Mark Ellis slams his way into MMA
MMA history says it’s a good idea to remember the names of former Missouri Tigers wrestling sensations and here’s another: Mark Ellis.
In sports, a “factory school” means a certain university has a reputation for producing exceptional professional athletes out of former student-athletes. The term has been popular in describing successful NCAA Division I football and basketball programs. The University of Missouri is quickly becoming an MMA counterpart for producing such talent.
Ellis, all 6’5” and 255 pounds of him, can be best described as can’t-miss prospect. He is scheduled to make his long-awaited debut Saturday on the ProElite card in Hawaii against former University of Hawaii linebacker Jake Heun (1-0).
Ellis is an elite wrestler with the hardware to prove it, winning the 2009 NCAA Div. I national championship at heavyweight. Like Ellis, Heun is a high-potential prospect based on being a top-level NCAA athlete. Traditionally, wrestling has translated into MMA better than football, but some former gridders have begun to make their mark.
When it comes to MMA, few places have proven to be better training grounds than the Missouri wrestling mats. Ellis’ former Tigers teammates put the bug in his ear during college.
“Tyron Woodley was the first person to approach me about fighting,” Ellis told Joe Rizzo and Jeremy Fullerton during Rear Naked Choke Radio on the MMA DieHards Radio Network. “Ben Askren, who was my roommate in college, was kind of like my older brother. We are still texting a couple times a week, and he’s telling me to stay positive for my fight coming up.
“My best friend, Michael Chandler, just won the Bellator tournament and I’m excited for him to smash Ed Alvarez. All of us are really good friends, and we were really tight in college.”
While there is little doubt Ellis has an overwhelming support from his wrestling teammates, he has the added bonus training with a top training camp.
Ellis has found himself in good company by training at American Kickboxing Academy (AKA) in San Jose, Calif. The club is home to heavyweight fighters including undefeated UFC champion Cain Velasquez and Strikeforce contender Daniel Cormier. Both are among Ellis’ regular training partners.
Upon turning pro Ellis thought he would quickly be getting into the fighting mix and earning money. Even though his visions didn’t turn out that way, he is pleased with his journey into the world of MMA.
“I thought it was the right move, so I packed up and drove out for 28 hours,” Ellis recounted of his decision to train at AKA. “I’ve been training out here, permanently, the last nine months ever since. I’ve got great partners and coaches and guys that believe in me.”
Ellis had outstanding wrestling teammates at Mizzou and appears to be following suit by surrounding himself with some of the best MMA fighters in the world.
“I’m out here with Cain, Dan (Cormier), Luke Rockhold, and Mo Lawal,” Ellis said. “Daniel has been huge for me. In college, Ben was my mentor and always pulled me aside to let me know what I am doing right and wrong. Daniel has been kind of the same thing for me here, too. He pushes me to go hard and he’s really good for me.”
There is little doubt his partners at AKA don’t mind having an NCAA-champion 255-pound wrestler to train with on the mat, either.
Ellis will enter the cage in Honolulu with the pedigree of Mizzou wrestling and the AKA camp. It seems certain that Ellis is primed to be the next Mizzou product to storm the MMA landscape.
It’s time to see if history repeats itself.
Good to know. Gnna be watching his fight this weekend. probably streaming haha
[...] are really good friends, and we were really tight in college.” - MMA newcomer Mark Ellis told MMA DieHards who some of his allies of the sport are, noting his fellow Missouri [...]