The much-anticipated Ultimate Fighting Championship main event on Saturday in Boston features T. J. Dillashaw, the bantamweight champion, against a former champion and No. 1 contender, Dominick Cruz. As in any mixed martial arts bout, the modes of combat will be varied: There will be punching, kicking, elbowing, grappling and submission holds.
But fundamentally, the match’s roots lie in the junior high school wrestling room.
Dillashaw and Cruz, like so many M.M.A. stars, got their starts in amateur wrestling. The list of wrestlers who have gone on to U.F.C. success is long and includes just about every American star.