UFC 118 established with crystal clarity a trend that has been becoming increasingly evident for some time: when it comes to winning fights in the Octagon, wrestling is clearly the dominant force.

It's not that any single fight this year has made that point- in a sport as varied and complex as MMA, even just within the context of the UFC, no single fight could. But the rapid rise of some serious underdogs coupled with the continuing dominance of several established champs this year has made the claim that wrestlers increasingly control the winner's circle hard to deny. And at UFC 118 the victories of lightweight champ Frankie Edgar and his future challenger Gray Maynard, both talented wrestlers, seemed like a perfect exclamation point to highlight wrestling's growing importance. 

Wrestling provides the perfect base for controlling the pace and positioning of the fight, and for keeping fighters with other style bases off balance. No better example probably exists than strikers being afraid to fully commit for fear of the takedown they know is coming when facing off against a great wrestler. And in UFC rules, simply controlling the pace and getting the takedowns secures the points you need for a win more effectively than anything else. This is something that has caused a lot of grumbling from the fans over the years. Don't worry about working to improve your position or looking for a finish once you put somebody on their back in the Octagon- it's not required.

Some of the most successful fighters in the UFC today have used their wrestling dominance to win for years without finishing an opponent. Gray Maynard and Jon Fitch, both on the cusp of title shots in their respective divisions, have both gone more than three years without a finish, combining for a mind-numbing 15 straight decisions over that period. 

Although some fans grumble about the perceived lack of action in fights dominated by wrestlers who seem to find their biggest comfort zone on the judges' score cards, Maynard for one isn't worried about looking for a finish. Talking to BloodyElbow.com following his victory over Kenny Florian at UFC 118, he shrugged off criticism of his fighting style, saying, "People will start to appreciate it, it just takes time."

It sure does. 15 minutes of time, to be exact.

UFC light-heavyweight title contender Rashad Evans was more blunt in his reaction to fan's criticism after his win over Quinton "Rampage" Jackson at UFC 114, when he used his superior wrestling to take down Jackson over and over in front of a booing crowd, securing the points he needed for a unanimous decision. Evans had no patience for those who had a problem with his gameplan when he spoke to FightHype.com shortly after the fight. "Okay, so I outwrestled him and the motherf----- couldn't stop me," Evans scoffed. "So I guess I won anyway."

So far this year in the UFC, in important fights, it's almost always been the wrestlers coming out- pardon the pun- on top. In fact, the dominance of wrestlers in the Octagon has become so great that skilled wrestlers now wear the belt in three out of five divisions, and make up the top title challengers in all five. 

The recent and dramatic exception to this spate of victories by wrestlers, of course, was middleweight champion Anderson Silva's dramatic come from behind victory over Chael Sonnen at UFC 117. 

Sonnen had used his powerful wrestling to secure three straight decision wins going...