Mixed martial arts, or MMA, is a combat sport that mixes boxing, kickboxing, wrestling, judo and jiujitsu, as well as any other martial art or combat sport that fits within the rules. College wrestling can translate well to the MMA arena.
Wrestling in MMA
Many college wrestlers make the move to MMA. Many of the world's top fighters have come from a wrestling background. UFC champions, including bantamweight Dominick Cruz, lightweight Frankie Edgar, light heavyweight Jon Jones and heavyweight Cain Velasquez, all wrestled before entering MMA, while welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre is renowned for his wrestling ability. Wrestling is important as it allows a fighter to dictate where in the ring or cage a bout takes place. Wrestling can help a fighter take down an opponent or, alternatively, avoid the opponent's attempted takedown.
College Wrestling
College wrestling is similar in nature to freestyle wrestling and high school wrestling, where a competitor can grab an opponent's legs to control him. The ability to shoot strong takedowns, stuff an opponent's takedowns and control him, whether standing or on the ground, is central to college wrestling and pivotal in MMA. There is also a strong emphasis on athleticism and conditioning. UFC commentator Joe Rogan often cites this as a reason for the ease with which wrestlers transition into MMA.
Differences
The main difference between MMA and college wrestling is that wrestling is a pure grappling art with no striking allowed. Wrestlers entering MMA need to acclimate themselves to punches and kicks that can help set up takedowns or be used to prevent a fighter from closing with an opponent and taking him down. While you can learn the basic striking techniques quickly, becoming comfortable with strikes can take longer. There are also submissions allowed in MMA. In college wrestling, victories are earned by throws, pins or points, while in MMA, pinning an opponent or throwing him may help you earn a decision, but cannot give you an outright win in the way that knocking out or submitting an opponent can.
Adapting College Wrestling
Successful wrestlers in MMA have developed and built on their existing skill set. Fighters such as UFC Hall of Famers Randy Couture and Chuck Liddell have focused on adding striking skills while relying on their wrestling to keep them standing. By adding an extra dimension to your game, you can keep an opponent guessing as to whether you are going to strike, shoot for a takedown or use your strikes to set up takedowns. MMA requires you to blend the various disciplines. The main consideration is which wrestling positions leave you vulnerable to strikes or submissions, as well as which positions allow you to strike. For example, while wrestlers may allow an opponent to grab them from behind to avoid a pin, doing so in MMA can be a costly error.
References
- "Wrestling for Fighting"; Randy Couture; 2007
- "Takedowns"; Mark Hatmaker; 2005
- "The Last Wrestlers"; Marcus Trower; 2007
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