Steve Mocco to enter MMA

[HawkeyeHypnosis]

2x NCAA hwt. champ, 2008 Olympic wrestler Steve Mocco to enter MMA - National College wrestling | Examiner.com

Didn't see this posted. From article:

"This decision was a whirlwind," the former Hawkeye/Cowboy heavyweight told Sammy Perez of Joe Show Radio. "I was down there training and all the guys were great. Once they discovered I was interested in fighting, everything fell into place."

Mocco, 30, will train at American Top Team in Florida.

The New Jersey native has been one of the larger-than-life characters in amateur wrestling the past decade. The New Jersey native won four state prep titles before heading west to Iowa, where he was a runner-up at the 2002 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships (losing to Ohio State's Tommy Rowlands). As a sophomore, Mocco won his first national heavyweight title, defeating Kevin Hoy of the Air Force Academy in the 2003 NCAA finals.

 

[SPGroth]

Maybe it is just me being a scourned fan, but I have a LOT of trouble cheering for this guy, even when he was representing the USA in the 2008 Olympics!

 

[pumpdog20]

Well he sure doesn't help himself in that regards. He would be perfect in the WWE, and I'm being serious. I know it's fake, but he could be a heel the entire time and maybe make decent coin.

 

[HawkeyeHypnosis]

There's a good chance he will not be very good and will get pummeled.

 

[TheOracle]

There's a good chance he will not be very good and will get pummeled.

Wrestling is by far the best base for MMA. Wrestlers dictate where the fight takes place but you have to have a little boxing considering each round starts standing.

 

[TheOracle]

But I will say as a man that has spent a little time in the Hard Drive gym in CR that it is pretty noticeable when a wrestler comes in that doesn't like to get hit.

 

[Stiles]

My guess his hands won't be fast enough to be a great boxer. E.g that good (elite) at MMA. The best fighters in the heavyweight division use their wrestling as defense not offense.

 

[SheagleHawk]

Wrestling is by far the best base for MMA. Wrestlers dictate where the fight takes place but you have to have a little boxing considering each round starts standing.

Not true. Wrestling is a good base to have, but to say it's "by far the best base" is not accurate. I'd much prefer someone with a stellar BJJ background who is also well versed in Muy Thai. The people who come from wrestling backgrounds are boring as hell to watch.

 

[Hawksd]

I'd be much more excited to see Matt Roth switch to MMA. What do you experts think of a Roth v Mocco MMA fight?

 

[imported_ankle23]

Wrestling is by far the best base for MMA. Wrestlers dictate where the fight takes place but you have to have a little boxing considering each round starts standing.

yeah, look at all the MMA success that has come from the ranks of college wrestling.

 

[TheOracle]

Wrestling is by far the best base for MMA. Wrestlers dictate where the fight takes place but you have to have a little boxing considering each round starts standing.

Not true. Wrestling is a good base to have, but to say it's "by far the best base" is not accurate. I'd much prefer someone with a stellar BJJ background who is also well versed in Muy Thai. The people who come from wrestling backgrounds are boring as hell to watch.

I think the generally consensus is that wrestling is the best background. You have to be well rounded to have any chance of being a contender but wrestling is a great starting point. I do agree that guys that are no more than wrestler are very boring to watch and as a rule they hate being put on their backs and that's where a BJJ game comes in. And it is true that a lot of wrestlers that can box use that to keep it standing if they have any boxing ability.

 

[SheagleHawk]

I think the generally consensus is that wrestling is the best background. You have to be well rounded to have any chance of being a contender but wrestling is a great starting point. I do agree that guys that are no more than wrestler are very boring to watch and as a rule they hate being put on their backs and that's where a BJJ game comes in. And it is true that a lot of wrestlers that can box use that to keep it standing if they have any boxing ability.

Wrestling is good to an extent, but all those guys who come from wrestling backgrounds tend to just hold guys down b/c their submission game is awful and they're not great strikers. Those fights are BRUTAL to watch; equally boring as traditional boxing.

 

[brett108]

Wrestling is by far the best base for MMA. Wrestlers dictate where the fight takes place but you have to have a little boxing considering each round starts standing.

Until you fight a guy like Dos Santos, who has great take down defense, and can throw a puch like no one else in that division. Then you get killed, kind of like Tito the first time he fought Liddel.

 

[TheOracle]

I think the generally consensus is that wrestling is the best background. You have to be well rounded to have any chance of being a contender but wrestling is a great starting point. I do agree that guys that are no more than wrestler are very boring to watch and as a rule they hate being put on their backs and that's where a BJJ game comes in. And it is true that a lot of wrestlers that can box use that to keep it standing if they have any boxing ability.

Wrestling is good to an extent, but all those guys who come from wrestling backgrounds tend to just hold guys down b/c their submission game is awful and they're not great strikers. Those fights are BRUTAL to watch; equally boring as traditional boxing.

Jon Jones, GSP, Chuck Liddell, Randy Couture, Frankie Edgar, Gray Maynard, Rash Evans, Rampage. All college wrestler.

 

[TheOracle]

I think the generally consensus is that wrestling is the best background. You have to be well rounded to have any chance of being a contender but wrestling is a great starting point. I do agree that guys that are no more than wrestler are very boring to watch and as a rule they hate being put on their backs and that's where a BJJ game comes in. And it is true that a lot of wrestlers that can box use that to keep it standing if they have any boxing ability.

Wrestling is good to an extent, but all those guys who come from wrestling backgrounds tend to just hold guys down b/c their submission game is awful and they're not great strikers. Those fights are BRUTAL to watch; equally boring as traditional boxing.

Jon Jones, GSP, Chuck Liddell, Randy Couture, Frankie Edgar, Gray Maynard, Rash Evans, Rampage. All college wrestler.

I think Benson Henderson was a college wrestler and his subs and sub D are great.

 

[TheOracle]

My bad...I don't think GSP was a college wrestler but he has some of the best wrestling in MMA...and can be rather boring to watch at times but he use to be very exciting.

 

[Dominate]

With Mocco's background in Judo I think he'll be able to make the adjustment and be fairly competitive.

 

[SheagleHawk]

Jon Jones, GSP, Chuck Liddell, Randy Couture, Frankie Edgar, Gray Maynard, Rash Evans, Rampage. All college wrestler.

All good strikers with very mediocre/sub-par submission games. I see your point though.

 

[Hawksd]

With Mocco's background in Judo I think he'll be able to make the adjustment and be fairly competitive.

And Roth trains boxing, would he have a shot against Mocco in MMA?

 

[TheOracle]

Jon Jones, GSP, Chuck Liddell, Randy Couture, Frankie Edgar, Gray Maynard, Rash Evans, Rampage. All college wrestler.

All good strikers with very mediocre/sub-par submission games. I see your point though.

All have good sub D and all use the wrestling to dictate where the fight takes place.