Ferguson Another Athlete Turned Fighter
Jason Probst Jun 6, 2011
Tony
Ferguson has some serious athletic upside. | Photo: Jeff
Sherwood/Sherdog.com
The trend of super athletes becoming fighters is the latest trend in the sport, mimicking dominant competitors in singular disciplines like jiu-jitsu, wrestling and striking.
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Today’s emergence of the super athlete turned mixed martial artist is reminiscent of the phase shifts of those core disciplines and the sway they once held.
At “The Ultimate Fighter 13” Finale on Saturday in Las Vegas, Tony Ferguson needed less than a round to put away Ramsey Nijem and become the UFC’s latest “Ultimate Fighter.” Ferguson was a two-time collegiate All-American wrestler, but he also starred in three sports in high school. He was an outstanding cornerback in football, manning perhaps the most athletic position in all of sports.
With the ascent of UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones and proven commodities like welterweight titleholder Georges St. Pierre, the wave of great athletes is the latest to hit MMA’s landscape, forever transforming the game and forcing its competitors to redefine their approach.
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