Complaining won't get you far: Marquardt and Hardy on wrestling

Two different fighters have taken their shots at wrestling's place in MMA. It started with former UFC welterweight contender Dan Hardy, who complained about wrestling dominating MMA after his countrymen, Andre Winner and Nick Osipczak, both lost in decisions after UFC 118. Rather than saying 'oh, these guys can't wrestle', I think the problem is there's beginning to be too much wrestling in UFC Octagon, not too little of it in the gym. There are a lot of people out there calling themselves 'UFC fighters' who are nothing of the kind. In the UFC, you should go for finishes.He must not have watched the Anderson Silva-Chael Sonnen fight, where Sonnen -- an elite wrestler -- lost because he aggressively went after Silva. In the same article on thisisNottingham.co.uk, Hardy says how he has spent three months in the U.S. trying to shore up his wrestling. A whole three months to face fighters who have been wrestling for a lifetime.  Japanese fighter Shinya Aoki, who fights both for DREAM and Strikeforce, piled on to Hardy's comments. From AOL Fanhouse: "The American wrestling style - punching a little bit, getting a takedown and moving to side control to win the round has no risk. It's an easier fight. It's just using the judges. They don't even have to worry about injuries or anything like that. There is no risk."Aoki must have never seen a match when a fighter gets kneed while going for a takedown, or gets caught in a guillotine. Apparently, he doesn't perceive that risk.  Aoki and Hardy both prefer complaining. Nate Marquardt and Kenny Florian are both fighters who would rather improve themselves than complain.Marquardt, who is fighting Rousimar Palhares at Ultimate Fight Night 22 next week, was beaten by a wrestler in Chael Sonnen."I was unable to defend the takedowns in my last fight, and that's why I lost the fight," Marquardt commented. "Now I'm going to be more prepared to defend the takedown no matter who I'm fighting, and I worked hard on my wrestling and I continue to work hard on my wrestling."Kenny Florian took a similar track, hiring a wrestling coach just days after his wrestling-filled loss to Gray Maynard.   If Hardy and Aoki are so concerned, then they need to train to neutralize their opponent's wrestling, or knock them out or submit them to win. Instead of complaining about the guy across from them in the cage, they could just get the KO themselves.

Juan Manuel Lopez Andre Ward David Haye Antonio Margarito