Jon Jones and the Top 12 Best Adapted Wrestling Games in the UFC

Wrestling is one of the most important tools for MMA. Most consider it the best base to have going into the sport.

Of course, simply relying on traditional wrestling will not take you very far in modern MMA. You have to tweak things and be more creative.

These are the top 12 fighters who have adapted a wrestling game to great effect in the UFC.

See also...top 10 'wrestler vs wreslter' matchups in the UFC

Honorable Mentions

Chad Mendes

Josh Koscheck

Brock Lesnar

Shane Carwin

Matt Hamill

Urijah Faber

Gray Maynard

Tom Lawlor

12. Yushin Okami

The Japanese standout does not have a background in wrestling like many of his American contemporaries, yet he still has one of the best wrestling games in the UFC.

Okami is a black belt in Judo and trains in wrestling, making him one of the most formidable middleweights in the world today.

He was steamrolled by Chael Sonnen, but learned from his mistakes to control Nate Marquardt and NCAA Division I wrestling champion Mark Munoz.

11. Phil "Mr. Wonderful" Davis

One of the sports fastest rising stars, Phil Davis is a former NCAA champion and an exciting prospect to watch because he is always evolving.

Diligent in developing all parts of his game, his wrestling is still his most effective tool.

Davis has yet to encounter a wrestler of his caliber in MMA, but when he does, expect Davis to come prepared to have the wrestling advantage over any opponent.

10. Lyoto "The Dragon" Machida

Machida is a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Shotokan Karate, and he is also a student of Judo and Sumo Wrestling.

Taking elements and aspects from all of those disciplines, Machida has put together a surprisingly effective wrestling game.

He has taken down top MMA wrestlers such as Tito Ortiz and Quinton Jackson.

A lifelong student of martial arts, Machida is a perennial threat in all areas of the fight game. 

9. Rousimar "Toquinho" Palhares

One of the most dangerous Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu fighters in the world, Palhares is a powerful wrestler who is great at forcing the issue.

His nickname "toquinho" means "tree stump." and perfectly sums up his stocky muscular build.

When he gets his hands on you, almost anyone in the world will be going for a ride.

Two-time Olympian Dan Henderson had to be extremely vigilant in his defensive wrestling to try and keep from going to the ground against Palhares.

Even still, Rousimar was able to grab the legendary Henderson and slam him to the ground at one point.

8. Cain Velasquez

A NCAA Division I wrestler, and overall unstoppable MMA force.

Cain Velasquez has dictated the pace of every single fight that he has been in, often times dominating with his wrestling.

Not the biggest heavyweight out there, many thought Brock Lesnar would have the wrestling advantage when they met for the UFC Heavyweight Championship.

Velasquez got up quickly from Lesnar's takedowns and ended up controlling Lesnar through his own wrestling ability.

With the performance, it is hard to imagine anyone capable of out-wrestling Cain in a MMA match. 

7. Chael Sonnen

A NCAA wrestler at Oregon and Greco-Roman Olympic alternate, Chael Sonnen has always been a top MMA competitor.

However, after losing to Demian Maia in his UFC debut, Sonnen really turned a corner in his MMA career.

From that point on, Sonnen used his wrestling to plow through his opposition and seemingly do whatever he wants.

He turned in stunning and dominant performances against Dan Miller, Yushin Okami, and Nate Marquardt.

In his last fight he dominated champion Anderson Silva before getting submitted in a miraculous come from behind victory.

6. Frankie "The Answer" Edgar

Edgar had used his wrestling to great effect in his fights, but really started using an impressively adapted wrestling game in his championship bouts.

He is one of the few people to takedown, multiple times, the legendarily tough to take down BJ Penn.

In his first matchup against Gray Maynard, the larger Maynard eventually started controlling the action with his wrestling.

When they met again for the championship, Edgar's wrestling was much improved, and he used it to greater effect than his formidable opposition.

5. Jake Shields

Using an incredible blend of powerful wrestling and slick Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu technique, Jake Shields has become one of the premiere welterweight and middleweight fighters in the world.

Shields has won 15 fights in a row over some stiff competition.

In that streak, Shields has overcome such notable grapplers as Martin Kampmann, Carlos Condit, Mike Pyle, Yushin Okami, and even Dan Henderson at middleweight.

It may not always be the most exciting, but the former NCAA Division II competitor has easily become one of the most effective wrestlers in the business.

4. Jon Fitch

Jon Fitch was an NCAA Division I wrestler at Purdue, yet he is not one of the most powerful wrestlers in the welterweight division.

Jon Fitch is, however, the craftiest wrestler in the division.

A notorious "grinder," Fitch finds a way to control almost all of his opponents, no matter how talented they are on the ground.

Top-ranked Thiago Alves has shutdown takedowns from the likes of Josh Koscheck and Matt Hughes, but found himself planted on the ground over and over against Jon Fitch.

3. Randy "The Natural" Couture

One of the greatest fighters in the history of the sport, Randy Couture is a NCAA wrestler and Greco-Roman Olympic alternate who has never truly been out-wrestled in MMA.

Even against significantly larger wrestler Brock Lesnar, Couture did a good job holding his own, although he would relinquish the title in that particular fight.

An expert in the clinch and on the ground, Couture has outwrestled anyone his own size, and even controlled men much larger than himself in Tim Sylvia and Gabriel Gonzaga.

Always working to get better, Couture is an inspiration for all generations of fighters.

2. Georges "Rush" St-Pierre

A surprise to many to be at No. 2, Georges St-Pierre has been considered by most to have the most effective wrestling in MMA for the past several years.

A freak athlete, GSP did not have the wrestling background most competitors on this list had. Regardless, GSP is one of the most gifted takedown artists of all time.

Only 29 years of age, and already one of the best to have ever competed in MMA thanks to his incredible control over his opponents.

He has man-handled some of the best wrestlers in his division in Jon Fitch and Matt Hughes.

1. Jon "Bones" Jones

A lofty position for the young phenom who is scheduled to fight in just his first championship bout.

A former junior college national wrestling champ, Jones earns this position by man-handling some of the best wrestlers in the sport better than GSP has.

No one besides Jon Jones out-wrestles Matt Hamill, and Jones rag-dolled him.

In his last bout, Jones took down and all around outclassed former All-American wrestler Ryan Bader.

GSP topped powerful wrestler Josh Koshcheck twice, but neither performance was as dominant as Jones' from a wrestling perspective.

Mauricio Rua is dangerous to anybody with his strikes and submissions, but when they meet for the Championship on March 19th, Jon Jones will have a considerable wrestling advantage. 

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