Athleticism is one of the most sought-after attributes, not only in combat sports or the sporting world so to speak but in run-of-the-mill fitness regimes and everyday life as well. Most folks would lead you to believe that true athletic ability is God-given- an enigma of sorts- which in actuality is far from the truth.
True athleticism involves the ability to move your body in the most effective and functional manner, which in turn is a skill that takes years and years of high-level training sessions and sporting activities in order to master.
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Our sport of MMA involves martial arts practitioners honing their skills, strength and endurance in daily training sessions. However, despite most of our MMA competitors possessing decent athletic abilities, it’s only a few special combatants that rise to the cream-of-the-crop in the athletic avenue of MMA competition.
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That brings us to the sports’ premier organisation the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) and the world-class Octagon combatants. Today we take a look at our sports’ best athletes and reveal the secrets behind said athleticism:
#5 Demetrius ‘Mighty Mouse’ Johnson
The UFC’s first and only Flyweight (FLW) champion, Demetrius Johnson is, without a doubt, one of the most highly skilled and athletically gifted fighters to have ever competed in the sport. However, contrary to popular belief, DJ credits his otherworldly athleticism to his long history of strength and conditioning work, dating back to his college wrestling days.
‘Mighty Mouse’ competed as a track and cross country athlete alongside his amateur wrestling sessions, in order to improve his physical endurance and stamina for his favourite sport of wrestling. Furthermore, since joining forces with head coach Matt Hume, Johnson has ascended to the throne of the pound-for-pound greats of the sport.
After learning from his decision loss to Dominick Cruz, Johnson has fought tooth-and-nail to reach the pinnacle of the sport by capturing UFC gold and defending said gold nine-times consecutively inside the Octagon.
Furthermore, after eking out a decision in a close fight against arch rival John Dodson in 2013, DJ absolutely styled on him in their rematch at UFC 191 in 2015. That brings us to the UFC’s best dancer...
#4 Cody ‘No Love’ Garbrandt
The UFC’s best dancer and reigning UFC Bantamweight (BW) champion Cody Garbrandt’s swift rise to the top has been one of the best stories coming into 2017, with ‘No Love’ handing the legendary Dominick Cruz his first defeat in about a decade at UFC 206.
His aforementioned title-winning performance showcased his natural explosiveness just as much as it did his breakdancing skills.
Cody has trained in the art of boxing since the age of 15, learning the ropes of the striking game under his uncle, after which he transitioned to amateur wrestling and football in college. Despite becoming a National All-American as a senior, he went back to his boxing roots and began honing his pugilistic skills throughout his youth.
He made his amateur MMA debut in 2009, whilst simultaneously competing as an amateur boxer amassing a record of 31-1. Garbrandt made his professional MMA debut in 2012 and in just five short years, rose to the pinnacle of the sport beating big-name fellow prospects such as Thomas Almeida as well as savvy veterans such as Cruz en-route to the title.
Cody’s pugilistic and grappling skills notwithstanding, the agility and smoothness of his in-ring maneuvers are evidence enough of his elite athletic abilities. And when one talks about athleticism, this man rules them all...
#3 Yoel ‘Soldier of God’ Romero
Yoel Romero is a former world champion wrestler, Olympic Silver medalist in wrestling and older brother of former IBF and Ring magazine Cruiserweight champion Yoan Pablo Hernandez. It’s safe to say that athleticism runs in his family bloodline, with Romero rising to the elite level in the sport of MMA, despite making his debut fairly late in his athletic career at 31 years of age.
Apart from being one of the best in the sport of wrestling for several years, he made the transition to the cage in 2009, trucking through the Strikeforce and eventually the UFC roster. Now although his wrestling is the most polished weapon in his arsenal, Romero’s stand-up skills are not to be taken lightly as the ‘Soldier of God’ has trained alongside his pro-boxer brother since childhood.
Besides, when you couple the Olympic-level wrestling and Cuban-funky boxing with the downright scary athleticism he possesses, what you get is lightning fast takedowns and flying knee knockouts...cough...Chris Weidman.
With a competitive background as strong as Yoel’s it doesn’t come as much of a surprise when the 39-year old UFC Middleweight effortlessly cartwheels his way across the Octagon. That brings us to the UFC’s speed monster...
#2 Tyron ‘The Chosen One’ Woodley
Tyron Woodley lived up to his moniker of ‘The Chosen One’ when he knocked out Robbie Lawler for the UFC Welterweight title at UFC 201 in July of last year, catching the ‘Ruthless’ champion with a blitzing straight right (PS- you’ve got to re-watch that sequence in real-time).
Woodley possesses insane speed and as evidenced by his most recent fights against Stephen Thompson at UFC 205 and UFC 209 respectively, his ability to explode in-and-out of seemingly slow-paced exchanges and cover the distance with ease is terrifying.
T-Wood was always a phenom in the athletic sphere, securing a place in the honor-roll of every term in high-school, finishing as a two-time State finalist in wrestling and receiving All-Conference honours in football.
He briefly made up his mind to wrestle for Nebraska state but later on decided to stay back in his native Missouri to help build the wrestling team.
It’s essential to note that Woodley has suffered from cardio-management issues throughout his MMA career- something that T-Wood and his team including Duke Roufus at Roufusport and the ATT Missouri faculty have tirelessly worked on to rectify.
The aforementioned endurance issues that have plagued him for several years seem to be finally improving, especially given that his previous pair of fights against Thompson were hard-fought 5-round wars. Woodley aims to dominate the 170-pound division and that brings us to a similar uber-athletic UFC champion...
#1 Stipe Miocic
Stipe Miocic truly is the ‘Baddest Man on the Planet’, after dethroning Fabricio Werdum at UFC 198 and defending his Heavyweight strap at UFC 203 against Dutch-striking savant Alistair Overeem, winning both fights via mind-numbing KOs.
His strength, power and explosiveness are accentuated by his ability to move with fleet-footedness that’ll put Lightweights to shame.
Miocic played baseball and football as a high-schooler whilst simultaneously honing his grappling skills as an amateur wrestler. Furthermore, he played collegiate basketball and also got several big-time offers from Major League Baseball (MLB) during his time at Cleveland State University and Trevecca Nazarene University.
He’s also a former Golden Gloves boxing champion and NCAA Div-1 wrestler.
The UFC HW champion and part-time firefighter made his professional MMA debut in 2010, making his UFC debut the very next year at UFC 136 with a decision win over MMA veteran Joey Beltran. Miocic has finished 13 out of his 16 career victories, with 12 of them coming by way of knockout.
As his teammate Jessica Eye once famously said- ‘Stipe is the new breed of Heavyweight’. Speed kills and ‘Stone Cold’ Stipe possesses said speed and agility in abundance.
It’s important that we understand, athleticism is just as much a result of our hard work and relentless effort as it is God’s gift. We are all born equal and it’s the hard work that makes the wee bit of difference in separating champions from contenders. Keep up with our combat tradition and write to me about your favourite fighters and MMA athletes that you feel deserved mention on our list.
Keep training and remember- Athleticism is not some unattainable enigma, it’s merely a result of the hours you put in at the gym and training room!
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