Askren Wrestling Academy
  • Classes
    • Youth & High School Wrestling
    • Ninjas In Training
    • Private Lessons
    • AWA Girls Classes
  • Camps
    • Superstar Camps
    • Alcatraz
    • Funky Fresh
    • Houdini
    • Takedown King
    • Youth Camps
    • Girls
  • About
    • Our Academy
    • Our Coaches
      • John Mesenbrink
      • Ben Askren
      • Max Askren
      • Josh Wagner
      • Jordan Newman
      • Pat Spray
    • Hall Of Fame
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Videos
    • Ben
    • Max
  • Menu Menu

Which 2014 seniors will make great MMA fighters?

March 31, 2014/8 Comments/in Askren Wrestling Academy/by Ben Askren

Top 5 NCAA Division 1 2014 seniors who will make great MMA fighters

Now it has becomes increasingly obvious that American Folkstyle wrestling is by far the best background to have for an MMA fighter.   MMA rankings give fighters with American Folkstyle wrestling as their main background 35 of 80 spots in the top 10 across the main 8 weight classes and 5 of the 8 top spots.  Now while success in college wrestling doesn’t translate exactly, I mean who thought Jake Rosholt would have a significantly worse MMA career than say Benson Henderson.  That being said there are so many great characteristics that make a wrestler great that also do the same for an MMA fighter.

I don’t know that any of these people are going to MMA, but it is my perspective on who can be really successful.  I love the fact that MMA has given wrestlers another avenue to continue using skills they have honed their whole life and make a very good living doing so.  Although all wrestling leaders don’t see MMA as a great thing for wrestling I do.  I think it is about time wrestling starts marketing itself as “THE MOST SUCCESSFUL MARTIAL ART ON THE PLANET!”

Honorable Mention: Tyler Caldwell and Andrew Howe

5. Tony Ramos – This is the one guy on the list who has made it evidently clear that he is headed for MMA.  His club coach Izzy Martinez is the head wrestling coach of at Jacksons MMA.  I would say Tony’s best assets would be his Aggressiveness and Gas Tank.  He was more defensive in college, I think he will need to quickly learn how to transition his striking into takedowns to make his transition smooth.  I see him dominating easier competition before struggling a bit, at which point he will figure the striking into takedowns. I think he will be top 10 at 125 within 3 years.

4.  Nick Heflin – He wouldn’t be the first great 205er from tOSU, Coleman and Randleman were pioneers in this field!  Right now wrestlers control the top 3 spots at this weight, with Heflin’s athleticism and power it wont take much for him to transition in well into MMA.  Hopefully a good camp like AKA snatches him up and turns him into a beast.

3.  Chris Perry – Obviously he comes from one of the greatest wrestling families of all time, which would lead me to believe he will be getting a lot of pressure to continue to wrestle.  However, Oklahoma St has had quite the MMA pipeline going with Hendricks and Cormier among others.  Chris’ riding ability especially with the legs tells me he will translate to a really good BJJ guy really fast.  His stand up will be alright, but if he remembers he is a wrestler first and foremost he will take people down, keep them down and dominate them.

2. Joe Colon – I don’t know about his future, but this guy impressed me a ton this season.  If it wasn’t for a bad decision to scramble when unnecessary, I think he would have won an NCAA title this season.  I think Joe is both lanky and powerful, which will make his transition to striking a little bit easier.  I think a camp with a lot of people his size like Roufusport would be a great fit.

1.Ed Ruth–  Now my initial assumption is that he will probably wrestle, but this guy could make millions fighting MMA within years.  The more I watched him the more I was impressed with him, despite his laziness at times he was still very dominant this season.  This dude has all the tools necessary, his body control is unmatched and grip is ridiculous.  He would be nasty in BJJ immediately and with his range and agility would pick up the striking quickly also.  The only thing that can stop Ed would be him getting complacent at the wrong time.

Who do you think would do well and why???

Share this entry
  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on WhatsApp
  • Share on Pinterest
  • Share on LinkedIn
  • Share on Tumblr
  • Share on Vk
  • Share on Reddit
  • Share by Mail
https://awawisconsin.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/askren-wrestling-academy-wisconsin-logo.png 0 0 Ben Askren https://awawisconsin.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/askren-wrestling-academy-wisconsin-logo.png Ben Askren2014-03-31 02:54:192014-04-04 15:04:42Which 2014 seniors will make great MMA fighters?
8 replies
  1. mike matelich
    mike matelich says:
    March 31, 2014 at 1:58 pm

    Ed Ruth 100%!

    He simply has all the physical gifts/tools. Those long arms and gorilla grip are ridiculous.

    Reply
    • mike matelich
      mike matelich says:
      March 31, 2014 at 2:03 pm

      Also, Maple could be good if he gets his health back. I’m not sure what is troubling him but it has drained his tank. He is long and quick and agile. He could be hard to beat with compromised health and nearly impossible if fully healthy.

      Reply
  2. WWE summerslam 2014
    WWE summerslam 2014 says:
    August 12, 2014 at 9:53 am

    Μу brother suggested I might like this web site. He was
    entirely right. Тhis post actually made my day. You cann’t imagine
    just how mսch time I had spent for this info! Thanks!

    Reply

Trackbacks & Pingbacks

  1. MMA and UFC live news | Ben Askren Tabs Five NCAA Wrestlers As Possible MMA Stars - says:
    April 14, 2014 at 10:54 pm

    […] are going to MMA, but it is my perspective on who can be really successful,” Askren wrote on the AWA Wisconsin site. “I love the fact that MMA has given wrestlers another avenue to continue using skills they have […]

    Reply
  2. Ben Askren: Five NCAA Seniors Who Could Move Into World Of MMA - MMALinker says:
    April 4, 2014 at 3:50 pm

    […] going to MMA, but it is my perspective on who can be really successful,” Askren wrote on the AWA Wisconsin site. “I love the fact that MMA has given wrestlers another avenue to continue using skills they […]

    Reply
  3. Ben Askren: Five NCAA Seniors Who Could Move Into World Of MMA - MMAFrenzy.com says:
    April 4, 2014 at 3:09 pm

    […] going to MMA, but it is my perspective on who can be really successful,” Askren wrote on the AWA Wisconsin site. “I love the fact that MMA has given wrestlers another avenue to continue using skills they […]

    Reply
  4. Five NCAA Wrestlers Who Could Move To MMA - MMALinker says:
    April 4, 2014 at 12:10 pm

    […] going to MMA, but it is my perspective on who can be really successful,” Askren wrote on the AWA Wisconsin site. “I love the fact that MMA has given wrestlers another avenue to continue using skills they […]

    Reply
  5. Ben Askren Tabs Five NCAA Wrestlers As Possible MMA Stars - MMALinker says:
    April 3, 2014 at 7:51 pm

    […] going to MMA, but it is my perspective on who can be really successful,” Askren wrote on the AWA Wisconsin site. “I love the fact that MMA has given wrestlers another avenue to continue using skills they […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Want to join the discussion?
Feel free to contribute!

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Hot Topics

Annual Pig Roast Ben Askren Head Coach Jeremy Spates Max Askren Mixed Martial Arts MMA NCAA Division 1 North Shore One FC Professional MMA Summer Camp Wrestling Strategy Wrestling Technique

From Our Blog

  • Christmas Break Hammer CampDecember 15, 2022 - 7:16 am
  • Rulon Gardner ClinicNovember 9, 2022 - 12:08 pm
  • Cal Poly Wrestling ClinicOctober 25, 2022 - 1:59 pm

askren wrestling academy logo

Academy Locations

Lake Country (Hartland):
596 North Shore Drive,
Hartland, WI 53029

Mateah Roehl @ 920-988-0084
Mateahroehl@gmail.com

North Shore (Mequon):
175 S Main Street,
Thiensville, WI 53092

Max Askren @ 262.719.1202
max@awawisconsin.com

Green Bay:
1515 Glory Rd,
Green Bay, WI 54304

Josh Wagner @ 608.774.0129
josh@awawisconsin.com

Advance (Madison):
2556 Advance Road, Suite A,
Madison WI 53718

Patrick Spray @ 715.572.2365
patrick@awawisconsin.com

South Shore (Franklin):
9760 S 60th St,
Franklin, WI 53132

Mateah Roehl @ 920-988-0084
Mateahroehl@gmail.com

Sign Waiver
Camps

Camps Inquiries: camps@awawisconsin.com

Stay Connected
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • instagram
  • youtube
© 2022 Askren Wrestling Academy / Lake Country / North Shore / Green Bay / Terms of use / Site developed by js-interactive.com
Is David Taylor Iowa’s new Head Coach??Video from Flowrestling
Scroll to top