SB Nation User Blog: mythbuster

Finally! Fedor teaches us silly westerners how to pronounce his name properly.

mythbuster — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 20:58:14 -0000

Finally! Fedor teaches us silly westerners how to pronounce his name properly.

I'm no Eurgene, but I get bored and have fun anyway.

mythbuster — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 19:02:17 -0000

I'm no Eurgene, but I get bored and have fun anyway.

Boredom + Lyoto + me = The Greatest Brazilian Hero.

mythbuster — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 00:33:30 -0000

Boredom + Lyoto + me = The Greatest Brazilian Hero.

Some GIFs of UFC 102 courtesy of FightReport.net.

mythbuster — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 16:58:12 -0000

Some GIFs of UFC 102 courtesy of FightReport.net.

More Fedor pics (and some Brett Rogers) from Esther Lin.

mythbuster — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 16:15:45 -0000

More Fedor pics (and some Brett Rogers) from Esther Lin.

Fedor takes New York. More photos of Fedor by Esther Lin here.

mythbuster — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 19:58:51 -0000

Fedor takes New York. More photos of Fedor by Esther Lin here.

is Amateur Wrestling Doomed?

mythbuster — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 14:28:59 -0000

An interesting article in the Columbus Dispatch highlights one of the possible victims of MMA's popularity - amateur wrestling.

As MMA gets more popular, and payouts get larger, less people are choosing amateur wrestling as a career and foregoing the Olympics for the Octagon. With wrestling being perhaps the easiest skill to transition to MMA, it seems inevitable that athletes would choose to make the transition.

"People doing MMA now didn't have the dream of being a UFC champion" as a kid, said former Ohio State national champion Tommy Rowlands, who works in the MMA industry but doesn't fight. "That's where wrestling is really going to take a hit if we don't do something. (Today's) kids are going to become adults and then they are going to say, 'Forget the Olympics. I want to be a UFC champion.' "

The temptation is everywhere:

"I might take a fight right after worlds," [member of the US wrestling team, Shawn Bunch] said. "You could do both, but it takes a lot of time. It's very tempting. I've got a lot of friends in (MMA). They try to (persuade me), flashing their money."

In response, USA wrestling has chosen to sweeten the amateur wrestling pot a bit, offering $250,000 for a gold in 2012, $50,000 for silver and $25,000 for bronze. But, as Tommy Rowlands points out, the promise of fame and wealth in MMA may be too much for some.

"You could make $18,000 in your first MMA fight ... and be a star," Rowlands said. "The only way you become a star in wrestling is if you win the Olympic gold medal."

I think amateur wrestling will survive, but it will definitely take a hit as wrestlers who aren't top level will see no reason to avoid MMA. The trickle down effect, while not devastating, may very well hurt the sport as people choose fighting over competing, mentoring, training others. Time will tell, but I wonder if some of these guys aren't shooting the hand that fed them a little.

Poll

Will MMA help or hurt amateur wrestling in the long run?

It will help it.

92 votes

It will hurt it.

44 votes

136 votes | Poll has closed

Some amazing photos of last nights strikeforce card from Esther Lin....

mythbuster — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 16:21:01 -0000

Some amazing photos of last nights strikeforce card from Esther Lin.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/shosports/

Forrest threw the fight.

mythbuster — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 05:46:17 -0000

Forrest threw the fight.

For the Brock fans

mythbuster — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 15:29:37 -0000

For the Brock fans

A nice slide show from his college wrestling days. I don't make judgements, but he seems a bit smaller than he is now. No idea why.

link to story