MMA, commonly called Ultimate Fighting, has evolved through various stages. Initially, Royce Gracie inspired an explosion where all fighters absorbed as much Jiu Jitsu as they possibly could.

This move to ground fighting made champion wrestlers confident that they could excel in MMA. Wrestlers like Kevin Jackson proved the theory correct. He was very effective during the early 1990's.

Wrestling tactics will allow a fighter to control his opponent, however; they need to be modified to be truly effective in MMA where the desired result is to finish the opponent by knockout or submission.

Pure wrestlers have failed to succeed in MMA on a grand scale due to the ingrained training that is drilled into their heads from the first day they step on a wrestling mat. The biggest challenge that wrestlers face in MMA is the fear of having their backs or shoulders on the mat.

Every wrestler fights to stay off of his back. It's in our blood. Champion wrestlers have conditioned themselves to keep from going to their backs without having to think about it. We make it become a reflex action.

In a wrestling match, a competitor risks giving up points or getting pinned when his shoulders are exposed to the mat. This is not the case in MMA where the competitor on his back can actually have the advantage, and finish the match.

Wrestlers who wish to excel in MMA need to stop thinking like wrestlers, and start thinking like fighters. It will be a challenge for those that have spent years honing skills to championship levels; instinct takes over. But, the same strong mind that makes one a champion can adapt and make some modifications that can transform the champion wrestler into the most devastating MMA competitor.

A wrestler with decent skills can nullify the skills of a world champion boxer or martial artist with one simple take down. Once on the ground the entire arsenal of a stand up fighter is depleted and the expert is relegated to an ordinary fighter with no training. Instinct will take over, and since there has been no training; the results will be that of an ordinary unskilled fighter. The wrestler, even just an average one, will have an enormous advantage and should dominate the fight.

If wrestlers can adapt the traditional moves that are taught with slight modifications focused on submitting, punishing, and finishing their opponents; they will excel in MMA and take the sport to the next level.

Wrestlers starting out today that desire to one day compete in MMA should prepare for both sports at the same time so that they will not have to retrain their minds to lose the fear of exposing their backs to the mat.