Best wrestler by division

[Shay Brennan]

This is active fighters only.

HW: Curtis Blaydes
LHW: Magomed Ankalaev
MW: Khamzat Chimaev
WW: Kamaru Usman
LW: Makhachev
FW: Movsar Evloev
BW: Merab/Umar
FLW: Muhammad Mokaev

W BW: Kayla Harrison
W FLW: Valentina Shevchenko
W SW: Tatiana Suarez

Do you agree? If not then what is your list?
Who is your favourite? Mine are Chimaev and Val.

Also, changes can be made to the list if you have good suggestions.

 

[AimedWithV]

This is active fighters only.

HW: Curtis Blaydes
LHW: Magomed Ankalaev
MW: Khamzat Chimaev
WW: Kamaru Usman
LW: Makhachev
FW: Movsar Evloev
BW: Merab/Umar
FLW: Muhammad Mokaev

W BW: Kayla Harrison
W FLW: Valentina Shevchenko
W SW: Tatiana Suarez

Do you agree? If not then what is your list?
Who is your favourite? Mine are Chimaev and Val.

Also, changes can be made to the list if you have good suggestions.

Wait.... active fighters only?
Them why do you have Chimaev there?

 

[Black9]

Great list, i agree on all of them except welterweight, i think MMA wrestling wise Sean Brady might be the best wrestler in that division.
Usman's wrestling has taken a drastic dip since he just uses his hands now mostly.

 

[filthybliss]

I can't help to feel that Umar is only esteemed that highly as a wrassler because of Daegstani privelege. Merab was able to stuff down Yan and Cejudo. Umar has really only fought cans at this point so to put them on the same level when they have faced severely different competetition seems a bit cheeky.

 

[Davidjacksonjones]

If Jones is considered "active" my vote goes to him (but this is based on the wrestling he displayed during his LHW career)

 

[KungFuFoo]

poatan has 100% takedown success, right?

 

[sonhow]

I mean sure probably Blaydes has the claim but I just saw the man thrown down 9 times by Almeida in single round. And its not like Jailton lost due to gassing because he wrestled too much.
One fight Id like to see a rematch asap.

 

[gilbert_mma]

Wait.... active fighters only?
Them why do you have Chimaev there?

He is fighting in a month.

I would also put Jones significantly ahead of Blaydes. I doubt he would get ragdolled like Blaydes got in the first round against Almeida

 

[AimedWithV]

He is fighting in a month.

I would also put Jones significantly ahead of Blaydes. I doubt he would get ragdolled like Blaydes got in the first round against Almeida

He "WILL", maybe, fight.

Potential doesn't make him active.

 

[fortheo]

HW: Jailton Almeida
LHW: Magomed Ankalaev
MW: Khamzat Chimaev
WW: Kamaru Usman
LW: Gamrot
FW: Aljo
BW: Merab
FLW: Mokaev

W FLW: Tracy Cortez
W SW: Tatiana Suarez

 

[MaulingMyClown]

No Bo On that list lol

 

[HHJ]

He is fighting in a month.

I would also put Jones significantly ahead of Blaydes. I doubt he would get ragdolled like Blaydes got in the first round against Almeida

Hard to say. To me he is still a total question mark at hw despite him having the belt

 

[blaseblase]

Almeida showed he was a better wrestler than Blaydes in their fight.

 

[ComeChooDaddy]

Oliveira and Volk had Islam pressed against the cage and almost took him down.

 

[JBJ was here]

Hard to say. To me he is still a total question mark at hw despite him having the belt

Jones significantly out-wrestled DC, albeit at LHW (albeit at fight-night weights little different from their HW weigh-in weights). That marks him as a top-tier HW wrestler until someone comes along and proves otherwise.

 

[HHJ]

Jones significantly out-wrestled DC, albeit at LHW (albeit at fight-night weights little different from their HW weigh-in weights). That marks him as a top-tier HW wrestler until someone comes along and proves otherwise.

Bullllsheeeeit.

Jones is completely different now since he fought DC. Who he avoided fighting at hw

 

[gilbert_mma]

Hard to say. To me he is still a total question mark at hw despite him having the belt

Jones has only really been taken down once in his entire career, by Gus in their first fight. He did outwrestle DC, who is one of the best wrestlers we have seen in the sport. We dont know for sure, I agree, but I wouldn't call him a "total questionmark", that is excessive.

 

[Safton]

HW: Jailton Almeida
LHW: Magomed Ankalaev
MW: Khamzat Chimaev
WW: Kamaru Usman
LW: Gamrot
FW: Aljo
BW: Merab
FLW: Mokaev

W FLW: Tracy Cortez
W SW: Tatiana Suarez

Agreed. Welterweight is tough; you can legitimately make arguments for Usman, Brady, Belal, or I guess Colby... Usman seems like he might be going up to 185 though.

Almeida is so damn dominant with his takedowns and top game at HW and I'm eager to see him show it against Romanov. Blaydes is my boy, but calling him the best wrestler at Heavyweight is very much a 2019 understanding of the division... and even then, I think you probably could have made an argument that Stipe and DC were superior technical wrestlers to Blaydes despite being less prolific takedown artists at that weight class. Jon and Tom might be even better than either of them, but I want to see more from them in terms of outwrestling other Heavyweights.

 

[HHJ]

Jones has only really been taken down once in his entire career, by Gus in their first fight. He did outwrestle DC, who is one of the best wrestlers we have seen in the sport. We dont know for sure, I agree, but I wouldn't call him a "total questionmark", that is excessive.

Yes he was a good wrestler. At lhw. But he couldn't take down Reyes (123) and he avoided fighting DC at hw for good reason. Taking down Gane in that short slopfest makes him me wonder what he really got in a sustained battle w someone, a true hw w TD defense in 2024. Cos I really don't think Jones is a true HW tbh.

 

[gilbert_mma]

Yes he was a good wrestler. At lhw. But he couldn't take down Reyes (123) and he avoided fighting DC at hw for good reason. Taking down Gane in that short slopfest makes him me wonder what he really got in a sustained battle w someone, a true hw w TD defense in 2024. Cos I really don't think Jones is a true HW tbh.

I don't think it is fair to say that he avoided DC at hw for good reason, is there any evidence that he avoided him? I don't think the extra fat percentage for DC would have filled the gap between the two, that seems frankly ridicoulous. Reyes is a very good defensive wrestler, sure he has been KO'd a lot recently but that is a different story. I also feel like Jones was operating on cruise control in his last fights at LHW. People point to his somewhat competive fight against Santos, but he barely even tried to get that fight to the ground, I think he went for one half-assed take down attepmt the hole fight.