Sherdog’s Top 10: MMA Wrestlers

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9. Chris Weidman

The reigning Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight titleholder started his athletic career as a wrestler, and he was a pretty good one. He secured coveted Fargo All-American honors in Greco-Roman in high school and placed third and second at the national tournament while at Nassau Community College. Although his regular season results at Division I Hofstra University were somewhat underwhelming, he turned it up in the postseason, twice securing All-American honors. He defeated a number of big-name opponents along the way, including future MMA notables Phil Davis and Ryan Bader.

As an MMA wrestler, Weidman has outstanding instincts for shooting reactive takedowns as his opponents come forward to throw strikes. He packs a bewildering variety of finishes, including snatch single-legs, blast doubles and step-outside throws. He has also hit trips and hip tosses, such as the one he used on Andre Galvao at the 2009 Abu Dhabi Combat Club Submission Wrestling World Championships. Moreover, Weidman’s takedown defense is impenetrable: Nobody has succeeded in taking him down in any of his 12 MMA fights. Mat wrestling is also a specialty, which has made his transition to MMA-style grappling much easier. That came through clearly at UFC 175, where he repeatedly pinned Lyoto Machida in the top ride and pounded away with punches.

Weidman boasts a complete MMA wrestling game, and with a few more fights, there is every reason to think he will become a fixture at the top of lists like this.

Continue Reading: Number 8 » Unlike most of the competitors on this list, his formal experience in wrestling came to an end after high school. He placed third and then second at the state competition as a junior and senior but never took part in any national-level tournaments. He was a three-sport athlete, competing in track and cross country in addition to wrestling, and few who fit that mold receive much attention from the recruiters.