5 MMA Fighters who started with Judo

Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a combination of different martial arts practiced all over the world. The main concept behind the game is to combine different fighting techniques that work well in various disciplines, combining them into a complete combat system. That includes techniques borrowed from Judo, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, sambo, and wrestling, to mention a few. As such, several MMA fighters today started practicing other disciplines before transitioning to this combat system.

Here are the top 5 MMA fighters who started their journey by practicing Judo.

Kayla Harrison

Born in 1990 in middle town, Ohio, Kayla Harrison is an American former judo player who competed in the 78kg weight category. She is an MMA fighter who currently competes in the lightweight division currently. She won a gold medal at the 2012 and 2016 Olympics. She also won a gold medal at American pan games in 2011 and 2015.

She plays a significant role in the women’s MMA industry. Her dream since childhood was wearing a judo uniform and being applauded by the fans. Kayla would make a solid choice for punters betting on MMA at BetwayThai8 .

Hector Lombard

Hector Lombard is a Cuban Australian professional mixed martial artist and a bodybuilder. The former Cuban Olympic judo competitor competed in the middleweight and welterweight in the ultimate fight championship. Even better, Hector was the first fighter ever to win the Bellator middleweight World championship.

While he’s more of a wrestler, Hector is a judoka player who specializes in Osoto or Deashi Harai techniques. Hector is loved by many MMA fans who love to wager on the game at Bet88 for his brutal punches and superior grappling skills.

Dan Kelly

Daniel Kelly is an Australian judoka and MMA fighter who has competed in the Olympics four times in the underweight division. Kelly was only thirteen when he competed at his Australian championship, leading the Australian junior team to the world championship. After two years, Kelly advanced to the senior national team, where he has competed nine times in the national senior team. Kelly hasn’t won any medal for the team, but the brutal characteristic is not something to overlook. Nonetheless, he is a unique player with various techniques.

Ronda Rousey

Ronda is a professional wrestler, a former mixed martial artist, and a judoka. She was the first woman in America to win a medal in Judo in the Olympics in 2008. Ronda earned her first MMA for the king of the cage before going to Strikeforce. She is the last Strikeforce women’s bantamweight champion before it was bought by the ultimate champion in 2011. Rousey managed to redeem herself after making some losses in her career. She is, without a doubt, one of the best in the world. 

Satoshi Ishii

Satoshi is another fantastic player who started in Judo. He won a gold medal for Japan in the Olympics in 2008, a silver medal at 2006 Asian games and two all japan championships. In 2009, Ishii made his debut in MMA at dynamite. 

Satoshi made a great comeback in 2015 when he faced significant damage in his standing in 2014. He is getting better day by day. Fans are hoping that he is not out of the picture of yet.