Ryan Hall is undoubtedly best known as a guard-player, but he has actually had some experience competing in wrestling in the past. Not only has Hall challenged himself by stepping on to the mat under a different ruleset to Jiu-Jitsu, but he’s actually emerged victorious as well. This will no doubt come as a shock to anyone who is a fan of Hall’s submission grappling appearances, or those who know him from his UFC career. Throughout both, Hall’s most common path to victory has been attacking off his back or relentlessly hunting leglocks even from standing until he found the finish.
Hall is undeniably a master of the Imanari roll and he has used a pretty unique style throughout his MMA career, alternating between kicking from distance and rolling to attack the legs. It’s actually worked pretty well for him too, as he’s managed to put together a 9-2 professional record that includes wins over legends like BJ Penn and Gray Maynard. His style can’t really work for everyone though, as it pretty much only functions because he has one of the most dangerous guards in the sport. Engaging with him in the ground is almost certain defeat, so that threat allows him to take more risks in attempting to get the fight where he wants it to be.
This foray into wrestling actually took place very early in his professional MMA career, back when Ryan Hall was just 2-1 in the sport and had not yet earned a UFC contract by winning The Ultimate Fighter. Hall was already an ADCC bronze medalist though, so he had plenty of grappling experience even if it wasn’t under this particular ruleset. He represented Tristar in the under 68kg division of the Concordia Invitational, taking on Ivan Toshev and giving a very impressive account of himself. Hall ultimately manages to win the match by a margin of 12-4, looking every big the proper wrestler in the process.
The full video of Ryan Hall competing in a wrestling tournament was uploaded to the official YouTube channel of Batupload:
