martial arts career with Karate. However, he quickly realized the advantages of having good wrestling as he improved his wrestling significantly throughout his UFC career.

St-Pierre landed the most takedowns in UFC history with 90. He also has a 73% takedown accuracy in the welterweight division, which is a record. It is also the fourth-highest accuracy in UFC history. Even Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov was in awe of St-Pierre’s wrestling.

3. Tatiana Suarez

Tatiana Suarez has the unofficial nickname of ‘Female Khabib’ and rightfully so. Injuries restricted her appearance, but she is now on the cusp of a title shot. She is undefeated in professional MMA with a 7-0 record in the UFC.

She has already landed 25 takedowns in the division, which is third in all time. Moreover, she also has the highest takedown accuracy percentage in the division, with 66%. She is also a two-time Bronze medalist at the World Championship in 2008 and 2010.

2. Merab Dvalishvili

Merab Dvalishvili stays true to his nickname of “The Machine.” The bantamweight contender landed the most takedowns in the bantamweight division with 61. Overall, he landed 74 takedowns in the UFC, which is fourth of all time.

Dvalishvili attempted 49 takedowns in his bout against Petr Yan, which is also a record. Dvalishvili is not a typical wrestler, as he began his martial arts career with Judo. Nevertheless, all his opponents in the UFC felt the dominating pressure of his wrestling.

1. Khabib Nurmagomedov

The retired undefeated lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov was the most dominant ever in the UFC. He used his wrestling to full effect to dismantle his opposition. No amount of training could ever stop the Russian fighter’s takedown attempts. Even Division I collegiate wrestlers could not stop his takedowns.

His 59 takedowns in the division are the third most. Moreover, he landed 21 takedowns in his fight against Abel Trujillo which is a single-fight record. Nurmagomedov’s dominance was second to none throughout his 13-fight undefeated streak in the UFC.

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