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Wed Jan 07, 2009 2:58 pm EST

Amateur wrestling and MMA can co-exist

By Maggie Hendricks

During the Big Ten Network's broadcast of the Midlands, an annual collegiate wrestling tournament at Northwestern University, wrestling legend Dan Gable addressed MMA. He said that he worries that the money will attract too many of the top wrestlers away from training for the Olympics, but the two can learn to live side-by-side and even help each other out.

Defection from elite wrestling to MMA has already begun. Ben Askren, a 2008 freestyle Olympian, has begun training at American Top Team and is set for his first MMA fight on February 7. Mo Lawal (pictured) was on the freestyle national team, and took second at the Olympic Trials, before winning three straight Sengoku bouts. Now there is talk of the WEC building a flyweight division specifically for Olympic gold medalist, Henry Cejudo.

Former national team coach and current Iowa assistant coach Terry Brands sees MMA differently than his mentor, Gable:

"It's almost catastrophic to the development of wrestlers in our country," said Brands, "It hurts, it hurts our country."

Brands has a right to be worried about the future of the sport. Since 1972, 466 college programs have been cut.  The sport is under siege due to shrinking budgets at colleges and high schools, the enforcement of Title IX, and the lure of more popular sports like football and basketball. Seemingly every year, I buy a "Save College X" wrestling t-shirt, yet, it is never saved.

But Brands is shortsighted to think MMA will do anything but help wrestling. When children find out that many of their favorite fighters started their careers in a wrestling room, they will follow in their hero's footsteps. Not to mention that wrestling and mixed martial arts are not mutually exclusive.  Askren, Lawal and Cejudo can participate in fights yet still participate in the Olympics.

I tend to agree with Gable. Before the next Olympics in 2012, wrestling and MMA's leadership need to come to an understanding as to how these two can help each other. The U.S. Olympic Training Center should be opened to fighters who need help with wrestling skills. Fighters under contract who wish to pursue the Olympics should be allowed to take a year off. There is no reason for an all-or-nothing mentality.

Photo via Amateur Wrestling Photos 

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9 Comments

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  1. HAHA
    1. Posted by HAHA Thu Sep 03, 2009 10:49 pm EDT

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    mma or wrestling?
    ill take mma please THANK YOU
  2. HAHA
    2. Posted by HAHA Thu Sep 03, 2009 10:49 pm EDT

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    AWW YEA THE CROW IS BACK ARTICLE COURTESY OF MMAWEEKLY.COM
    One of the most popular Canadian fighters is set to return to the UFC as David "The Crow" Loiseau has signed a new fight deal with the promotion. He will likely appear as a part of the upcoming UFC 97 card on April 18 in Montreal. The news was confirmed to MMAWeekly.com on Tuesday by sources close to the fighter.
    Loiseau has always been seen as a tough fighter with tremendous skills in the cage. While previously in the UFC, the Canadian held a 3-2 record, but did not return after back-to-back losses in 2006.
    Since that time, Loiseau has amassed a record of 4-2, but has recently reeled off three wins in a row. He now looks to cement himself back in the UFC's middleweight division.
    While the UFC has made no official announcement regarding Loiseau's return, it has been rumored that his first fight back may come against "Ultimate Fighter" season 3 participant Ed Herman.
    The UFC's return to Montreal will mark its second show north of the border. The first event featured a main event between hometown hero Georges St. Pierre in a rematch against Matt Serra that packed more than 21,000 fans into the Belle Centre.
  3. jonjon
    3. Posted by jonjon Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:45 pm EDT

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    Saying that MMA is bad for wrestling is like saying the NBA is bad for college basketball. Sure you may loose some of your stars early, but how many kids try out for the sport because they want to be like their heroes.
  4. Ican2
    4. Posted by Ican2 Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:39 pm EDT

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    Maggie, It appears your blogs are lacking any depth..Not seeing any intrest from even the noobs...Just saying.. maybe your not saying anything worth blogging about..;-b
  5. HD guy
    5. Posted by HD guy Thu Sep 03, 2009 8:45 pm EDT

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    Wow, it is a slow news day in MMA. Is this really blog worthy? It is just a writer with nothing else to talk about trying to manufacture controversy where there is none.
    Fact is there is no MMA without wrestling, just like there is no MMA without boxing or karate or kung fu or judo. Hence the term MIXED MARTIAL ARTS. Dan Gable is probably the best mind and coach in wrestling history! If he says MMA not a threat to the sport, well then it is NOT.
  6. Darkness!
    6. Posted by Darkness! Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:45 pm EDT

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    I love both sports; but def. a bigger fan of mma.
  7. David
    7. Posted by David Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:38 pm EDT

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    I'm a high school wrestling coach and I'm actually noticing an increase in interest in wrestling lately. MMA may well cut into Olympic wrestling, but in high school I get a lot of kids who want to be Rampage Jackson one day.
  8. athsquare
    8. Posted by athsquare Thu Sep 03, 2009 2:59 pm EDT

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    Interest in Wrestling is going to go up because of MMA just like people who wrestled love MMA and started its fan base. Both are going to help each other out. Dana is smart enough to realize his stars HAVE to have a wrestling background in order to be successful over a longer period. In TN were I come from they legalized it and the proceeds from the MMA events go to the public colleges in TN that have a wrestling program in the form of scholorships for the wrestlers and the wrestling programs. High schools will get more wrestlers because lets face it almost every athlete that trains jiu-jitsu thats older says man I wish I would have wrestled in high school now!!! Alot of the kids that are rolling in jiu-jitsu when their particular state offers it will compete in wrestling because they know their game will go thru the roof. UFC will benefit from the athletes that join who not only grew up doing jiu-jitsu but wrestling as well. In 10 years we will see another level of athlete in the MMA events and not just UFC but at the grassroot ones as well. Amazing wrestlers AND Jiu-jitsu players along with striking in the near future. Oh and one last thing jiu-jitsu players who wrestle are seeming to have an added advantage over guys who are wrestling in high school and jr high becasue they know some of the chokes and judo throws and have a base to go on rather than just learning the sport from scratch. BOTH benefit long term from this situation.
  9. IDGAD
    9. Posted by IDGAD Thu Sep 03, 2009 8:27 pm EDT

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    Amateur wrestling has definitely been the big loser in the aftermath of Title IX. It is the only strength against strength competition even remotely likely to be widely fostered by the educational establishment. It is in the nature of us to compete mano a mano. It tends to teach good habits of mind and health and sacrifice for a goal. Granted, sports reveals rather than builds character but wrestling is a good thing. What discipline is the most successful as a platform for expansion to multiple martial arts? In the West, it's gotta be boxing or wrestling. I'd favor wrestling.

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Cagewriter is an MMA blog edited by Steve Cofield. Email him, and follow him on Twitter.

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