One of the top female wrestlers from the United States will make her MMA debut on Friday when U.S. Olympic Trials runner-up Forrest Molinari competes in a main event for the first time at the Borroka 1 event in Las Vegas.
But Molinari's entry into the sport is actually a rarity compared to many of America's top wrestlers, who flock to MMA after ending their competitive careers on the mats.
During the 2004 Olympic silver medal was the first seriously recognized female wrestler to have a major impact on the sport, and she also remains the only woman with Olympic wrestling experience to compete at the UFC level. Two-time world bronze medalist is another example, but for the most part, top female wrestlers have not made the transition to MMA in at least the same numbers as their male counterparts.
“I think men’s and women’s freestyle wrestling is obviously so good in the States and we’re one of the best countries in the world,” Molinari explained. “I think where the sports are in their life cycle and that's why you see a difference. With the women's team we are growing so quickly now and proving year after year that we are a force to be reckoned with, we challenge the best people in the world and we are a powerhouse. I think that drives more women to stay in wrestling longer. This is an exciting time to be part of women's wrestling and show that we are so good.
“We're already so far ahead on the men's side that you're seeing more and more men wrestling for other countries because they can't make our teams in the States, but they can win medals at the Worlds and Olympics. We’re just so deep.”
Women's wrestling has exploded internationally in recent years, but it's easy to forget that the Olympics didn't even have a women's division until 2004.
over the past 20 years, women's wrestling has evolved exponentially, but Molinari knows that growth has primarily resulted in more people getting involved in collegiate sports and then competing at the national and international levels.
But Molinari believes that as more women compete in wrestling, the number of athletes who eventually make the transition to MMA will only increase.
“I just think that where the sports are in their life cycle, you see the difference that a lot of women don’t make the transition to MMA,” Molinari said. “But a lot of guys go into MMA because the depth is just so great that after a while these guys are like, I just can't get to that final level to be a world champion or whatever they want to achieve but maybe MMA , I can do this.
“You just see the difference in their skill and their athleticism and the courage that wrestlers have. That's what I think it is at the moment. They’re just at different stages.”
With her debut fight just days away, Molinari really hopes that she can serve as a role model for more female wrestlers interested in fighting in the future.
MMA won't be for everyone, but Molinari has truly learned to embrace every aspect of the sport since she truly committed herself to training six months ago.
“I hope I can change that,” Molinari said. “No one has come back from women's wrestling in a long time and of course everyone knew I was going to fight, but now it's actually happening. It's different when it's actually there and you've been waiting for it to happen for years. I hope I can start there and promote women's wrestling to MMA in a different way. This can pave the way for many more women to come to us after their wrestling careers.
“Hopefully more girls see me fighting and dominating like I did in wrestling and want to give it a try. There are a lot of tough, brave girls out there who could do very well in MMA.”
Perhaps the most encouraging part of Molinari's transition to MMA was her ability to fall in love with the sport, much like she did with wrestling.
There were definitely days when she was frustrated — especially during some early jiu-jitsu classes — but she's come to really love the sport and she expects more female wrestlers to do the same in the future.
“We’ve only been in MMA for six months, but I feel the hunger for it is the same,” Molinari said. “It’s not like I was so hungry to be the best in wrestling and then I come to MMA and just do it for fun. No, I do this to be the best, just like in wrestling. The passion is the same.”
