# The 19 Best Wrestlers in MMA History

> Olympic medalists, collegiate champions and self-taught maulers who turned takedowns into titles. Which one gets your vote?

*By YPB Team · Published September 9, 2026 · https://youpick.best/ranking/the-19-best-wrestlers-in-mma-history*

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## Current results (no votes yet)

1. **Daniel Cormier** — score 1000/1000
   A two-division UFC champion and two-time Olympic freestyle wrestler for the United States.
2. **Khabib Nurmagomedov** — score 862/1000
   The undefeated Dagestani lightweight whose relentless grappling made him unbeatable at 29-0.
3. **Matt Hughes** — score 756/1000
   The dominant early welterweight champion known for his raw strength and slams.
4. **Kamaru Usman** — score 664/1000
   The Nigerian Nightmare whose smothering wrestling produced a long welterweight title reign.
5. **Randy Couture** — score 596/1000
   A UFC Hall of Famer and Greco-Roman specialist who won titles in two weight classes.
6. **Georges St-Pierre** — score 517/1000
   The Canadian welterweight great who used takedowns and control to dominate two divisions.
7. **Yoel Romero** — score 517/1000
   The Cuban Olympic silver medalist whose explosive athleticism terrified middleweights.
8. **Cain Velasquez** — score 517/1000
   The heavyweight champion whose cardio and wrestling pace overwhelmed the division.
9. **Tito Ortiz** — score 423/1000
   The Huntington Beach Bad Boy who defended the light heavyweight title five times.
10. **Frankie Edgar** — score 423/1000
   The undersized lightweight champion whose wrestling and movement beat far bigger men.
11. **Islam Makhachev** — score 423/1000
   The Dagestani champion whose sambo-based grappling continued his mentor's dominance.
12. **Jon Jones** — score 423/1000
   The light heavyweight and heavyweight champion whose wrestling underpins his all-around game.
13. **Johny Hendricks** — score 423/1000
   A two-time NCAA champion whose wrestling and left hand won him UFC welterweight gold.
14. **Kevin Randleman** — score 310/1000
   An explosive two-time NCAA champion and UFC heavyweight titleholder.
15. **Ben Askren** — score 310/1000
   An NCAA champion and Olympian who went undefeated across Bellator and ONE titles.
16. **Dan Henderson** — score 310/1000
   A two-time Olympic wrestler who became a Pride and Strikeforce champion.
17. **Mark Coleman** — score 310/1000
   The godfather of ground and pound who brought elite wrestling to the early UFC.
18. **Henry Cejudo** — score 172/1000
   The only athlete to win both an Olympic wrestling gold medal and a UFC championship.
19. **Chael Sonnen** — score 172/1000
   The relentless middleweight grappler famed for his takedown volume and trash talk.

Tags: ufc, wrestling, fighters, mma