Cejudo: Wrestling is tougher than MMA
Henry Cejudo: “I became the best in the world in wrestling, which – I hope nobody takes offense to this – but I think it’s a lot tougher than MMA,”
Last week UFC middleweight Cathal Pendred said that rugby is more dangerous than MMA. Then CM Punk said pro wrestling more dangerous than MMA.
Olympic gold-medalist wrestler Henry Cejudo recently spoke with MMAJunkie, following his striking heavy win over Dustin Kimura on the UFC Fight Pass broadcast portion of UFC on FOX 13. And Cejudo says wrestling is tougher than MMA.
I became the best in the world in wrestling, which is – I hope nobody takes offense to this – but I think it’s a lot tougher than MMA, said Cejudo. When you become the best in the world in wrestling, you’re the best in the world. This isn’t two, three events. This is once every four years.
“So for me it was like, man, I see what these guys are making. Ever since I was a kid it was about the fighting. But now there’s an incentive. You can ask Daniel Cormier, we used to get $1,500 to win nationals, $3,000 to be the best in the country.
Here, it’s 30, 40, 50, 60, a hundred thousand you can end up making. For me, it’s not so much MMA is the next step up, because I really don’t feel it is. And again you can confirm it with Daniel Cormier and some of the best wrestlers, but I feel like it’s just a way we can make a living and buy a nice car and have a nice home.
“What’s hard about MMA? You get punched. You get kneed. But I think when you get a strong wrestler, he’ll just eat it, he’ll just take it. And if anything, as a competitor, it pisses you off. It makes your blood boil.
“And wrestling, just because it’s been around for 100s of years, the sport is at its peak. You’ll never go to the Olympic games and have a tech fall. It’s always a 2-3 point match.”
Although Cejudo was not asked to clarify, he seems to be saying that the process of making it to the top in wrestling, to Olympic gold, is tougher, rather than minute for minute wrestling is tougher. Or maybe he is saying it’s both. Having won gold, and excelling so far in MMA, Henry Cejudo can say whatever he wants.
So what do you think UG? What sports are tougher and or more dangerous than mixed martial arts?