Sherdog’s Top 10: MMA Wrestlers

Inside the cage, Jon Jones has found no equal. | Photo: Dave Mandel/Sherdog.com

1. Jon Jones

If Daniel Cormier is the second-best wrestler in MMA, as this list argues, then the guy who handily stuffed almost all of his takedowns and dropped him to the mat with seeming ease should be the best. That is the case, as the former UFC light heavyweight champion takes the top spot on our list. While Jones lacks the elite wrestling credentials of most of the entries here, his brief career on the mats showed he could have been much more accomplished had life not intervened. He was a junior college national champion and did well on the national Greco-Roman scene in high school, which tends to bode well for future high-level competitors, but his career ended before he could go any further.

Instead, Jones transitioned to MMA, where his freakish length, athleticism and unique approach have made him an incredible functional wrestler. His takedown game relies heavily on trips and throws from the clinch, but he can hit everything from German suplexes and standard doubles to lateral drops when the mood strikes. He is also nearly impossible to get to the mat, having conceded takedowns only to Alexander Gustafsson and two-time Olympian Cormier. His control game in the clinch is built on that same wrestling prowess, and it is an increasingly important part of his arsenal.

Credentials aside, nobody in mixed martial arts has done better wrestling against elite competition than Jones.

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