Who are the greatest wrestlers in UFC history? As per Bo Nickal‘s post on X, it is “Khabib, Khamzat, Islam.” For UFC legend Michael Bisping, it’s Matt Hughes, Khamzat Chimaev, Islam Makhachev, Henry Cejudo, and Khabib Nurmagomedov (in that order). What’s common among both these lists? Khabib and Islam’s names? Sure, both of these lists have Islam Makachev’s name but ‘The Eagle’ is more in the public consciousness for his use of wrestling inside the Octagon.

Wrestling has always been a crucial as aspect of MMA, from the old days to the present, with fighters like Georges St Pierre, Matt Hughes, Chris Weidman, and Daniel Cormier using wrestling to a high degree in the UFC (becoming champions too). However, Khabib’s name rings a bell for how he was able to effectively use wrestling to a degree where an opponent familiar with his game plan could do nothing to offset his dominance.

To take this one step further, Khabib Nurmagomedov is the only fighter from Dagestan who successfully used wrestling in MMA, compared to other fighters like Umar Nurmagomedov, Shara Magomedov, Magomed Ankalaev, and even the current lightweight champion. So it’s no surprise why ‘The Count’ put ‘The Eagle’ at the #1 spot on the list.

He said, “How did he beat everybody? He did it with his wrestling and they all knew it was coming. And they drilled take-down defense and they got hold of the best wrestlers they could but they still couldn’t stop it. Of course, Khabib retired at 29-0 undefeated. Some people even wonder if he even lost a debatable round, however his career and the impact on the sport that is not debatable.”

There is no doubt that Nurmagomedov is a legend and is creating more legends from his team by being a coach. It’s not surprising that he managed to be included in the lists of two very legit fighters. What is surprising, however, is Bo Nickal’s changed stance on one of the fighters on his list. Who was the fighter? Let’s take a look.

Khabib Nurmagomedov, yes, but how did Bo Nickal get Khamzat on his list?

There was once a time when Bo Nickal nonchalantly dismissed Khamzat Chimaev‘s wrestling. “It’s trash.”, said the Penn-State NCAA D-1 wrestler to Clash of Combat before continuing, “I wouldn’t even say mid-(level).” Yet, when a user asked Nickal about his picks for the best wrestlers in the UFC, he included ‘Borz’ on that list. Why this 180-degree turn?

Even Michael Bisping, who—inspired by Bo Nickal’s list, gave out his own—pointed out this change of stance. He said, “The fact that Bo Nickal had him on his [top three MMA wrestlers] list is kind of curious because Bo Nickal did say in the past that his wrestling wasn’t actually that good.” ‘The Count’ chalked it up to Nickal being “humble” and “honest”.

But is it really humility or honesty as Bisping suggests, or does Bo Nickal know that he’s on a collision course with the Chechen phenom someday? Perhaps Chimaev’s new-found resolve after recovering from health issues has sent a message to the rest of the division? That, or the way he smashed Robert Whittaker. When Chimaev was not in the top 10, Nickal chose to berate him, but now that he’s #3, and on the cusp of a title shot, he’s one of the greatest wrestlers in the UFC?

We’re not sure. What we are sure of is that Nickal is not wrong about Khamzat Chimaev (and Khabib) using wrestling extremely well inside the cage. What do you think? Do you agree with Nickal’s and Bisping’s picks? What about Khabib being the greatest wrestler in the UFC? Do you agree with that sentiment? Let us know in the comments down below.