Are wrestlers taking over MMA Fighting? Why do MMA Fighters with a wrestling background hold more titles in the UFC then MMA Fighters who do not have a wrestling background? Sixty-five percent of the twenty UFC fighters who have reached round twelve in the NCAA tournament and beyond have been awarded fights for UFC titles. (By Mike Riordan on Jun 19 2012, Do Better Wrestlers Make Better Fighters?) There are currently more top ranked now or former MMA Fighters who have a wrestling background as compared to MMA Fighters who do not have a wrestling background. What makes wrestlers successful MMA Fighters as compared to fighters who have a background in Boxing, Muay Thai or Jiu Jitsu? Wrestling is the fundamental basis for MMA fighting. Six of the eight existing UFC Fighters are wrestlers and 7 of the 8 contenders affirm that wrestling is their base. It is evident that wrestling is becoming the first ingredient or the most important ingredient in the formula for MMA Fighters. Olympic and College Wrestlers began their training when they were children and continued to train and compete in wrestling throughout their adult life. Wrestlers will compete in weekly tournaments throughout the United States, there is no ending or beginning season for wrestling, it continues year around. Wrestlers train daily and compete weekly. When a wrestler competes in a tournament they can compete in several different weight classes, which means in one day a wrestler can compete or wrestle over a dozen matches in a day. The difference between a fighter with a wrestling background compared to other fighters with a non- wrestling background has to do with their physical training, their training of all muscle groups in their body, wrestlers train for muscle strength as well as endurance, cardio training is at a high endurance level; whereas the other arts do not use muscle training for strength or endurance and boxing is the only art that trains in cardio as intensely as wrestlers. Another fact is the mental aspects that wrestlers develop. Wrestlers continuously test their mental capabilities every time they step on the mat to compete and because they compete more often than other arts they have to mentally prepare themselves more often than other arts to compete and to win. A wrestling match can last for 9 minutes, multiple that by 12 matches a day and a wrestler has competed 108 minutes in one day and if it is a two day tournament then it is 216 minutes in two days 2 or more weekends a month, a MMA fight lasts 15 minutes one fight per day once or twice per month. Wrestlers train for 6 to 8 hours per day year around for a 9 minute wrestling match, an MMA fighter trains for only for 1 to 3 months prior to a fight for 6 hours per day. MMA Fighters who have a wrestling background are often asked what is the hardest training wrestling or MMA fighting and their answer is “Training for wrestling is harder and more intense then training for MMA fights”. So if you want to develop as a MMA Fighter you need to train in wrestling. ASG in Moreno Valley, CA offers training in wrestling by Karl Glover a former Olympic Wrestler team member, All American, and World Team Member. rite your post here. |