The martial arts industry is becoming increasingly interesting to athletes and fans, and this interest sets an even higher bar for those who want to reach the top. Athletes who want to excel in multiple combat sports simultaneously require exceptional endurance and adaptability to various tactics.
No matter how challenging the sport, reaching the top is entirely possible, says Ukrainian athlete Andrian Hutsan. He is a competitor in freestyle wrestling and a candidate for Master of Sports in grappling and pankration. A multiple winner of numerous Ukrainian tournaments and championships, Andrian knows exactly how to maintain a multidisciplinary approach to sport and reach the top, which he shares in this article.
Foundations in Freestyle Wrestling: National Recognition and Competitive Growth
“Sport should become a part of you and your whole life so that you can demonstrate equally good results in several wrestling styles,” says Andrian Hutsan. Without fully immersing yourself in this world, you can’t achieve recognition. The athlete developed a passion for wave wrestling, grappling, and pankration in his youth and trained equally in all three.
Freestyle wrestling taught him consistency and tactical flexibility. Andrian competed in the Ukrainian Freestyle Wrestling Championship in Sumy, winning a prize in the union category. He also conquered the capital, Kyiv, at the National Freestyle Wrestling Championship and received an award.
“Constant training and traveling all over Ukraine have created a habit of winning,” jokes Andrian. At the prestigious All-Ukrainian Wrestling Tournament in Honor of Elbrus Tedeev, he took first place — a remarkable result for a young athlete. He also took first place at the Odessa Region Freestyle Wrestling Championship.
“The habit of winning,” as Andrian puts it, has paid off: he now holds a first-category certificate in freestyle wrestling and a second-category referee certificate. His experience as both a competitor and a judge has broadened his understanding of freestyle wrestling.
“I’ve discovered my strategy from two perspectives. As a young competitor, I might have overlooked some details, but only after going through this wrestling school and being a referee years later did I begin to perceive the sport differently,” says Andrian. He carried the skills he learned from freestyle wrestling into other combat sports.
Grappling Excellence: Candidate Master of Sports of Ukraine
In grappling, Andrian Hutsan reached an even higher level by earning the title of Candidate Master of Sports of Ukraine. He worked persistently toward this achievement. As he recalls, there is no room to relax, because there are always talented athletes ready to catch up and move ahead. That’s why he proved his experience and skill through consistent hard work, and his multi-disciplinary background played an important role.
Andrian competed in many national tournaments across Ukraine and regularly finished on the podium. He took part in the Ukrainian Grappling Championship in Yuzhne and Vinnytsia, earning first and second place, respectively. At the Ukrainian Grappling Cup Final in Cherkasy, he secured a prize-winning position, and he finished second at the Mykolaiv Regional Open Grappling Championship. He also stepped into the role of referee at the All-Ukrainian Children’s and Juniors’ Tournament in Poltava. In the end, this long competitive path allowed him to confirm the title of Candidate Master of Sports of Ukraine in grappling twice.
“Freestyle wrestling skills complement grappling skills, and vice versa. These two sports feed into each other. I take the best from both disciplines and build my own strategy during competitions. Of course, the rules and specifics are different, but they don’t cancel each other out,” Andrian explains. Over time, competing in multi-disciplinary events became routine for him. In Ivano-Frankivsk, for example, he participated in the Open Grappling and Pankration Cup and later achieved top placements in several pankration events.
Pankration and International Representation: Expanding Competitive Impact
Pankration requires athletes to be constantly on their feet and deliver precise strikes, unlike grappling and freestyle wrestling. Nevertheless, Andrian keeps grappling and freestyle wrestling techniques in mind during competitions because the combination of these helps him feel more confident. A broad perspective, he believes, is also a powerful fighting technique against an opponent who may not expect a sophisticated multidisciplinary approach.
By competing in several major pankration events, Andrian Hutsan also earned the title of Candidate Master of Sports. He won the Open Ukrainian Championship in Grappling and Pankration in Odesa, secured a prize-winning place at the Ukrainian Pankration Championship (Men & Women Division) in Sumy, and finished among the top three at the Ukrainian Pankration Championship in two sections in Kherson.
Sustained Achievement in Multi-Discipline Combat Sports
The experience Andrian Hutsan gained across multiple disciplines eventually took him to the international stage. He earned second place at the Greco-Roman Wrestling Championship among Universities and competed in the well-known World Beach Wrestling Championships.
According to Andrian, broad experience across different combat sports becomes a kind of “safety cushion” at major competitions like these. In other words, an athlete can draw on creativity and specific skills developed in other disciplines to gain an advantage during a match.
This doesn’t mean you can approach a grappling competition the same way you would a pankration training session. The point is different: it’s about combining approaches and body mechanics to build greater flexibility and confidence. In the end, experience and knowledge are an athlete’s greatest strengths. And someone who has mastered three different disciplines at a high level understands this better than anyone.