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A World-Class Weekend of MMA
Due to overzealous commentary and shameless shilling, "world class" is now a meme and a punchline in mixed martial arts speak. However, believe me when I tell you that this weekend's slate of MMA action has some legitimate world-class wrestlers in action.
The most striking of these grapplers -- both visually and reputably -- is 2008 Olympian and funk proprietor Ben Askren, who will get his second MMA workout against 1-3 Mitchell Harris on Saturday night at “The Patriot Act 2” in Columbia, Mo.
A two-time NCAA national champion and twice a Dan Hodge Trophy winner, Askren is one of the greatest American collegiate wrestlers in history. His aggressive, unorthodox wrestling style has long been thought to be highly compatible with MMA. The fluffy-haired Mizzou standout is already a purple belt under Kiko France at American Top Team Missouri, and was a key training partner for fellow welterweight prospect T.J. Grant in preparation for the Cole Harbour native’s victorious Octagon debut against Ryo Chonan at UFC 97.
Whether or not Askren's star can help contribute to a wrestling renaissance in MMA like the late 1990s remains to be seen, but given Askren's visibility as one of America's few amateur wrestling "stars," and the financial viability of fighting as a career, the funky 24-year-old, if successful in MMA, may lead the way for other outstanding wrestling converts -- not just from the NCAA ranks -- but FILA as well. You can check out the prospect’s bout live on Purefight.org.
Surprisingly, however, Askren isn't even the most accomplished international wrestler getting into the cage this weekend. That distinction belongs to Sweden's Eddy Bengtsson, who will also make his second MMA appearance on Saturday at The Zone FC's "Dynamite" in Gothenburg, Sweden, against 0-3 Russian softball Vladimir Kuchenko.
Though he never overcame the international dominance of the former Eastern Bloc powerhouses who have long ruled the 265 pound Greco-Roman world, Bengtsson did represent Sweden on the mat at both the 2000 Sydney and 2004 Athens Games. Better still, Bengtsson is truly dedicated to the sport of MMA, having done European submission grappling tournaments to improve his readiness, and training for the sport in earnest, rather than looking to cash in his Olympic history for a big purse or two in Japan.
Although he'll turn 30 years old next week, his wrestling pedigree and hulking physical gifts can't be overlooked. Furthermore, he is the sort of legitimizing figure that's crucial for an emerging MMA nation like Sweden, where parochial misconceptions of the sport still reign supreme. Sweden has a long lineage of brilliant amateur wrestlers, and the sooner MMA is a viable option for them, the better.
While he never made it to the Olympics, Saturday will also feature undefeated 170 pounder Kamal Shalorus in action, taking on once-beaten Mike Bronzoulis at King of Kombat's "Fists of Fury" in Austin, Texas.
An Iranian transplant who was on the Olympic ladder for Great Britain leading up to the Sydney Olympiad, Shalorus is a serious physical specimen who has slammed through all of his MMA opponents thus far in his adopted home of Austin. Should he get through Bronzoulis, he'll likely be traveling west in the near future, having signed with the Palace Fighting Championship earlier this year.
And, while she's hardly considered a wrestler at this point, female pound-for-pound all-star Yuka Tsuji is another brilliant amateur standout with combative duty this weekend, as she takes on Kate Martinez for upstart promotion Valkyrie's vacant 115-pound title in Tokyo.
The "Vale Tudo Queen from Angura" has emerged as one of MMA's first truly brilliant women over her seven-year tenure in the sport, but her amateur wrestling career was nothing to scoff at, having taken bronze in freestyle at the 1997 Asian Championships.
If anything, Tsuji's international wrestling career was stunted only because of her enormously talented Japanese contemporaries in her weight range, including four-time world champion Seiko Yamamoto (sister of Japanese MMA star Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto), two-time world champion Atsuko Shinomura and six-time world champion Hitomi Sakamoto. In another weight range or in another era, Tsuji may have had her chance on the world stage, though ultimately, her departure from the wrestling world has been a massive boon for MMA.
"World class" isn't always an eye-rolling turn of phrase in MMA. Sometimes, it's downright apropos. Plus, if Swedish wrestlers and female wrestlers both find success in the sport, surely Sofia Mattsson's debut can't be far behind.
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