MMA contains a nicely balanced mix of fighting styles, but one we have all seen flourish and become a trait of some of the world’s top fighters is BJJ. BJJ is a martial art that uses grappling techniques and ground fighting in order to submit opponents as well as defend yourself.
Fighters who therefore train in BBJ have the ability to finish fights in a number of different ways.
You will find that most fighters competing on the top level these days will practice BJJ because of the quality it can bring to your fighting style.
No. 10: Antonio Rogerio Nogueira Along with brotherAntonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira is one of the leading BJJ fighters in MMA, having earned his black belt.
Little Nog has a 19-5 professional record in MMA and has recorded defeats over top ranked fighters including Dan Henderson and Vladimir Matyushenko.
Machida is a diverse fighter who can win fights either by decision or knockout.
After using his versatile skills and techniques to knockout Randy Couture at UFC 129, it looked like he was on his way to re-establishing himself as an elite MMA fighter, only to have a setback in his most recent fight against current champion Jon Jones.
16 of his 19 winning fights have been knockouts, however his ground game hasn’t gone totally unnoticed as he was able to take his first match up with Machida to the judges’ scorecards.
No. 6: Jose Aldo At age 25, Jose Aldo is seen as a one to watch BJJ fighter in MMA. He holds a professional record of 21-1 and was one of the top fighters in WEC before it was merged with UFC. Aldo is a good all round fighter, with stand-up game as well as ground game, he has 2 submissions to his name as well as four decision wins.
His submission victims include top fighters, such as Chael Sonnen and Nate Quarry.
No. 4: B.J. Penn known to many as “The Prodigy,” B.J. Penn is notably one of the best BJJ practitioners in MMA. He strikes well, has a record of 16-8-2, winning six of his fights by submission.
Like many of the others here, Penn is a good all round fighter who is dangerous as he has the ability to win fights in a number of ways.
No. 3: Georges St. Pierre Georges St. Pierre is currently seen as one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in MMA. He has a black belt in BJJ with a 22-2 record, winning a total of eight fights in a row whilst being UFC Welterweight Champion.
With his fighting style and technique in mind, GSP is can simply be seen as a chameleon.
For his opponents, training for a fight with him to counter his style can be branded useless.
No. 2: Anderson Silva To many he is one of the most controversial fighters in MMA and also one of the best BJJ fighters.
Silva’s fights, his unique style and technique are a testament to his BJJ skill.
18 of his victories have been by knockout, but on the flip side he has also won 7 by decision and 6 by submission making him quite a versatile fighter.
One of his most notable submissions happened against wrestler Chael Sonnen at UFC 117 who he his now scheduled to fight again at UFC 148, and has been one of the most publicised fight in recent years with Sonnen big mouthing and vowing to have his revenge.
Rumours have been brought up constantly about Silva fighting Georges St. Pierre.
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