Wrestling

Wrestling is a martial art and combat sport that involves grappling with an opponent and striving to
obtain a position of advantage through different throws or techniques, within a given ruleset. Wrestling
involves different grappling-type techniques, such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks,
pins, and other grappling holds. Many different wrestling techniques have been incorporated into
martial arts, combat sports, and military systems.

Wrestling comes in different competitive forms, such as freestyle, Greco-Roman, judo, sambo, folkstyle,
catch, shoot, luta livre, submission, sumo, pehlwani, shuai jiao, and others.[1] Another form is
professional wrestling, which is athletic theatre and not genuinely competitive, although historically, it
was. Wrestling first appeared in the ancient Olympic Games as an event during the 18th Olympiad in
708 BC.[2] There are a wide range of styles with varying rules, with both traditional historic and modern
styles. The term "wrestling" is referenced in late Old English as wræstlunge (glossing palestram).[3]

History
Wrestling represents one of the oldest forms of combat sport. The
origins of wrestling go back around 15,000 years through cave
drawings in France. Babylonian and Egyptian reliefs show wrestlers
using various holds known in the present-day sport. Literary Detail of Ancient Egyptian wrestling
references to wrestling occur as early as the Old Testament and the scenes in tomb 15 (Baqet III) at Beni
ancient Indian Vedas. In the Book of Genesis, the Patriarch Jacob is Hasan, c. 20th century BC.
said to have wrestled with God or an angel.[4] The Iliad, in which
Homer recounts the Trojan War of the 13th or 12th century BC, also
contains mentions of wrestling.[5] Indian epics Ramayana and
Mahabharata contain references to martial arts including wrestling.
The Yellow Emperor fought the rebel Chi You using Shuai Jiao at the
Battle of Zhoulu. This early style of combat was first called jiao di
(butting with horns). Wrestlers shown in the center on an
Ancient Greek relief of the
In Ancient Greece wrestling occupied a prominent place in legend, pentathlon, c. 500 BC.

literature, and philosophy. Wrestling competition, brutal in many

aspects, served as the focal sport of the ancient Olympic Games. Ancient Romans borrowed heavily from
Greek wrestling, but eliminated much of its brutality through implementing different rules. Wrestling is
referenced throughout both Ancient Greek and Roman literature. Many philosophers and leaders
practiced wrestling and/or referenced the sport frequently in their works, most notably Plato, Socrates,
Aristotle, Xenophon, Epictetus, Seneca, Plutarch, and Marcus Aurelius. Dicaearchus wrote that Plato
wrestled at the Isthmian games.[6] Many of Plato's dialogues are set in wrestling schools. Ancient Greek
lyric poet Pindar wrote victory odes, grouped into four books named after the Olympian, Pythian,
Isthmian, and Nemean Games – Panhellenic festivals held respectively at Olympia, Delphi, Corinth, and
Nemea. These odes were composed to honor the men and youths who had enjoyed victories in wrestling,
boxing, pankration and other athletic contests.

During the Middle Ages from the fifth to fifteenth century, wrestling remained popular and enjoyed the
patronage of many royal families, including those of England, France, and Japan.

Early British settlers in America brought a strong wrestling tradition with them. The settlers also found
wrestling to be popular among Native Americans.[7] Amateur wrestling flourished throughout the early
years of the North American colonies and would later serve as a popular activity at country fairs, holiday
celebrations, and in military exercises. The first organized national wrestling tournament in the United
States took place in New York City in 1888.

Wrestling has also been an event at every modern Olympic Games since the 1904 games in St. Louis,
Missouri; Greco-Roman wrestling was contested at the first modern Olympics in 1896, but not at the
1900 games. The international governing body for the sport, United World Wrestling (UWW), was
established in 1912 in Antwerp, Belgium as the International Federation of Associated Wrestling Styles
(FILA). The first annual NCAA Wrestling Championships were held in 1928 in Ames, Iowa. USA
Wrestling, located in Colorado Springs, Colorado, was established as the national governing body of U.S.
amateur wrestling in 1983.

By country
▪ In Ancient Egypt, wrestling has been evidenced by documentation on tombs (c. 2300 BC) and
Egyptian artwork (c. 2000–1085 BC).
▪ In Ancient Greece, Greek wrestling was a popular form of martial art (c. 1100 to 146 BC).[8]
▪ Oil wrestling is the national sport of Turkey and can be traced back to Central Asia.
▪ After the Roman conquest of the Greeks, Greek wrestling was absorbed by the Roman culture and
became Roman wrestling during the period of the Roman Empire (510 BC to AD 500).
▪ Shuai jiao, a wrestling style originating in China, which according to legend, has a reported history of
over 4,000 years.
▪ Arabic literature depicted Muhammad as a skilled wrestler, defeating a skeptic in a match at one
point.
▪ The Byzantine emperor Basil I, according to court historians, won in wrestling against a boastful
wrestler from Bulgaria in the eighth century.[9]
▪ In 1520 at the Field of the Cloth of Gold pageant, Francis I of France threw fellow king Henry VIII of
England in a wrestling match.[9]
▪ The Lancashire style of folk wrestling may have formed the basis for Catch wrestling, also known as
"catch as catch can." The Scots later formed a variant of this style, and the Irish developed the
"collar-and-elbow" style which later found its way into the United States.[10] This various styles would
form what would become folkstyle wrestling, which is the most popular form of wrestling in the
United States.
▪ A Frenchman[n 1] "is generally credited with reorganizing European loose wrestling into a
professional sport", Greco-Roman wrestling.[11] This style which was finalized by the 19th century
and by then, wrestling was featured in many fairs and festivals in Europe.[12] Greco-Roman
wrestling and contemporary freestyle wrestling were soon regulated in formal competitions, in part
resulting from the rise of gymnasiums and athletic clubs.
▪ Starting in continental Europe, prize money was offered in large sums to the winners of Greco-
Roman tournaments, with the style of freestyle wrestling spreading rapidly in the United Kingdom
and in the United States during the late 1800s. Wrestling professionals soon increased the
popularity of Greco-Roman and freestyle wrestling, worldwide.[10][13] Greco-Roman wrestling was
contested at the first modern Olympics in 1896. Freestyle wrestling became an Olympic event in
1904 and women's freestyle wrestling was added to the Olympics in 2004.
▪ Celtic wrestling has an extensive history, with wrestling being mentioned in the Tailteann Games
dating back from somewhere between 1839 BC to 632 BC (academics disagree) to the 12th century
AD when the Normans invaded. Various styles such as Cornish wrestling, Gouren, Collar-and-elbow
wrestling, etc. are likely to have evolved from some common style.
▪ Since 1921, United World Wrestling (UWW) has regulated amateur wrestling as an athletic
discipline, while professional wrestling, originally a legitimate sport, gradually became infused with
theatrics but still requires athletic ability. Today, various countries around the world send national
 wrestling teams to the Olympics.
▪ In Switzerland the local derivate of the German ringen, called schwingen, is a popular folk sport with
local Schwingfest where regional competitions are played throughout the country.

Mythology
Some of the earliest references to wrestling can be found in wrestling mythology.

▪ The Epic of Gilgamesh: Gilgamesh established his credibility as a leader, after wrestling Enkidu.
▪ Greek mythology celebrates the rise of Zeus as ruler of the earth after a wrestling match with his
father, Cronus. Both Heracles and Theseus were famous for their wrestling against man and beast.
▪ The Mahabharata describes a malla-dwandwa (wrestling match) between the accomplished
wrestlers Bhima and Jarasandha.
▪ Rustam of the Shahnameh (Book Of Kings) is regarded by Iranian pahlevans as the greatest
wrestler.

Gallery
Historical wrestling in art and photography

Statuette Karajà, wrestlers Jacob Wrestling with the Cornell wrestling meet in
Angel illustration by Gustave New York State Drill Hall,
Doré, 1855 1923

Tibetan wrestlers, 1938 Indian wrestler exercising Wrestlers on Greek coin,

near Varanasi, 1973 400–300 BC
 Ancient Libyan mosaic of A 1904 illustration of Wrestling match during 1908
wrestling Abraham Lincoln wrestling Summer Olympics

Modern international disciplines

Wrestling disciplines, as defined by UWW, are broken down into two categories: international wrestling
disciplines and folk wrestling disciplines. Three are Olympic disciplines: Greco-Roman wrestling, men's
freestyle wrestling and women's freestyle wrestling. UWW also sanctions associated styles: grappling,
amateur pankration, belt wrestling alysh, pahlavani wrestling, beach wrestling, and African wrestling.
[14][15] Sambo was given status as an international style in 1966 by FILA, UWW's predecessor.[16]

Greco-Roman wrestling
Greco-Roman (GR) is an international discipline and one of
two wrestling disciplines featured in the Olympic Games. This
form of wrestling prioritizes upper body attacks, with an
emphasis on explosive "high amplitude" throws. Under the
Greco-Roman ruleset, it is forbidden to attack the opponent
below the belt in the execution of any action (restricting holds,
trips, and active but not passive usage of the legs). Points are
allotted on the basis of throw amplitude, exposure of an
opponent's back to the mat and opponent passivity. A Greco-
Greco-Roman wrestling match
Roman wrestler may instantly win a match by holding both of
an opponent's scapula to the mat (known as a "fall"). A well
known Greco-Roman wrestler is Alexander Karelin from Russia.

Freestyle wrestling
Freestyle wrestling (FS, WW) is an international discipline and
one of two wrestling disciplines featured in the Olympic
Games, for both men and women. This style allows the use of
the wrestler's or his opponent's legs in offense and defense.
Freestyle wrestling has its origins in catch-as-catch-can
wrestling and awards points on the basis of throw amplitude,
exposure of an opponent's back to the mat and opponent
passivity. A freestyle wrestler may instantly win a match by
holding both of an opponent's scapula to the mat (known as a
"fall"). This form of wrestling is similar to American scholastic Women's freestyle wrestling
and collegiate wrestling with freestyle wrestling having a
greater emphasis on throw amplitude. Collegiate women's wrestling uses two rulesets, freestyle in the
NCAA and standard collegiate in the NCWA.

Submission Wrestling
Submission Wrestling incorporates techniques and holds from a variety of wrestling disciplines.
Grappling is divided into two styles: no-gi and gi. In no-gi (GNG), athletes wear shorts and a
compression shirt called a rashguard. In gi grappling (GWG), athletes wear a kimono or gi. The goal of
the sport is to take down and control the opponent on the ground and potentially win a submission
using chokes and joint locks.

Amateur pankration
Pankration (PK), from the Greek words pan and kratos and meaning "all of power", is a world heritage
martial art which was introduced to the Ancient Olympic Games in 648 BC. Modern amateur pankration
is a form of mixed martial arts (MMA) that incorporates techniques from multiple systems. Matches are
fought with both grappling and striking techniques.[17]

Belt wrestling alysh

Alysh is a Turkic term for a Central Asian folk wrestling style which involves the wearing of jackets,
trousers and thick belts. Throughout the contest the wrestlers must retain their hold on each other's
belt. For this reason it is also referred to as 'belt wrestling alysh' or 'alysh belt wrestling' (BWUWW).

Pahlavani wrestling
The origin of pahlavani wrestling goes back to ancient Persia and is said to have been practiced by
mythological Iranian heroes. It combines martial arts, calisthenics, strength training, and music, and
was originally used to train warriors.. It is recognized by UNESCO as among the world's longest-running
forms of sport. The best wrestlers earn the title of pahlevan (hero). It is similar to freestyle wrestling,
however wrestlers wear pants which extend from the waist to below the knees and a belt. They are
allowed to use or grab pants or belt as a grip, use legs, waist, clinch, leg trips and lift or throw, with the
goal being to touch their opponent's shoulders to the mat.

Beach wrestling
UWW, then known as FILA, codified the form of beach
wrestling in 2004.[18] Beach wrestling (BW) is standing
wrestling done by wrestlers, male or female, inside a sand-
filled circle measuring 7 meters (23 ft) in diameter. The style
originally mirrored the rules used before the use of wrestling
mats,[19] and beach wrestling has been regarded as the oldest
version of international competitive wrestling.[20] The
wrestlers wear swimsuits rather than special wrestling
uniforms. Wrestlers may also wear spandex or athletic shorts. 2010 USA Wrestling Beach Wrestling
World Team Trials
The international rules have been modified in 2015 by UWW,
with the current rules allowing wrestlers to score points via
takedowns, pushing their opponent out of bounds, or bringing the opponent down to their back.[21] In
addition to the annual World Beach Wrestling Championships, beach wrestling has been contested at
Youth Olympic Games, Asian Games, Down Under Games, Mediterranean Games and at the 2019
World Beach Games.[22]

Folk styles
Folk wrestling describes a traditional form of wrestling unique
to a culture or geographic region of the world that UWW does
not administer rules for. Examples of the many styles of folk
wrestling, include Cornish wrestling, backhold wrestling (from
Europe), Cumberland Wrestling and Catch-as-catch-can (from
England), kurash from Uzbekistan, gushteengiri from
Tajikistan, khuresh from Siberia, Lotta Campidanese from
Italy, naban from Myanmar, pehlwani from India, penjang Khuresh (Tuvan wrestling)
gulat from Indonesia, schwingen from Switzerland, tigel from
Ethiopia, kene of the Nagas from India, shuai jiao from China,
and ssireum from Korea.

Folk wrestling styles are not recognized as international styles

of wrestling by UWW.

Celtic wrestling styles (e.g., Cornish wrestling, Scottish

Backhold, Cumberland Wrestling, Gouren and Collar-and-
elbow) are a subset of folk wrestling and have their own
regulatory bodies and some are affiliated to other
organisations. For example, the Cornish Wrestling Association
Indian wrestlers from Davangere in 2005
is affiliated to the British Wrestling Association which is linked
to the UWW. The International Federation of Celtic Wrestling
(FILC) organises international competitions between wrestlers from these styles.[23]

Folk styles have been international in nature. For example, there have been regular Cornish wrestling
tournaments and matches in the US,[24] Australia,[25] South Africa,[26] New Zealand,[27] England[28][29]
and Cornwall, with irregular tournaments and matches in Japan,[30] Canada[31] and Mexico.[32] There
have also been Inter-Celtic tournaments between Cornwall and Brittany dating back to the Field of the
Cloth of Gold in 1520 through to the modern era with regular events since 1928.[33][34]

Oil wrestling
Oil wrestling (Turkish: yağlı güreş), also called grease wrestling, is the Turkish national sport. It is so
called because the wrestlers douse themselves with olive oil. It is related to Uzbek kurash, Tuvan
khuresh and Tatar and Bashkir көрəш (köräş). The wrestlers, known as pehlivanlar meaning
"champion" wear a type of hand-stitched lederhosen called a kispetler, which are traditionally made of
water buffalo hide, and most recently have been made of calfskin.

Unlike Olympic wrestling, oil wrestling matches may be won by achieving an effective hold of the kisbet.
Thus, the pehlivan aims to control his opponent by putting his arm through the latter's kisbet. To win by
this move is called paça kazık. Originally, matches had no set duration and could go on for one or two
days, until one man was able to establish superiority, but in 1975 the duration was capped at 40 minutes
for the başpehlivan and 30 minutes for the pehlivan category. If no winner is determined, another 15
minutes—10 minutes for the pehlivan category—of wrestling ensues, wherein scores are kept to
determine the victor.
The annual Kırkpınar tournament, held in Edirne in Turkish Thrace since 1362, is the oldest
continuously running, sanctioned sporting competition in the world. In recent years this style of
wrestling has also become popular in other countries.

American collegiate wrestling

Collegiate wrestling (also known as folkstyle wrestling) is the
commonly used name of wrestling practiced at the college and
university level in the United States. This style, with
modifications, is also practiced at the high school and middle
school levels, and also for younger participants. The term is
used to distinguish the style from other styles of wrestling used
in other parts of the world, and from those of the Olympic
Games: Greco-Roman wrestling, and freestyle wrestling. Some
high schools in the U.S. have developed junior varsity and
Two collegiate wrestlers competing in a
freshman teams alongside varsity teams. Junior varsity and
dual meet
freshman wrestling teams restrict competitors not only by
weight, but also by age and the amount of wrestling a
competitor can partake in. For example, some junior varsity and freshman competitors are not allowed
in tournament competition due to the amount of mat time a wrestler would accrue in a short time
period.

Women's college wrestling in the U.S. uses freestyle wrestling rules in the NCAA and standard collegiate
rules in the NCWA.[35]

There are currently several organizations which oversee collegiate wrestling competition: Divisions I, II,
and III of the NCAA, the NAIA, the NJCAA, and the NCWA. NCAA Division I wrestling is considered the
most prestigious and challenging level of competition. A school chooses which athletic organization to
join, although it may compete against teams from other levels and organizations during regular-season
competition. The collegiate season starts in October or November and culminates with the National
Championship tournament held in March.[36]

Professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is often concluded in a raised ring; akin to boxing. Although advertised as
contests, bouts are actually exhibitions with winners generally pre-determined to increase
entertainment value. Legitimate wrestling skill remained a valuable bargaining chip in the wrestling
industry until the late 20th century however, with occasional shoot matches (often to settle some
backstage personal or business dispute) taking place in the early days of the business and still occurring
well into the 1930s and 1940s and the threat to use legitimate skill to have one's way in the ring still
potent decades later.[37]

The roots of professional wrestling lay in the catch-as-catch-can contests of the late 19th century.
Whereas the Europeans favored the more controlled and classical Greco-Roman style, the Americans
from the 1880s preferred the more wide-open style of wrestling that later became known as freestyle.
When the best American catch wrestlers discovered they could earn money with their skills, the
professional counterpart was born. Initially, the contests were similar to amateur matches, except there
were no time limits, and submission and choke holds were allowed. Amateur wrestling coexisted with its
professional counterpart until around the 1940s before the sport grew more theatrical.[38] Wrestlers
from the period were known as hookers or shooters due to their legitimate skills – a dwindling number
have remained in the business until modern times. Popular wrestlers from this era include Martin
"Farmer" Burns, Frank Gotch, Tom Jenkins, Charles Cutler, Joe Stecher, Earl Caddock, Stanislaus
Zbyszko, Ed "Strangler" Lewis, Ad Santel, John Pesek, Jim Londos, Ray Steele, Dick Shikat, and
transitional figure Lou Thesz.

Sports entertainment
Sometimes referred as "American-style" professional wrestling, companies such as WWE, AEW, Impact
Wrestling and ROH run touring professional wrestling events throughout the world. Matches are highly
theatrical, with dramatic stories such as feuds between the athletes developed and performed as part of
build-up and promotion for matches. Before its increase in popularity in the mid-1980s, professional
wrestling in the United States was organised as a cartel of regional monopolies, known as "territories."
Wrestling in some of these areas (particularly the Southern and Midwestern United States) was
performed in a relatively less theatrical more serious style, which could vary from realistically sporting
to darkly violent, depending on local preference.

British/European wrestling
A different style of professional wrestling evolved in the United Kingdom and spread across Western
Europe (where it was known as "Catch" in the non-English speaking countries of mainland Europe).
Traditionally in this style, there was less use of storylines and angles to promote the matches which, for
the most part, had the atmosphere of real wrestling competition. In many countries this form of
professional wrestling achieved mainstream popularity – particularly in the United Kingdom and
France where in both countries from the 1950s to the late 1980s, national television coverage made
household names of its stars (it was also regularly screened on private local TV stations in 1980s Italy,
Welsh language television in Wales in the 1980s/1990s and early satellite sports channels during the
same period) – but later declined and was supplanted both on television and in wider culture by
imported American wrestling. Some promoters in the UK (and to a lesser extent France and Germany)
still produce live shows in this style but face stiff competition from more American-styled rivals.

Puroresu
Japanese professional wrestling, also known as puroresu, is also treated more as a sport than the
entertainment style of wrestling common in North America. As with British/European wrestling, there
are fewer and less contrived storylines and angles and there is a similar atmosphere of realistic sporting
competition. Much of this direction can be attributed to the influence of two European catch wrestlers/
coaches Karl Gotch and Billy Robinson whose matches in Japan early in the 1970s inspired considerable
interest in the more purist grappling element of professional wrestling. Popular Japanese wrestlers
include Rikidozan, Giant Baba, Antonio Inoki, Mitsuharu Misawa, Kenta Kobashi, Shinya Hashimoto
and Keiji Mutoh.[39] Shoot style wrestling evolved from traditional puroresu in an attempt to create a
combat-based style. Shoot style featured a mix of amateur and catch wrestling, kickboxing and
submission grappling. Shoot style wrestling is retrospectively considered a precursor to mixed martial
arts.

Lucha libre
Mexican professional wrestling, also known as lucha libre, is a style of wrestling using special holds.
Most performers, known as luchadores (singular luchador), begin their careers wearing masks, but
most will lose their masks during their careers. Traditionally a match involves the best of three rounds,
with no time limit. Each luchador uses his own special wrestling style or "estilo de lucha" consisting of
aerial attack moves, strikes and complex submission holds. Popular luchadores in Mexico and Puerto
Rico are El Santo, Blue Demon, Mil Máscaras, Perro Aguayo, Carlos Colón, Konnan, L. A. Park and
Místico. Several wrestlers who performed in Mexico also had success in the United States, including
Eddie Guerrero, Rey Mysterio (Jr.), and Dos Caras Jr./Alberto Del Rio.

Circus wrestling
In France in the 19th century, early professional wrestling shows in the Greco-Roman style were often
performed at the circus by the resident strongmen. This style later spread to circuses in Eastern Europe,
particularly in Russia where it was a staple part of circuses in the Soviet era, where it was often
advertised as "French wrestling."[40] Ivan Poddubny achieved major stardom in his homeland and
beyond during the interwar period.

Judo
Judo is a style of wrestling which is derived from jujitsu, a
Japanese martial art. As a wrestling style, judo is distinctive in
that practitioners, called judoka, wear a heavy jacket and
trousers, called a gi, along with a belt. The gi is used to grip the
opponent in order to throw or choke them. Judo also allows
some chokes and joint locks, although they are typically
banned for children.[41] Judo is a popular sport in Japan as
well as in France, Russia, and eastern Europe.

A Judo throw
Sambo
Sambo is a martial art that originated in the Soviet Union
(specifically Russia) in the 20th century. It is an acronym for "self-defence without weapons" in Russian
and had its origins in the Soviet armed forces. Its influences are varied, with techniques borrowed from
sports ranging from the two international wrestling styles of Greco-Roman and freestyle to judo, jujitsu,
European styles of folk wrestling, and even fencing. The rules for sport sambo are similar to those in
competitive judo, with a variety of leg locks and defense holds from the various national wrestling styles
in the Soviet Union, while not allowing chokeholds.[42]

Mixed martial arts

I personally think that the very best skill for MMA is
wrestling, I think that's the number one base to come
from because those guys just flat out dictate where
the fight takes place [standing or on the ground]."
"There is no better base for entering into mixed
martial arts than the highly successful competitor as a
wrestler. The competitive wrestlers, the highly
successful amateur wrestlers have such tremendous
mental toughness. If you can just get through the
room, the wrestling room practices at like really high Pankration, an ancient Greek martial art
level universities, NCAA division one teams; those resembling MMA, and wrestling were two
of the most popular sports at the ancient
guys are savages. The stuff they go through, just the
Olympics
overtraining, just the mental toughness that you have
 to develop.[43][44]

— Joe Rogan

The rapid rise in the popularity of mixed martial arts (MMA)

has increased interest in wrestling due to its effectiveness
against other martial arts since the infancy of MMA, and
several wrestling techniques have been specifically adapted for
MMA, leading to many martial arts gyms holding MMA
wrestling classes.[45] It is considered one of the primary Two MMA fighters grappling in a mixed
disciplines in MMA along with Brazilian jiu-jitsu, boxing, martial arts event
kickboxing/muay Thai,[46] and judo.[47]

Shoot wrestling, a relative of catch and freestyle wrestling, is the foundation of Shooto, a combat sport
and pioneer MMA organization founded in 1985. Pancrase, another influential MMA organization based
on shoot wrestling, also predates the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).

Wrestling has produced significantly more UFC champions than any other martial art.[48] Wrestlers
such as Dan Severn, Don Frye, Mark Coleman, Randy Couture, Mark Kerr, Kazushi Sakuraba, Pat
Miletich, and Dan Henderson won many of the early UFC tournaments along with other accolades. Ken
Shamrock won the first UFC Superfight Championship and the first King of Pancrase Openweight
Championship in Japan. Other notable MMA fighters with foundations in various forms of wrestling
include:[49]
Matt Hughes UFC Welterweight Champion –– two-time NCAA Division I Wrestling and NJCAA All-American

Jon Jones UFC Light Heavyweight and Heavyweight Champion –– NJCAA Wrestling Champion

Minoru Suzuki Pancrase co-founder, Pancrase Openweight Champion –– catch wrestling background

Masakatsu Funaki Pancrase co-founder, Pancrase Openweight Champion –– catch wrestling background

First UFC Light Heavyweight and Strikeforce Middleweight Champion, WEC Light Heavyweight
Frank Shamrock
Champion –– catch wrestling background

Kevin Randleman UFC Heavyweight Champion –– two-time NCAA Division I Wrestling Champion

Tito Ortiz UFC Light Heavyweight Champion –– two-time CCCAA Wrestling All-American

Jens Pulver First UFC Lightweight Champion –– NJCAA Wrestling All-American

Takanori Gomi Shooto and PRIDE Lightweight Champion –– All-Japan Combat Wrestling Champion

UFC Heavyweight Champion and Pancrase Openweight Champion –– Catch Wrestling World
Josh Barnett
Champion

Shooto and EliteXC Welterweight Champion, Strikeforce Middleweight Champion –– two-time

Jake Shields
CCCAA Wrestling All-American

Norifumi "KID" All-Japan Emperor's Cup runner-up, Hero's Middleweight Grand Prix Champion –– AIA Wrestling
Yamamoto Champion

UFC Welterweight and Middleweight Champion –– trained at Reinitz Wrestling Center's Montreal
Georges St-Pierre
Wrestling Club

Brock Lesnar UFC Heavyweight Champion –– NCAA Division I Wrestling Champion

Chuck Liddell UFC Light Heavyweight Champion –– NCAA Division I Wrestler

UFC Light Heavyweight Champion and The Ultimate Fighter 2 Heavyweight Champion –– NCAA
Rashad Evans
Division I Wrestling National Qualifier

Dave Menne UFC Middleweight Champion –– NCAA Division I Wrestler

Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion and Luta Livre black belt –– Brazilian National Wrestling
Renato Sobral
Champion

Eddie Alvarez Bellator and UFC Lightweight Champion –– Scholastic wrestler

Benson Henderson WEC and UFC Lightweight Champion –– two-time NAIA Wrestling All-American

UFC Heavyweight Champion –– two-time NCAA Division I Wrestling All-American and NJCAA
Cain Velasquez
Champion

Miesha Tate Strikeforce and UFC Women's Bantamweight Champion –– FILA Grappling world silver medalist

Demetrious Johnson UFC and ONE Flyweight Champion –– Scholastic wrestler

First Invicta and UFC Women's Strawweight Champion, won The Ultimate Fighter 20 –– two-time
Carla Esparza
WCWA Wrestling All-American

Chris Weidman UFC Middleweight Champion –– two-time NCAA Division I Wrestling All-American

Johny Hendricks UFC Welterweight Champion –– two-time NCAA Division I Wrestling Champion

UFC Light Heavyweight and Heavyweight Champion –– NCAA Division I Wrestling All-American,
Daniel Cormier
US National Freestyle Wrestling Champion and US Freestyle Olympian

Tyron Woodley UFC Welterweight Champion –– two-time NCAA Division I Wrestling All-American

Bellator Light Heavyweight and Heavyweight Champion, won The Ultimate Fighter 8 –– two-time
Ryan Bader
NCAA Division I Wrestling All-American

Interim UFC Lightweight Champion and winner of The Ultimate Fighter 13 –– NCWA Wrestling
Tony Ferguson
Champion

Khabib
UFC Lightweight Champion, 29–0 in MMA career –– Master of Sport
Nurmagomedov
Henry Cejudo UFC Flyweight and Bantamweight Champion –– Olympic Freestyle Wrestling Gold Medalist

Kamaru Usman UFC Welterweight Champion –– NCAA Division II Wrestling Champion

ONE Heavyweight Champion –– two-time NAIA Wrestling Champion, CIS Wrestling Champion
Arjan Bhullar
and Commonwealth Games Freestyle Champion

ONE Light Heavyweight and interim Heavyweight Champion –– Russian Nationals Wrestling
Anatoly Malykhin
Bronze Medalist

Aljamain Sterling UFC Bantamweight Champion –– two-time NCAA Division III Wrestling All-American

Justin Gaethje Interim UFC Lightweight Champion –– NCAA Division I Wrestling All-American

Alexander UFC Featherweight Champion and former AFC Featherweight Champion –– Greco-Roman
Volkanovski wrestling background

Colby Covington Interim UFC Welterweight Champion –– NCAA Division I Wrestling All-American

Frankie Edgar UFC Lightweight Champion –– NCAA Division I Wrestling National Qualifier

See also
▪ Amateur wrestling
▪ List of amateur wrestlers
▪ List of World and Olympic Champions in men's freestyle wrestling
▪ List of World and Olympic Champions in women's freestyle wrestling
▪ List of World and Olympic Champions in Greco-Roman wrestling
▪ Aquathlon (underwater wrestling)
▪ Arm wrestling
▪ Catch wrestling
▪ Indian wrestling
▪ Grappling
▪ Malla-yuddha
▪ Mixed martial arts
▪ Pankration
▪ Professional wrestling
▪ List of professional wrestlers
▪ WrestleMania
▪ Skin infections and wrestling
▪ Sumo
▪ United World Wrestling (UWW)
▪ Wrestling at the Summer Olympics
▪ Wrestling in Canada
▪ Wrestling in Dagestan

Notes
1. Exbroyat of Lyon. He died in 1868. Another claim, is that the founder of Greco-Roman wrestling,
was Frenchman Jean Broyasse (death 1872), according to the encyclopedia Gyldendals store
konversasjonsleksikon, 1981, p. 2564.
References
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External links
▪ FILA Wrestling (http://www.fila-wrestling.com/) Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/201209140846
25/http://www.fila-wrestling.com/) 2012-09-14 at the Wayback Machine