Why Teddy Riner Would Suck In MMA

There is an overwhelming number of Teddy Riner fans who want to know why the big man never made a transition over to MMA. Clearly, Riner would have likely made a lot more money from the sport since the financial opportunities within judo are extremely limited in comparison to the UFC.

The 6th degree black belt has absolutely dominated judo and rarely misses out on a podium position, which usually results in a gold medal. However, fans of the Frenchman always wonder just what would happen if Riner were to step inside the cage with another heavyweight. Riners balance, technique, and power would be very difficult to handle if he were to be involved in a grappling contest, however, he would have to overcome a lot of obstacles in order to start throwing elite fighters to the mat.

Useless Grips

As we all know very well by now, elite judokas have fantastic grip strength that cannot be broken. However, all the time and effort that has been put into gripping the correct positions in order to set up a throw is useless in MMA since there are no kimonos. Both sleeve and collar grips are not useful in MMA due to the fact that either fighter has no clothing on the top half of their body.

All of this time is already sunk into grip fighting, whilst opposing MMA fighters have been training both no-gi takedowns and defenses.

To put it bluntly, this part of Riners skillset would be absolutely useless in an MMA setting.

Getting In Position For A Throw

The main problem Riner would have in MMA is positioning himself correctly in order to set up a throw. As one of the greatest heavyweight judokas ever to grace the planet, there is no doubt that Riner can pretty much throw anyone he desires (in gi).

However, this problem completely changes when MMA rules are applied. The fact that Riner can be jabbed in the face and have his calves kicked would not work in his favor at all. This alone would make many of his throw setups completely useless.

There is no doubt that Teddy Riner could easily change his throwing setups in order to make them more useful for MMA.

This however does not change the fact that getting into a position to throw your opponent is seriously impeded by the fact that they can punch you in the face and kick your legs.

Furthermore, all of Riners opponents would be well aware of his skill set and would not let him get inside to throw them. Compared to other skill sets in MMA, judo is one of the easier martial arts to shut down and make a game plan to stop.

Judo Vs Wrestling

Wrestling is largely superior to judo within the world of MMA. It relies more heavily on athleticism and can be picked up a lot faster than judo, which takes years of training to become competent.

The fact that one style allows you to grab legs, whilst the other doesn’t also would go against Riner. There is no doubt that the gigantic Frenchman would be very aware of how to defend a double leg, or any other sort of wrestling takedown, but when it is mixed in with striking, Riner would suffer a lot more than people realize.

As Riner is so tall and known for his judo throws, opponents would make sure to keep an extra distance against him by jabbing and shooting. This would make sure that his judo prowess is nullified against a combination of wrestling and kickboxing.

Judo In MMA

Judo within MMA has had a mixed bag of success. Fighters such as Ronda Rousey and Karo Parisyan had a multitude of victories that came about as a result of their judo techniques used within MMA.

However, as with all styles, fighters learn to adapt and overcome. One major problem with judo is that many of the throws are not suited to an MMA ruleset. Turning your back on an opponent and suicide throws are almost never seen within a cage since they are a huge risk for a reasonable reward. Sure, they can give you a dominant position, but if they go wrong they have a high chance of ending the fight in an unfavorable manner.

In addition to this, unlike judo, MMA fights do not end in ippon. This means that if Riner were to do a successful throw that ended in a very advantageous position with 20 seconds remaining on the clock, an experienced fighter would likely see out the round. After they survive this period, the next 5 minutes are going to begin on the feet – making the throw almost useless in the context of the fight.

Secondly, many judo throws also end up in unfavorable positions for the aggressor – even when performed successfully. As fights do not end on the floor, if your back is exposed, it will continue until you are choked and you will not receive points for an ippon or wazari. These factors do not work in favor of Riner, or judoka in general.

Weight & Athleticism

Riner weighs approximately 140kg, which is great for judo since his weight category is 100kg+. However, in MMA he would almost certainly be too slow at this size. In comparison, Francis Ngannou (who is already a very large heavyweight is 1.93 meters tall, weighing 120kg. Even Brock Lesnar, who is perhaps the most athletic heavyweight the world has ever seen, weighed 130kg and was able to do backflips inside a wrestling ring was extremely large. At 140kg, Riner would be far too slow to compete with modern heavyweight fighters. Of course, he could cut 15kg very easily, but this would also drastically reduce his power and completely change his body type.

Clearly an athletic judoka and moves very well for his size. Riner is still some way off a top tier MMA fighter. The heavyweight division is full of men who move extremely well for their size and are great wrestlers. This athleticism is a few levels above Riner, who although is athletic himself, would not look like he could move well against elite opposition.

The Heavyweight Division Is For Strikers

Occasionally you will get a heavyweight fighter that breaks the mould, but for the most part, the division is filled with powerful strikers. This is pretty much the opposite of the flyweight division, where it is a lot more difficult to either KO, or TKO your opponent. Decisions, ground battles, and most importantly judo throws, are all fairly uncommon once fighters break the 100kg barrier.

The main reason for this is that it is a lot easier to knock someone out when you have 100kg+ behind your punches. Fighters at this level know that a single punch can end a fight. Not only this, but if heavyweights give up a takedown, it is not too easy to regard or get up and run away. At this weight, ground, and pound is extremely vicious, so fighters want to avoid being in bottom position at all costs.

As Riner does not have a striking background, this would put him at a huge disadvantage to other heavyweight fighters. Obviously, his judo would be the best in every single weight division, but this does not mean too much if a good striker can knock you out before you get a chance to throw them.

Summary

Teddy Riner is not suited to MMA due to his overly specialized judo ability. There is no doubt that he is physically capable of hanging with the best heavyweights within the UFC, provided he had trained mixed martial arts from a young age. However, he has not, so this is a career path that is best avoided for the French Olympian.

Furthermore, Riner has already stated several times that he has been offered MMA fights, but has turned them down. Riner claimed that he does not like taking hits, MMA has no moral code (which is somewhat true when compared with judo), and that he has no interest in fighting under MMA rules.

This admission shows a high level of self-awareness as Riner clearly understands he is best at judo and does not need to sell out his body in order to make a quick buck by fighting against a dangerous opponent.

The effort to learn other martial arts to a high level would also be monumental at this point. Already in his mid 30’s, the best time for Riner to transition to MMA would have been 10 years ago. Riner knows that if he were to fight in MMA at this point, he would be approaching 40 years old before he was at the top, an age where he will not want to be taking heavy shots to the head.