Mark Muñoz on why wrestling is the most important discipline in MMA

MANILA, Philippines – Even though there are many combat practices in mixed martial arts (MMA), retired Filipino-American fighter Mark Munoz stands firm on the notion that wrestling is the most vital discipline in the sport.

In the constantly-evolving arena of MMA, many competitors and coaches are still striving to discover what training formula results in consistent success.

Wrestling has been often regarded as the best foundation in MMA as numerous wrestlers transitioned easily into the sport, including Randy Couture, Dan Henderson, Brock Lesnar, Chuck Liddell and Frankie Edgar.

There was even a period in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) when most of its division titleholders had collegiate wrestling pedigrees.

Throughout the course of UFC history, wrestlers have shared the Octagon with other practitioners on numerous occasions.

In the current state of MMA, wrestling has become a necessary requirement for fighters to extensively learn.

“If you’re going to ask a lot of the mixed martial artists, they’re going to say that wrestling is the number one martial art to learn,” Muñoz told Rappler.

The 38-year-old grappler from Mission Viejo, California began wrestling at the age of 13 and went on to be a two-time state champion as well as a member of the Asics First Team All-American.

Muñoz represented Oklahoma State University in college, where he compiled 121 wins overall, was hailed as a two-time All-American, and won a NCAA national championship in 2001 as a senior.

By learning the tricks and the trade of the grappling discipline, Muñoz explained that wrestling holds all sorts of technical advantages, including the ability to dictate the pace of a bout.

“It’s the number one discipline to learn because you can dictate whether you can have it on the ground or whether you can keep it standing,” he said.

In addition, Muñoz stressed that there is no room for laziness in wrestling as it entails tremendous work ethic.

“In the culture of wrestling, you don’t ever find a successful wrestler being lazy. You will never find a successful wrestler just super talented because you have to back that talent up with work ethic and being smart,” he stated.

According to Munoz, wrestlers can easily adapt to any sport because wrestling has various relatable aspects with other fields.

“Our wrestling culture [has the mentality that if] you’ve been taken down, you better get two or three takedowns back,” he shared. “To be a wrestler, you need to have the mind of a chess player, the grace of a ballerina, the balance of gymnast, the explosiveness of an Olympic weightlifter, and the agility of a soccer player. Wrestling is a very multi-faceted sport. “

Muñoz, who called it a career in May 2015 after dominating Englishman Luke Barnatt in his farewell fight, is eyeing to fill the gap in one of the biggest hollows in Filipino fighters’ MMA game, which is wrestling.

“It is a very important sport that all people should learn. That’s why I want to bring it to the Philippines,” Muñoz ended. – Rappler.com