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Best Wrestling

Top wrestlers as rated by fans

2026 Rankings

9.9 Top Rating

6.9 Average

121 Ranked

Active Retired All

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Bo Nickal Middleweight · 5-1

Zhang Weili Women's Flyweight · 10-3

Kayla Harrison Women's Bantamweight · 3-0

Islam Makhachev Welterweight · 17-1

Khamzat Chimaev Middleweight · 9-0

Benoit Saint Denis Lightweight · 9-3

Jasmine Jasudavicius Women's Flyweight · 8-3

Sean O'Malley Bantamweight · 11-3

Kamaru Usman Welterweight · 16-3

Shavkat Rakhmonov Welterweight · 7-0

🤼 How Best Wrestling Rankings Work

Best Wrestling rankings highlight the UFC's most dominant wrestlers as voted by fans. Wrestling is arguably the most important base skill in MMA — the ability to dictate where the fight takes place gives a fighter enormous strategic advantage.

Elite MMA wrestlers excel at takedowns (single-legs, double-legs, body locks, trips), takedown defense (sprawling, underhooks, cage work), chain wrestling (linking multiple takedown attempts), and top control. The best wrestlers can take anyone down, keep them there, and either ground-and-pound or set up submissions.

This category also considers defensive wrestling. Fighters who consistently stuff takedowns and keep fights standing demonstrate elite wrestling even without attempting takedowns themselves. The community evaluates the complete wrestling package.

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

Why is wrestling so important in MMA?

Wrestling determines where the fight takes place. A dominant wrestler can take strikers down to neutralize their offense, or stuff takedowns to keep the fight standing. It's often called the most important base skill in MMA because it gives fighters the ability to control the fight's location.

Is defensive wrestling included in these rankings?

Yes. Fans rate overall wrestling ability, which includes both offensive takedowns and defensive skills like sprawling, underhook battles, and cage wrestling. A fighter who is nearly impossible to take down demonstrates elite wrestling even if they rarely shoot for takedowns themselves.

What background produces the best MMA wrestlers?

NCAA Division I wrestlers, Olympic freestyle wrestlers, and Greco-Roman specialists all feature prominently. However, some of the best MMA wrestlers developed their skills entirely in MMA gyms. The cage changes wrestling significantly compared to mats, so MMA-specific training matters greatly.

How are wrestling rankings different from grappling?

Wrestling focuses on takedowns, takedown defense, and top control. Grappling covers the broader ground game including submissions, guard work, and BJJ technique. A fighter can be a dominant wrestler but average grappler (limited submissions), or an elite grappler with poor takedowns.

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