Judo Players who could make the transition to mma

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Snuc3315

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Ronda Rousey, unlike many others from Judo has been able to effectively translate her Judo skills to mma. She also has a complete game in Judo, as opposed to just strong clinch game and throws.

Which other Judo players do you think would make strong mma fighters?

Some that come to mind

- Teddy Riner (France) - this guy looks like a HW Jon Jones if he could obviously develop striking

- Illias Illiadis (Greece) - Has great standing and ground skills. Seems like he would be able to translate his skill to non gi grappling.

- Ole Bischof (Germany) - Another really strong Judoka in both Tachi, and Ne Waza, with good submissions, and excellent transitions. More offensive than those Judokas who are just trying to avoid action and win on a technicality.

- Kayla Harrison (USA) - A judo player who has been training since her youth like Ronda, and for whom techniques are like second nature.

- Marti Malloy (USA)

Obviously some Judoka's have gone to mma and really failed,

Makoto Takimoto, Pawel Nastula, Michihiro Omigawa, and then some who weren't great but okay

Satoshi Ishii, Naoya Ogawa, Yoshihiro Akiyama, Karo Parisyan

Still I wonder if anyone knows whether some of the top Judo players are still considering mma. Obviously it's a lot different, but someone who can utilize mastery of technique like Rousey could potentially put that to effect in mma.
 
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Bischof is retired from Judo and works at PWC.
 
Iliadis would be perfect for MMA. Unfortunately that's never gonna happen
 
It's a shame Teddy Riner is such a Judo cuckhold, he'll never make the transition.
 
The IJF doesn't like being associated with MMA in any way. Almost none of the top judoka would make the transition, because they would be burning bridges and would make more money being involved in judo.

Harrison would be the most likely one, since unlike those in other countries, she doesn't have as many opportunities to make money through judo. She'd have to lose some weight, however. Riner would be the ultimate cross-over, but it will never happen. He'll probably try and pursue 3 Olympic golds.

A lot of the other judoka who transitioned previously were those who were already chewed up by years of judo competition.
 
Marti Malloy already said she has no interest in MMA.
 
I dont think you will ever see top players switch to MMA. Judo has become way too profesional in my opinion for the top players to make the switch. Its just doesnt make any sense financially.
 
Pretty much all top 10 judokas in each weight class from top judo countries could potentially do some serious damage in MMA. Same goes for wrestling.
 
Of all ranked judoka, Travis Stevens would transition the easiest. A+ tournament level player, successful BJJ black belt under Renzo.
 
TheFakeMacoy said:
The IJF doesn't like being associated with MMA in any way. Almost none of the top judoka would make the transition, because they would be burning bridges and would make more money being involved in judo.

Harrison would be the most likely one, since unlike those in other countries, she doesn't have as many opportunities to make money through judo. She'd have to lose some weight, however. Riner would be the ultimate cross-over, but it will never happen. He'll probably try and pursue 3 Olympic golds.

A lot of the other judoka who transitioned previously were those who were already chewed up by years of judo competition.
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How much money do judokas make anyway? I mean, it's definitely not a mainstream sport in most countries and I know that in many other sports with similar popularity level, only the really top guys/girls make any money from commercials and sponsors. Other than that, I think it's pretty much a grind for most of them, no?
 
I think a lot of the Koreans would do well (Kim Jae-bum in particular). I've actually wanted to see some Mongolian wrestlers in MMA. I think they would do very well; NintendoPlug seems to be beasting.
 
Vintersorg said:
How much money do judokas make anyway? I mean, it's definitely not a mainstream sport in most countries and I know that in many other sports with similar popularity level, only the really top guys/girls make any money from commercials and sponsors. Other than that, I think it's pretty much a grind for most of them, no?
Click to expand...

The big stars can make a very large amount. It's much closer to a mainstream sport in other countries. However, I imagine that for those lower ranked it's not nearly as lucrative. I do know that in Japan some companies have judo teams, where basically athletes can get a job just to train for them (during their competitive years). I recall that Rousey got such a job, but then left without telling anyone after a couple weeks and burned a lot of bridges (before she did MMA, of course).
 
TheFakeMacoy said:
The big stars can make a very large amount. It's much closer to a mainstream sport in other countries. However, I imagine that for those lower ranked it's not nearly as lucrative. I do know that in Japan some companies have judo teams, where basically athletes can get a job just to train for them (during their competitive years). I recall that Rousey got such a job, but then left without telling anyone after a couple weeks and burned a lot of bridges (before she did MMA, of course).
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Thanks for the info. Yeah, makes sense that in Japan it's like that but I didn't know for other countries. Basically, in most countries if any sport is not good for TV and selling merchandise, only the top level athletes get any money.
 
Teddy Riner makes money from commercials (cars, food..).
In France the national Judo federation blocks the legalization of MMA competitions and it seems Teddy will never make the transition.
 
Satoshi Ishii

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Does Rousey's sis do it? Instant name power to whoever signs her.

MMA promo's should look into Judoka especially after the Olympics when their name power is at peak.
 
Any of the high level female judokas due to lack of depth in every division. None of the male judokas
 
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