Well in that wiggle room between almost and certain lies this link.

I really can’t speak too much to this. I can say with absolute confidence that the double overhook slam he pulled on Bonnar is the kind of shot that can and will knock the wind right out of you, because you simply can’t see it coming, especially if you’re not at the very least familiar with sumo/GR/sambo/judo body throws in their native application. Double overhooks is not an inherently advantageous position, since you’re giving away inside control, but there are obviously ways to make it work.

As to energy expended, you hit on a really interesting, and often overlooked point. To score a takedown, in any fashion (utilizing wrestling maneuvers) you have to burn an extreme amount of energy. Judo is like the anti-wrestling, where the whole idea is to ‘catch’ your opponent off-balance and put him down with a trip or step-through hip throw. Wrestling is all about enforcing your will on your opponent, which costs a lot in the way of energy.

A commonly known, and heavily debated example which illustrates just how much energy gets burned on a shot (successful or failed) is Rashad vs. Tito. When Tito grabbed the fence, he was rightfully docked a point on the judge’s cards. Why? Anyone who’s seen the sports science shows knows that a double-leg slam produces as much translated force (around 2,000 lbs) as a heavyweight boxer’s perfectly delivered power punch. Rashad, however, burned waaaaay more energy than a boxer would burn throwing one punch, and his efforts were about to simultaneously:

A) Smash Tito into the ground, delivering a literal ton of translated force, and

B) Achieve utterly dominant position after the damage had been dealt.

Instead? The fight kept going where it was, and Rashad’s tank was empty from all the exertion. Did this cost him the fight? It’s really hard to say one way or the other, but there really is no question that it changed the landscape of the fight significantly from that point on.

It’s much easier to defend a takedown, and far less costly in terms of energy, than it is to achieve a takedown (at least using standard wrestling techniques). This is a component of the proliferation of the ‘sprawl and brawl’ style we’ve seen from so many accomplished strikers in recent years. If they can learn to effectively sprawl out the majority of shots, they’ll end up with more energy than their opponent, and also be provided with a few advantageous striking opportunities along the way.