Sub grappling specialists with good wrestling

[NoBiasJustMMA]

The Askren thread got me thinking about who the best BJJ specialists are that have shown good wrestling over the majority of their careers, so I wanted to list some.

I'm using 33% success rate as the low point for what is considered good takedowns. Feel free to list people that are a little lower if they fought a bunch of guys with really strong TDD.

Ricardo Arona
48% takedown success
58% TDD
http://ufcstats.com/fighter-details/05fbfe628658c538

Jacare Souza
40% takedown success
60% TDD
http://ufcstats.com/fighter-details/7a703c565ccaa18f

Shinya Aoki
41% takedown success
60% TDD
http://ufcstats.com/fighter-details/79ded75550efc139

 

[Egészségére!]

http://ufcstats.com/fighter-details/8ddf9c51c5fdea75

 

[TapMachine]

The Askren thread got me thinking about who the best BJJ specialists are that have shown good wrestling over the majority of their careers, so I wanted to list some.

I'm using 33% success rate as the low point for what is considered good takedowns. Feel free to list people that are a little lower if they fought a bunch of guys with really strong TDD.

Ricardo Arona
48% takedown success
58% TDD
http://ufcstats.com/fighter-details/05fbfe628658c538

Jacare Souza
40% takedown success
60% TDD
http://ufcstats.com/fighter-details/7a703c565ccaa18f

Shinya Aoki
41% takedown success
60% TDD
http://ufcstats.com/fighter-details/79ded75550efc139

Why limit yourself to BJJ? Why not consider submission grapplers with good wrestling? Barnett would be a good example of such.

 

[Fesaine]

Jacare by far. He's the best bjj "specialist" with the best striking, wrestling and athleticism

 

[NoBiasJustMMA]

Why limit yourself to BJJ? Why not consider submission grapplers with good wrestling? Barnett would be a good example of such.

It's not, I originally did but changed the title to just sub grappling specialists, I would prefer more sub grappling specialists from BJJ or JJ though since most Judo/Sambo/catch wrestlers tend to have good takedowns. It's more rare for a BJJ or JJ player to have good takedowns. Any sub grapplers with good takedowns are fine though for this thread.

 

[Louis101]

The Askren thread got me thinking about who the best BJJ specialists are that have shown good wrestling over the majority of their careers, so I wanted to list some.

I'm using 33% success rate as the low point for what is considered good takedowns. Feel free to list people that are a little lower if they fought a bunch of guys with really strong TDD.

Ricardo Arona
48% takedown success
58% TDD
http://ufcstats.com/fighter-details/05fbfe628658c538

Jacare Souza
40% takedown success
60% TDD
http://ufcstats.com/fighter-details/7a703c565ccaa18f

Shinya Aoki
41% takedown success
60% TDD
http://ufcstats.com/fighter-details/79ded75550efc139

All have judo black belts that aided takedown chops. First name that comes to mind in current crop of fighters is benson henderson (competitive in adcc/solid wrestling/ufc champ).

 

[NoBiasJustMMA]

All have judo black belts that aided takedown chops. First name that comes to mind in current crop of fighters is benson henderson (competitive in adcc/solid wrestling/ufc champ).

He's good but i'm trying to stick with guys that aren't from wrestling bases for the most part since there aren't nearly as many of them that picked up wrestling later and got good at it.

 

[Threetrees]

Demian Maia

 

[mkt]

Aoki doesn't belong on that list. His TD success may be good, but look who's he fought, especially in recent years. See his fight vs. Gilbert Melendez to see what would happen if he faced the competition that Jacare did (or even Arona did in Pride). He got manhandled on the ground by Gil. I'd bring up Askren, too, but that was a bit unfair as Aoki was a LW/FW fighting a WW. But Khabib would do the same thing Askren did at 155 to Aoki.

Kron Gracie was taking down fools and submitting them in the minor leagues, too...

I'm not sure what his TD% was, but Tibau was a good wrestler...kind of a mini-Arona who was more into TDs and top control than submissions.

 

[MMonk]

BJ had good TD and great TDD at LW.

 

[NoBiasJustMMA]

BJ had good TD and great TDD at LW.

True, it's a shame he fell in love with his boxing and forgot about his grappling.

 

[MMonk]

True, it's a shame he fell in love with his boxing and forgot about his grappling.

And fell in love with food and drinking and went to WW.

And released Murinovich Bros .

 

[mkt]

Demian Maia

He did have pretty good TDs, especially at WW. He's 40 now and can take down some guys, but gets completely stuffed by good wrestlers. Compare him vs. Chael/Fitch in his prime vs. Woodley/Colby/Usman more recently. He's a very favorable match-up for Askren.

 

[mkt]

And fell in love with food and drinking and went to WW.
.

You mean MW? Oh, you're talking about BJ, not Johnny Hendricks.

 

[Threetrees]

He did have pretty good TDs, especially at WW. He's 40 now and can take down some guys, but gets completely stuffed by good wrestlers. Compare him vs. Chael/Fitch in his prime vs. Woodley/Colby/Usman more recently. He's a very favorable match-up for Askren.

True, but I meant just in general.
I mean Woodley, Colby, and Usman are the three best wrestlers in that division probably. Rough trio of guys to fight.

 

[drbolony]

Why limit yourself to BJJ? Why not consider submission grapplers with good wrestling? Barnett would be a good example of such.

 

[mkt]

True, but I meant just in general.
I mean Woodley, Colby, and Usman are the three best wrestlers in that division probably. Rough trio of guys to fight.

Yeah, I agree. Maia isn't one of those BJJ purists who refused to add wrestling to his skillset.

 

[NoBiasJustMMA]

Neiman Gracie seems to have good takedowns but there aren't really stats for him on fightmetric. He took down Ed Ruth and I think he got Rory down a couple of times.

 

[mkt]

Why limit yourself to BJJ? Why not consider submission grapplers with good wrestling? Barnett would be a good example of such.

I think because Barnett wrestled (at least at the high school level) and catch wrestling really is an offshoot of wrestling with a wrestling base. Sambo might be a more interesting comparison. It varies from Khabib (great wrestler) to Oleg Takrarov (much more like BJJ with great submissions but usually fought off his back and had weak wrestling) to Fedor who is somewhere in between.

 

[MMonk]

Yeah, I agree. Maia isn't one of those BJJ purists who refused to add wrestling to his skillset.

Less Pride more brains.

Still , he's old and not as athletic.
He can't take down younger beasts like Woodley, Colby, Usman.