Wrestlers have long dominated MMA, and now we’re seeing a wave of wrestlers from Russia and Dagestan continuing that trend. What sets them apart is not just their wrestling pedigree, but their ability to adapt. Many of these fighters have developed solid striking skills and often choose to keep fights standing, using their wrestling only when necessary—or even to keep the fight on the feet.

Russian fighters, in particular, bring a background in Judo and Sambo, giving them not just takedowns but also submissions and strong submission defense. On the other hand, while everyone seems to know how to do “Jiu-jitsu” (correctly spelled Jujutsu), we don’t often see Jujutsu champions come in and dominate. They tend to get hurt and don’t seem to understand the need for a more complete skill set. Their solution often seems to be doubling down on Jujutsu, but that approach falls short.

At this point, I don’t see how anyone can still aim to prove the dominance of one style. It’s been clear for a long time that MMA demands versatility. We’ve even seen blue belts, and in rare cases white belts, achieve success, but they usually have a foundation in another grappling art. The days of proving one style’s superiority are over—MMA has shown you need more than just one tool to succeed.