Tag: MMA Guru

USA Wrestling’s ‘Aura’ is Gone: MMA Guru Blasts USA Wrestling, Claps Back at Daniel Cormier

USA Wrestling's 'Aura' is Gone MMA Guru Blasts USA Wrestling, Claps Back at Daniel CormierThe ongoing debate surrounding the effectiveness of U.S. wrestling in MMA has intensified, with The MMA Guru responding to…

USA Wrestling's 'Aura' is Gone MMA Guru Blasts USA Wrestling, Claps Back at Daniel Cormier

The ongoing debate surrounding the effectiveness of U.S. wrestling in MMA has intensified, with The MMA Guru responding to recent criticisms from UFC legends Daniel Cormier and Chael Sonnen. The controversy began after The MMA Guru questioned the dominance of American wrestlers in modern MMA, particularly following Tatiana Suarez’s loss to Zhang Weili at UFC 312.

MMA Guru and US Wrestling in MMA

MMA Guru’s initial take, which sparked the debate, was a critical reaction to Tatiana Suarez’s loss to Zhang Weili at UFC 312. He expressed a lack of trust in “USA Wrestling credentials anymore,” and implied that Daniel Cormier and Chael Sonnen had misled him about the capabilities of wrestlers in MMA.

This comes after Daniel Cormier and Chael Sonnen addressed The MMA Guru’s comments on their show. Sonnen partially agreed with the critique, arguing that wrestling alone is no longer sufficient in today’s more well-rounded MMA landscape. He noted that many top U.S. wrestlers now avoid transitioning to MMA.

However, Daniel Cormier disagreed, pointing out that many current UFC champions and contenders have strong wrestling foundations, such as Jon Jones and Islam Makhachev. Cormier, an Olympic wrestler, argued that proper wrestling remains highly effective when integrated with other skills.

In his response, The MMA Guru acknowledged Chael Sonnen’s perspective but doubled down on his critique of the current state of U.S. wrestling in MMA. He stated:

“I know exactly where Chael was coming from here. There used to be a fear. If you heard, “This guy wrestled. He wrestled for a long time through school. He’s a national champ. He went to Nationals. He won State—he won this, he won that,” in wrestling, it used to mean something.

“It used to be this thing where you’d think, “Well, I’ll see that guy in the top five in about two years. He’s about to ragdoll this [ __ ] karate instructor, you know what I mean?” That’s what it used to be in MMA. “Oh, Jesus Christ, this poor [ _ ] Kung Fu guy is going to get [ _ ] chucked around by this [ __ ] high school wrestler over here.”

“But nowadays, I don’t know if I can trust them to get through the Contender Series. Chael speaks on it—there used to be a different vibe around the idea of a wrestler with some kind of wrestling credential being part of the competition. There used to be a fear.”

NCAA wrestlers did indeed have a significant impact on early MMA. These include legends such as Randy Couture, Dan Severn, Mark Coleman, Matt Hughes, and Kevin Randleman, among many others. Now, it seems the top-level collegiate and Olympic wrestlers are not looking at MMA anymore as frequently.

As for why fewer NCAA wrestlers are transitioning to MMA today, there are a few factors that some consider. Wrestlers now have more options to make money within their sport, reducing the financial pressure to switch to MMA. However, it’s worth noting that some top NCAA wrestlers are still considering MMA as a viable career path.

The future of U.S. wrestling in MMA remains uncertain, but it’s clear that success in the octagon now demands a more diverse skill set than ever before. This controversy has drawn in MMA legends like Daniel Cormier and Chael Sonnen, who offer differing perspectives on the matter.

Paddy Pimblett goes toe-to-toe with controversial YouTuber The MMA Guru in fiery interview ahead of UFC 304

Paddy Pimblett goes Toe-to-Toe with controversial YouTuber The MMA Guru in fiery interview ahead of UFC 304Paddy Pimblett went toe-to-toe with The MMA Guru. The divisive content creator has had plenty to say about Pimblett…

Paddy Pimblett goes Toe-to-Toe with controversial YouTuber The MMA Guru in fiery interview ahead of UFC 304

Paddy Pimblett went toe-to-toe with The MMA Guru.

The divisive content creator has had plenty to say about Pimblett and the Liverpudlian’s close friend Molly McCann in recent years, very little of it being positive. Understandably, tensions were high as the two outspoken individuals sat down for a recent interview on the influencer’s YouTube channel.

Previously, the Guru offered up some pretty harsh criticism regarding Pimblett’s lackluster performance against Jared Gordon in December 2022 and McCann’s quick submission loss against Julija Stoliarenko last year. Pimblett didn’t shy away from bringing up the past criticism from the Guru during their interaction.

However, ‘The Baddy’ seemed a bit more upset with the negative comments flung at his friend than himself.

“I do need to say about Molly though, f**k me, you’ve sh*t on Molly a few times, lad,” Pimblett said.

“I think it was after the Stoliarenko fight; you went in on her for two minutes on a video. I was thinking, ‘F*cking hell, this is heavy this.’ It wasn’t her best performance. Obviously, she got submitted in two minutes, she knows that herself. But then, when she sees all the sh*t online, her head falls off” (h/t Bloody Elbow).

Paddy Pimblett

The MMA Guru calls paddy pimblett’s performance against Jared gordon a ‘disgrace’

Of course, that doesn’t mean Pimblett forgot what The MMA Guru had said about him following his controversial decision victory over ‘Flash’ at UFC 282.

“When I said to Molly, ‘MMA Guru’s in the DMs’, Molly looked at me like [shocked]. I said, ‘Don’t worry, I’m going to mention it to him’, but I understand it. You s**t on me after the Jared Gordon fight, like a lot of people did.”

Interrupting Pimblett, the social media star exclaimed, “It was a sh*tty performance” to which ‘The Baddy’ humbly replied saying, “It wasn’t a good performance.”

Perhaps feeling a little too comfortable, The MMA Guru declared Pimblett’s performance against Gordon to be a “disgrace” before immediately backtracking. “It wasn’t a disgrace, too far. But it wasn’t the best performance, lad. I had to be real.”

Paddy Pimblett

Pimblett’s unanimous decision victory over Jared Gordon was arguably the most controversial decision in UFC history, drawing widespread outrage from virtually everyone. Even longtime UFC commentator Joe Rogan was flabbergasted by the decision, suggesting during an episode of his popular ‘Experience’ podcast that ‘Flash’ had gotten “f*cked” by the judges.

The Baddy’ has largely moved on from the controversy courtesy of a win over former interim titleholder Tony Ferguson at UFC 296.

On Saturday, July 27, Pimblett will look to continue his climb up the lightweight ranks when he meets the always-entertaining King Green at UFC 304 in Manchester.

Paddy Pimblett

Thus far, Pimblett is a perfect 5-0 inside the Octagon. With a win over Green, he will likely land himself a spot in the lightweight division’s top 15 for the first time.