6/10 UFC Champions Have a wrestling background
- Thread starter drom141
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Not to mention that the unified rules favor wrestlers. Top control without damage dealt = win, and no downward elbows to the back or back of head to stop someone grinding for a takedown.
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Where are all the guys with "MMA" as a base? Rory? Who else?
I mean...we are literally in a thread about 6 of the 10 current champs being from a wrestling background...
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I still think that a great striker from other sports will always have an advantage over guys who come from grappling backgrounds or even pure MMA though.
Maybe not so much Boxers, because most Boxers, unless they're amateur Boxers, have very long pro careers before they cross over.
But if a good to great striker from Boxing, Kickboxing, Karate, Muay Thai etc decides to dedicate his life too MMA in his early to mid 20's, I think he'll always have an advantage over a Wrestler.
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Well, Pride rules would also favor wrestlers...imagine GSP with grounded knees.
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Its not a big sport no, but neither is any martial art. Most parents dont want their kids getting hurt. Difference is wrestling is taught in schools. So parents will view it as much safer compared to boxing or other striking sports. Plus the scholarships for wrestling are much more common. Might be more participants in Russia and Iran but infrastructure and facilities are far superior in USA. Collegiate system in USA is elite.
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the guys who have grown up doing mma most of their lives are still young guys like Max Holloway, Michael Mcdonald, Louis Smolka. Having a wrestling background is great but Eddie has been in MMA since he left high school, Miocic has a boxing background. Cruz and Mighty Mouse are two of the best example of complete MMA fighters.
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We were just talking about this on the standup forum today and was trying to figure out who. Someone said Max but he's evidently had some kickboxing fights before his MMA career. I thought of McDonald but haven't really looked into his background.
Even Sage has a Karate background...
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Mitsuhisa Sunabe-- the world's top strawweight (and a top-15 pound-for-pound fighter, if not top-10)-- also has a wrestling background.
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...or simply that the MMA talent pool is increasingly made up of wrestlers with fewer BJJ fighters, kickboxers, etc moving across than in the past.
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And while not wrestlers, Aldo (interim, kinda) and Bisping have obviously spent years on their wrestling, as they both are very good at it for guys without a background in it during their youth. Bisping put up a good fight against Chael and Aldo is practically impossible to outwrestle. Conor is pretty much the only male champion who doesn't have a background in wrestling or isn't very good at it.
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Maybe he was boxing at 8 or something lol.
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lol Sergio Pettis, is another one that has been training since he was very young
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It used to be more, poor Cupcake.
