Mixed martial arts often make crossovers with wrestling. That is why many UFC legends have trained under wrestlers their whole life. Wrestling provides a solid foundation for MMA fighters in regards to grappling and successful takedowns. There is one UFC Champion who can bear witness to the effectiveness of training under a wrestler.

Kamaru Usman became a lethal MMA fighter under the mentorship of Cael Sanderson. This former college wrestling ace, who went undefeated for four NCAA seasons, helped Usman rise to the heights of the UFC welterweight division. Fans have been eager to know how this unlikely relationship began. Until very recently, the facts were under wraps, but a video post bared the secret before everyone.

Revealing the origins of a wrestling relationship

FloWrestling posted a jaw-dropping video of the two legends grappling against each other. Each wanted to topple the other, but the master prevailed at the end.

FloWrestling captioned the video post on X, writing, “Cael Sanderson and Former UFC Champion Kamaru Usman exchanging some live go’s at the Olympic Training Center almost 11 years ago today”.

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Kamaru Usman had taken up residence at the center in 2009 to prepare for the Olympic trials. He had just won the NCAA Division II Champion title and wanted to add one more feather to his cap. Usman could not make the Olympic team and soon after shifted to the MMA playstyle. In the following decade, he has risen to the top of the UFC and defended his World Champion title many times.

However, his success was not his alone. Kamaru Usman was sculpted into a champion by Cael Sanderson. As one of the most celebrated wrestlers of his time, he was in a position to help Usman. The recent video of the two is proof of Sanderson’s proficiency that helped shape Kamaru Usman into the dominant force he is today. Although the student has outdone the master in terms of accolades, Sanderson’s own achievements are nothing to scoff at.

Cael Sanderson’s wrestling achievements

Cael Sanderson is remarkably the most successful athlete in the collegiate wrestling scene. The Penn State wrestling coach had back-to-back victories during his time on the University of Iowa’s team. In NCAA history, he is the only athlete to win 100 matches in a row. He was the top-most wrestler of the NCAA Division I and also won the Big 12 Championships. Sanderson is a World Champion silver medalist and an Olympic gold medalist.

Read More: Watch: Video of Youngest Wrestling Olympic Medalist and 3x NCAA Champion’s Insatiable Hunger for Competition Goes Viral

After retiring from competitive wrestling, he kept training and teased the fans with a comeback in the 2011 U.S. World Team trials. He placed fifth in the World Championships and thereafter began training Kamaru Usman for his glorious career in the UFC. Now, Kamaru Usman is more famous as “The Nigerian Nightmare,” but he owes it all to the hard work of Cael Sanderson.

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