In the sport of mixed martial arts, sometimes a slam is just a way for a fighter to take his opponent down to the mat or free himself from a precarious submission, and other times a slam is a way to bring an abrupt and concussive conclusion to a fight.

In recent years, wrestling has taken center stage as what many MMA experts believe is the best martial arts base to have prior to entering the realm of MMA. It’s often stated that, in addition to the psychological advantage gained from hundreds of hours immersed in the sink-or-swim grind of the wrestling practice room, wrestling provides a base by which a fighter is granted the ability to control whether a fight is fought standing on the feet or on the ground.

While these assessments of those with a wrestling base are undeniably true, rarely mentioned in this discussion is the ability wrestling gives one to bring a fight to the ground with such incredible force that it results in sudden victory for he or she who is doing the slamming.

To some small degree, the tired trope of the boring wrestler still persists among casual fans of MMA, as many have trouble shaking from their memories the stifling and technically nuanced performances of wrestling-based blanket fighters such as Jon Fitch, Yushin Okami and Jake Shields.

However, the beauty of such a wide and varied fight style as wrestling is that it lends itself well to many diverse ways of taking an opponent off his or her feet and onto the floor. Depending on the situation, the way in which an opponent is taken down may spell disaster and an unanticipated end to the evening for a fighter who is unfortunate enough to be lifted high in the air and propelled directly onto the unyielding mat below.

If you’re hungry for slams, feast your eyes on this video!