Top BJJ Fighters in MMA today
This is the updated version of the top BJJ fighters in MMA today. The previous list was based on the BJJ achievements of the fighters which may or may not have translated well into Mixed Martial Arts, however, the list was rather out of date and I chose to re-think the selection process. For this article, I chose the fighters that use the best quality Jiu Jitsu in their Mixed Martial Arts bouts and against high quality opposition. This is a tricky subject as is the Top BJJ Competitors of All Time list, so I expect some disagreement, but for now these are the guys that BJJ Heroes sees displaying the “arte suave” best. I also chose to leave a few guys that have competed in MMA, such as Xande Ribeiro or Marcelo Garcia, but that haven’t really embraced the career and have kind of left MMA in the back burner.
Best Jiu Jitsu Fighters in MMA
1. Ronaldo Jacare Souza (Middleweight)
The powerful middleweight from Vila Velha in Brazil has had a fantastic career since his debut loss against Jorge Patino, collecting submission wins on his way to the top of Strikeforce Middleweight Division. An Henrique Machado black belt, Jacaré is at the top of this pile not only because he has one of the best BJJ records on paper, but also because his jiu jitsu prowess is unrivalled in the middleweight division.
Notable Career Wins:
- Jason Miller (decision)
- Matt Lindland (submission)
- Robbie Lawler (submission)
2. Roger Gracie (Light Heavyweight)
Understandably, BJJ fans had a lot of hope for Roger as he stepped in to MMA. The Gracie is the most decorated Jiu Jitsu fighter in the world, and though he is yet to meet the top fighters in his weight division, he has managed to submit several seasoned fighters as he tested MMA waters. His career is still in shaky ground after his loss to “King Mo” Lawall, but there is still hope he will make a run in MMA.
Notable Career Wins:
- Trevor Prangley (submission)
- Kevin Randleman (submission)
- Yuki Kondo (submission)
3. Fabricio Werdum (Heavyweight)
The former world BJJ Champion has had his ups and downs in the heavyweight division, fighting against several high profile fighters in different shows such as the now extinct Pride FC, UFC and more recently Strikeforce. Having struggled with the striking and wrestling aspect of the game for years, he managed to sustain an MMA career using almost solely his high level ground game, and the fact that he has submitted true legends of MMA grant him the 3rd place.
Notable Career Wins:
- Alistair Overeem (submission)
- Fedor Emelianenko (submission)
- Ebenezer Fontes Braga (TKO)
- Antonio Silva (decision)
4. Gilbert Burns (Lightweight)
The 2011 World Jiu Jitsu champion has fully committed to Mixed Martial Arts and joined the Vitor Belfort camp leaving his Atos team mates behind. He has stacked a few victories already in a very short amount of time and if he follows through with this enthusiasm he should be making it to a bigger platform very shortly.
5. Rousimar Palhares (Middleweight)
Try rolling with “Toquinho” and I can almost guarantee you will leave the mat limping. The Jiu Jitsu black belt from Brazilian Top Team seems to have somewhat of a foot fetish as most of his wins come by ankle lock, a submission that fighters (should) know is coming, but Palhares still manages to finish.
Notable Career Wins:
- Daniel Acacio (submission)
- Ivan Salaverry (submission)
- Jeremy Horn (decision)
- Tomasz Drwal (submission)
- Dan Miller (decision)
6. Vinny Magalhaes (Light heavyweight)
After a very short spell at the UFC, Vinny Magalhães has returned to the cage stronger and more committed, keeping extremely busy in the year of 2011 at the M1 Global organization. His creative style is very enjoyable, and as he evolves in MMA, hopefully we will see more and more of Mr Magalhães in the top events in the world.
Notable Career Wins:
- Chris Davis (submission)
7. Leonardo Santos (lightweight)
Still dipping his toes in the MMA world is the 4 time BJJ World Cup champion from Nova Uniao. After a very rough patch with the BAMMA organization with several complications and complete lack of respect for the fighter that is Leonardo Santos took place, Leo was left without a MMA event worthy of his name. Still BJJ fans hope to see this great champion and awsome BJJ stylist on display very shortly.
Notable Career Wins:
- Rafael “Manteiga” (decision)
8. Shinya Aoki (Lightweight)
Love him or hate him, the “Tobikan Judan” (which means 10th dan/degree in flying submissions) is one of the most gifted submission fighters in the world. The lack of respect for his opponents may have cost him his job as an assistant instructor beside his beloved coach Yuki Nakai, but he still manages to entertain BJJ fans throughout the world with his use of the guard and his offensive grappling game, a style that has granted him an over 60% submission rate.
Notable Career Wins:
- Tatsuya Kawajiri (submission)
- Marcus Aurelio (decision)
- “Shaolin” Ribeiro (decision)
- Eddie Alvarez (submission)
- Joachim Hansen (submission)
- George Sotiropoulos (DQ)
9. Bibiano Fernandes (Featherweight)
The real life “Flash” is not Barry Allen, but the man from Manaus, Bibiano Fernandes. The 5 time BJJ world champion earned his nickname as he tore Jiu Jitsu’s featherweight division apart. Now in MMA, he has managed to reach the top of mixed martial arts in the same division fighting mainly in Japan.
Notable Career Wins:
- Antonio Banuelos (TKO)
- Takafumi Otsuka (submission)
- Joachim Hansen (decision)
- Masakazu Imanari (decision)
- Joe Warren (submission)
10. Demian Maia (Middleweight)
Just like the fighters above him, Demian Maia is one of the most decorated BJJ fighters in mixed martial arts. The man that was at one point one of the main figures of the “revolution” at the Alliance team, Demian is also a former ADCC champion, a title only worthy of the best submission grapplers in the world. His superior Jiu Jitsu helped him make a serious run to the UFC title, losing by decision to the best middleweight fighter in the world (Anderson Silva) at UFC 112. Maia has one of the best “killer instincts” in the division having achieved several “Submission of the Night” awards by Ultimate Fighting Championship organization.
Notable Career Wins:
- Chael Sonnen (submission)
- Ed Herman (submission)
- Gustavo “Ximu” (decision)
11. Renan “Barão” (Bantamweight)
The student of Jair Lourenço from Kimura-Nova União in Natal, Brazil, has gone from strength to strength in the Bantamweight division. Coming from such a strong jiu jitsu team (one of the most dominant in the North-East region of Brazil) it doesn’t come as a surprise that his Jiu Jitsu is top notch. Now in the UFC “Barão” is able to showcase his skills to the fullest.
Notable Career Wins:
- Paulo Dantas (decision)
- Cole Escovedo (decision)
- Brad Picket (submission)
- Chris Cariaso (submission)
12. Masakazu Imanari (Bantaweight)
A healthy word of advice to fighters when entering a cage to face Imanari would be: hide your ankles. This Jiu Jitsu black belt under Marco Barbosa has fought in 3 different weight classes, a weight shift that may show the fighter’s heart but that hindered his fight record. Still, though many times finding himself as the smaller fighter in the ring, he managed to sink submission wins over many big names in MMA always making better use of his flexible and deadly guard. Imanari is a historical figure in mixed martial arts, a very seasoned veteran and his career is a submission highlight reel.
Notable Career Wins:
- Jorge Gurgel (submission)
- Mike Brown (submission)
- Yoshiro Maeda (submission)
- Jean Silva (submission)
13. Nate Diaz (Lightweight) & Nick Diaz (Welterweight)
Love them or hate them, the Diaz brothers are amongst the most gifted fighters in the MMA scene today, incredible boxing and top notch BJJ, Nate and his brother Nick should be part of any list of fantastic grapplers in MMA. It is hard to separate the two on this list as they have very similar styles so we have left them in a 13th place simultaneous.
Notable Career Wins:
- Nick: BJ Penn (decision)
- Nick: Hayato Sakurai (submission)
- Nick: Gleison Tibau (TKO)
- Nate: Donald Cerrone (decision)
- Nate: Takanori Gomi (submission)
- Nate: Melvin Guillard (submission)
14. Jim Miller (Lightweight)
An powerful grappler that studied BJJ with the best of the best, Jim Miller has had a tremendous career in the UFC, utilizing his superior Jiu Jitsu and Wrestling with these weapons as his strong point he has managed to reach the top of the lightweight division where he is considered one of the top contenders.
- Melvin Guillard (submission)
- Charles Oliveira (submission)
- Gleison Tibau (decision)
- Duane Ludwig (submission)
15. Jake Shields (Welterweight/Middleweight)
A former wrestler that adapted extremely well to Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, this Cesar Gracie black belt has managed to sustain an MMA career utilizing first and foremost his grappling skills (much like Fabricio Werdum), harvesting from that the reputation of being a boring fighter (a vision we highly disagree with). Boring or not, his slick ground game has kept him unbeaten for 6 years (2005 until 2011) against some of the cream of the crop in MMA.
Notable Career Wins:
- Dan Henderson (decision)
- Jason Miller (decision)
- Paul Daley (submission)
- Carlos Condit (decision)
- Yushin Okami (decision)
- Milton Vieira (decision)
- Hayato Sakurai (decision)
Honourable Mentions:
Charles Oliveira (featherweight)
Rany Yahya (featherweight)
Miguel Torres (bantamweight)
Jussier Formiga (flyweight)
Rodrigo Nogueira (heavyweight)
Evan Dunham (lightweight)
Kenny Florian (bantamweight/lightweight)
Benson Henderson (lightweight)
Mark Bocec (lightweight)
Rafael dos Anjos (lightweight)
Why is Rickson not on this list?
I trained with andre galvao a few months back truely amazing bjj competitor and teacher.
Maia needs to be top 3. Your talking about BJJ in MMA, so why not judge on the bases of how they do using BJJ IN MMA.
P.S. The site is awesome.
Where's Marcelo Garcia? Pure BJJ accomplishments should place him ~ #4 on this list.
No mention of Murilo Bustamante? The man has represented the Jiu Jitsu Flag since 1991!
Hes shown tremendous grappling in almost everyone of his fights. Lindland, Liddell, Rampage, Hendo, Erickson.
Come on guys!
Mike, Murilo is 43 years old and semi retired. He made a brief appearance in 2010, after a 3 or 4 year lay off and I dont see him returning anytime soon (maybe once again to close his career in style), so he is not on the forefront of MMA anymore. Great legend of the sport, but not active these days
jhf Marcelo hasnt fought since 2007, and that was the only fight in his MMA career. He has since cut the cord with MMA and announced it publicly.
Paulo Filho ?
Thats a resonable response, and i appreciate it greatly. Im from Brazilian Top Team, so i felt the need to ask about Master Murilo.
Thanks for the response. Love the site.
-Mike
BTT Long Beach
DanielJ, Jon is a good fighter, very enjoyable, but he hasn't fought since 2006(!) He has signed with the UFC which is intriguing. We will se how he handles himself after the long layoff.
Mkr, Paulo Filho is not the fighter he once was. Hopefully he will come back
I think you should honor Jon Olav Einemo on that list!
Babalu Sobral ?
(This list is out of order)
Rodrigo Nogueira 25 ??? 25 ??? kkkkkkkk
The highest finisher of mma!Rodrigo nogueira is the first. number 1.
1- Rodrigo Nogueira, 2- Demian Maia, 3-Ronaldo Jacare, 4- Werdum, 5- Aoki, 6- Jake Shields 7 – PAULO FILHO(Legend of jiu jitsu and MMA) . . . Bj Penn, Arona, . .
(Roger So faced men weak)!
Drysdale?
Other honorable mentions:
Marcus Aurelio
Gleison Tibau
Daniel Roberts
Anthony Pettis
Renato Sobral
Paul Sass
Cole Miller
Micah Miller
Jeff Monson
Alberto Crane
Jon Olav Einemo
Matt Serra
Frank Mir
Wilson Gouveia
Baret Yoshida
Delson Heleno
Dustin Hazelett
Hermes França
Paulo Filho
Dean Lister
I like the list, but I wouldn't rank Roger ahead of Maia, Werdum, Aoki, or Shields until Roger has more wins. He undoubtedly has the best sport grappling of that group, but we all know (or should know, at least) that sport grappling doesn't necessarily translate to MMA success. As big a fan as I am of Roger, I feel that he needs 4-6 more fights before he belongs at or near the top of this list. Just my $0.02.
Nogueria should NOT!!!! be #25
thats an insult
no 25??? bj like 18??? Jacare' doesn't belong at #1… and this has nothing to do with the list, but just for the record aoki is the most 1 deminsional fighter since the pure style vs pure style days of early UFC… fantastic grappler, but i HATE him
Why not Giva "The arm collector" Santana??? Just signed with Bellator!
here is Hatsu Hioki??
HOW CAN GSP BE IN A BETTER POSITION THAN BJ PENN, NICK DIAZ, RICARDO ALMEIDA…. AND OTHERS….IM PRETTY SURE HES BEVER WON A WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP LIKE BJ!!!!….HE COULDNT EVEN SUMBIT DAN HARDY, AND LYTLE DID…HE HAS NEVER WON A MAJOR JIU JITSU COMPETITION…….HE DIDNT EVEN WANT TO TAKE SHIELDS TO THE GROUND FOR FEAR….CMON….!!!!!!!!!!
With all the respects for any Comment.
Anf all of the fighters!!!
If Roberto aka Cyborg Abreu fighting for the UFC.
WHats conna happen???
A question for you all and the Admin.
Greetz and Eespect Reggie Jiu jitsu Factory the Netherlands.
Where is Matt Serra? Former UFC Welterweight champion. ADCC silver medalist, Pan Am Champion and many more titles. You've got to be kidding me!
Gonna bug you again with where is HATSU HIOKI!!
Sorry but this ranking isn't respectable if you didn't put Royce Gracie in the first place. No one ever beat too many good fighters in one night like he did in the early editions of the UFC. How dare you guys to compare Jacare with Gracie´s records. BJJ in MMA =Royce Gracie.
I hope I am not blaspheming by saying you are wrong but here I am saying it (I repent, I repent!)
The list is about today's fighters, Royce is not fighting now a days…
GENKI SUDO should absolutely be on this list!
Ronaldo Jacaré deserve to be the mumber one. His Jiu Jitsu skills in MMA are outstanding! But I think Rousimar Palhares and Charles Oliveira should be in better positions.
André Galvao really should be in the very top of that list.
Andre Galvao is not fighting MMA anymore, that is why he is not on this list.
What about Frank Mir?
lol at someone saying anthony pettis should be on the list. three subs in MMA, and none of those guys weren't even B class fighters.
Guys, all you complaining about the rankings should look at the title of the list, its the top BJJ fighters in MMA TODAY! That means Murilo, Royce, Rickson, Marcelinho etc. Personally I don't see how you can place Filho and Jon Olav Einemo on such a list, simply because they have done little or nothing as of late. I think the list is a pretty spot on given the title!
Travis Lutter