[quote]Fiction wrote:
Sentoguy wrote:
True, he didn’t finish Koscheck and won via points. What was impressive was how he beat him via points; by outwrestling him. That’s a pretty impressive accomplishment considering Koscheck’s wrestling record.
No its not. I’ve wrestled for eight years and spent time on the collegiate circuit (I was pretty average there). I know people with a fraction of the actual wrestling accolades that I have that could probably outwrestle me in an MMA match.
The gulf between MMA wrestling and amateur wrestling is huge. At the highest levels of amateur wrestling, you win with your setups, solid fundamentals, riding, and conditioning. You rarely see a pure double leg in anything above high school, and if you do it is a double leg from a snap/armdrag which you are already hitting from an angle…no like these straight on doubles you see all the time in The takedowns in MMA are so simplistic comparatively you cannot even put the two together. The skill of the MMA takedown is the transition from a strike to a takedown.
The advantages that a skilled wrestler possesses is a strong foundation of basic takedowns, a strong sense of hip positioning and balance, and a type of conditioning very similar to that of MMA (and depending on the style he is skilled in, detailed knowledge of clinch work and throws).
Moral of the story is that outwrestling a wrestler in MMA just requires a strong handle on fundamentals, and the ability to integrate them. GSP’s “outwrestling” of Koscheck is not as impressive as it sounds. Put GSP in an amateur wrestling match with Koscheck, however, and he would get utterly tooled.
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GSP regularly trains with the Canadian Olympic wrestling team, and I believe was even considering trying out for the team at the beijing olympics (many believed he would have made it). So, I think he’d do fairly well against koscheck, even in an amateur wrestling match.
I agree with what you said about the need to set-up takedowns in MMA with striking (and be able to transition between the two smoothly). But Koscheck has been one of the most successful amateur wrestlers in terms of adapting his wrestling to MMA. He is no longer a pure wrestler, but one who knows how to utilize his wrestling effectively in an MMA context.
Can you name anyone else who has been able to outwrestle him in an MMA fight? Who was able to consistently take him down and control him there? I mean, it might not be as impressive as GSP outwrestling Kos in an amateur wrestling bout, but it’s still an impressive feat, seeing as how no one else in MMA has been able to do so thus far.
