Wladimir Klitschko Not Jammed By MMA
by Waldo Rastel on Jan 16, 2012 10:00 PM EST
in Boxing News Analysis
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Now we all know that a good amount of people not only follow MMA but they also drop crazy-jack on big MMA PPV events. Jim Rome knows this and he figured he would ask heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko about MMA during his radio show.
"To be honest I didn't really like [MMA] before. But when I was watching it, I got into the style of MMA and I think I have a lot of respect for MMA fighters. It's a very tough sport... You have to be so multi-functional, you have to be a wrestler, you have to be a good kickboxer, you have to be a good boxer, you have to be with good condition."
I feel like this is a common viewpoint amongst professional athletes. An athlete from one sport sees how difficult it is to perform in another sport and they have respect for the people who do it. Of course, competitive people always want to try something new and exciting.
[ Related: Klitschko vs Mormeck Event Page ]
"I want to try the fitness. Just get in an MMA gym and just practice certain things. I used to wrestle, and I did judo when I was younger. As training, as fitness, perfect. Fighting, no."
Wladimir is not going to leave boxing for a career in MMA but it is interesting to see how he wants to train with MMA fighters. He always seems like a very interesting guy with boatloads of intelligence. It's just unfortunate that he is so uninteresting as a boxer. I would assume that if Wladimir was a little younger he would have been a dominant force in the MMA heavyweight division. Kermit Cintron is another fighter that comes to mind as a fighter who would be well suited to MMA. What other fighters could have been MMA fighters if they were just a bit younger?
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Ortiz could be pretty handy, what with his granite forehead and all
by whypunchrabbits? on Jan 16, 2012 10:22 PM EST reply actions
People always say Kermit Cintron would have been some natural. It’s always seemed kind of ludicrous to me. He wrestled a little, 15 years ago. He was not a Brock Lesnar or Randy Couture level wrestler. Plus he’d have the same mental problems there he has in boxing.
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"To the town of Agua Fria rode a stranger one fine day..."
I think a lot people assume if someone has ANY experience in wrestling that they will somehow be a natural at mma. At least that’s the perception I get from some.
@KoryKitchen32 on twitter
by Kory Kitchen on Jan 16, 2012 11:17 PM EST up reply actions
Many high level MMA fighters were only high school wrestlers.
Dominick Cruz is a dominant champ at 135 and only wrestled in high school. UFC heavyweight champ Junior Dos Santos had no wrestling experience (or any grappling) when he started MMA. Eddie Alvarez got by in a very tough division with very overstated boxing skills because of his high school wrestling background. Alexander Gustafsson is a top fighter at 205 thanks to his boxing experience and barely wrestled ever until recently.
Superlative boxing skills and a functional sprawl would have gotten Cintron pretty far in MMA. Maybe not UFC champion but certainly in the elite level. And compared to MMA fighters, his hands are wicked.
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On the flip side hed only have to hit guys once with those mma gloves on.
by traydawg on Jan 17, 2012 6:53 AM EST via Android app up reply actions
Or be hit once.
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"To the town of Agua Fria rode a stranger one fine day..."
by Scott Christ on Jan 17, 2012 7:52 AM EST up reply actions
I would think with just a little training Wladimir Klitschko could come into MMA now and be a top 10 to 15 HW no problem, the HW devision in MMA has such a huge hole in talent from the top 10 to 15 and the rest, even in the top 10 there is a huge hole in talent from the top 2 or 3 and the rest. I still think Klitschko would win alot more in the HW devision now at this point then he would loose ?
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