Excited? Well, you should be. Top-flight wrestlers have always found success in MMA, but one thing that the recent group of converted world-class wrestlers has over its predecessors is this; they've been watching MMA for years by the time they step foot in an MMA gym. This is an invaluable asset. As a result of this early exposure to the sport and the growth of MMA everywhere, we are seeing heavyweight international wrestling champions win fights with spinning wheel kicks. We are seeing Greco-Roman Olympic medalists execute submissions with devastating proficiency. We are seeing rapid rises through the ranks of the world's top MMA promotions.
The wrestlers featured herein are/were legitimate champions and medalists at the highest levels of wrestling. They have varying amounts of fights on their record, but all these men are expected to have their best fighting years ahead of them.
On to the list ...
Boris Novachkov was an Olympian for Bulgaria in 2016 (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)Boris Novachkov
This Bulgarian-American wrestler has brought with him to the cage quite a unique type of experience in that he's been exposed to both the American and Eastern European wrestling styles and systems. Moving to California from his native Bulgaria at age 13, Novachkov experienced a great deal of success wrestling in the Golden State.
A high school career that produced two state titles, freestyle and Greco-Roman national titles at Fargo, and a runner-up finish at NHSCA Senior Nationals led Boris to Cal Poly. Finishing as a three-time Division I All-American and national finalist, he then moved on to the senior freestyle scene where he wrestled for Bulgaria. Notching medals at super-tough tournaments like the European Championships, Dave Schultz Memorial, and Kolov-Petrov, Novachkov put in a stellar career that saw him become an Olympian (eighth place) and defeat no less than two world finalists, one of them being 2013 world champ David Safaryan.
His wrestling career winding down, back in California, Novachkov was surrounded by a wealth of top MMA coaches and training partners, most of them former wrestlers. In addition to training with his brother Filip, the eccentric Novachkov honed his skills alongside Urijah Faber, Khabib Nurmagomedov, T.J. Dillashaw, Daniel Cormier, and many others. With his peers thoroughly impressed, Novachkov debuted on a major Bellator MMA card in April of 2019. Despite narrowly losing to a foe with much more experience than his record suggested, Novachkov did well. His athleticism, fluidity, and lightning-fast shot were quite impressive. Should he continue in MMA I fully expect him to reach the top five of Bellator's stacked 145-pound division or better.
Chris Gonzalez
Illinois native Gonzalez is another one of these gifted athletes who despite not wrestling until high school excelled anyway. Initially wrestling just to stay busy after school, Gonzalez's high school coach encouraged him early to try Greco-Roman and he obliged, a move that's paid dividends. Gonzalez twice won the Illinois Greco-Roman state title (he placed third in freestyle), going on to become a two-time Fargo All-American in that style.
Gonzalez followed his high school career by coming a junior college All-American at Harper College. Since then it's been all Greco, and he moved on to Northern Michigan University, and eventually the main Olympic Training Center to pursue a world title. Multiple international medals and strong showings followed before Gonzalez would get his chance, as he won the 2016 non-Olympic weight trials (being named Outstanding Wrestler in the process). He'd go 1-1 at Worlds, ultimately placing 10th, and though he would continue to wrestle, a move to MMA came soon thereafter.
Not ruling out a return to the mats in 2020, Gonzalez chose to settle in at an MMA camp that could keep his wrestling sharp while also developing his MMA skill set. Enter Urijah Faber's Team Alpha Male in Sacramento, California. A gym full of Division I wrestlers and California state placewinners who happen to also be among the best lighter-weight fighters on earth, TAM has been a perfect fit for Gonzalez. After scoring quick submission wins in his lone amateur fight and his pro debut, Gonzalez debuted on the big stage at Bellator 221, winning a unanimous decision. Big things are expected from Gonzalez, and his offensive firepower is off the charts. With his big throws and slams and brutal arm-choke series, it's still early but the sky's the limit for this kid.
Damian Janikowski wrestling in the finals of the 2011 World Championships (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)Damian Janikowski
While wrestlers with strong Greco-Roman backgrounds have been commonplace in MMA for many years, very few (if any) didn't also have freestyle or American folkstyle skills as well. Polish Greco-Roman superstar Janikowski is interesting in that he is one of the first "pure" Greco guys to enter MMA with little or no background using and defending leg attacks. Though that fact could certainly be a liability, Janikowski did have the advantage of having dabbled in BJJ and amateur MMA (aka Shooto) years before he even stopped wrestling.
Janikowski's wrestling career was a fantastically successful endeavor. Coming up on the world scene as a Cadet and a Junior before embarking on a near decade long senior career, he won too many prestigious medals to list here. Included in this haul were gold medals at many grand prix events and the Dave Schultz Memorial, medals at Military Worlds, a silver at the 2011 World Championships, and a bronze at the 2012 Olympics. The winding down of his wrestling career coincided perfectly with the emergence of a global MMA show based right in his backyard.
Signing with the Polish MMA show KSW was a no-brainer, and Janikowski was pushed hard from the start. He had such a tough time finding willing opponents that his first 3 foes had a combined total of 77 fights! He rose to the challenge, defeating them all inside of 2 rounds. This absurdly high level of opposition continued, and Janikowski has since hit a bit of a rough patch, losing his last two fights to exceptional talents. I expect him to get back on track, as most fighters are forced to regroup at some point. His skill set is too formidable not to. Simply put, the man is an animal. Highly aggressive, big, strong, and unsurprisingly, a monster in the clinch with strikes, takedowns, and position, a little nuance will go a long way. We will find out in September when he returns to the KSW cage against an opponent to be determined.
Tyrell Fortune
Blue chip heavyweight prospect Tyrell Fortune is one of a few world-class wrestlers to jump into MMA at the beginning of his athletic prime. He was one of a handful of big-time wrestlers scooped up by Bellator MMA before ever taking a single fight. So far, the strategy is paying off nicely for the promotion and Fortune is looking to be a truly special talent.
Fortune's wrestling resume starts with a high school career that netted two state titles and dual national titles at Fargo in 2008. After high school, in addition to winning dual titles at the 2009 Junior World Team Trials and competing in both styles at the World Championships, he won two NJCAA national titles and a NCAA DII national title. Wrestling and winning medals in both styles internationally, Fortune scored a bronze in Greco-Roman at the Dave Schultz Memorial and won University Worlds, NYAC International, and the Dave Schultz Memorial in freestyle while climbing to the No. 2 spot on the USA's heavyweight freestyle ladder.
Under the guidance of controversial but effective manager Glenn Robinson (RIP), Fortune was afforded the chance to receive top-level training and coaching from the beginning of his career with renowned South Florida team, the Blackzilians. His training environment would undergo several changes since then, but the quality of Fortune's work inside the cage has remained constant. He is the prototypical, new-school, MMA heavyweight. Big and strong but also somehow fast, agile, and graceful. Sporting clean, powerful punches along with high amplitude takedowns and fierce ground-n-pound, Fortune does it all. Look for him to build on his 6-0 record, slowly but surely rise to the very top of MMA's heavyweight ranks. He fights next at Bellator 225 on Aug. 24.
Maikel Perez Gonzalez
A member of the small but growing contingent of top Cuban wrestlers to defect and take up MMA, "Super" Maikel has had his eye on UFC gold since well before he even left Havana. Having been inspired by the likes of Hector Lombard and Yoel Romero, he saw what kind of life could be had for a wrestler of his caliber who enters MMA. Like many Cuban athletes before him, he made the gut-wrenching decision to leave his family and homeland behind and he came to the USA in 2015.
Perez is a product of the tried and true Cuban/Soviet wrestling system that grooms kids for the Olympics early. He progressed rapidly under this system, earning a spot in the senior level pecking order by 16. By the time his early 20's had rolled around, Perez was Cuba's No. 1 at 55 and 60 kilos. Though he medaled twice at the Pan Am Championships (one gold, one bronze), made a world team, and became an Olympian in 2008, domestic competition in Cuba is fierce and he lost his top spot after failing to medal at the 2009 World Championships. He would still wrestle with the national team but his mind drifted towards becoming an MMA champion.
Unlike most Cuban fighters, Perez passed on the training opportunities in the Miami area and headed west to California and King's MMA. Under the tutelage of MMA striking genius Cordeiro, Perez developed a style that plays to his strengths nicely. He couples the clinch skills he sharpened in wrestling with the nasty clinch work found in Cordeiro's Muay Thai. Lightning fast and with a vast arsenal of wrestling techniques, Perez employs attacks not often seen in the cage. He is light on his feet and moves with such ease and grace, even when compared to other flyweights. Currently sporting a 6-2 record, Perez is closing in on a UFC contract. Were he to sign with the UFC, his style, credentials, and relationships should afford him ample opportunity to make a splash.
These are just a few of the bona fide, world-class wrestlers currently making moves in MMA. Stay tuned to InterMat for the next installments of this list, as Part 2 will feature an Olympic finalist, protégés of both Daniel Cormier and Brock Lesnar, and perhaps the most compelling prospect in MMA history.
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