Who ya got? Wrestlers prominent when UFC 205 opens up world famous Madison Square Garden in NYC
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by Gary Abbott, USA Wrestling
An all-wrestler battle between Chris Weidman and Yoel Romero are among the featured UFC bouts in Madison Square Garden on Saturday.
NEW YORK, N.Y. – Some of the most famous moments in sport, including a variety of combat sports, have been staged in what is honestly billed as the world’s most famous sports arena, Madison Square Garden in “The City.”
Just Google some of boxing’s most famous fights and fighters, and you will see they have been showcased in the Garden, from Muhammad Ali to Rocky Marciano to Joe Frazier to Roberto Duran to Evander Holyfield to Jack Dempsey and beyond. Wrestling has had some great showcase events in the Garden, including the 2003 World Freestyle Wrestling Championships and the 2016 NCAA Div. I Wrestling Championships.
But until this Saturday night, Mixed Martial Arts have not been allowed to showcase its sport and its stars in the state of New York. Just this year, the ban on MMA in the state was finally lifted and New York has opened its arms to what many consider the hottest sport on earth.
Ironically, if you can’t get UFC tickets, just go up Broadway about 20 blocks north of the Garden on Saturday, and you can catch international wrestling action with Greco-Roman showcased at the Bill Farrell International and the Non-Olympic Weight World Team Trials at the New York Athletic Club.
UFC decided to bring many of its greatest stars to Madison Square Garden to get things kicked off correctly. And wrestlers are prominently displayed throughout the card. The biggest headliner, a title fight between Conor McGregor against Eddie Alvarez, does not bring that wrestling buzz. But some many others in the fights are wrestlers to the core.
In a co-Main Event, UFC Welterweight champion Tyron Woodley trumpets his wrestling abilities into the title fight against kickboxer Stephen Thompson, ranked No. 2. Woodley, an All-American wrestler for Missouri and high school star in that state, was around during the Ben Askren era with the Tigers, and has successfully transferred his abilities into fighting, where he now has a UFC belt.
The biggest all-wrestler match on the card is former UFC champion Chris Weidman, now ranked No. 2, against Yoel Romero, the age-less wonder who is at No. 4 in a Middleweight battle. Romero brings the top wrestling resume, a World champion and Olympic medalist for Cuba who was one of the top stars of his generation in freestyle. Weidman, a local Long Island wrestler also competed in college in his backyard, where he was an All-American at two levels, first at Nassau CC on the JC level, then at Hofstra at the Div. I level. Weidman brings a strong local following, and will have to respect Romero’s wrestling skill and athletic abilities, in spite of their age difference.
No. 5 Kelvin Gastelum, a state wrestling champion in Arizona who did some JC wrestling in college, will be fighting at Welterweight against the popular Donald “The Cowboy” Cerrone, currently ranked No. 6.
Former UFC champion Miesha Tate has strong wrestling credentials, wrestling in high school in Washington, and was a member of a USA Wrestling Grappling World Team early in her MMA career. Tate is the No. 1 contender in the Bantamweight division, and battles No. 8 Raquel Pennington in a featured bout.
Another all-wrestler battle in the featherweight division includes New Jersey boy Frankie Edgar against Iowa native Jeremy Stephens. Edgar, ranked No. 2, placed in the Jersey states, competed for Clarion in college, and did some coaching at Rutgers. Stephens, holding a No. 7 ranking, was an Iowa wrestler.
No. 6 Michael Johnson brings both Missouri high school wrestling and JC college wrestling for Meramec CC in St. Louis with him to his battle against No. 2 Khabib Nuramagomedov in the lightweight division. A native of wrestling hungry Dagestan, Nuramagomedov was a youth freestyle wrestler, but also competed and trained in a variety of other martial arts disciplines growing up.
Lightweight Jim Miller was a New Jersey high school wrestler and did some college wrestling at Virginia Tech before getting into MMA, and will fight popular jiu-jitsu expert Thiago “Pitbull” Alves on Saturday.
Also watch for Tim Boetsch, who won high school wrestling titles in Maine and wrestled at Lock Haven in college, in a battle with Rafael Natal in the light heavyweight division.
Although wrestling is a big part of success in MMA, and many of those on the UFC 205 card were very talented wrestlers, you can’t pick a winner based solely on their wrestling. However, for sure, the wrestling community, which takes great pride in the wrestlers who are competing for the UFC, will know who to root for. And of course, in the matches which include both athletes with a wrestling background, may the better man or woman win.
Enjoy the action as the UFC starts building its own tradition in Madison Square Garden.
UFC 205 MAIN CARD
Title Fight - Eddie Alvarez vs. Conor McGregor
Title Fight - Tyron Woodley vs. Stephen Thompson
Title Fight - Joanna Jedrzejczyk vs. Karolina Kowalkiewicz
Chris Weidman vs. Yoel Romero
Donald Cerrone vs. Kelvin Gastelum
Miesha Tate vs. Raquel Pennington
UFC 2015 UNDERCARD
Frankie Edgar vs. Jeremy Stephens
Michael Johnson vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov
Tim Boetsch vs. Rafael Natal
Vicente Luque vs. Belal Muhammad
Jim Miller vs. Thiago Alves
Liz Carmouche vs. Katlyn Chookagian
NEW YORK, N.Y. – Some of the most famous moments in sport, including a variety of combat sports, have been staged in what is honestly billed as the world’s most famous sports arena, Madison Square Garden in “The City.”
Just Google some of boxing’s most famous fights and fighters, and you will see they have been showcased in the Garden, from Muhammad Ali to Rocky Marciano to Joe Frazier to Roberto Duran to Evander Holyfield to Jack Dempsey and beyond. Wrestling has had some great showcase events in the Garden, including the 2003 World Freestyle Wrestling Championships and the 2016 NCAA Div. I Wrestling Championships.
But until this Saturday night, Mixed Martial Arts have not been allowed to showcase its sport and its stars in the state of New York. Just this year, the ban on MMA in the state was finally lifted and New York has opened its arms to what many consider the hottest sport on earth.
Ironically, if you can’t get UFC tickets, just go up Broadway about 20 blocks north of the Garden on Saturday, and you can catch international wrestling action with Greco-Roman showcased at the Bill Farrell International and the Non-Olympic Weight World Team Trials at the New York Athletic Club.
UFC decided to bring many of its greatest stars to Madison Square Garden to get things kicked off correctly. And wrestlers are prominently displayed throughout the card. The biggest headliner, a title fight between Conor McGregor against Eddie Alvarez, does not bring that wrestling buzz. But some many others in the fights are wrestlers to the core.
In a co-Main Event, UFC Welterweight champion Tyron Woodley trumpets his wrestling abilities into the title fight against kickboxer Stephen Thompson, ranked No. 2. Woodley, an All-American wrestler for Missouri and high school star in that state, was around during the Ben Askren era with the Tigers, and has successfully transferred his abilities into fighting, where he now has a UFC belt.
The biggest all-wrestler match on the card is former UFC champion Chris Weidman, now ranked No. 2, against Yoel Romero, the age-less wonder who is at No. 4 in a Middleweight battle. Romero brings the top wrestling resume, a World champion and Olympic medalist for Cuba who was one of the top stars of his generation in freestyle. Weidman, a local Long Island wrestler also competed in college in his backyard, where he was an All-American at two levels, first at Nassau CC on the JC level, then at Hofstra at the Div. I level. Weidman brings a strong local following, and will have to respect Romero’s wrestling skill and athletic abilities, in spite of their age difference.
No. 5 Kelvin Gastelum, a state wrestling champion in Arizona who did some JC wrestling in college, will be fighting at Welterweight against the popular Donald “The Cowboy” Cerrone, currently ranked No. 6.
Former UFC champion Miesha Tate has strong wrestling credentials, wrestling in high school in Washington, and was a member of a USA Wrestling Grappling World Team early in her MMA career. Tate is the No. 1 contender in the Bantamweight division, and battles No. 8 Raquel Pennington in a featured bout.
Another all-wrestler battle in the featherweight division includes New Jersey boy Frankie Edgar against Iowa native Jeremy Stephens. Edgar, ranked No. 2, placed in the Jersey states, competed for Clarion in college, and did some coaching at Rutgers. Stephens, holding a No. 7 ranking, was an Iowa wrestler.
No. 6 Michael Johnson brings both Missouri high school wrestling and JC college wrestling for Meramec CC in St. Louis with him to his battle against No. 2 Khabib Nuramagomedov in the lightweight division. A native of wrestling hungry Dagestan, Nuramagomedov was a youth freestyle wrestler, but also competed and trained in a variety of other martial arts disciplines growing up.
Lightweight Jim Miller was a New Jersey high school wrestler and did some college wrestling at Virginia Tech before getting into MMA, and will fight popular jiu-jitsu expert Thiago “Pitbull” Alves on Saturday.
Also watch for Tim Boetsch, who won high school wrestling titles in Maine and wrestled at Lock Haven in college, in a battle with Rafael Natal in the light heavyweight division.
Although wrestling is a big part of success in MMA, and many of those on the UFC 205 card were very talented wrestlers, you can’t pick a winner based solely on their wrestling. However, for sure, the wrestling community, which takes great pride in the wrestlers who are competing for the UFC, will know who to root for. And of course, in the matches which include both athletes with a wrestling background, may the better man or woman win.
Enjoy the action as the UFC starts building its own tradition in Madison Square Garden.
UFC 205 MAIN CARD
Title Fight - Eddie Alvarez vs. Conor McGregor
Title Fight - Tyron Woodley vs. Stephen Thompson
Title Fight - Joanna Jedrzejczyk vs. Karolina Kowalkiewicz
Chris Weidman vs. Yoel Romero
Donald Cerrone vs. Kelvin Gastelum
Miesha Tate vs. Raquel Pennington
UFC 2015 UNDERCARD
Frankie Edgar vs. Jeremy Stephens
Michael Johnson vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov
Tim Boetsch vs. Rafael Natal
Vicente Luque vs. Belal Muhammad
Jim Miller vs. Thiago Alves
Liz Carmouche vs. Katlyn Chookagian
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