Wrestling has evolved into one of the most useful foundations for any fighter seeking prolonged Octagon success.
It helps create substantial balance, exceptional defense and the ability to ward off any opponent unwilling to stand and bang.
Even though …
Wrestling has evolved into one of the most useful foundations for any fighter seeking prolonged Octagon success.
It helps create substantial balance, exceptional defense and the ability to ward off any opponent unwilling to stand and bang.
Even though a fighter can find ultimate success without the tools to defend a takedown or gain proper leverage cageside, it doesn’t hurt to have the technique on standby.
Here are five exciting fighters who would benefit immensely from a full summer at wrestling camp.
The always brash and formidably combatant Nate Diaz made a huge statement to the entire UFC lightweight division this past Saturday at The Ultimate Fighter 18 Finale after dismantling Gray Maynard midway through the first round.
The brutal finish that …
The always brash and formidably combatant Nate Diaz made a huge statement to the entire UFC lightweight division this past Saturday at The Ultimate Fighter 18 Finale after dismantling Gray Maynard midway through the first round.
The brutal finish that left Maynard stumbling to the ground was not only significant in the fact that it solidified the two fighters’ trilogy, but more importantly, it put Diaz back in the win column following a crippling April loss to the resurgent Josh Thomson.
Following his victory, Diaz delivered more of his usual media-driven banter as he eluded to sitting out until he gets a shot at the lightweight belt.
“I think I’ll sit on the sideline for a good long minute until someone gets injured and I get a title fight,” said Diaz during the post-fight press conference, originally reported by MMAMania.
Nobody knows for sure if the Stockton bruiser is completely serious, but based on his track record of creating buzz and calling out another fighter, he was probably eluding to divisional champ Anthony Pettis and his short road to a championship.
Remember, “Showtime” was granted a shot at former champion Benson Henderson earlier this year on the heels of a TJ Grant injury, whose most recent victory also came against Maynard via TKO.
“I do have a lot of losses on my record, and other people have a lot criticism and sh*t to talk about me losing fights,” added Diaz. “But if you take a look at my record compared to other people’s record, for every two fights, I’ve fought six, seven times. So if they’re fighting the same amount, and more consistent like I am, they’re going to have more losses than me. So maybe I’ll sit around for a while and wait for an injury to pop up.”
Now while it’s highly unlikely that Diaz will actually sit out and wait for a future top contender to get hurt, yet again, it’s good to see he’s still mixing things up atop the division.
Not to mention that Gilbert Melendez, who is arguably the most well-rounded lightweight fighter on planet, continues to ride shotgun in the Diaz mobile.
The Georges St-Pierre news feed has been a heightened Watergate of epic mixed martial arts proportion.
It’s been a he-said, she-said saga of bombastic rumors surrounding GSP’s personal life and professional prognosis heading into the future.
Now while …
The Georges St-Pierre news feed has been a heightened Watergate of epic mixed martial arts proportion.
Now while Dana White put many of the rumors to rest in a recent telephone interview with Los Angeles Times reporter Lance Pugmire, the overall sense of wonder remains exponentially greater than usual due to St-Pierre’s legendary status and role as “UFC Golden Child.”
But if there’s anything we, as journalists and ill-informed fans, can do about the news that has piled upon itself like an uncontrollable weed, it’s to take each and every rumor with a grain of salt.
Obviously this is a situation that needs to be covered and revealed through respectable media outlets, but there’s never a good time to take a personal stance on something until the person involved actually speaks on his or her behalf.
St-Pierre did just on Wednesday on Twitter as he put to rest any questions we had about his personal progression.
Whether the champ’s tweet suggests a somewhat immediate return to the Octagon or not, it’s good to see he’s looking better and remains in good spirits.
Now as far as that immediate return to the cage is concerned, White seemed to think the promotion’s biggest pay-per-view draw would be back sooner than expected. He told Pugmire, “As far as a rematch, we’re on schedule and I’ll have a date within a couple weeks.”
White also added that a rematch at the UFC’s annual Memorial Day card in Las Vegas next year is a potential target date, but nothing is set in stone.
In any case, despite the unwarranted spiral of St-Pierre’s career in the public spotlight over the past few days, it’s reassuring to know he’s much better than expected.
Not only for UFC fans and media hounds alike, but obviously Johny Hendricks.
UPDATE 3:05 P.M. Pacific Time
Dana White told LA Times reporter Lance Pugmire earlier today that, “As far as a rematch, we’re on schedule and I’ll have a date within a couple weeks. I feel confident that Georges is fine with that and…
UPDATE 3:05 P.M. Pacific Time
Dana White told LA Times reporter Lance Pugmire earlier today that, “As far as a rematch, we’re on schedule and I’ll have a date within a couple weeks. I feel confident that Georges is fine with that and all is on track.”
It was previously thought that GSP’s father was terminally ill and that was the reason why he decided to take time off, but White also refuted those rumors during his phone conversation with The Times.
Now while the UFC president doesn’t have an exact day in mind for the potential rematch, he did briefly mention the UFC’s annual Memorial Day card in Las Vegas. That’s a good possibility, but nothing at this point is set in stone.
—End of Update—
Saturday’s welterweight championship clash at UFC 167 produced remarkable and unsatisfying results.
First off, divisional king Georges St-Pierre stole a split-decision from a hungry Johny Hendricks, who seemingly had the victory in the bag. Unfortunately for his efforts, the judges scored it for the champ.
But what happened next captured everybody’s surprise more than the actual decision did. Following Bruce Buffer’s post-fight announcement, a victorious and battered GSP stood in front of a sold out Las Vegas crowd and emotionally closed the curtains on his UFC career for the foreseeable future.
The unexpected Octagon walk away not only left a welterweight division in limbo, but it ultimately confused the MMA community.
St-Pierre has consistently been one of the best fighters in the world. He carries himself with the utmost professionalism and rarely does anything to challenge the powers of Dana White and Lorenzo Fertitta.
But despite the shocking news, White doesn’t seem too worried about losing his biggest pay-per-view draw. During the post-fight media scrum following one of the most hotly talked about title fights in recent memory, the face of the UFC made things seem better than they actually may be.
“I’m in a better mood now,” said White, which was originally reported by MMAMania. “[We talked] about his problems and his problems aren’t as bad as he thinks they are. I’m not Dr. Oz, or whoever that guy is, but Lorenzo is still in there talking to him. We’ll get through this. I’m confident that he will come back. One of the things that makes Georges as great as he is, is that things drive him crazy.”
“Little things drive him nuts…like the whole obsession thing he was talking about,” added White. “He’s obsessing over something else right now that he thinks might be the end of the world now but it’s not. He got his ass whooped tonight, whether that was it or it wasn’t, I don’t know. I wasn’t being harsh, it’s reality…”
However, things may be worse than White initially thought, as recent reports by MMA Frenzy and TMZ suggest, an ill father and unexpected pregnancy are supposedly weighing heavy on the champ’s mind—(though the reports regarding his father’s health were recently shot down according to La Presse, h/t Bloody Elbow). Those are serious problems for any person to deal with, let alone a polarizing MMA fighter who trains months on end.
But if anybody knows what St-Pierre is capable of doing in the toughest of struggles, whether in the ring or in his personal life, it’s probably his boss.
“How long has Georges been here…eight, nine years?” proclaimed White. “This is the first time Georges St. Pierre had a problem. It happens, he’s a human being. … He was very emotional about some s— that was going on with him right now and it’s really not that bad, but to him it’s bad, it’s the end of the world. He’s mentally strong guy, he’s a hard-working guy, he’s an honest guy. He’ll work it out.”
So will GSP be back? Will he return next year to face off with Hendricks one more time? Or will he be bound by serious personal problems that are understandably his first priority?
Time will tell. Hopefully, Saturday wasn’t the last time we get to see the pound-for-pound legend inside the cage.
On the heels of one of the most highly contested and controversial championship fights in UFC history, much speculation remains as to what’s next for champion Georges St-Pierre and Johny Hendricks.
Their five-round war this past Saturday at UFC 167 was…
On the heels of one of the most highly contested and controversial championship fights in UFC history, much speculation remains as to what’s next for champion Georges St-Pierre and Johny Hendricks.
Their five-round war this past Saturday at UFC 167 was truly back and forth, but the majority of the MMA community gave the nod to the challenger. However, two of the three Las Vegas judges scored the fight for GSP, stretching his consecutive title defense streak to nine.
The outcome left much to the imagination as to what Hendricks did wrong to lose a bout he seemingly secured. Either way, the heavy-handed Texan left it in the judges hands and that’s one of the worst things you can do with today’s skewed scoring system.
This was not the first time a UFC title fight produced these types of results. Earlier this year, light heavyweight phenom Jon Jones narrowly escaped a mauling by No. 1 contender Alexander Gustafsson. It was so close and such a surprising performance that every post-fight reaction centered around a potential rematch.
Unfortunately for the Swede, Glover Teixeira was waiting in the wings.
But what made things worse this time around for Hendricks and the millions of fans who went to bed unsatisfied, is the fact that St-Pierre sullied any chance of an immediate rematch when he unexpectedly took time off.
However, in a promotion fueled by the always persuasive Dana White , the pound-for-pound king may not be sidelined for too long.
As a matter of fact, White came to Hendricks rescue at UFC 167’s post-fight press conference and explained how he deserves another shot at the title, while Gustafsson ultimately did not.
“The situation was different with that one because Jon said, ‘I already beat him. Now I want to fight Glover Teixeira,” said White, which was originally reported by MMA Fighting. “He goes, ‘I’ll give him the rematch after.’ Jon had this plan where he wanted to beat another contender and then he’d do the rematch. I respected that.”
“Who’s Georges going to fight?” added White. “He already fought Condit. Johny deserves this rematch. Every fight is different. You can’t look at other situations and go, ‘but in this fight…’ Every fight is different. Johny Hendricks deserves this rematch.”
You can’t blame White for pushing for a rematch between GSP and Hendricks. Not only for the fact that “Bigg Rigg” arguably did enough to capture the title the first time around, but also due to the stacks of cash that would fall from the sky if a second meeting was booked for 2014.
In any case, a rematch obviously hinges on St-Pierre’s return. He must work out his personal problems before running into Hendricks’ left hand for a second-straight time.
The evolution of mixed martial arts has birthed a variety of extraordinary disciplines, superlative skill sets and mastered techniques.
But through all the historic finishes, championship upsets and courageous accomplishments displayed inside the Octag…
The evolution of mixed martial arts has birthed a variety of extraordinary disciplines, superlative skill sets and mastered techniques.
But through all the historic finishes, championship upsets and courageous accomplishments displayed inside the Octagon, there’s one athletic gift that seems to trump all.
That methodical and tactical facet of the fight game is none other than wrestling.
Wrestling has given top-level athletes the chance to compete beyond expectation. It has fueled heart-defying cardio, colossal takedowns, punishing ground-and-pound and optimal timing.
The discipline has been so efficient over the years that the majority of UFC champions today fall back on wrestling more than any other combative arsenal.
With that said, based on offensive and defensive abilities, here are the 10 best wrestlers in the UFC today.
The always brash and formidably combatant