UFC 241: Fans Got Plenty of WWE Vibes From Drakkar Klose’s Victory Over Christos Giagos

As UFC fighter Drakkar Klose showed on Saturday night, Mixed Martial Arts may be taking a few cues from professional wrestling. No, this isn’t a reference to scripted fights or predetermined outcomes. Instead, it’s a testament to certain fighters utilizing moves that look like they should be in the WWE.

Klose faced off with Christos Giagos in a lightweight bout on Saturday night, serving as an appetizer of sorts for the massive heavyweight battle between Daniel Cormier and Stipe Miocic. Klose’s fight may not have drawn early attention heading into the evening, but he certainly changed that during his victory.

At one point, Giagos was on Klose’s back and holding on for dear life. Instead of trying to shake him off, the eventual winner instead took a deep breath and jumped back into a violent WWE-style bodyslam.

“You want the real answer,” Klose said when asked about the maneuver during his postgame interview. “I was like, ‘f—, it’s a short time. Maybe I should hold him up here for 30 seconds and then drop him.’ But I was like, ‘Man, it’s close. I’m not sure.’ I made sure I just went back and tried to get on top of him and finish that round out on top.”

The 155-pound man from Kalamazoo was shaky during the first round of the fight, but he came back with fury to score a win by decision after three rounds. As Klose explained to reporters, he was feeling some “ring rust” and needed that first round to shake it off and get back into the groove. He knew that he couldn’t have another bad round, which is one reason why he utilized the WWE-esque body slam. The strategy ultimately paid off considering that Klose achieved victory, but he would prefer to fight more frequently in order to avoid some of this rustiness.

The UFC has dipped its toes in the WWE water in years past due to multiple fighters either joining the Mixed Martial Arts league or leaving for professional wrestling. Brock Osweiler started in WWE before joining UFC and originally winning the heavyweight title in 2008. However, he is not the only athlete to make the move considering that Ronda Rousey started in MMA before joining the WWE. CM Punk, on the other hand, started in the WWE before a short-lived career with the UFC.

As Klose showed on Saturday night, the personalities aren’t the only things making the transition between sports. Certain moves are also effective at specific times throughout matches, and fans are beginning to expect some more excitement with outrageous flips and bodyslams. Does this mean that more fighters will be pulling out moves they practiced as children in the living room?