The Current 10 Best Jiu Jitsu Fighters in the UFC

The UFC was founded on Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, which proved to be one of the world’s most effective fighting arts. Over twenty years later, many great fighters still proudly represent the martial art.

Here’s a list of the current ten best Jiu Jitsu fighters in the UFC. Check out our complete list below, and let us know your top ten in the comments.

Brandon Moreno

Starting off our list of the current best Jiu Jitsu fighters in the UFC is former 2x flyweight champ Brandon Moreno. The Mexican flyweight has displayed beautiful grappling during his MMA career. 

Moreno has won 11 of his 21 UFC wins by submission and has taken out the best lightweights in the world. This includes his four fights against Deiveson Figueiredo, in which he won two of the fights.

The former champ is currently the #2 ranked flyweight, and nobody will be surprised to see Brandon become a 3x champion.

Brendan Allen

Brendan Allen is a rising star and is one of the best Jiu Jitsu fighters in the UFC. Since entering the organization in 2019, Allen has only lost one UFC fight at middleweight. 

Allen has used his superior ground skills to take out numerous top contenders in the middleweight division. He has won 8 of his 13 UFC fights by submission, including submitting BJJ ace Paul Craig.

The South Carolina native has won seven straight fights and has marked himself as a top contender. Don’t be surprised to see Brendan Allen get a title shot in the coming years.

Gerald Meerschaert

Middleweight veteran Gerald Meershaeert has been in the UFC for years but has gone under the radar. Despite not getting the spotlight from the media, he’s marked his spot with the top-10 UFC submission wins list.

Meershaert has 37 professional wins, 29 of which were by submission. Gerald has won 12 fights by submission during his current UFC run and will continue adding to his total.

The middleweight veteran has quickly established himself as one of the best Jiu Jitsu fighters in the UFC.

Aljamain Sterling

Aljamain Sterling is another athlete who must be mentioned on any list of the best Jiu Jitsu fighters in the UFC. The Matt Serra BJJ black belt used his elite ground game to win the UFC bantamweight title.

Sterling made his name as one of the best in MMA by beating Petr Yan, TJ Dillashaw, and Henry Cejudo. The veteran fighter has moved up to featherweight and successfully made his divisional debut against Calvin Cattar.

The former bantamweight champ will need to use his high-level Jiu Jitsu skills to get a shot at the featherweight title.

Paddy Pimblett

Paddy Pimblett has quickly established himself as a bonafide UFC star. The English fighter was able to accomplish this by being one of the best Jiu Jitsu fighters in the UFC.

So far, Pimplett has gone undefeated in his current UFC run and has put on beautiful displays of Jiu Jitsu. He most recently put on an incredible grappling performance against Bobby Green, where he put him to sleep in a triangle.

Also, simultaneously broke the UFC veteran’s arm after he refused to submit. Paddy could easily use his top-notch grappling skills to earn a title shot soon.

Deiveson Figueiredo

Deiveson Figueiredo is a powerful striker and a great grappler in his own right. The former flyweight champion is easily one of the best Jiu Jitsu fighters in the UFC.

The BJJ black belt used his powerful striking and top-notch grappling to win the flyweight title twice. Most recently, Figueiredo used his Jiu Jitsu to make a statement by beating former bantamweight champ Cody Garbrandt. 

It will be interesting to see if Deiveson can become a two-division UFC champion.

Mackenzie Dern

Former IBJJF and ADCC world champion Mackenzie Dern is one of the star female fighters in the UFC. The stunning Dern came into the UFC with high expectations with her incredible Jiu Jitsu skills.

Unfortunately, there have been a few fights where she has decided to strike instead of using her grappling. However, when Dern decides to use her grappling, she shows that she’s one of the best Jiu Jitsu fighters in the UFC.

Rodolfo Vieira

Rodolfo Vieira is another BJJ world champion who must be mentioned as one of the best jiu-jitsu fighters on the UFC list. The former BJJ world champion marked himself as one of the best BJJ athletes of his generation before entering MMA.

Vieira has made it to the UFC as an MMA fighter because of his superior grappling skills. Although he has had some hiccups in his young career, he’s won nine of his ten MMA fights by submission.

If Rodolfo can develop a striking game to go along with his elite grappling, he will be unstoppable.

Jim Miller 

Coming in second on the list of the best Jiu Jitsu fighters in the UFC is veteran and legend Jim Miller. It’s hard to believe that Miller has been in the UFC for almost twenty years and is still a contender.

The New Jersey native is tied with Charles Oliveira for first on the all-time list of submission wins at lightweight. This is just one of his many records, including the most UFC wins(26).

Miller is a true UFC legend and is respected by everyone, from the fighters to the fans.

Charles Oliveira

Undoubtedly, Charles Oliveira deserves to be at the top of the best Jiu Jitsu fighters in the UFC list. Throughout the UFC veteran’s fighting career, he has finished fights using his superior grappling skills. 

Deep into his career, “Do Bronx” became an elite fighter and won the UFC lightweight title. The 34-year-old submission artist currently has 16 wins by submission and will undoubtedly add to the total.

Oliveira is not only one of the greatest Jiu-Jitsu fighters of all time but also one of the greatest fighters of all time.