Dan Lambert Says Fighters Think Professional Wrestling Is Five Times Harder Than MMA

Longtime MMA trainer Dan Lambert opened up recently about what combat fighters think of professional wrestling. On "Talk Is Jericho", Lambert joined Jericho and AEW star Eddie Kingston to talk about pro wrestling championships and his experience straddling the worlds of legitimate combat sports and scripted wrestling.

"[Pro wrestlers], other than taking a complete beating that most of my MMA guys would never even want to touch with a 10-foot pole, they take such pride in their work and when they're fortunate enough to put themselves in a position to win a title, they're so proud of that title," Lambert said. "It's a lifetime of work." Lambert founded the American Top Team training gym in the early 2000s, and later began appearing for Impact Wrestling. In more recent years, Lambert appeared for AEW as a heel manager with his own American Top Team faction.

"I've got probably five or six guys at our gym, guys that have been UFC world champions that have crossed over and done pro wrestling, and to a man they say what goes on in a wrestling ring is five times harder than what they go through," Lambert said. "They're like, 'I would rather fight in a one-night tournament with 16 other MMA guys than go do what these idiots do in one night.'" Lambert told a story about bringing his former MMA coach to an Impact event for a ladder match that left his coach's jaw on the ground. "He's like, 'What the f*** is wrong with these guys? They're crazy!' " Lambert laughed. "The MMA guys have a lot of respect for wrestling."

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "Talk Is Jericho" with a H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.