Some of the top wrestlers continue to dominate the UFC landscape in 2025. Last year, many major title bouts faced criticism for being one-sided and unexciting due to the significant gap in wrestling skills between fighters. Controlling where the fight happens is crucial, and many athletes across divisions struggle because they lack effective counters to elite wrestling.
Islam Makhachev keeps enhancing his overall game, but it is his exceptional grappling ability that places him firmly in the conversation for Fighter of the Year. The MMA veteran responsible for popularizing a new, dominating wrestling style in the U.S. insists there is only one way to defeat it: simply by going out and fighting those fighters head-on.
Muhamed Lawal highlighted the impact of Khabib Nurmagomedov’s move to the American Kickboxing Academy in 2012, which began a wave of Russian talent reshaping the MMA scene. Following Khamzat Chimaev’s commanding middleweight title victory over Drikas du Plessis at UFC 319, Islam Makhachev mirrored that feat by defeating Jacques de la Maddalena to claim the welterweight belt. Lawal pointed out in an MMA Junkie interview that beating such dominant wrestlers requires pushing the pace and outlasting them in a tough, relentless fight.
Lawal shared the example of Ross Purity’s unexpected 1998 loss to heavyweight legend Wladimir Klitschko, emphasizing how fighters can’t beat wrestling champions purely on technique but can succeed by outworking them through constant pressure, accepting the rough hits but continuing to fight aggressively.
In another interview with MMA Fighting, Lawal expressed doubts about whether champions like Islam Makhachev and Khamzat Chimaev can maintain their grip on the titles through 2026. While praising Makhachev’s dominance over opponents lacking wrestling skills, he questioned how he would fare against elite wrestlers like Kamaru Usman, Shavkat Rakhmonov, or Yaroslav Amosov. Lawal also mentioned that Chimaev’s true test might come against fighters with exceptional cardio, such as Anthony “Fluffy” Hernandez.
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Fan Take: This ongoing dominance of elite wrestlers like Makhachev and Chimaev highlights the pivotal role wrestling plays in modern MMA, raising the stakes for fighters needing to evolve sophisticated strategies to counter it. For fight fans, this dynamic keeps the sport exciting as emerging challengers bring fresh tactics and heart-stopping moments in pursuit of dethroning these grappling powerhouses.
