While wrestling is often considered an excellent foundation for mixed martial arts, fewer and fewer top collegiate wrestlers appear to be making the transition to the cage these days.
Logan Storley, a four-time All-American wrestler from the University of Minnesota and a professional MMA fighter with PFL, shared his perspective on this trend. He believes multiple factors are at play, but highlights the impact of lucrative Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) deals now available to college athletes.
“We`re in a strange period for MMA with NIL money emerging, and we aren`t seeing as many wrestlers coming over,” Storley noted. “NIL has significantly changed things. Athletes are getting paid substantial amounts, so the flow of wrestlers transitioning [to MMA] has decreased.”
Although wrestling programs don`t command the same level of NIL investment as football or basketball, considerable money is still being allocated, particularly to standout competitors.
For instance, fellow Minnesota wrestler and Olympic gold medalist Gable Steveson was reportedly one of the first collegiate athletes to sign an NIL deal with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) back in 2021. While the exact figures weren`t public, it`s understood Steveson earned a significant income.
Storley acknowledges that the top wrestlers are earning substantial sums through NIL, making it difficult for the low starting pay and inherent instability of an early MMA career to compete.
“Some of these athletes are earning a million, even $1.5 million,” Storley stated. “With top recruits making that kind of money, do you really move into fighting afterward? It makes sense to save that money and be financially smart.”
He added that this influx of money and other changes, like the transfer portal, are altering the dynamics and perhaps the `hunger` level compared to previous generations.
Beyond the financial draw of NIL, Storley also pointed to a shift in the professional MMA landscape, with fewer top-tier opportunities available now compared to the past.
While the UFC remains a dominant force and PFL provides a platform (where Storley competes), the overall number of major promotions has arguably shrunk, and many opportunities are concentrated at regional levels.
“The MMA scene has changed,” Storley commented. “With the Contender Series model and fewer roster spots in places like PFL, and with promotions like Bellator gone, things are different. Wrestling offers financial incentives now, and there`s no real security in the initial years of an MMA career – that`s just the reality. The first few years are very challenging.”
He suggests that with wrestlers earning well from NIL, moving into coaching roles, or simply pursuing standard jobs, they find more security and less desire to undertake the demanding and uncertain path of early professional fighting.
“More guys are just getting regular jobs and simply don`t want to pursue [MMA],” he observed. “It will be interesting to see how the trend of wrestlers coming over looks in the next five years. It`s definitely changing, and I`m unsure if that change will continue.”
Storley also believes that burnout plays a significant role. Many high-level wrestlers start training intensely at a very young age. By the time they finish college, they have often endured a rigorous schedule of training and competing for a decade or more, which can be physically and mentally exhausting.
“Some guys simply want to do something different,” Storley said, understanding their perspective, especially for graduates from tough conferences like the Big Ten who earn valuable degrees.
“They`ve been training multiple times a day since they were eight years old. Some athletes just reach a point where they don`t want to continue that lifestyle,” he explained, reflecting on the intertwined history of MMA and wrestling.
For Storley personally, pursuing MMA was always his ambition, and he remains content with his choice, currently preparing for the PFL welterweight tournament semifinals. While he can`t definitively predict the future, he clearly sees that the volume of elite wrestlers making the jump to MMA has decreased.
“I always wanted to fight and was genuinely excited about it,” he shared. “I`ve had a great career in MMA and I`m incredibly proud of what I`ve accomplished here. Would earning significant NIL money have changed things? Would my MMA career have been the same? It would have been nice for an 18 or 19-year-old kid to get that kind of pay, but I am happy with where MMA has taken me and what it has done for my life.”
Percy Harlow