Mark Ellis

Mark Ellis

In recent years, it has become the norm for standout college wrestlers to make their way from their studies to the cages of MMA. Tyron Woodley, Ben Askren, Rashad Evans, Josh Koscheck…the list goes on and on. Many have experienced considerable success. In fact, fighters such as Cain Velasquez, Matt Hughes, Brock Lesnar, and other current and former champions can claim wrestling as their true base combat sports discipline.

 

The next one in line could very well be Mark Ellis.

 

The 2009 NCAA Division I Heavyweight Champion, Ellis went straight from college to the vaunted American Kickboxing Academy gym in San Jose, California. Many fight teams can boast a solid stable of wrestlers, but few have competitors the caliber of AKA, as Velasquez, Daniel Cormier, and Muhammad “King Mo” Lawal all call the gym home. Ellis has been working with all of them, and not just on his ground game.

 

“It’s been everything,” he says. “We have a real good schedule at AKA, so I’ve been working on everything. I’ve noticed that other wrestlers that have come into MMA don’t wrestle, but I still do. We do that at AKA. I have been focused on my striking, of course, but my wrestling has even gotten better. I’ve also been working on my jiu-jitsu, which has come pretty naturally. I think I’ve got a knack for it.”

 

While many wrestlers have garnered success in MMA, some have had difficulty with the transition. In amateur wrestling, getting dominant positioning is what it’s all about. There’s no striking. That can be a difficult nuance to pick up, strange as that may sound. But Ellis is confident that won’t be an issue with him.

 

“Now, I haven’t fought yet, so I haven’t really taken someone down and just beat on them as hard as I can,” he explains. “But everyone says I look really good in training. It’s going to be fun. You get the takedown, and you look for the submission or beat on them. I am ready to go.”

 

Read the rest of the article on ProElite.com

 

ProElite “Arlovski vs. Lopez” Fight Card

Andrei Arlovski vs. Ray Lopez

Kendall Grove vs. Joe Riggs

Jake Heun vs. Mark Ellis

Drew McFedries vs. Kala Hose

Sara McMann vs. Raquel Pa’aluhi

Reagan Penn vs. Paul Gardiner

Chris Cisneros vs. Sale Spreat

Dustin Barca vs. Reno Remigio

Brent Schermerhorn vs. Jesse Lundgren

Ray Cooper Jr. vs. Kyle Foyle

Chad Thomas vs. Jake Faagai

 

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