UFC 302 recently concluded with Dustin Poirier impressing with wrestling and grappling defense despite losing to Islam Makhachev. Ex-UFC champions TJ Dillashaw and Luke Rockhold recapped the PPV event on the JAXXON podcast, where Dillashaw made a striking revelation.
When they previewed the fight between Randy Brown and Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos, Dillashaw and Rockhold found wrestling played a big part in the fight. Co-host Bear Degidio enquired whether wrestling is the best base for MMA, and Dillashaw explained in detail.
Wrestlers don’t stall. There is stalling in wrestling, but you never get to take a break, whereas in Jiu-Jitsu, it’s more lackadaisical. You can lay on your back, you’re allowed to stall. With a wrestler, it’s never stopping. There are lots of scrambles in MMA. Obviously, there are more scrambles than there are in Jiu-Jitsu matches. I feel like that’s why wrestlers have a better advantage in MMA, personally, as well as dictating where the fight takes place.
TJ Dillashaw via JAXXON Podcast
Dillashaw cited that the pressure of a wrestler is an X factor. The ex-champion cited he was confident in rolling with a Black Belt BJJ grappler but not against a D1 wrestler. However, Dillashaw cited that the case would be different if it were up against an elite Black Belt who would hunt for finishes continuously.
Dillashaw stated a wrestler learning BJJ will always be better than a BJJ grappler learning wrestling. Dillashaw was a collegiate wrestler before he transitioned to MMA. As such, his views will likely have a bias toward wrestling. However, Luke Rockhold had another take on the matter.
Luke Rockhold speaks on wrestling vs. grappling
Luke Rockhold is one of the unluckiest fighters in the UFC. The former middleweight champion had an amazing standup with a ground game to match. When he became the UFC champion, defeating Chris Weidman, big things were on the horizon. However, he suffered an upset loss to Michael Bisping and has never been the same.
Luke Rockhold (Image via: Instagram)On the matter of the wrestling vs. grappling debate, Rockhold had a different take than Dillashaw. Rockhold stated some wrestlers don’t translate well on the ground. He cited they are grip-dominant, neglecting the hips. Rockhold cited having great hip strength is essential for wrestlers, especially the ones transitioning to MMA.
Rockhold is also critical of fighters looking for rear naked choke submission from the back, citing Dustin Poirier vs. Islam Makhachev. He cited fighters are aware of grappling positions and will defend against submission attempts. As such, he stated moving from the back to the mount is the way to go.
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