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Best MMA Fighters From China

Over the last few years, the MMA scene has been steadily growing in the nation of China. While the…

Over the last few years, the MMA scene has been steadily growing in the nation of China. While the scene is still growing, some of the best MMA fighters from China have been making waves internationally.

Here is a list of the current best MMA fighters from China. Check out the list below and be sure to keep an eye on these talented fighters.

Zhang Weili

If you’re going to make a list of the best MMA fighters from China, UFC champion Zhang Weili must be included. She is the best MMA fighter to come from China and arguably one of the all-time best female fighters.

Weili quickly became a fan favorite after multiple impressive performances and winning gamblers plenty of Yuan at online bookies like 1xbet ??. After winning her first three UFC fights, Zhang shocked the world by quickly beating ex-champion Jessia Andrade.

After winning the title, Weili had brutal wars with ex-champions Joanna Champion and Rose Namajunas. Even though Zhang lost the title to Rose, she became a 2x champion after submitting Carla Esparza.

Zhang Weili is back on top of the division and looking to have a long title reign this time around. No matter what she does, Weili has already made history as the best fighter from China.

Song Yadong

Song Yadong is one of the best MMA fighters from China, who competes in the UFC bantamweight division. The Sanda practitioner has used impressive striking skills to move up the ranks.

Yadong made quite a first impression in his UFC debut at featherweight, where he won performance of the night honors. He won four of his first five UFC fights, which included top title contender Marlon “Chico” Vera.

Since then, Song took a couple losses, but put on some impressive performances against more top bantamweight contenders. Yadong has made his mark in the UFC and will look to become the first Chinese bantamweight champion.

Jingliang Li

Li Jinglian is not only one of the best MMA fighters from China, but also one of the most successful. “The Leech” was one of the first Chinese fighters to make it to the UFC in 2014 after going 8-2 in China.

In his ten years with the promotions, Li has put on some impressive performances and displayed his knockout power. Out of his eleven UFC wins, Jingliang has one nine by KO or TKO.

He is one of the more popular male Chinese fighters, who has established himself in the divison’s top 15 ranks. At 35, Li still has a few more years of fighting in him and will continue to pursue the welterweight title.

Su Mudaerji

Su Mudaerji is currently one of the best MMA fighters from China, who competes in the UFC flyweight division. “The Tibetan Eagle” compiled a 13-3 record mostly with the Wu Lin Feng promotion before entering the UFC.

During his current run within the promotion, Su has gone 3-3 with four of his bouts at flyweight. Despite the .500 UFC record, Mudaerji has put on some impressive performances.

He earned a performance of the night bonus with his 1st round KO of Malcolm Gordon in just 44 seconds. Also, despite losing his bout against Matt Schnell, Su earned another FOTN bonus, which was a top 10 fight of 2022.

Mudaerji is looking to get back on the winning track and see if he can make a run at the flyweight title.

Yan Xiaonon

Yan Xiaonon has quickly made a name for herself in the UFC women’s strawweight division. “Fury” came into the promotion with an impressive 9-1(1) record, which included nearly all of her wins by KO/TKO.

She made quite an impression in the women’s flyweight division after winning her first six fights in the UFC. Xiaonon did suffer a couple losses, but earned two statement wins against Mackenzie Dern and Jessica Andrade.

Those wins have put Yan in line to face the champ Weili at UFC 300. This match will be one of the most widely watched MMA fights in the history of China and the world.

Tiequan Zhang

Tiequan Zhang was one of the first Chinese MMA fighters to compete in the UFC. Zhang originally made his US debut by competing in the WEC during the late 2000s.

After the WEC-UFC merger, Tiequan competed in the UFC featherweight division beginning in 2011. In his debut, Zhang had the best performance of his career by submitting Jason Reinhardt in :48 seconds.

After that win, Zhang lost his last three bouts and retired from MMA. Ending his career with a respectable 15-4 record, which included 12 submission wins.

Heili Alateng

Heili Alateng is another one of the best MMA fighters from China, who currently competes in the UFC bantamweight division. Alateng was just 12-7 when he made his UFC debut on the undercard of the Weili vs. Andrade event in China.

“The Mongolian Knight” has made the most of his opportunity and has gone 4-2-1 in his current UFC run. In his first match in the UFC, Heili earned FOTN honors, which gave him a big fight contract.

Alateng will look to continue winning more bouts and make a name for himself within the bantamweight division.

Song Kenan

Song Kenan has made a name for himself as one of the best MMA fighters currently fighting in the UFC welterweight division. After earning an impressive 15-4 record, Kenan earned a spot in the UFC in 2017.

The native of Hebei, China made quite a debut with a :15 second KO, which earned him POTN honors. Since that win, Song has gone 4-4 in the promotion, but earned FOTN honors against veteran Alex Morono.

Currently with a record of 20-8, Kenan will continue his pursuit of breaking into the top ten welterweight ranks.

Sai Wong

Most fight fans don’t know Sai Wong outside of China, but he was one of the best MMA fighters from China. Sai had a successful ten year career with all of his fights taking place within his country.

In those ten years, Wong earned an impressive 29-6 record, which included 16 submissions and 9 KO/TKOs. In his last pro bout, Sai submitted UFC veteran Phil Baroni in the first round.

It’s a shame Sai never made it to the international stage, but he did have an impressive career.

Tang Kai

Tang Kai is one of the best MMA fighters currently fighting within ONE Championship. The young Chinese fighter first gained an interest in fighting after taking up wrestling at his local university.

Kai became dedicated to pursuing a career in fighting and quickly found success. He was able to become the first Chinese fighter to win the prestigious ONE Featherweight Championship.

He earned the title by beating champion Than Le at ONE 160. Since then, Kai has not defended his title. Kai is patiently waiting for his next bout to show the world he’s one of the best MMA fighters from China.

Xiong Jin Nan

While most fight fans know Zhang Weili, Xiong Jin Nan made history before her. Nan became the first Chinese MMA world champion in history in 2018.

Winning the inaugural ONE women’s strawweight title by defeating Tiffany Teo by TKO. During her reign as champion, Jin has defended her title a record seven times.

During this reign, she had an epic trilogy of fights against atomweight champ Angela Lee and defeated BJJ champion Michelle Nicolini.

Nan is not only one of the best MMA fighters from China, but one of the top female fighters in the world. If it was possible, fight fans would love to see a future bout between her and UFC champion Zhang Weili.

Meng Bo

Meng Bo is a 2x Chinese MMA champion and easily one of the best MMA fighters from China. She currently fights in the ONE Championship atomweight division and is currently in the promotion’s top 10 ranks.

She currently has earned an impressive 13-5 record with many of her wins coming by KO/TKO. At just 27 years old, Bo will continue her pursuit of the ONE Championship title.

Niu Kang Kang

Niu Kang Kang is one of the best MMA fighters from China that you probably don’t know. He is a talented lightweight fighter, who is currently signed to ONE Championship.

After earning a pro record of 5-2, Kang made his promotional debut with ONE in 2019. Niu impressively won his first two bouts that year, but strangely has not fought in 5 years.

He is still under contract, but for some reason has not competed. Maybe we’ll see this talented fighter in the future and he can show the world his skills.

Chen Rui

Chen Rui is one of the best Chinese featherweights in the world, who currently competes in ONE Championship. The young featherweight earned a spot in ONE after going 12-2 with Chinese promotions.

Despite making it to the international stage. Rui has gone 5-4 within the promotion and has traded wins and losses in his 9 ONE bouts.

Xie Wei

Xie “ The Hunter” Wei has been one of the best MMA fighters from China, who fights within ONE Championship. Wei made his presence known within the promotion by winning his first six fights in ONE by TKO.

Since then, Wei has gone 3-3 with three more stoppage victories. Any time “The Hunter” steps into the cage, you can expect an exciting fight.

Best Polish Fighters In The UFC

The nation of Poland is known for producing some tough fighters, who are always a tough opponents to face….

The nation of Poland is known for producing some tough fighters, who are always a tough opponents to face. Many Polish fighters in the UFC have had success in the promotion with a few even earning titles.

Here’s a list of the top Polish fighters in the UFC from the past and present. Check out all of the fighters below and see which were able to make history.

Best Polish Fighters

Daniel Omielancz

We’re starting off the list of the best Polish fighters in the UFC with veteran Daniel Omielancz. Daniel fought in the UFC from 2013 to 2017 and had a 4-5 record within the promotion.

In those nine bouts, Omielancz pulled off some impressive wins, which included beating Chris De La Rocha and Aleksei Olenik. Unfortunately for Daniel, he lost his last three bouts and was released after dropping a decision to Curtis Blaydes.

At 41, Daniel is still competing and fighting primarily within his home country of Poland.

Piotr Hallman

Piotr Hallman is a Polish fighter, who fought in the UFC from 2013 to 2015. In his debut, Hallman was able to finish tough UFC vet Francisco Trinaldo with a kimura.

After losing a decision to Al Iaquinta, Piotr bounced back by defeating veteran Yves Edwards by RNC. After his second UFC win, Hall dropped 3 straight fights, which led to his release from the promotion in 2015.

Since his departure from the UFC, he fought a few more times before retiring in 2018 after a pro boxing match.

Krzysztof Soszynski

“The Polish Experiment” Krzysztop Soszynski was one of the first Polish fighters to enter the UFC and find success. After appearing on a season of the Ultimate Fighter, Krzysztof would pull off some good wins during his run.

He pulled off some good wins against Brian Stann and Stephan Bonnar before retiring from fighting in 2012. In his life after fighting, Soszynski found a fulfilling career as an actor.

His most notable role was in Here Comes The Boom, where he worked alongside actor/comedian Kevin James.

Michal Oleksiejczuk

Micha? Oleksiejczuk is another one of the current best Polish fighters in the UFC “Hussar” made his debut in 2012 that resulted in a no contest against top contender Khalil Rountree.

After debuting, Michal went on to earn some impressive wins against Sam Alvey and Gian Villante, securing victories that delighted both bettors and enthusiasts alike. His remarkable skills not only brought financial gains at bookmarkers but also garnered attention in the world of top 10 casino online gambling. His last bout was his most impressive win, which was a TKO stoppage against veteran Chidi Njokuani.

Oleksiejczuk will look to continue this momentum as he continues his attempt to climb up the UFC middleweight rankings.

Marcin Tybura

Since making his UFC debut in 2016, Marcin Tybura has been one of the best Polish fighters in the UFC. The Polish heavyweight has fought nearly every top heavyweight in the promotion and beaten many of them.

Some of his biggest wins include Andrei Arlovski, Ben Rothwell, Greg Hardy, and Stefan Struve. During his UFC run, Tybura has boosted his pro record to 24-8 and is looking for more big wins.

He was scheduled to have a big match with KO artist Tai Tuivasa, but it was re-scheduled for later this year. Marcin is always a tough out and could easily be in title contention with a couple big wins.

Krzysztof Jotko

Krzysztof Jotko was one of the best Polish fighters in the UFC from 2013 to 2022. The Polish light heavyweight spent the majority of his UFC run fighting in the prelims of UFC Fight Night events.

Whenever Jotko was given an opportunity, he would take it and win the majority of his bouts. Pulling off some nice wins against Thales Leites and Eryk Anders.

However, Jotko lost some big contender matches against Sean Strickland and Brendan Allen before his departure from the UFC. He is now signed with the PFL and looking to make a name for himself within this promotion.

Mateusz Gamrot

No doubt, lightweight standout Mateusz Gamrot is one of the best Polish fighters in the UFC today. The 23-2 lightweight has a lot of talent and ability, who is steadily climbing up the ranks.

Gamer made his UFC debut in 2020 and went on an impressive 4-1 run in his first five fights. Unfortunately, the young lightweight’s momentum was stopped after a decision loss to Beneil Darush, but he’s quickly bouncing back.

Since that loss, Gamrot has rebounded by winning his last two fights. Mateusz’s next fight will be the biggest of his career as he faces former champion Rafael Dos Anjos at UFC 299.

A win against RDJ will prove that Gamrot is ready to take his fighting career to the next level.

Karolina Kowalkiewicz

Karolina Kowalkiewicz has been one of the best Polish fighters in the UFC for a number of years. She has been part of the promotion for almost a decade and is still a top contender in the strawweight division.

Kowalkiewicz started out her UFC run strong with three straight wins. This included beating one of the Female MMA GOATs, Rose Namajunas by split decision.

Unfortunately for Karolina, she would go through struggles in her next 9 fights, going 2-7 during this period. With her back against the wall, Karolina revived her career and is currently on a 4-fight winning streak.

A decade into Kowalkiewicz’s UFC run, she is still very much a contender in the strawweight division. At 37 and a decade into her UFC run, Karolina is still one of the best Polish fighters in the UFC.

Jan Blachowicz

No doubt, Jan Blachowicz is easily one of the best Polish fighters in the UFC. He is the first male Polish fighter to become a UFC world champion.

Jan dominated the Polish KSW promotion before arriving to the UFC with a lot of hype. However, it took some time for the Polish Hammer to find his feet within the promotion.

After going 2-3 in his first 5 UFC fights, Jan found his footing and went on a dominant 8-1 run. During this run, Blachowicz was able to make history and become the light heavyweight champion.

At 40, Jan is still one of the top fighters of the light heavyweight division and is looking to regain his title.

Joanna J?drzejczyk

Without question, Joanna Jedrzejcyk is one of the best Polish fighters in the UFC. During her career, Joanna made history by becoming the first Polish UFC champion.

During her title reign, the Boogeywoman terrorized the strawweight division. She owns numerous UFC records from the most strawweight title defenses(5) and most women’s title bouts(10).

Joanna took part in some of the best fights in UFC history from her wars with Rose and Zhang. Not only is Joanna Champion one of the best Polish fighters in UFC history, but one of the great women’s champions.

She will no doubt go down as a future UFC Hall of Famer for her incredible career filled with accomplishments.

The Best UFC Referees [Updated List]

The UFC is almost thirty years old, and numerous refs have stepped into the cage. Fight fans often talk about bad officiating, but who are some of the best UFC referees in the promotion’s history? Check out our list of the best UFC referees ever below with a little background on each of these great […]

The UFC is almost thirty years old, and numerous refs have stepped into the cage. Fight fans often talk about bad officiating, but who are some of the best UFC referees in the promotion’s history?

Check out our list of the best UFC referees ever below with a little background on each of these great officials.

Best UFC Referees

Keith Peterson

Background: MMA & Muay Thai
Years Active: 2009/2010 to Present
Fights Officiated: 617 Fights(192 Knockouts, 126 Submissions, 286 Decisions, 4 Draws, 6 No Contests, 3 Disqualifications)

“No Nonsense” Keith Peterson is one of the best UFC referees currently working in the sport. Peterson has officiated over 600 fights in his career and is a fixture at every UFC event.

Keith was a longtime martial artist who decided to go into officiating after an amateur MMA career.

Many know Keith from his ongoing feud with Dominick Cruza over the stoppage against Henry Cejudo. However, Peterson actually gained more fans with his response to Cruz. We rarely worry about a bad call when we see Peterson in the cage.

Marc Goddard

Background: MMA
Years Active: 2007 to Present
Fights Officiated: 896 Fights(297 KOs/TKOs, 197 Submissions, 385 Decisions, 9 Draws, 6 No Contests, 2 Disqualifications.

The reliable Marc Goddard is the UK’s first big-name MMA referee. He is one of the best UFC referees in the sport, with three decades of experience.

Like most of the refs on our list, Marc was a lifelong martial artist who started ut fighting. When Marc retired from fighting, he transitioned to officiating. Goddard began getting recognized by MMA fans when the UFC held events in the UK.

Marc was so good that the UFC got him licensed to work at different UFC events in the US. On top of being a respected official, Goddard runs an MMA ref certification program and his own MMA gym.

Big John McCarthy

Background: BJJ
Years Active: 1994 to 2017
Fights Officiated: 957 Fights(340 KOs/TKOS, 277 Submissions, 315 Decisions, 9 Draws, 15 No Contests, 1 Disqualification

Big John McCarthy is often considered the standard for what people consider the best UFC referees. He was one of the first UFC referees and set the standard for the job.

John was an ex-police officer who got into reffing through the Gracie family. He trained at the Gracie Academy early on when Rorion was helping create the UFC.

Originally, Big John wanted to fight, but Rorions didn’t let him. Instead, Rorion let John be a referee from the second UFC on.

That was when Big John would yell his iconic trademark to start a fight: “Let’s get it on!”

Not only is Big John the standard for MMA officiating, but he also helped establish many of the sport’s rules. Every fan and fighter owes Big John McCarthy a little gratitude for his work in MMA.

Mike Beltran

Background: BJJ/MMA
Years Active: N/A
Fights Officiated: 421 Fights(160 KOs/TKOs, 89 Submissions, 160 Decisions, 8 Draws, 4 No Contests, 0 Disqualfications

Mike Beltran is one of the best UFC referees and one of the most intimidating. The California native towers over most of the fighters and is well known for his long beard.

Before becoming a famous MMA official, Beltran was a detective and part of many drug bust operations. On top of being a cop, Mike is also a lifelong martial artist and athlete.

His love of combat sports led him to pursue a career as an MMA referee. Mike has earned a lot of success and has become one of the most respected officials in the sport.

Jason Herzog

Background: BJJ & Judo
Years Active: 2008 to Present
Fights Officiated: 845 Fights(273 KO/TKO, 208 Submissions, 344 Decisions, 5 Draws, 9 No Contests, 6 Disqualifications

Jason Herzog is considered one of the best UFC referees of the modern era. A veteran referee of nearly 900 fights and counting, Herzog has shown to be a reliable third man in the cage.

Herzog rarely made crucial errors in his fifteen years as a professional MMA referee. We know Jason will call if down the middle whenever he’s in the cage. He’s passionate about his job and always does his best to protect the fighters.

Mark Smith

Background: Wrestling, BJJ
Years Active: N/A
Fights Officiated: 588

Mark Smith is one of the best UFC referees currently working and one of the most interesting. Smith is a retired Air Force pilot who used to fly F-16s during his service.

After retiring from the Air Force, Smith began working as a pilot for Southwest Airlines. While he was flying planes, Smith was also an avid martial artist and MMA fan.

Mark would enroll in an MMA official certification program in the early 2010s; the rest is history. He has currently officiated nearly 600 fights with little to no controversy in his career. This record of quality makes Smith one of the best UFC referees in the sport today.

Josh Rosenthal

Background: MMA/BJJ
Years Active: 2007 to Present
Fights Officiated: 492(170 KOs/TKOs, 146 Submissions, 162 Decisions, 3 Draws, 6 No Contests, 4 Disqualifications

Josh Rosenthal has lived a crazy life. He is mostly known for being one of the best UFC referees in all of MMA.

Rosenthal is a fixture on most big MMA events around the world and officiates events weekly. Although Josh is known as a great MMA referee, he did run into legal trouble during the early 2010s.

He was arrested in California and sentenced to 36 months for an illegal marijuana-growing operation. Many top MMA commentators like Joe Rogan, who is a cannabis advocate, protested Rosenthal’s imprisonment.

But Rosenthal would persevere through his prison time and continue working as a top MMA referee.

Jacob Montalvo

Background: BJJ
Years Active: 2010 to Present
Fights Officiated: 184 Fights(64 KOs/TKOS, 35 Submissions, 81 Decisions, 0 Draws, 3 No Contests, 1 Disqualification

One UFC referee you may not know much about is Jacob Montalvo. Jacob is a Texas native who’s a BJJ black belt with years of experience. Montalvo has competed in big super fights against UFC vets like Carlos Dieg Fereira.

Jacob, a longtime martial artist, started officiating in small events in Texas. He would eventually gain experience and be allowed to work the big events in the UFC.

Any time there’s a UFC event in Texas, you will likely see Jacob Montalvo working the event. In his decade + as an official, Montalvo has never been criticized for any blatantly bad calls.

Kerry Hatley

Background: N/A
Years Active: N/A
Fights Officiated: 235 Fights(72 KOs/TKOs, 44 Submissions, 111 Decisions, 2 Draws, 6 No Contests, 0 Disqualifications

Another one of the unsung referees in the sport is Kerry Hatley. Kerry has probably worked on numerous big events in the last decade.

You may not have heard much about him, which is a good thing for the best UFC referees. Hatley is a great third man in the ring who always does a good job.

Frank Trigg

Background: MMA
Years Active: N/A
Fights Officiated: 197 Fights(71 KOs/TKOs, 46 Submissions, 77 Decisions, 0 Draws, 2 No Contests, 1 Disqualification

Frank Trigg is one of the highest-level MMA fighters to transition to becoming an MMA referee. Trigg is no stranger to the spotlight as he main-evented countless fights against the best fighters in the world.

After Frank retired from fighting, he felt he would do a good job as an MMA referee. Trigg would quickly become one of the best UFC referees in the promotion. His experience as a fighter has made him a great ref that all of the fighters respect.

Best BJJ Fighters – Top 10 For 2023

The grappling ability in MMA is higher than it has ever been. That’s why we want to give you our list of the 10 best BJJ fighters of the current era. Read below as we go over the careers of the world’s best BJJ fighters and detail some of their highlight submissions. If you’re also […]

The grappling ability in MMA is higher than it has ever been. That’s why we want to give you our list of the 10 best BJJ fighters of the current era.

Read below as we go over the careers of the world’s best BJJ fighters and detail some of their highlight submissions.

If you’re also interested in reading about the best BJJ fighters in the history of MMA, check out this link.

10. Shinya Aoki

Let’s start our list off with one of the best BJJ fighters that is still active in Shinya Aoki. He is at the end of his career, but he’s still incredibly dangerous on the ground.

Casual MMA fans may not know much about Aoki since he’s fought mainly in Asia, but the diehards know him well. For decades, Aoki was known for his amazing guard and versatility in his attacks.

Out of Aoki’s 47 wins, 31 of them came by way of submission. Going on to win the Dream Lightweight Championship and the ONE Championship title on two occasions.

9. Garry Tonon

Before transitioning to MMA, Garry Tonon was one of the best No-Gi grapplers in the world. The Danaher Death Squad original is known for his exciting matches and prowess in leg locks and back takes.

In his young MMA career, Tonon has only had 7 MMA fights and has gone 6-1 overall. Out of his 6 wins, 3 were by submission that were set up perfectly.

He’s been nicely transitioning into MMA and could easily get on higher on the best BJJ fighters list in the future.

8. AJ McKee

The second generation MMA fighter, AJ Mckee has marked his place as one of the top fighters in Bellator MMA. He is a well rounded fighter, that’s well rounded with technical striking and an even better ground game.

A ground game that he has put on full display the last few years. Submitting Darrion Caldwell with an innovative neck crank, then putting Patricio Pitbull to sleep with a guillotine to win the title.

We’ll definitely see more highlight finishes from McKee in the future as he’s recently moved up to the lightweight division. Maybe even become a champ in two different weight classes.

7. Illia Topuria

One of the biggest young prospects in the UFC featherweight division is Illia “El Matador” Topuria. The Georgian fighter that is currently undefeated and has gone on a tear in the UFC.

He has currently won five fights in a row in the UFC and has mainly been showing off his striking ability. Knocking out three of five opponents so far in the promotion.

But what got Topuria to the UFC was a high level grappling game. Eight of his career thirteen wins have come by submission. The last of which was against previously undefeated Bryce Mitchell by arm triangle choke.(The third of his career.)

At twenty five years old, El Matador is already one of the best BJJ fighters in the UFC. We could easily see Topuria crack the top five in the next year with another highlight reel finish.

6. Rodolfo Vieira

Some may take issue with Rodolfo Vieira being on the best BJJ fighters of the year list. Rodolfo has underperformed well below expectations going into the UFC.

But there is no one in the UFC that has the grappling resume like that of Rodolfo Vieira. No other fighter in the roster has won 5 IBJJF World Championships or the ADCC Championship.

Vieira seemed to be on a rocket to the UFC top 10 until he was submitted by Anthony Hernandez. Before that loss, Vieira was 7-0 with all seven wins by submission.

He bounced back after the loss, but then lost his second match to Chris Curtis. If Rodolfo can improve his MMA skills and get more experience, he will be hard to beat going forward.

5. Glover Teixeira

Glover Teixeira has been a fan favorite in the UFC for the last decade. Most people know Teixeira for his knockout power that dropped some of the best fighters ever in the sport.

But late in Glover’s career he has had a career renaissance. Displaying that he’s also one of the worlds best BJJ fighters.

Before losing his title, Teixeira went on a six fight win streak. During that streak, he showed world class grappling skills, beating four of those opponents by submission. Including beating Jan Blachowicz for the light heavyweight title at 42 years old.

The old veteran is still showing he’s one of the world’s best fighters, but has stated he would be retiring soon. If Glover is able to win the title again before retiring, he’ll go down as one of the best fighters ever.

4. Marcus “Buchecha” Almeida

Marcus ”Buchecha ” Almeida is only 4-0 in his young mma career, but he’s one of the greatest grapplers ever. He is a fourteen time world Jiu Jitu champion, which arguably makes him one of the world’s best BJJ fighters.

No heavyweight MMA fighter in the world can hang with Buchecha on the ground. He makes elite level grapplers look like they are Jiu Jitsu white belts.

Buchecha, of course, is fighting opponents well below his skill level in ONE Championship. But to defend Marcus Almeida, there aren’t many in the world that are at his skill level.

As of now, Almeida currently has three submission wins in his four wins overall. That total will no doubt increase as his MMA career continues.

3. Aljamain Sterling

For years, Aljamain Sterling has been considered the best BJJ fighters in the UFC bantamweight division. Now Sterling is proving that he’s one of the best all around fighters in the world.

But it has taken a little time for fans to come around on Sterling. Many fans questioned the legitimacy of Sterling as the champion since he won by disqualification.

Aljamain would prove those critics wrong by decisively beating Petr Yan in the rematch. Proving that he was the true champion of the division.

Then after beating former champ TJ Dillashaw, nobody is doubting Aljamain Sterling anymore. He has proven that he is one of the pound for pound best MMA fighters in the world today

2. Gilbert Burns

Gilbert Burns has long been considered to be one of the best BJJ fighters in the world. He is a four time world Jiu Jitsu champion with two of them in No-Gi.

In MMA, Burns has adapted his grappling game very well into the sport. Having developed great takedowns and control that he has put on display many times.

Two of his best grappling performances came against all time great BJJ fighter Demian Maia and known striker Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson. Gilbert was able to use his top level takedown defense to completely shut down Maia’s game and won by TKO.

Then against Wonderboy, Burns was able to time his takedowns perfectly to disrupt Thompson’s striking game. Earning a nice win and taking zero damage in the fight.

Right now, Gilbert is looking to bounce back from a loss to Khamzat Chimaev that many believe he won. Gilbert has been displaying his striking power in recent fights, but he can’t forget his world class grappling ability.

1. Charles Oliveira

Charles Oliveira has proven to be the best BJJ fighters in MMA for the last decade. With everything the former champion has accomplished, it’s hard not to have him at the top of the list.

He has the most submission wins in the history of the UFC with sixteen. Many of which were his world class guillotine and rear naked choke.

Take his last two wins against Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje by RNC. Charles goes on a relentless attack throwing various strikes and submission attempts to open up his opponents for the RNC.

No other fighter has the transitions and attacks like the former champion. Oliveira had one the best runs of his career before his last loss and is already considered one of the best ever.

At 33, Charles still has a lot more time in the fight game to add to his legacy. Regaining the title he lost would be the feather in his cap on a long and illustrious career.

The Top 10 Gracies of All Time

Roger Gracie In 2005, 23-year-old Roger Gracie won the Abu Dhabi Submission Wrestling World Championship by submitting all eight opponents, something that had never been done before. The son of Reyla Gracie, Roger has racked up numerous first place finishes in jiu-jitsu tournaments around the world, and won his first MMA match in December 2006 with an … Read more

The post The Top 10 Gracies of All Time appeared first on Cage Potato.

Roger Gracie

In 2005, 23-year-old Roger Gracie won the Abu Dhabi Submission Wrestling World Championship by submitting all eight opponents, something that had never been done before. The son of Reyla Gracie, Roger has racked up numerous first place finishes in jiu-jitsu tournaments around the world, and won his first MMA match in December 2006 with an unsurprising first-round armbar of Ron “H20” Waterman; he plans to fight again early this year. With his long limbs and prodigious command of BJJ, the young lion of the Gracie clan could become a major force in mixed martial arts.

Ralph Gracie

“The Pitbull” isn’t really built like one — he’s 5’9? and runs a little over a buck fifty. But the nickname is justified by his aggressive approach, which deviates from the generally relaxed Gracie style. Brother to Renzo and the late Ryan, and the son of Robson, Ralph’s only loss came six seconds into a match with Takanori Gomi in 2004 when “The Fireball Kid” kneed him half to death; “The Pitbull” hasn’t fought since. He teaches and trains constantly now – and is kind of obsessive about it, as he was once quoted as saying, “It is better to die than not train.” Can we get a third option?

Carlos Gracie, Jr.

Son of BJJ co-creator Carlos Gracie, Carlos Jr. is a seventh-degree black belt in BJJ and founded the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF), which is BJJ’s major governing body. He devoted his life to instructing and training others rather than focusing on becoming a competitive fighter, teaching at his father’s school, his brother Rolls’s school, and his own for the last few years. The fact that he has been based in Brazil for much of his teaching career has kept him out of the public eye to some extent, and he’s often overlooked in discussions of notable Gracies; still, his contributions were crucial.

Royler Gracie

Royler is the only person to win the ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship three years in a row, and he has won it more than any other fighter in its history. Son of BJJ co-founder Helio and brother to Royce and Rickson, Royler’s also been the World Jiu Jitsu Champion four times. That said, his MMA record in sanctioned fights is 5-4-1 — not a stellar record for any fighter, let alone someone signing “Gracie” on his rent checks. He has deviated from the BJJ style a bit, which may be the reason for his lackluster MMA performances, but his ground work is excellent and getting back to the basics could place him among the sport’s elite.

Renzo Gracie

A grandson of Carlos, Renzo is 13-6-1 in MMA matches, with his losses coming from mostly top-tier competition (Dan Henderson, BJ Penn, and Kazushi “The Gracie Hunter” Sakuraba). He has notable wins against legends like Pat Miletich and Carlos Newton, though many of his victories were by decision, which is not a badge of honor for a Gracie – anything less than a submission is unsatisfactory. In 2007, Renzo led the IFL’s New York Pitbulls team to an undefeated season and a league championship, guiding stars like Wagnney Fabiano and Delson Helano and proving that the Gracie name was still relevant and fearsome in MMA’s modern age.

Rorion Gracie

Rorion is the oldest son of Helio and is one of the few fighters to hold a ninth-degree black belt in BJJ. With his speed and athleticism, he certainly could have been dominant in competitive fighting, but he realized he could make much more money (at the time) by teaching eager students in BJJ, making videos about it, and choreographing fights for major Hollywood movies like Lethal Weapon. (And he was busy having nine kids, which puts him on another list entirely.) In 1991, Rorion met entrepreneur Art Davie, and the two, along with action film director John Milius (who was a student of Rorion’s), created the concept for the Ultimate Fighting Championship, which would debut two years later.

Carlson Gracie

A Grand Master and ninth-degree black belt in BJJ, Carlson had 18 official fights in his career, and won his first match after fighting for over an hour. The oldest son of Carlos, Carlson became famous for avenging his uncle Helio’s loss to Valdemar Santana, beating him twice and fighting to a draw two other times. He has trained some of the best fighters in the sport, founded one of the most successful fight teams of all time, and is credited with improving the foundation upon which BJJ was built. Had “his day” been today, it’s difficult to imagine an MMA fighter who could touch him.

Rickson Gracie

Many people would put Rickson at the top of this list just because of the legend that swirls around him. In twenty years, this son of Helio and brother of Rorion compiled a professional record of 11-0, and won the Vale Tudo Japan tournament two years in a row (1994-1995). His stamina allowed him to go on forever, back when matches seemed to actually go on forever, and all his wins were via submission. His website profile proclaims that “He is nearly undefeated with a combined record of over 400 victories in Jiu-Jitsu tournaments and freestyle wrestling, Sambo, and no holds barred challenge matches.” True or not, he’s been a ferocious presence in martial arts for years and will be a fighter to the end — why else would he be itching to fight again in 2008 at 50 years old?

Royce Gracie

Royce Gracie was the first MMA star — the stoic, graceful BJJ expert who introduced his father Helio’s martial art and “vale tudo” fighting to Americans. When he came onto the scene in 1993 by sweeping the eight-man tournament of UFC 1 (and then the brutal 16-man tournament of UFC 2), fight fans marveled at how he consistently beat dudes who were bigger and stronger than him by using a relaxed, precise ground technique, and how he seemed to be even more dangerous when he was on his back. Now we’re used to the sight, but back in the day we figured he was using some sort of Brazilian black magic. Not a naturally-skilled athlete or an incredibly imposing figure, Royce is living proof of the merits of BJJ. He’s always been one of the calmest fighters in the cage, as evidenced by his zen expression while refusing to tap out when Matt Hughes was practically breaking his arm off at UFC 60. Royce rebounded from that loss in his next match, when he battled Kazushi “The Gracie Hunter” Sakuraba to a unanimous decision victory at K-1 Dynamite!! USA in June 2007, avenging his entire family in the process. If that fight turns out to be his last, it would be the perfect end to an unparalleled career.

Carlos Gracie and Helio Gracie (tie)

How do you rank one god over another? Although many dispute which brother was the true originator of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, each man was equally responsible for arguably the most effective fighting style ever conceived. Their system could see a fighter giving up 200 pounds and twice as much strength to his opponent, and still win in impressive fashion. Decades later, fighters employing their style are still kicking ass. Their sons and grandsons have gone on to be champions and trainers of champions, rocketing the Gracie brand to a household name in the martial arts and MMA universe. Helio was highly conditioned and once fought for almost four hours straight. Carlos brought a spiritual side to his teachings of BJJ. But both taught that superior technique could overcome all other disadvantages. Though Carlos Gracie passed away 14 years ago, Helio remains active at the age of 94 – and we still wouldn’t want to mess with him.

The post The Top 10 Gracies of All Time appeared first on Cage Potato.

5 Times Former Teammates Faced Off Prior To UFC 258

At the top level of MMA, many of the best and most popular athletes find themselves training out of large gyms with access to some of the best coaches available. Given the drive to be the best and the necessity to train with partners of the same size and skill level it is not uncommon […]

At the top level of MMA, many of the best and most popular athletes find themselves training out of large gyms with access to some of the best coaches available.

Given the drive to be the best and the necessity to train with partners of the same size and skill level it is not uncommon for training partners to eventually find themselves standing across the octagon from one another at some stage of their careers.

This has been one of the major storylines heading into UFC 258 where the Welterweight champion Kamaru Usman will take on former training partner and friend Gilbert Burns to defend his title.

These two top-ranking Welterweights were training partners as recently as 2019, however, with Burns putting together a string of high-profile wins in 2020 and Usman continuing to defend his title, a clash between the two was bound to occur.

In this situation, the champion opted to take leave from his regular home of Sanford MMA and seek training under the guidance of the highly respected coach Trevor Whittman.

While the two of these fighters have remained mostly respectful of one another, and a shift in camp has made the process simpler, this has not always been the case for other fighters.

Here are five times that training partners have met inside the UFC octagon.

Jones vs Evans

Jon Jones faces off against teammate Rashad Evans before UFC 145. — Image via UFC.com

In 2011 Jackson Wink MMA was home to two of the top Light-heavyweights in the world in the form of Rashad Evans and Jon Jones. With both these athletes piecing together multiple winning streaks against other well-known opposition title implications were in the works for both fighters, and first, it seemed as though Evans would take a shot at regaining the title he once held. These plans were cut short, however, as injury would strike leaving Evans sidelined and making way for Jones to take a shot at the title against the champion Shogun Rua.

Jones went on to claim the title with a stunning third-round TKO over the champion after dominating the action for the duration of the fight. After claiming the title Jones was adamant at first that he would not fight with his teammate Evans, however, as time went on and after defending his title Jones became open to the idea much to the disappointment of Evans.

Evans chose to leave his longtime home at Jackson Wink MMA vowing never to train with coach Greg Jackson again claiming that he had bought on the situation by allowing Jones to come onboard to their team against his wishes. After leaving, Evans would continue to help found the Blackzilians, a team in Florida that would produce some of the top talents in the organization.

The two faced off in the main event of UFC 145 and Jones was able to dominate Evans receiving a unanimous decision victory to defend his title.

Lawler vs Woodley

Robbie Lawler touches gloves with former teammate Tyron Woodley at UFC 201. — Image via UFC.com

American Top Team in Florida has been at the pinnacle of MMA for the longest time producing many champions and top tier fighters for the UFC. In 2016 the gym was home to the Welterweight champion Robbie Lawler who had just defended his title twice in bouts against Rory McDonald and Carlos Condit. After taking out this opposition a new challenger emerged, this time in the form of his training partner Tyron Woodley.

At this point in his career, Woodley had bounced back from a loss to McDonald with back-to-back wins over Dong Hyun Kim and Kelvin Gastelum to cement himself as the number one contender.

Given the situation with the pair being at the same gym and choosing to remain at the same gym, the coaching staff were split in half and both fighters continued to train under the American Top Team banner for their fight.

When it came to fight night, Woodley was able to claim the welterweight title with a stunning knockout victory over his former training partner in the first round.

Following this loss, Lawler would make the move away from American Top Team to train at Hard Knocks 365 under Henri Hoof, the gym that would eventually become Sanford MMA.

Woodley vs Covington

Colby Covington faces off with former teammate Tyron Woodley ahead of their fight night main event. — Screengrab via UFC (YouTube)

Another pair of teammates from American Top Team, Tyron Woodley and Colby Covington would not only produce one of the best examples of former teammates facing off, but the two would also produce one of the most heated rivalries in the sport. Once Woodley claimed the title by defeating Robbie Lawler, Covington was still an up and comer working his way towards title implications. This did not take long, however, as by the end of 2017 Covington had his sites set on Woodley and an interim title fight in the wings.

In 2018 Covington would go on to claim the interim title by defeating Rafael Dos Anjos at UFC 225, however, after the UFC was unable to schedule a bout between the two former training partners, Covington would be stripped of his title without having the chance to challenge Woodley.

In the meantime, while the rivalry heated up Woodley would have mixed results boasting multiple successful title defenses against the likes of Stephen Thompson, Demian Maia, and Darren Till, before being bested by Kamaru Usman.

Covington, however, would return to face Lawler and dominate him setting himself up for that long-awaited title shot against the now champion Kamaru Usman.

While it may have been much later than most expected, following losses for both fighters, Covington to Usman in his title shot, and Woodley to up and coming title contender Gilbert Burns, Woodley and Covington would finally meet in the octagon.

In this fight, Covington did what many had expected and dominated the former champion managing to get a TKO in the fifth round after Woodley suffered a rib injury.

Garbrandt vs Dillashaw

TJ Dillashaw knocks down former teammate Cody Garbrandt. — August 4, 2018; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Cody Garbrandt falls after being hit by TJ Dillashaw during UFC 227 at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Team Alpha Male has produced some of the best Bantamweight fighters that the UFC has ever seen and been home to multiple champions including both TJ Dillashaw and Cody Garbrandt.

After losing his title to Dominick Cruz in 2016, TJ Dillashaw had opened an opportunity for his former training partner Cody Garbrandt who at the time was undefeated and a top contender in the division to challenge Cruz for the title. In this matchup, Garbrandt showed incredible striking skill and managed to defeat Cruz by unanimous decision to claim the title.

Following this TJ put together back-to-back victories within 2016 to set himself up for a title shot once again and now it would be to face his former teammate in a heated grudge match that had been in the works since Dillashaw’s departure from the gym.

After six years at Team Alpha Male, Dillawshaw would make the move to Colorado to train with former Alpha Male coach Duane Ludwig as well as training at Team Elevation. This move wasn’t taken lightly by Garbrandt or gym owner Uriah Faber who predicted that with this move a matchup between top prospects would be on the horizon.

The fight did come to fruition in 2017 when the pair faced off as the co-main event of UFC 217. This was a short fight, however, it was action-packed so despite being finished in the second round, the UFC chose to give Garbrandt a rematch to try and claim back the title he had just lost to Dillashaw.

In the rematch, however, the result was the same but the duration was shorter with Dillashaw finding the knockout shot in the first round to defend his title and close out the rivalry between the two former teammates.

Ortiz vs Liddell

Chuck Liddell faces off with Tito Ortiz ahead of their trilogy fight. — Sep 14, 2018; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Fight promoter Oscar De La Hoya (center) gets in between Chuck Liddell (left) and Tito Ortiz while promoting their upcoming MMA bout at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

Arguably the most iconic rivalry in the sport, before Title Ortiz and Chuck Liddell met inside the octagon the pair were avid training partners. Being one of the earliest Light-heavyweight champions in the UFC Tito Ortiz was known for his impressive grappling ability that had allowed him to reach the pinnacle of the sport at the time. Ortiz was however training his striking to be on par with the rest of his skills and part of that training was done with up and coming UFC fighter Chuck Liddell.

These two athletes would corner each other in the ring, train together, and ultimately wind up in a fierce rivalry with the UFC title on the line.

After Ortiz had lost the belt to Randy Couture, Liddell had the perfect opportunity to fight for the title and in doing so he claimed the gold and set in motion a grudge match between himself and his former training partner.

In this meeting Liddell emerged victorious winning via KO in the second round, however, the rivalry didn’t end there and the two wound up fighting once again two years later in 2006.

The second matchup went similar to the first with Liddell winning by TKO in round three. While it looked like the rivalry was over this was far from the truth and 12 years later the pair would face off for the third and final time.

In 2018 Golden Boy MMA held the event Liddell vs. Ortiz: War’s End which would see the two veterans fight one another years after their prime. This would be the only time Ortiz would taste victory against Liddell winning by KO in the first round.

This trilogy match would be Liddell’s final MMA fight and Ortiz’s second last, however, Ortiz has not officially hung up the gloves as of yet.