For the past several years, wrestling has been considered the most efficient base for MMA competition.
Recent UFC main events, however, seem to shine a new light on that theory entirely as the sport continues its rapid evolutionary process.
It never used to matter too much if you couldn’t strike, or your jiu-jitsu wasn’t on par, because if you had truly great wrestling, you could beat fighters who possessed those well-rounded skills simply by dictating the pace of the fight.
NCAA Division I standouts such as Brock Lesnar, Cain Velasquez, Matt Hughes and Rashad Evans utilized their wrestling bases to capture UFC gold in their respective weight classes.
Whether they used their takedowns offensively like Lesnar and Hughes, or defensively like Velasquez, it was the bread and butter that finished the job.
Additionally, countless other collegiate wrestlers have double and single legged their way into the top 10 of their divisions, both in the past and present.
Some say it’s a mixture of the incredible work ethic and strength developed from years of drilling takedowns on the mats that make wrestlers so effective in MMA, and that is certainly true, but it also has to do with their opponents.
Not long ago, a powerful collegiate wrestling standout could enter the octagon and defeat a more well-rounded opponent using just his wrestling and top control alone to win the fight.
It didn’t matter how versatile his opponent was, if he couldn’t defend the takedown, the wrestler would either grind out a decision, or finish the fight with ground and pound or a submission.
Take, for example, the welterweight bout between Nick Diaz and Sean Sherk at UFC 59 in 2006.
Diaz is clearly a better overall fighter than Sherk, yet “The Muscle Shark” was able to earn a victory using his wrestling to smother Diaz.
While the wrestlers were certainly impressive, what was being overlooked was how terrible the rest of the fighters were at defending the takedowns.
This is something that seems to be changing as of late.
As we approach the end of the first month of 2012, it appears that this may be the year where wrestling is no longer spoken of as the premier base for mixed martial arts.
This could be the year where, finally, the art of MMA is considered its own best base.
Last night at UFC 142 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, featherweight champion Jose Aldo absolutely annihilated Chad Mendes with a brutal knee in the first round.
When it comes to wrestlers in the 145-pound division, it doesn’t get much better than Mendes.
The Team Alpha Male product was supposed to dump Aldo on his back and threaten the champion with smothering top control like many great wrestling-based fighters of the past, but the Californian was completely unsuccessful.
When Aldo stuffed every takedown attempt, you could tell just from looking into Mendes’ eyes that he was finished.
If that fight took place a few years ago, perhaps things would have went differently for Mendes, but elite MMA fighters are beginning to develop superb takedown defense.
One-dimensional wrestlers aren’t going to win championships in this sport anymore.
Similar outcomes occurred in the heavyweight championship bout between Junior dos Santos and Velasquez back at UFC on FOX 1 in November, and Alistair Overeem vs. Brock Lesnar from last month’s UFC 141 fight card.
Velasquez and Lesnar are the two best takedown specialists that the heavyweight division has to offer.
Both of these fighters were expected by many to put dos Santos and Overeem on their backs and unleash a barrage of ground and pound until the referee pulled them off.
That didn’t happen at all; both heavyweight wrestlers were viciously knocked out in the first round.
They could not bring the fight to the ground and were forced to stand up with extremely dangerous strikers.
Wrestling is still one of the most important aspects of the MMA game, but those who rely only on takedowns will not find success in this sport anymore.
The best wrestlers in MMA today are the ones who have evolved into prominent competitors beyond just their wrestling alone.
Fighters such as Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal, Jake Ellenberger, Daniel Cormier and Johny Hendricks are all perfect examples of wrestlers who have evolved past their takedowns.
You’re still going to see the occasional lay and pray snooze-fest, but at the end of the day, those fighters are not going to make it to the very top.
Strikers are learning how to stop the takedown, jiu-jitsu specialists are evolving their guard game and wrestlers are figuring out how to finish fights from all positions.
It’s beautiful watching this sport rapidly evolve every day and, barring that the world doesn’t end this year, 2012 should be amazing for MMA.
Mitch Ciccarelli is the sexiest columnist in MMA today. Currently married to Bellator ring girl Mercedes Terrell and fathering the child of multiple other ring girls who’s names escape him, Ciccarelli is B/R MMA’s premier bad ass. Follow this American God on Twitter @mitchciccarelli
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