A New Grip on Talent

There are several reasons why wrestlers make good mixed martial artists. Mostly, wrestling provides a solid foundation from which to add other disciplines, such as jujitsu, judo, boxing and Thai kickboxing, also known as Muay Thai.

Much of an MMA fight takes place on the mat, where opponents pound each other or try to make each other submit using jujitsu training. To get an opponent to the mat, an MMA fighter needs to have takedown skills similar to those used in wrestling.

Two members of the team that represented USA Wrestling in the first World Grappling Championships last September in Turkey also had high-level MMA backgrounds.

"We like to think that if there's an athlete participating in MMA, there's opportunities to pursue wrestling as well," said Rich Bender, executive director of USA Wrestling. "I think it's another opportunity for us to expose wrestling to another constituent group.

"There are wrestlers entering the MMA world, and it's not our goal to train MMA fighters, but certainly as a byproduct to becoming an Olympian, some of those skills can be used in the MMA world."

Sharing Information

Participation in wrestling in U.S. high schools has increased 11 of the past 14 years, going from 222,025 in 1993 -- the year UFC made its debut -- to 257,246 last season. Although Bob Colgate, assistant director of the National Federation of State High School Associations, said he cannot conclude the rise in participation correlates to the rise of MMA, Bowie's wrestling coach, Pete Ward, has no doubt.

"I think a lot of kids typically didn't want to wrestle because they see kids rolling around in tights and stuff," Ward said. "A lot of kids watch the UFC and think it's a physical, tough-guy sport. Now they realize wrestling is probably the closest thing to mixed martial arts they can find in school."

When Ward asked 13 wrestlers at a practice last week how many follow the UFC, 11 raised their hands. Three students have plans on competing in mixed martial arts during or after high school, and two Bowie students not on the wrestling team have asked Ward if he teaches mixed martial arts in the wrestling room.

Ward trains in MMA, but submission grappling and jujitsu aren't part of the practice regimen he uses for his team at Bowie. There is an MMA presence at the Bulldogs' workouts, however. Twice a week Ward invites fitness instructors D'Angelo Kinard and Daniel Silva, both of whom compete in MMA and teach classes at Bowie's World Gym, to lead his team through exercises.

Ward, arms crossed in a small wrestling room his team shares with the dance team, listens to Kinard's drill sergeant-like yells and nods his head.

"This gives our guys an edge over their opponent," Ward said, watching the brutal MMA-style workout. "It's all a different form of wrestling. It's all hand-to-hand combat."

Wrestlers often stay after practice to pick up a few MMA moves from Ward. Occasionally senior Eric Bulger, the team's lone Maryland 4A/3A South Region champion, shares wrestling information with Tipton while getting MMA tips in return.