Partially because of the post-grad opportunity it presents for college athletes, an increasing number of NCAA wrestlers, wrestling coaches, and wrestling fans have started to support MMA.
It wasn’t always that way, but because of the opportunity it now presents for former wrestlers to turn pro and make good money in doing so, MMA has become increasingly linked with U.S. amateur wrestling.
Fans of the UFC and Bellator will recognize names like Johny Hendricks, Phil Davis, Chris Weidman, Ryan Bader, Cain Velasquez, and Gregor Gillespie, all of whom made the leap from wrestling as amateurs to fighting professionally.
Initially a skeptic of UFC, Rutgers wrestling coach Scott Goodale has gradually warmed up to MMA and has become a fan now that it is a way for elite wrestlers to have a way to make a living with their sport.
“This is what young wrestlers are watching as they grow up,” Goodale said. “And that’s a good thing for the sport.”
It also means the next generation of fighters could be even deadlier than their predecessors.
“This generation of wrestlers has grown up with UFC fights and fighters as a mainstream part of their lives, with MMA training facilities right around the corner from their houses,” according to ESPN. “Which means, as good as the Daniel Cormiers and Ben Askrens of the MMA world have been, there is a 2.0 version of those great ex-wrestlers who aren’t just adding on punches and kicks when their careers are over.”
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