Cody GarbrandtAnother weekend, and another successful UFC event. After a significant hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ultimate Fighting Championship is officially cranking again. As the sporting world at large remains quiet, the world's biggest MMA promotion seems to be finding its footing in terms of holding events in a post-COVID-19 world.
This past weekend's UFC 250 pay-per view featured quite a few wrestlers up and down the card. Several of them with impressive resumes. To my knowledge, of the 24 featured fighters on the billing, eight of them wrestled successfully at the high school level or beyond. Of those eight wrestlers, seven were victorious on Saturday night. Here's what we learned about these former matmen.
Cody Garbrandt
What we learned: After suffering three very rough losses in a row, not only is the former bantamweight champion back, but likely a better, more dangerous fighter than ever before. The former Ohio high school state champ wrestler (two-time state finalist) who also won a freestyle state title and placed fifth at NHSCA Senior Nationals, is at least as explosive as ever, but is now demonstrating a whole new layer to his skill set.
A mainstay of Urijah Faber's Team Alpha Male in Sacramento, California, Cody "No Love" trained for this most recent fight in New Jersey. Having guys like Frankie Edgar, boxing coach Mark Henry, BJJ coach Ricardo Almeida, and the rest of the Jersey guys at his disposal, Garbrandt became a better fighter in a single training camp.
Saturday night against the very savvy, very tough Raphael Assuncao, Garbrandt eschewed his usual raging bull style and implemented a much more complete, much more composed attack. Instead of storming out of the gate ultra-aggressive and highly emotional with a boxing-based offense, he took his time, established range with some very slick low kicks, and let the fight unfold organically. Even when stung by Assuncao's punches, Garbrandt stuck to the script.
If Garbrandt can build on this win, he may very well find his way back to the top. With his extreme strength, blinding speed, fantastic striking, and incredible wrestling that we have still seen very little of, things are looking up for Cody Garbrandt.
Aljamain Sterling
What we learned: The "Funk Master" Aljamain Sterling is absolutely on fire! Now nine years into his pro MMA career, after a few setbacks, the wrestler from Long Island has now entered his combative prime.
A dedicated high school wrestler, Sterling pursued success on the mats vigorously. And though a New York state championship eluded him, he did manage a bronze and a silver medal at the 2007 and the 2008 Empire State Games in Greco-Roman wrestling. Sterling wrestled collegiately at the Division III level, ultimately finding success and All-America honors at SUNY Courtland by way of notching fourth and sixth-place finishes in his final two years of college.
As a fighter, Sterling has used his wrestling skills magnificently. Not only can he score takedowns almost at will, his funky style blends seamlessly with Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and submission grappling. This was on full display Saturday night, as a confident, determined Sterling completely outclassed his top-five ranked opponent, choking him out inside of two minutes. It was a performance that all but assured the Team Serra-Longo representative next crack at the UFC bantamweight title. Well done, Aljamain!
Devin Clark
What we learned: Man! Devin Clark is a grinder. A true fighter's fighter. In his 10th UFC fight, Clark pushed through and leveled up as an MMA fighter.
Possessing a wrestling resume that includes first and second-place finishes in the South Dakota Class A state tournament, and a junior college national title, Clark no doubt leaned on lessons and skills forged in the wrestling room to carry him through an absolute dogfight on Saturday night. Despite the fact that Clark only successfully converted 1 of 9 takedown attempts and spent much of the fight pressed up against the cage, I still count this fight in the win column for wrestling in mixed martial arts.
Clark won on Saturday by way of being the immovable object to opponent Alonzo Menifield's irresistible force. Hit by strikes that surely would've separated most men from their consciousness, Clark may have had takedown attempts stuffed, and he lost some positional clinch battles, but the heart, focus, strategy, fearlessness, and unwavering conditioning of a wrestler carried him to victory and he found ways to make lemons into lemonade.
It was his sustained shot attempts more than any one takedown that helped win him the fight. And as he found himself being pressed against the cage, it was his subtle clinch offense consisting of nifty low kicks, knees to the body, and big punches on the break that drained his formidable foe. Clark expressed disappointment in this performance after the fight, but I expect it will give him the confidence and seasoning needed to take things to the next level.
Ian Heinisch
What we learned: Athletic, big for the weight, energetic, and powerful, Ian Heinisch is dangerous. He may not be the most technical or the smoothest operator in the cage, but the Colorado native has an abundance of physical tools at his disposal and he has the guts to let them fly.
Unfazed by a two-fight losing streak going into Saturday (another useful quality), Heinisch headed to Thailand for training camp and emerged with his confidence and his skill solidified. He looked great out there against a more experienced, more polished opponent on Saturday night. Heinisch got Gerald Meerschaert's attention early with some painfully effective low kicks, and then, after dropping levels and faking the shot, he finished him off with a BIG overhand right and follow-up ground-and-pound.
Heinisch was a three-time state finalist, two-time champ for Ponderosa High School in Colorado, also becoming a two-time Fargo All-American on the Greco side before briefly wrestling for North Idaho College. It was a very solid performance from the former wrestler.
Alex Perez
What we learned: This California native may be a wrestler, but the dude sure can crack. Perez once qualified for the California high school state tournament before becoming a placewinner at the California Junior College State Championships -- a very tough tournament that has spawned a ton of top MMA fighters. After college, Perez briefly wrestled in the Olympic styles for Mexico before focusing solely on MMA. Perez is now 6-1 in the UFC and looking fantastic. The man he defeated Saturday was once the top ranked flyweight fighter in all of MMA.
Cody Stamann
What we learned: Major props to Stamann. The Michigan high school wrestler who then wrestled for the same Grand Valley State wrestling program that produced UFC studs Tony Fergsuon and Kevin Lee, fought and won on Saturday night despite his brother passing away just a couple weeks ago. In doing so he defeated a very game veteran and improved his UFC record to 5-1-1.
Herbert Burns
What we learned: Brother of UFC welterweight contender Gilbert Burns, Herbert continues to impress as he fights nothing but dangerous veterans. A BJJ fighter who fell in love with wrestling while training in Singapore under U.S. Olympian Heath Sims, Burns won Singapore's 74-kilo freestyle national title under Sims. Now fighting out of Florida, largely under NCAA legend Greg Jones, the Brazilian prospect ran through UFC veteran Evan Dunham like a hot knife runs through butter.
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