The UFC has had yet another stellar year and there have been plenty of massive stories throughout 2023. There have been some shocking upsets, such as Sean Strickland dominating Israel Adesanya en route to becoming UFC Middleweight Champion. There have also been some disappointments, such as Islam Makhachev’s canceled rematch with one of the finest BJJ fighters in the world, Charles Oliveira.
The Dagestani submission specialist dethroned Do Bronx as lightweight champion at UFC 280 in Abu Dhabi in October of last year. Many thought that the Brazilian would fade into obscurity however, he immediately bounced back into title contention with a knockout victory against Beneil Dariush. And it is with the São Paulo-born star where we start. Here are three of the best BJJ fighters in UFC history.
Charles Oliveira
The former UFC Lightweight Champion, Charles Oliveira, is one of the best BJJ fighters in the game today. MMA betting sites framed him as a narrow underdog for his delayed rematch with Makhachev. But with the Russian impressively knocking out Alexander Volkanovski in that pair’s rematch, it seems Oliveira will be getting his title rematch sooner rather than later.
His BJJ is dynamic and aggressive, and he has finished over 20 fights with submissions. He often tries to get his opponents to the ground, where he can go to work with his skills. He holds submission victories against the likes of Justin Gaethje and Dustin Poirier, and his ground game is so intimidating that even when his opponents knock him down, they refuse to go to the mat with him for fear of getting submitted.
Anderson Silva
The Spider is probably the most complete MMA fighter of all time, but his BJJ skills were always on display during his fights. Silva has a third-degree black belt in the discipline and has submitted some of the most prominent fighters in UFC history. He managed to somehow use his skills to his advantage in his blood feud with Chael Sonnen, managing to pull a fifth-round submission victory after being dropped twice and dominated for the previous four rounds.
He’s been known to use his BJJ skills to take his opponents to the ground and keep them there. Silva’s striking skills are also top-notch, and he has knocked out a who’s who of the planet’s top fighters, including compatriot Vitor Belfort, and former light-heavyweight contenders Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonner.
Nate Diaz
The younger of the Diaz brothers, Nate, has one of the best BJJ skills in the UFC. Nate often tries to lure his opponents into his guard, where he can showcase his ground game prowess. Diaz has submitted some of the toughest fighters in his weight class, such as Conor McGregor, who would shock the world at UFC 196 and derail the Notorious hype train with a second-round submission victory.
While he never managed to secure championship gold, he has defeated marquee names such as Anthony Pettis and Tony Ferguson. He recently left the organization to pursue a money-spinning boxing bout against Jake Paul, and the pair are expected to square off in a cage as well in the near future.
