In the ever-shifting landscape of MMA, with games constantly evolving and refining and fighters retiring and debuting, “best of” lists are also in a perpetual state of flux. Joined by Zane Simon of Bloody Elbow, and in an effort to keep Bleacher Report readers in the know, we present the top seven Brazilian jiu-jitsu players in MMA today.
As the driving force behind present-day MMA, Brazilian jiu-jitsu presents a formidable challenge to those with lesser grappling games, despite the optimization of MMA training over the last 20-plus years. It’s a comprehensive style of grappling, utilizing the legs to control and attack much more than sambo or wrestling, and if a fighter doesn’t know how to counter it, he or she is lost at sea—as early UFC events illustrated. Even today, when virtually every MMA fighter has some grappling in his or her repertoire, a masterful jiujiteiro presents an undeniable and unrelenting threat.
Our top seven is determined by several factors: how effectively Brazilian jiu-jitsu is incorporated into the fighter’s game, victories earned either by submission or in a jiu-jitsu-heavy fight, the caliber of the opposition and the fighter’s dominance in his or her division.
