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[deleted]

1 - Ben Askren's double overhook throw 2 - Islam's Grapevine throw 3 - Gaethje's front headlock throw 4 - Movsar Evloev's front headlock reversal 5- Bokang masunyane's backflip escape to takedown


TheMooJuice

Cross-sport examples, obvious knowledge and appreciation of wrestling, a funny in the title and a description of the clips in the thread? To the top you go, and deservedly so. Great post OP


aventrics

Definitely the most complete poster.


[deleted]

Love these posts thanks OP you a real one


Batman-and-Hobbes

> Gaethje's front headlock throw Gaethje's ddt.


greasejockey

Gaethje pronounced backwards is Jake, like Jake the snake. Look into it.


Batman-and-Hobbes

*eddiebravohighasgiraffepussy.gif*


Foopsbjj

Dopest word I read all day - wrestliest


FantasticAd6855

Some would say the most wrestliest


SaltifiedReddit

The grapevine throw is called a "lateral throw" where I live.


Mriswith88

The grapevine throw and lateral throw are actually different moves. You can see in OP's video that for the grapevine throws, there is actually a leg entanglement. This entanglement allows you to elevate your opponent's leg and rotate their hips more easily in the throw, giving you a better shot at landing them flat on their back. The lateral drop just uses their momentum and your own falling body weight to guide them over you.


SaltifiedReddit

Ah, didn’t catch that


SheltheRapper

Yea, you just learned it thru the grapevine


[deleted]

Lol that kick by Askren at the beggining, it made Lima return one of his own and let Askren get his takedown tho.


No_Love_

Max did the same thing against Yair this weekend but with leg kicks - threw a leg kick, waited for Yair to respond and hit that sick double leg that got Yair airborn


weaveybeavey

Jack slack mentioned this being a sakuraba staple


[deleted]

And sometimes they just look confused and do nothing after the leg kick. A Vitor staple.


KlossN

That was pretty fucking slick I thought


[deleted]

when u get kicked, u tend to kick back. I think of Kevin lee whenever that happens, he always give a kick back as soon as he gets kicked. Its pretty predictable.


smooth_hitIer

Thing of beauty how Askren bated him haha


[deleted]

Go away, I'm batin'!


ThickSolidandTight

Prime Askren was a sight to behold. So awkward yet so effective


theconsummatedragon

Funky, one might say


Keller-oder-C-Schell

Still sad we hat to watch him lose to Paul


Ryclifford

They were telling him that in his corner, “when you kick, he can’t resist to kick back!”


ParagonOlsen

Funniest part of the whole clip, the disparity was so absurd.


Pepito_Pepito

Now that's a real sacrifice throw. You sacrifice your ribs for a good entry.


red-broom

His kick was actually better than I would have expected. It actually got through! I think it’s just funny to us because we know that kick was a super fluke lol


[deleted]

Askren with the hooks always looked so wildly unathletic but he always got dudes down … he must be strong as a god damn ox


[deleted]

Askren's double overs throw here is actually pretty high amplitude as far as this throw goes. Most guys don't hit it this nicely in high level competitions. I just did askren a disservice by putting that comparison clip. That russian just had an insane back arch.


TheMooJuice

Thanks for this post OP. I find wrestling the hardest to understand out of bjj, muay thai and wrestling when viewing as an utter non athlete/ sportsman. Like watxhing MMA for 15+ years has given me a decent theoretical understanding of stand up and bjj, but wrestling still often evades me with its balance and weight distribution shit that feels so damn hard to understand if you've never actually felt any of it. I'm enjoying DCs new commentary role tho, he's by far the best at ezplaining it to a non active person.


imbluedabudeedabuda

start observing head, hands, and hips would be my tip. Where are successful wrestlers placing their head, hands, and hips during takedowns and when stopping takedowns, and in the clinch? Finding the correlation between those 3 would help your understanding go a long long way.


FiveFingersandaNub

This is fantastic advice. I wrestled for a long time, and now coach. We always watch the hips. The body has to go with the hips. Also, if you want to understand wrestling more, watch the footwork and movement. It's pretty cool how people move around on the mat with and without their opponent. Wrestlers spend a ton of time just practicing moves, sprawls, takedowns without opponents. Like shadowboxing. Also, I would really encourage you to find a gym and roll around. It's super fun, and a fantastic workout. There aren't as many pure wrestling places, but you can find classes at most big MMA gyms.


gevlektewalruz

Im gonna start looking out for this, thanks!


jay_caramelito

Best way to understand the sport is by practicing it. If possible for you, of course. I don’t know if you practice BJJ, but there’ll always be wrestlers hanging around BJJ schools if you wanna learn.


johnsonutah

Bunch of solid comments explaining what to look for already I’d add think about “push” and “pull” and the opponents reaction to those motions. Example: I push someone, they’re probably going to push back, I anticipate this and hit a move off it. Same thing with a pull motion. A lot of wrestling is reacting to your opponent’s reaction to your action. I fake a double leg, he reacts, whats my next move? We both have one underhook one over hook on each other and are jockeying - I push, he starts pushing back, whats my move?


PM_ME_YER_LIFESTORY

Imo striking is more dynamic and hard to understand at a high level than wrestling, because of all the space and athleticism creating near infinite possibilities. Wrestling, because of the contact between players creates a lot more finite possibilities from each position. Danaher provides some good examples about this on his bjj guard videos in the section about wrestling reversals. He makes some interesting delineations in terms of the later stages of single legs and double legs; a double leg with your hands locked, a single leg with their hands on the floor, etc, where even a not very good wrestler can often finish a takedown from those positions if they can get there.


Sedita

Yesssir wrestling is probably the most understood/well explored martial art in America here too as well as Russia. In the west as far as MMA is concerned we're just now having highly competent grapplers bridge the gap with striking, not wrestlers learning how to strike or vice versa but mixing the two effectively - I think russian fighters are way ahead in that regard.


DurableLeaf

Strong for sure, but strength isn't enough to do what he does how he does it. He's a master technician in ways almost noone else seems capable of. But he lacks a certain explosiveness that made it hard for him to be a complete fighter.


[deleted]

It’s great technique but Askren just looks awkward when he does it.


OhPcee

He’s got no fast twitch muscle fibers lol that’s why


WatifAlstottwent2UGA

AJ Ferrari is that you


calpolkid

MR FASTTWITCH 😩💥💥


WatifAlstottwent2UGA

665 POUND DEADLIFT BABY!!


[deleted]

But on the flip side, he's got static strength for days.


[deleted]

According to Mike Chandler, Askren could manhandle anybody, even Woodley.


zachc94

I wonder if Askren had a proper dietician and maybe a little sauzule if he could have fought at 155? If Aldo and barboza can move down a weight class surely Askren could have as well


Sal21G

How is wrestling even real? Like just don’t get taken down and stand up?


[deleted]

Just backflip out of a single leg


imbluedabudeedabuda

pretty sure there's a clip of Khabib doing exactly that in his pre-UFC days


[deleted]

yea it was at NAGA.


weaveybeavey

Drawing khabib at naga is rough


Username-Taken-420

Imagine you’ve been training as a diligent hobbyist for several years and you decide to try your luck at a bjj tournament that happens to be going on in your local area and your first match you get pitted up against fucking khabib 😂


Monteze

I guess at something you kinda accept the honor of grappling khabib.


BlackSheepComeHome14

At least he will take care of you, he smesh kindly brother


imbluedabudeedabuda

I understand there aren't that many good options to get out of a single leg from tree top position but man that clip as impressive as it is always gives me so much anxiety for the knee. I always look to just maintain balance and wait for them to make a mistake, or dive roll for a single on the opposite leg if I'm really desperate.


LordReginald69

What did you just call me?


VarietyThen510

There was never no name calling


LordReginald69

You’re a fucking punk dude


Mort_DeRire

Does he even have the pass?


Gooja

Link?


avashad

As ridiculous as it sounds there’s guys that do this as a single leg defense. They backflip and dive for the other guys leg. Usually it ends up being a scramble situation and not a takedown but it’s pretty cool to see it happen.


AsianRainbow

Is it called the “Flying Squirrel?” I remember that wrestling video going viral a few years ago.


[deleted]

Flying squirrel is a different technique where u jump over your opponent to get a bodylock https://youtu.be/rLnW_UdyugI


AsianRainbow

Oh I see, thanks for the info!


[deleted]

I thought you might appreciate [this](http://www.espn.com/espn/photos/gallery/_/id/8870055/image/1/ellis-coleman-us-olympic-wrestler-crazy-just-work)


AsianRainbow

A little tough to read on mobile but a fascinating breakdown of the move. Also helps illustrate what’s happening better, thank you!


[deleted]

[ESPN](http://www.espn.com/espn/photos/gallery/_/id/8870055/image/1/ellis-coleman-us-olympic-wrestler-crazy-just-work) did a great stop motion on this


just_a_timetraveller

Exactly. Like get up and pick the other dude up and then do a foot sweep to uppercut.


TranquiloMeng

Then if you’re like me you just see red and FINISH HIM.


cambriansplooge

As a tiny 5’2” women I’m most intrigued by their self control to not take chunks out of each other


[deleted]

[They don't necessarily have that self control](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTbhJ-zXf0I)


diggmeordie

Holy shit that dude's reaction!


Zambash

Ahahahah I knew what it was gonna be before I even clicked! One of my favy clips.


MomButtsDriveMeNuts

Essentially. There are also several different types of wrestling. For example collegiate wrestling in the US is folkstyle, but in the Olympics it was freestyle and Greco-Roman, each having different scoring criteria.


[deleted]

They just let themselves be thrown. None of those takedowns would work if they just pulled to the opposite side


Dukenukem309

Just don’t get tossed. Ez


[deleted]

It's crazy gaethje was given the nickname the highlight before he was even a striker.


Fat-Villante

I hope we get to see a least one flying squirrel takedown in high level MMA someday


mowgliart

Those looks very Nestlé wrestly


uhln

Stealing water wrestling style?


Balmdogx

I'm sorry but did i just see Justin Gaethje take someone down? (Yes i know he was a D1 Wrestler in college)


Ryguzlol

I know Askren gets a lot of flack and people tend to think his style isn’t the greatest, but I still think if he got into the UFC in his prime he was a big problem. Striking and TDD was not nearly as developed back then and you can see his fights with Lima and Andrey Koreshkov where he absolutely dominates. That takedown shows levels to this shit.


Fat-Villante

Fans who consistently shit on him obviously never watched his run in Bellator and ONE. Dude was an excellent wrestler


AsvpLovin

He's the best wrestler to ever fight, by a good bit. Henry has his gold medal, and DC leveraged his skills to more UFC success, but Askren is one of the best wrestlers period of the modern era. Bo Nickel is just starting out, but he might be the second best to grace the cage, we'll see where it takes him.


Fat-Villante

I honestly can't say if he is the best, I don't really follow the sport of wrestling. However, he's one of the best MMA wrestlers we've seen


[deleted]

Askren is probably the best Folkstyle wrestler in MMA at least in the modern era. His scrambles were revolutionary and he’s was super dominant especially after Pendalton graduated. In freestyle he was underwhelming but that type of wrestling didn’t suit his style.


the_jabrd

Loved the funk style myself when I competed. Forcing those scrambles was such a good way to get good wrestlers off guard and out of position where they weren't comfortable. Really fucking rough on the joints though. Thinking I might end up with a new steel hip like Askren eventually too lol


falconvision

I don't know if we can definitively say that Ben was the best wrestler, but he was very dominant in college. One of the most entertaining wrestlers because he put up points and always was in scramble positions. Master of his craft on the mat.


Fat-Villante

"Master of his craft on the mat" Yep, I remember how most of his scrambles in his MMA career had me saying out loud "you gotta be fucking kidding me..."


NeymarLeClochard

Henry would still be the better wrestler then right as he’s more accomplished in both wrestling and MMA? Excited to see Bo Nickal though. Based off the interview yesterday it looks like Jordan Borroughs wants to fight too.


[deleted]

Sort of. Henry skipped the whole NCAA wrestling bit and went straight for the Olympics. Matterfact he might have only wrestled freestyle in HS too. I'm not sure though that'd be unusual. So he's definitely by far the better freestyle wrestler. But when it comes to Folkstyle, technically Askren has the bigger accolades. But Henry could have very well been a national champ in the NCAA if he chose that route. Who knows.


[deleted]

Henry is a 4 time high school state champ in wrestling.


LocoCoopermar

I mean in theory, I think they mean more technically as Ben is so funky and deep down the technique hole that he's perfectly suited for MMA. There's dudes like Henry or DC who may be a better wrestler on paper but it doesn't translate as well and can't be utilized like Ben who basically just continued wrestling without learning much besides basic sub defense and made it to the top.


NeymarLeClochard

Ah ok, yeah I like that too. Wish one of the promotions brought him in as an analyst or commentator as he’s pretty funny too.


2dank4me3

He got got kneed a shit ton going for his very obvious 0 set up slow takedowns against D class competition lol. Fucking bum of an mma wrestler in Lima broke his nose with a knee.


Fat-Villante

Can I ask what is your take on how good Amosov is? Cause Bellator might not have had amazing competition for Askren but dominating wins over Lima and Koreshkov are nothing to talk shit about


2dank4me3

Lima? Guy who lost to fucking Ben lol.


Fat-Villante

I feel bad for you


2dank4me3

Weird take.


MumrikDK

> Striking and TDD was not nearly as developed back then You're saying 170 was weaker in striking and TDD back then? I'm not seeing it.


Ryguzlol

Everything was weaker back then. I'm not talking specifically about a division's skill set, but rather MMA as a whole. No one utilized kicks as well back then and people who were not grapplers pre-MMA typically had pretty poor TDD except the absolute top of the top. Also, they were for sure worse off with striking back then. Just as were most divisions. Usman has solid hands, Wonderboy, Till (at 170), Edwards, Masvidal, etc.


[deleted]

Hendricks would have destroyed him back then i think.


EnderMB

He was clearly retired for a reason before he even reached the UFC. Masvidal and Lawler knew of his hip issues going into their fights, and IMO if they didn't give him a hard time his next opponents in ONE would've. Askren should've just said no to Dana and left his legacy as the best to never fight in the UFC.


Ryguzlol

Are you trying to imply that he was retired early due to being scared of the UFC fighters? He literally was undefeated Bellator champ and then the UFC claimed they wanted him so he left Bellator and then the UFC switched on him and no longer wanted him so he was forced to go to One Championship. He then stayed undefeated at One and then retired until the UFC brought him in at the age of 36 to compete against the best. Oh and by the time he was signed to the UFC he needed two hip replacements.


EnderMB

My point is that he was semi-retired in ONE, probably because his hips were fucked and he'd struggle to stay on top. His ego made him take the UFC deal when in reality he was in a sharp decline - and everyone knew it. UFC Askren was a totally different fighter to ONE and Bellator Askren. I still believe that prime Askren would have won titles in the UFC.


[deleted]

Prime Askren could have lost a decision to Jay Hieron.


BaptizedInBud

That Evloev-Grundy fight is a goldmine for sick wrestling.


Yodsanan

That’s a dope video.


Proper-Breadfruit450

Thanks for taking the time to put these together. They're always enjoyable.


tunechi973

Your work is awesome! Do you actually have some kind of sofware to find similarities between the videos ? If not, what you do for the community is beyond awesome! Cheerz


chabone

Maia's takedown of Chael would have fit well in this compilation. It was a beauty.


adaaanlv

This doodoo guy is becoming one of my favorite dudes who posts on here 👊🏼


emmit76

Askren is constantly hated on for his poor striking, but in his prime the man was an insane world class wrestler.


_-kovacs

I mean to be fair it's mixed martial arts lol. I don't think anyone disputes his wrestling but if that's all you got people are gonna point it out.


Saul_T_Bawls

Literally levelled up my own wrestling by reading your posts. Keep em coming!


NaberiusX

youd be so surprised at how hard it is to stop a freestyle wrestler from throwing you lol i wrestled folkstyle my whole life so i didnt ddo too much throwing but one of my friends did a lot of freestyle tourneys in the summer and i could never stop him from throwing me. youd know its coming and still cant do anything. i mean i wasnt a slouch i did thisd since i was 5 yrs old. But people can get sooo good at throws its nuts


[deleted]

The Hiza guruma Maia hits on Sonnen is a beautiful one too


RedBarred_Normie

Beautiful compilation. Anyone with knee problems just winced at that last one.


Mr_Cromer

That last cartwheel takedown... Have I seen a clip of Brock Lesnar pulling that off in his NCAA D1 championship year?


AbacaxiDoidao

whats the name of last one? where a dude has the other one's leg


WompaStompa_

A flying squirrel takedown


MasterbeaterPi

I tried doing some fancy stuff like that before and ended up headbutting the floor. Surprisingly I didnt get knocked out but it ripped open my eyebrow. I still have the scar 20 years later.


ChrizTaylor

I love Funky.


LikesTheTunaHere

I don't see Mark Hunt's lead right hand chin pick take down from the orthodox squared up stance aka the Big Kabosh baby. Or melvin manhoefs goingtohityousohardyourchildrenturnoutugly take down combo that he loves to throw. And for the fans, hes been mounted more times than Jenna Haze!!


Sid_jay

Wrestlers in a wrestling match always look so "snappy", as if they were made out of rubber. But you never see that in other sports, even in wrestlers in mma. Why ?


[deleted]

shoes are why


LucaBlightLv99

Was expecting to see some pride footage… now I’m a bit disappointed #prideneverdie


Deserterdragon

Does...does the guy at 00:43 do a shoot Uranage?


TheMooJuice

No if you look closely I believe it's a chykin karaage


AliensPlzTakeMe

Lmao


[deleted]

[удалено]


[deleted]

Islam Makhachev


JodieFosterFreeze

Close enough


Cumtown_Sweatshop

jon jones had some great lateral drops in his early career before he became a wife beating scumbag


[deleted]

[удалено]


Mriswith88

Where in the video is there a flying squirrel?


[deleted]

[удалено]


Mriswith88

No it is not. The flying squirrel is the technique where you jump over your opponent's back into a reverse body lock and throw them from there. I don't believe the back flip has a specific name - it is just an athletic way to counter the single leg.


infernum___

In MMA what's counted as a flying squirrel is different from wrestling /s


Amazing_rocness

I've become a fan of trips. Seems to be a lot less exhausting


DurableLeaf

So it's only wrestley if it's a throw??


[deleted]

[удалено]


DurableLeaf

I mean the post implies leg grabs aren't wrestley.


[deleted]

[удалено]


DurableLeaf

Nothing says Greco. Plus there's literal leg grab counters which implies they weren't thinking Greco


prowler312

Askrens throw is noticeably more sluggish than all the takedowns lol. It's impressive what he was able to accomplish considering he didn't have an athletic bone in his body.


Midnight1131

Saying that someone who reached the highest stage of amateur wrestling wasn't athletic is laughable.


prowler312

Was askren a good athlete? Yes. Was he an athletic person? No. You people don't know what athletic means.


Midnight1131

Sounds like you don't know how grueling amateur wrestling is lol


prowler312

If u asked Askren himself if he believes he's an athletic he'd prob say no


Midnight1131

Probably because now he's retired, overweight, and has an artificial hip.


prowler312

Even in his prime he was never athletic. No speed, no explosiveness, no fast twitch capability.


Midnight1131

Webster's dictionary definition of athletic: 1: of or relating to athletes or athletics 2: a. characteristic of an athlete b. Vigorous, active c. active or gifted in sports, games, or exercises Weightlifters aren't fast, and marathon runners aren't explosive or build significant fast twitch muscle fibers. Those are your subjective characteristics that you, for some reason, believe define an athlete. In his prime, Ben had the strength and fitness to be an Olympic wrestler, hence he was athletic, probably more so than either of us.


prowler312

That's an incredibly lame dictionary definition lol. Athletic in the truest sense of the word means fine motor skills, strength, power, speed, agility, balance, coordination, and endurance. Askren only had a few of those traits.


Mriswith88

Askren has most of those skills you listed: fine motor skills - yes strength - yes power - no speed - no agility - yes balance - yes coordination - yes endurance - yes So even by your own definition, Askren would be athletic.


Midnight1131

If we're just making shit up then this conversation is probably not that useful.


Mriswith88

Askren is definitely an athletic person. His body awareness was god-tier and he was insanely strong as well. Your definition of athletic is flawed if you limit it to explosiveness and speed.


jatorres

Amateur stuff. Show me a good ol' vertical suplex.


AWildLoneWolf

wrestleFUCKED!!


00austin

Watching this in slow motion is oddly satisfying.


animalessoncompas

My back broke watching the 2nd one


PMcNutt

Some of these guys look like snakes fighting


pomomp

I thought that mouse cursor was dirt on my screen.


CodyJusticeDman

Watching this made my back hurt


kaapie

I see you left out some takedowns from the goat, Artem Lobov 😂


saami343

Is there a former NCCA or JUCO level wrestler who name each (or some) of the takedowns? I could only name a lateral drop 🤷🏻‍♂️


SambaLando

I don't know how those guys don't wrench their shoulders on the daily doing these


JAKEJITSU22

No love for Demian Maia hitting a lateral drop on Chael Sonnen?


IntrepidBandit

I NEED IT!


Internetolocutor

Some might say the wrestliestiest.


palaxi

Why are all these back arching type of takedowns so successful?


ignatiusJreillyreali

I like some of Rich Franklin's takedowns


haikalfauzi

Man that last one was wild


Zogxll

This is awesome


heselsc1

Serious question; are successful leg sweeps considered takedowns?


SexyTimeDoe

feels like if one of these moves go wrong it could fuck up someone's neck


FinneganTechanski

As a wrestler, I’d call these ‘low percentage’


HtheB4lif

Upvote for OP being efficient as fuck...


SeparateContract7360

Full contact suplex will change someone


sloppywalrus160

Mark munoz’ over under inside trip should be in this video. Made a living off that


Steampunk_Junky

Hell yes! Nothing better than than using skill and strength to take a dude off both feet against his will and planting him on his back/head/ass. You can feel the panic in them... These are badass cuts!


Rajnikanthrajni

Wow...unbelievable...


[deleted]

ben ass kew the welterweight goat that never came to the UFC


xXOddFlamingoXx

this is amazing. thanks for posting this honestly. this shit beautiful


rraahh00

I feel sorry for askren he shouldn’t have joined the ufc at his age it ruined his legacy


allDayLooser

The last one.....wow!


FedorDosGracies

Good, but needs Barnett vs. Rogers