In your opinion, who's the best wrestler to ever compete while fighting in the UFC? POLL

[dleehscdd]

GSP has the best MMA wrestling, he shut everyone down.

 

[Big_Chief_Stove]

He's had back issues for a while but I would imagine he's still nasty on the mat. He started bjj after rolling with rickson. He looks super excited in the pic. The dedication has to be unreal... College wrestling Champ, Olympic gold medalist, then go get a black belt in bjj.

One of the all time greats 100%

 

[ditchbankbandit]

And neither accomplished wrestlers in their own right. GSP never wrestled and he stuffed very good wrestlers in Fitch and Kos. I know Bones had JC success, but that doesnt compare to an Olympian, who he crushed.

Its pretty amazing.

Agreed. They didn't have the accolades that a lot of these wrestlers have and yet these two have consistently shut down the very best wrestlers in MMA.

 

[ExitLUPin]

GSP has the best MMA wrestling, he shut everyone down.

Hendricks disagrees and outwrestled him.

 

[dleehscdd]

Hendricks disagrees and outwrestled him.

He did, but when you look at both of their careers, can you really say Hendricks has used his wrestling more effectively than GSP? GSP's entire career after the Serra loss was based on the strength of his wrestling.

 

[koplin9]

no order

Gay Jesus
Khabib
GSP

 

[oldeskoolmma]

And then, a few years later BYU killed their wrestling team.

Alot of D-1 programs got cut around that time. Its a shame

 

[riddleofsteel]

Alot of D-1 programs got cut around that time. Its a shame

Sadly, true. BYU's cutting was really bad - the wrestling team & men's gymnastics team raised the amount of money BYU stated was needed to keep the programs, then BYU upped the amount. Raised that. Repeat. Still cut both them. To top it off, the athletic director was a former BYU wrestler (an all-american to boot).
Claimed cut was "due to a lack of other teams in the region to compete with", which was false. And doesn't example why they'd keep the men's volleyball team considering at the time there were only about 20 DI men's teams in the entire country.

 

[oldeskoolmma]

Sadly, true. BYU's cutting was really bad - the wrestling team & men's gymnastics team raised the amount of money BYU stated was needed to keep the programs, then BYU upped the amount. Raised that. Repeat. Still cut both them. To top it off, the athletic director was a former BYU wrestler (an all-american to boot).
Claimed cut was "due to a lack of other teams in the region to compete with", which was false. And doesn't example why they'd keep the men's volleyball team considering at the time there were only about 20 DI men's teams in the entire country.

I was unaware of all that. You have peaked my interest though and plan on reading more about this. Thanks for the tip.

 

[Diavolo222]

Kurt Angle.

 

[Melas Chasma]

Where is Nurmagomedov?

 

[Cake4Breakfast]

Jones

 

[FootstompShonie]

If you mean pure wrestling it's Mark Coleman.

I don't think people quite understand that if guys like GSP who didn't even wrestle until training MMA went folkstyle or freestyle against guys who've been wrestling their whole life they'd be crushed, wrestling as a sport is nothing like how it's utilized in MMA.

For example, Ryan Bader said he literally NEVER used a double leg in his entire collegiate career, he was a defensive wrestler who used upper body takedowns, same with Cormier. Yet both those guys use double legs and single leg takedowns all the time and are considered top wrestlers in MMA despite utilizing some of the lower level wrestling moves they possess.

Rosholt also owned Phil Davis in college and was an amazing wrestler, in MMA he has subpar wrestling/grappling compared to Davis.

People in MMA think wrestling = takedowns/TDD when in reality it's much more complex than that and most wrestling points in matches are scored through moves trying to pin an opponent which is completely absent from MMA. There are guys who use a strategy of constant takedowns and then standing up so they can just rinse and repeat to score points, which would translate pretty well to MMA but that's rare, especially someone who can use it effectively.

 

[Chillez]

Jones or GSP take your pick. I'll go with GSP.

 

[1King]

Daniel Cormier can outwrestle anyone. Cept Bones

 

[Katsumi Yamada]

Tito


Which other wrestlers have competed in wrestling while being a UFC fighter? I don't know, not many.

I only know Tito refused to get paid for his UFC debut because he was still competing in amatuer wrestling in college.

 

[Redhawks100]

It's undeniably Jones.

 

[Apocalypse604]

MMA wrestling.....

GSP.

 

[Drake]

A bit late for a poll.

But i'll say GSP. Khabib is making his case though...


Outside UFC it's Karelin by default
Then Askren.

 

[SlickNickG]

A bit late for a poll.

But i'll say GSP. Khabib is making his case though...


Outside UFC it's Karelin by default
Then Askren.

Wow this many pages and just one mention of the funky one. Good one sir.