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To say that mongolians did pretty well in sumo is a complete understatement

I love Mongolia. It’s one of my favorite places on earth. The first time I went there for a fight, I was absolutely shocked at how big some of the dudes there are. The videos don’t do Bokh wrestlers justice for the sheer magnitude of size they wield. They have an expresión for that body type “frog shaped man”. It means very muscular and strong. Apparently Mongolian frogs are jacked.

Seen a mongolian army officer once at my military college. First thing I thought of was, if those where Ghengis Khan's troops then it all makes sense.

Mongolians have been dominating Japanese sumo since 2003 when Asashoryu became a dominant Yokozuna. Hakuho then became a Yokozuna in 2007 and has only recently retired but there were two other significant Mongolian Yokozuna in Haramafuji and Kakryu. At the very end of Hakuho's career Terunofuji became Yokozuna and is the current reigning Yokozuna. There are 10 Mongolians in the top division which has 40 some men.

I love Mongolian culture, but when asking why are Mongolians not dominating a range of sporting championships, remember there are only 3.329 million Mongolians. They are already punching well above their weight.

Growing up in Mongolia as a city boy with a lot of family in the countryside I would wrestle everyday I was in the countryside. For 3 months of summer vacation from school I would always go and wrestle with all the boys who are stronger and taller than me. But wrestling is a technique sport and winning was always possible. It brings back such a memory of childhood that I'm almost brought to tears. Man, neighborhood boys would meet up around 5-6pm after dinner and we would start wrestling till it's too dark to wrestle anymore. I've torn many underwears and pants because of the holds of Bokh wrestling. When I was 18 I competed in our Soum (Essentially a Village it is right under Provinence) Naadam festival and was matched with a 32 year old man who was 6'3 and weighed solid 20kg on me. He was injured in his knee and I won against him by driving his legs and he tripped. Next match was against a 5'10 dude who weighed 60kg more than me. I lost that one handily, couldn't move him one bit and his legs were planted to the ground and he would always defend so well that all my force would essentially plant him stronger to the ground on his feet. Overall though that's like one of the manhood trials in our country. You gotta wrestly once at least at a Naadam festival and show that you're a man :) Missing my country everyday.

Dude when I was in Afghanistan I lived on a base that had Mongolian and Estonian soldiers. Those where the 2 strongest and athletic groups of men I've ever ran across.

As a practitioner of Mongolian Shuai Jiao/Bokh I can assure you that these guys are beasts. Every few years they bring over some of their champions to do demonstrations at the Tibetan Buddhist Cultural Center in Bloomington, IN and I can confirm they get much larger than people think. I'm 6'3" 200lbs and I was smaller than their smallest guy by a lot. The tallest there was 6'10" and the shortest 6'4", their weights ranged from 280 to around 400 lbs. Also just a tidbit many people don't realize, they eat a LOT of meat and drink a LOT of milk, which is what's largely credited as the reason for their size difference versus many other people around them in Asia.

Hakuho is the GOAT of sumo wrestling and he is originally from Mongolia. He recently retired at the highest rank of Yokozuna.

My favourite country on earth. I was only able to spend a week there several years ago, while in transit from Russia to China. Was blown away by the beauty of the place and the culture, and fell in love with the laid back, friendly, beauty of the Mongolian people.

These guys are so strong. They are not only represented in sumo but they are also well represented in high level judo. They are extremely technical. This is basically judo without gi. Like a mix between judo and Greco Roman wrestling.

Im not sure if anyone knows this but there was guy named Byamba and he was the champion 10 years running in USA sumo open . I believe he was undefeated 10 years in row 😄.R.I.P Bayamba

Mongolian wrestling is great not only for sumo but also judo

Yes we are.

Narantungalag Jadambaa was the ONE Championship Featherweight champion back in 2014-2015. His style is primarily Judo and Kyokushin, but you'll see flashes of Mongolian Bökh in the clinch in his fights. Lots of highlights of him floating around.

Respect to the Mongolians 🇲🇳. Incredible landscape. Thank you Zack for bringing this to our attention.

as a mongolian im cried i miss my rural childhood in summer time

Really cool seeing you react to this as a Mongolian myself. I can see that you're really interested in our culture but unfortunately there's not too many resources for foreigners or even Mongolians to learn about the significance of our cultural practices. If you want more info I'll be more than happy to help Zack.

This is one of the coolest reactions videos I`ve seen. The respect of those Mongolian wrestlers is amazing.

I trained with those guys. It is not fun. They are much stronger than you. And much more skillful. At that time I was around 125 kg. Their coach (Zaan - Elephant) could lift me with one arm only. He was 170+ kg. We used to warm-up with 1-hour of basketball. Then stretching. Then technical exercises and light sparring. At the end - physical exercises. They have incredibly strong and muscular legs and most of the techniques are based on trips and sweeps. I do not like practicing trips barefoot. WIth the gutal (boots) on, it is much more comfortable for both wrestlers.

Asashōryū Akinori is Mongolian, and is also one of the most accomplished Sumo of all time. There are a lot of Mongolian Sumo wrestlers in Japan for sure, with roots in Mongolian Wrestling, no doubt.

I’m part Native American from the Canadian region and I did one of those ancestry tests and it says I have some Mongolian ancestry as well… very neat to learn about.

Maaan, 3 years in Mongolia and I can say you missed so much stuff about the wrestlers. First of all, they are HUGE! Like, the video doesn't show it, but I didn't see wrestlers shorter than 185 cm (it's pretty tall for Mongolians). And, obviously, they are all-muscles. Secondly, it's a very beautiful sport. When you see the tricks they do in real life, you can't be not astonished. Thirdly, you definitely need to see Naadam (Mongolian traditional summer festival). Wrestling is one of the biggest parts there. In the countryside anyone can join and wrestle! You just need to sign up (personally tried to join in Khatgal, Khuvsghul province, but injured my foot badly right before Naadam started). And I believe everyone should visit Mongolia. Extremely beautiful country with amazing people. They are very friendly, especially in the countryside. And to all Mongolian folks out there, баярлалаа! For sure Mongolia is a special place and a hidden gem I was lucky to live in.

Yes Mongolia currently have and had top 5 sumo figures in Japan they're call Yokozuna "The Gods of Sumo in Japan" grand champions.

Very interesting video! What I have learnt from this is that a fit body is more about performance than about muscle definition.

Glad to see your enthusiasm. Was always interested in fighting arts since the ‘60’s the Indian wrestlers (Gama), sumos, sambo, pankration , Silat melayu etc.. nice to see the world catching up on fascinating cultures and posting vids. Peace .

Beautiful video and excellent commentary. You earned another subscriber.

I love how this channel shows appreciation to all forms of fighting styles. Thank you!

They just look so freakishly strong. No 6 pack in sight, just power.

Great idea! Really enjoyed this. Thanks

Thanks for respecting and understanding pls continue spread more knowledges to the people😊

the steppe region described as an ocean without no water produced one of the most fearsome empires in history the normadic lifestyle emphasis on horse riding and archery learning to live off the land ( not farming) was superior to city life who were inhibited by a sedentary lifestyle. these people were known to pull 150lbs bows which required immense should and back strength

This was great to watch good work.

Zach thank you for shining a light on this topic, it will do wonders for the rare fish market.

Speaking of Mongolians, you guys ever listened to The Hu? They make excellent lifting music.

Imagine these guys took up some form of striking training like boxing/Muay Thai/Sanda etc… They could have do some serious damage in MMA.

I met a few of these guys in Korea where they were doing a cultural presentation. Huge guys. I haven't felt small since I was a kid. They also play in Korean Ssireum and do pretty well.

New sub. Great content, thanks bro

I wanna learn Mongolian Wrestling. Its so awesome and new to me..

And in Genghis Khan's days, these guys are on horseback shooting arrows at you. Get them off the horse, and now you have to fight them 1 v 1.

I really love old-school, old testament strength content videos. Just discovered this channel, new subscriberm

Respect to Bokh practitioners and Mongolians! 🇲🇳

Mongolia also has a fantastic Judo team and many champions.

When I was in Mongolia, we met a drunk local guy in some small village. He was surprised to meet tourists at that place and first thing he wanted to do was a jokely wrestling with our 2meter guy :) Mongol was about 1.5m max and kinda skinny :) He easy lifted him and moved him like a chair :))) 98% of mongolians go or went in wrestling.

wow i am so moved by your video. its feels wonderful and i am very proud of my country rn. subscribed mate 😁

I competed in a few huge Bokh (Mongolian Wrestling Tournaments) in Inner Mongolia, and recognize the big fella with the white band on his head. Very prestigious Invitationals with big prize money. Loads of strategy and patience needed. In the 1st one I was the only 'round-eye' in the place, fans were RABID, and the winners were amazing. Been involved in 2 BIG million rmb cup events...and had 2 close matches (lost both times). What struck me wasn't the competition but the cultural beauty of the event. From the music to the costumes and the crowd. In the Inner Mongolian events there were no leg grabs allowed and we wore thick leather 'vests'. The crowd reaction when a shorter/smaller man throws/trips a giant is intense (one 1.90m 180kg guy lost to a 5'9" guy) and the way they fought each other and crowded the eventual champion just to touch him and get some of his sweat to rub on themselves (100% serious) was unreal. If you get a chance to experience this awesome cultural sports event (even as a spectator) DO IT!

Asoshyoryu davagdorj is the mongolian sumo wrestling fkrmer champ and hakuho is the same, and the list of mongol chamls goes on. Batbayar is one of the early mongolians took over sumo with cunning and fascinating moves to win over his oponents- he was once known as the shop full of new wrestling moves. But the actual moves sill existed already in mongolian wrestling.

Beautiful 🥰　👍😉　and definitely subscribed❤

You’re correct- two of the most recent Yokozuna are from Mongolia.

Hakuho is Mongolian and the top sumo wrestler of all time. Byamba was another Mongolian who wrestled in the Japanese circuit and then later dominated the US Sumo circuit.

Tongans also are huge and strong. I used to lift in Honolulu with a Tongan guy that raw benched 630 lbs. It took 3 of us to spot him. I believe he held world record for awhile but was not interested in competing. He was 6-2 or 6-3 and 300 lbs, not fat. He used reverse grip up to 405 then switched to regular grip for his very heavy sets. He looked like a lot of the guys in this video but with thicker pecs and arms. His uncle benched with us once in a while and at 60+ years old he benched 440-450. What's really crazy is that southeastern asia and polynesia are home to both the biggest and smallest ethnicities of people on earth. Go figure that out.

Man this guys took over the world on a horse ... What else do you expect 🙏

Appreciate you for advertising my country.

There is Mongolian fighter Batgerel Danaa in UFC. Shinee, Purev in One FC and Jadamba was One FC featherweight champ once.... MMA is developing on Mongolia rapidly last few years.

I can confirm the Mongolian sumo wrestlers. Some of the strongest out there.

Thanks for the video. Everything is correct you studied. But one thing to explain the movement is that it is not a dancing, this is just celebration movement resembling flying halk.

This is real functional training by these guys.

The information you heard that Mongolian wrestlers fight in Japanese sumo is absolutely correct. There are even 5 Mongolian sumo champion so called yokuzona. It is the highest rank in Japanese sumo wrestling

from 2007 to 2021 the yokozuna ( the level possible in sumo only avaible for 1 people ) Hakuhō Shō was the 69th yokozuna, he was born in mongolia and was a mongolian wrestler at first

Been absolutely loving these videos delving into obscure and different combat/strength sports! Please keep them coming Zack

the NFL should set up shop in Mongolia, it's small but I think the base is very solid for some of them to transition into football. They already look terrifying, can see them play on the O-line or the D-line with that type of mass.

Don't be fooled by the look of rikishi in sumo. They are absolutely strength athletes. Got dudes squatting 300kg and benching 200+, let alone doing to equivalent of a sandbag/husafell stone carry by lifting their, on average, 150-170kg opponent up by the mawashi. The speed and impact they generate off the tachiai (the initial charge) is off the charts too. As for the ways to win in sumo, there's 82 different winning techniques, theres a few videos on youtube that cover them. The November basho (tournament) is currently underway, check out the channel NattoSumo for daily uploads for the next 2 weeks, he posts the top 3 divisions in their entirety.

I had the privilege of working with a Mongolian crew of solar installers in 2012. We wrestled during lunch, it was awesome

"My Lucky Shirt" hahaha love it

It looks to me that decent judo skills can go a loooong way there! ❤️

It's true, I have a mongol friend who started Bjj and won a state championship in 6 months!

Watch the video by the Hu "Wolf Totem" if you want a straight shot of Mongolian testosterone

Great video. I wonder if foreigners can compete in this sport.

Watch video of Sumo champion Hakuho. He was from Mongolia and his father was a gold medalist as a wrestler. Hakho used a variety of technique to win matches. There is a video with him wrestling a Mongolian wrestler and he does win that particular bout. He was a Yokozuna , sumos highest rank and I think won some 46 tournaments .

Hakuhō Shō is one of the Mongolian wrestlers and he was longest reigning Yokozuna (14 years now retired). He is literally the greatest sumo wrestler of all time with like 1000+ wins in professional competition.

It's like an endless "Rocky" montage... Beautiful!!! I love it.💪

Guys Do Check out Naga Wrestling...! We do similar wrestling too but with Waistband with a little difference in rules... Some says We are the descendants from Mongolia and we do look like them 😊😊

There’s 5 primary styles of Mongol Bokh. In the video is the shuudekht (Khalkh) Bökh of Mongolia and in Inner Mongolia we do Janggat Bokh. Definitely check out Janggat Bokh as well.

The Hu Band- they’re dominating hard metallic rock too

Mongolian president Battulga is Judo World champion!

Many of the best sumo to this date are Mongolian actually the last couple of Yokozuna were all Mongolian Asashoryu hakuho and terenofuji

The elevatation in Mongolia is one of the highest in the world so there endurance and conditioning is insane

Check out Lavell Marshall. American grappler/shuaijiao practitioner whose martial arts journey took him to Inner Mongolia where he has trained bokh (Mongolian wrestling) for the past few years.

We must protect our uncles at all cost.

Hakuho is one of the greatest sumo wrestlers of all time and is Mongolian

6:54 the rank of champion in Mongolian term is called "Avarga" and it has another meaning which is "Giant" in English. So it's hard to say whether it meant the champion or the giant.

Hey man, maybe you should check out Glima, which is a Scandinavian combat wrestling.

Well, each human species built different one to another

Mongolians didnt just tested Sumo, they totally dominated it since early 2000s. For your information, those wrestlers on the documentary are like C ranked guys on Mongolian wrestlers hierarchy. Lots of love from Mongolia.

Yes, last over 20 years Japan sumo winners has been Mongolians. That walk with hands up thing is symbolic dance mimicking hawk which is national bird.

The First and the only Mongolian UFC fighter Danaa Batgerel in 135 weight division. 4 first round KO’s. Also a world champion and olympic games bronze medalist judoka Urantsetseg is coming in MMA scene with an amateur belt soon compete in UFC. A few fighters in Bellator and One FC. Former One FC champ Narantungalag. But in Judo alone we had 2 olympic gold and 3 silvers and past 1 rank in womens 47kg and mens 70 kg.

Oh yeah, a lot of the best sumo guys of all time are Mongolian. Sumo by the way, if you get into it, is a darn cool sport and it ain’t for the weak or faint hearted.

Thank you for sharing our national sport to whole world Zach 🎉

Look into inner Mongolian wrestling too, very cool

I would like to see strongmen and powerlifters do a training session with these guys.

I genuinely am enjoying the broader aspects of cultural strength type sports. Please continue to do a good job of representing these things I love it!

The Mongolian Rugby Team was established in 2003 and only became members of the Rugby Union last year💪🏿🙌🏿 They about to dominate Rugby & NFL forever

There use to be a fighter in the UFC who went by the name of The Mongolian Assassin. He had some up and downs but that was all I can think of

You’re absolutely right bro. They are great at sumo

Mongolia is also a powerhouse in Judo, alot of these guys are world class judokas.

11:45 There are Mongolian weightlifters, most well known is Ankhtsetseg Munkhjantsan who is 2021 world champion. She is especially known for squatting very high.

Man that training part reminded me of uni rugby trainings xD

Dang! Them Genghis Khan gene is looking fine.

Monogolians are absolutely dominating sumo at the minute, Hakuho Sho has to be my favourite, but all of them are NUTS