Ellenberger steps off the mat and into the cage |
| Posted by Administrator on Apr 22 2009 |
Photo by Garrett Ritonya
Former UNK wrestler Joe Ellenberger trains for his May 1 Mixed Arts (MMA) Title Fight in Council Bluffs, Iowa. Ellenberger, the only Loper wrestler in history to win 40 matches in multiple seasons, is now a member of the Vicoty Fighting Champion league.
By Garrette Ritonya
Antelope Staff
When most collegiate wrestlers complete their careers, there is usually no route for them to go. That is, unless they learn the craft of the fastest growing craze in America, mixed martial arts (MMA).
But UNK graduate and former Loper wrestler Joe Ellenberger has followed the path of the road less traveled. Ellenberger, the only wrestler in Loper history to reach 40 victories in multiple seasons, currently fights for the Victory Fighting Championships league, the largest MMA competition promoter in the Midwest. He currently boasts an 8-0 record, with seven of those victories coming via stoppage (knockout or submission).
Ellenberger will be putting his perfect record on the line at the VFC 27: Mayhem event May 1 at the Mid-America Center in Council Bluffs, Iowa against an opponent from Minnesota with a 12-4 MMA record, Marshall Martin, in a fight for the Lightweight Championship.
"This guy, on paper, looks really slick with none of his matches going past the second round," said Ellenberger, a sports administration graduate from Omaha. "I want to drag him into deep water into the championship rounds - or what I call my rounds - drag him into that fourth round, where I know he will want to quit."
So how did a once great collegiate wrestler get involved with mixed martial arts?
According to Ellenberger, he was introduced to the art of MMA through his twin brother, Jake, in 2005. He had been dragged to a fight where his brother was competing, only to find out that Jake had signed him up secretly for a fight later that night. No surprise to Jake, Joe Ellenberger won by knockout in less than 30 seconds.
The former UNK champion says the transition into mixed martial arts was smooth because of his background in college wrestling.
"A lot of the similarities between martial arts and wrestling are the same as far as your physical condition, your mentality, trying to peak at the right time and your diet," Ellenberger said. "Wrestling is probably the best base to have when starting mixed martial arts as far as the training regiments you learn in college."
Normal training sessions are six weeks in length and begin with basic running. During week one he began working kickboxing, sparring and wrestling, moving on to lactic acid training and working on heart rate. This continues until the night of the fight, where Ellenberger hopes to be peaking in endurance.
MMA fights consist of three rounds, five minutes in length, except for title fights, which go to five rounds instead of three.
"My ultimate goal is to win this title and defend it a time or two and then hopefully move onto the big leagues," Ellenberger said. "This is something I one day want to make a living being a part of."
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