As its name suggests, mixed martial arts (MMA) consists of various fighting styles mixed together into one sport. Even though we are yet to find out which is the best martial art for MMA, no-one can deny wrestling plays the most important one. Although other grappling styles are also very useful, it seems like wrestling has an edge over other styles in many aspects. But have you ever wonder why wrestling is so important in MMA?
In this article, we will dig deep into why wrestling is often seen as the best base for MMA. And, we will find out why you can’t expect to succeed in MMA without, at least, basic wrestling skills.
Wrestling is important because it produces most UFC champions
People tend to ignore the fact that wrestling has come up with most UFC champs thus far. We may argue over the pros and cons of wrestling in MMA, but no-one can deny its fighters are among the best. In fact, some of the most skilled fighters in history were wrestlers prior to joining MMA later:
- Jon Jones
- Henry Cejudo
- Kamaru Usman
- Tyron Woodley
Former wrestler, Sebastian Rivera, has done a really good study of how successful wrestlers are in MMA. It shows us that wrestling is clearly coming up with most UFC champions.
As of 2018, around 40% of all UFC champs (28), from all weight classes, have had some type of wrestling background. The second one is BJJ (17) and the third is boxing (12).
The reason for this lays in the fact that grappling is very important in MMA and wrestling might be the perfect base. Once they are done with wrestling at college or even the Olympics, a lot of wrestlers decide to shift to MMA simply because they don’t need much time to make a full transition.
For instance, here is a list of wrestlers who came into MMA late while being in their 30s and didn’t need much time to succeed:
- Daniel Cormier
- Randy Couture
- Yoel Romero
Wrestlers can dictate the place of the fight
Wrestling is important in MMA as wrestlers have the ability to change the place of the fight. As we know, each MMA bout begins on the feet where fighters can fight in the standup, clinch, or ground. But wrestlers are the ones that can decide whether the fight takes place on the feet or the ground.
What they do best is creating angles or cutting the corner to find a way into the opponent’s range. Once they do that, they will take them down using various takedowns, sweeps, or trips. And they can do this against any fighting style and both in the open or against the cage.
This is very important for MMA as a fighter who doesn’t have good takedown defense will end on their back 10/10 times. No matter if it’s a BJJ or Muay Thai fighter, it’s very hard to stop wrestlers from doing what they know best. And once the fight hits the mat, they have the ability to hold you there for five minutes if they want.
The only way you can stop them from scoring takedowns is to develop a strong takedown defense. In modern MMA, just about every top striker has good takedown defense because they can’t make it to the top without it. A wrestler who has basic striking skills would win most of the time against a striker who has basic wrestling skills.
Wrestling prepares you for intense competition
Most wrestlers start training at a very young age. Up until they join MMA, most of them already have over a decade of history competing at the elite level. They all know how to handle the pressure of the moment and switch to a laser focus once they enter the cage.
This is because they usually wrestle all the way throughout high school and college. The very best ones like Henry Cejudo may even go to the Olympics. The sport is really a part of both western and eastern culture and very popular in every part of the world. In the US, for instance, some wrestling events like “NCAA”or “NCWA” have a really large audience. Not to mention “Pan American championships” or the Olympics. But why is this important?
Wrestlers are used to competing at the elite level, and this gives them an advantage in MMA. It prepares them to fight in front of a large audience and millions of fans watching at home. Most fighters from other fighting styles don’t have that type of experience when they come into MMA. They are yet to learn how to handle the pressure and keep their focus.
Wrestling is important because it builds strength and endurance
Apart from being very popular, wrestling is also one of the hardest sports you can train in. The training sessions are cardio intense and will push your mind and body over the limits on a daily basis. But what you get from those grueling sessions is top conditioning and a very strong mindset. Let’s be honest, when was the last time you saw a wrestler gassing out in an MMA bout?
MMA fighting is cardio intense on its own so being strong and having a deep gas tank plays a key role. This is where wrestlers have the advantage as they are used to this type of workouts. Most wrestlers won’t get tired of fighting any type of fight.
Training sessions are not just based on grappling on the mats. No, all wrestlers must cross-train to improve their speed, power, and cardio by doing all types of exercises. Being fast and powerful as well as flexible is very important and it also transfers well into MMA also.
Wrestlers tend to quickly learn BJJ and other fighting styles
Wrestling is not just important because it allows you to take the opponent down and control them. Most elite wrestlers who made it big in MMA have all been well rounded fighters. They were able to learn other fighting styles in a very short time span.
Upon joining MMA, most wrestlers would focus on learning BJJ first. This is the most logical step as they are already familiar with most elements of grappling. BJJ teaches them how to mix wrestling and BJJ to finish fights or defend on the ground. And by doing so, they will become complete grapplers.
Also, let’s not forget that wrestlers need much less time to learn BJJ than fighters coming from other martial arts. Just a couple of fights into their MMA journey, most wrestlers already become known as BJJ finishers.
What’s really amazing is how many wrestlers in MMA have come to be elite strikers. Even the pure wrestlers like Khabib Nurmagomedov often tend to get into pocket exchanges and trade heavy punches. Here are some of the most famous strikers most of you wouldn’t guess were wrestlers before joining MMA:
- Tony Ferguson (NCWA Wrestling)
- Justin Gaethje (NCAA Division I)
- Tyron Woodley (NCAA Division I)
Wrestling or BJJ - which one is more important for MMA?
In modern MMA, it’s fair to say that both wrestling and BJJ are equally important. Both fighting styles stand for a great MMA base on top of which you can add striking techniques and succeed. Still, let’s not forget that BJJ once was a much better style than wrestling in MMA.
During the early 90s and MMA beginnings, BJJ was the most dominant fighting style. Back then, MMA fighters were one dimensional and usually experts in just one fighting style. During those times, we saw many wrestling vs. BJJ matchups under a limited set of rules.
One of the most famous was the bout between Royce Gracie (BJJ) and Dan Severn (wrestling), which Gracie ended up winning. At the time, wrestlers couldn’t find a way how to beat BJJ fighters. They were having success scoring takedowns, but BJJ fighters would often submit them off their back. But over the years, wrestlers have found a way to counter BJJ fighters on the ground.
The BJJ domination over wrestling came to an end with the arrival of Mark Coleman who pioneered ground and pound techniques. Coleman would take BJJ fighters down and explode with wild strikes from the top position. This was a very useful weapon that worked and is still working against BJJ fighters.
