UFC 127 Fight Card: Jon Fitch and The UFC's Greatest Grinders

There's a contingent of UFC fighters who are famous/infamous for employing a slow, methodical brand of combat. This usually involves wrestling someone to the ground and trapping them there while inflicting modest amounts of damage, as opposed to aggressively seeking the finish.

Why fight this way?  I'll let the Nevada State Athletic Commission take this one:

"A Judge shall recognize that if the fighters remain in guard the majority of a round with neither fighter having an edge in clean striking or effective grappling, the fighter who scored the clean takedown deserves the round."

This style is the subject of surprisingly fierce debate among MMA devotees.  Detractors call it "lay-and-pray" or "wall-and-stall." They call it boring, even cowardly.

Meanwhile, proponents admire the strength and skill it takes to grind down another man, and deflect criticisms by noting that opposing fighters are free to try and do something about it.

Putting that debate aside for a moment, submitted here for your consideration is a list of the 10 greatest grinders in the UFC today. Please enjoy, and then decide for yourself where you stand.

Honorable Mention: Greg Jackson

When UFC president Dana White recently said Jackson's charges displayed a "safety first" mentality, that comment likely did not come with the gold star I remember getting from the police officer who visited my third-grade class with the same message.  But as long as Jackson keeps training champions, I imagine he'll keep smiling.

Honorable Mention: Thales Leites

Photo credit: ESPN

Leites may be the only fighter in UFC history to practice lay n' pray without bothering to include his opponent in the proceedings.

This photo was taken right before Anderson Silva sucked out Leites' soul Shang Tsung style. (Or Dementor style, if you prefer.) 

Always great at Brazilian jiu-jitsu but in an I'd-rather-be-on-the-beach sort of way, Leites lost his mojo after this and soon received his walking papers.

10. Randy Couture

Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images

PORTLAND, OR - AUGUST 29: UFC fighter Randy Couture (Bottom) battles UFC fighter Antonio Nogueira (Top) during their Heavyweight bout at UFC 102: Couture vs. Nogueira at the Rose Garden Arena on August 29, 2009 in Portland, Oregon. (Photo by Jon Kopalo

Now, don't get upset.  Remember from the first slide that I do not intend the term "grinder" to be pejorative.  Necessarily. 

Either way, though, Couture long ago perfected the fine science of smushing opponents against the fence for a series of lower-leverage strikes to the midsection.  

Couture is a thinking man's wrestler, but taking all that time to think sure can slow down the action.

9. Vladimir Matyushenko

Photo credit: Sherdog

Of The Janitor's six victories in the UFC's light heavyweight division, four came by way of decision.

Once the grizzled Belorusian has you on the mat, it can be darn difficult to come up for air.  And you can bet he's going to try to get you there, seeing as how 62 percent of his attack is based on takedowns, according to UFC statistics.

8. Georges St. Pierre

One of the greatest welterweights in UFC history has a pretty complete game, but you have to admit that his default is a grinding style, especially as of late.

Wins over Thiago Alves, Jon Fitch, Dan Hardy and Matt Serra were all convincing, but all happened through GSP's methodical mat work.

7. Chael Sonnen

According to CompuStrike, Sonnen landed 289 blows on Anderson Silva in their fight last summer. And yet, at the end of the fight, there stood "The Spider" with nary a mark on his face. 

The fact that he hit Silva almost 300 times, but could not finish the champion, is a testament to both Sonnen's dominance over Silva and the minimal amount of damage he did. Clearly, Sonnen's goal was to achieve and hold top position, then "stay busy" and hang on for the victory. 

That, to me, is the epitome of lay n' pray.  Maybe next time, Sonnen's prayers will be answered.

6. Brandon Vera

Once an impressive phenom and promising striker, five of Vera's last nine fights went to decision.  Fellow fighter Keith Jardine once called out Vera for an "incredibly boring" fight against Reese Andy. 

What's interesting about Vera is the stark contrast between his behavior before the fight and inside the cage.  To hear him talk, he expects to break bones every time he steps in.  But when the rubber meets the road, his style tells a different story.

5. Sean Sherk

Photo credit: www.crazymuscle.com

The Muscle Shark is often derided for his fire hydrant physique, but the former lightweight champion is built for the mat and can't really be blamed for employing a fighting style that takes advantage of that.

4. Jake Shields

Sometimes, it seems like Jake Shields is operating on a higher plane than the rest of us mortals.  It is almost as if he is looking to achieve a kind of suspended animation in the ring, whereby he simply wills his opponent into submission.

Shields' fellow fighters are surprisingly candid about the challenges of going against the jiu-jitsu grinder.  Dan Henderson, Martin Kampmann, Frank Shamrock and Jake Ellenberger are among the luminaries who have called Shields boring. 

What else do these four have in common?  They have all either never fought Shields, or lost in the effort.  That's probably why Shields is getting a welterweight title shot against St. Pierre this April.

3. Gray Maynard

Photo credit: graymaynard.wordpress.com

A grappler's grappler, Maynard looks to maul his opponents to sleep. 

And it's very effective. 

See that heavy bag in the photo there?  It's not putting up any resistance at all.  I'd give this to Maynard 30-26. 

2. Jon Madsen

You may know Madsen best as Brock Lesnar's training partner. He's also well known for his ability to smother opponents on the mat. Think Roy Nelson without the striking or jiu-jitsu or interesting personality. 

So far, all but one of Madsen's four UFC fights—all victories—have gone to decision. 

He has literally never been taken down in his UFC career, which is helpful for earning prime position for some clinical grinding. Where it is less beneficial is in finishing fights or earning knockouts.  But striking just isn't his M.O.  Just ask Lesnar, who reacted to Cain Velasquez's punching as if he were encountering a fist for the first time.

1. Jon Fitch

Photo credit: Francis Specker

I've seen him referred to in discussion boards as "Smoke Break" Fitch. Now, see, that's just wrong.

Still, I understand.  He's a textbook grinder.  Yes, he is.  But it's an effective style.  Think back to the 1985 Chicago Bears, or Pat Riley's New York Knicks teams of the 90s. These teams changed their sports by using a great defense as a great offense.

That same philosophy applies to Fitch. Instead of "Smoke Break," I'd call him The Neutralizer. When you're grinding because you think you can somehow win by a pinfall or you're afraid to engage in a more proactive way, then there's a problem.  But I don't sense that this is the case with Fitch.  This is simply his natural style. 

It sure is effective, too, as his 26-3 record demonstrates.  And now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go grab a beverage and hit the head.

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