Tweet
Who are the biggest let downs in the world of Mixed Martial Arts?
I am talking about the men and women (this is the twenty first century after all) that began either training MMA or competing in MMA only to have their name batted around as a future champion or hall of famer and then disappear off the radar entirely or just sink into smaller shows. Half the time it may not have been their fault, there may have been injuries or illness, politics surrounding their fights or just them as Athletes and celebrities protecting their reputations, but I am talking about the likes of Dave Batista from the WWE who I believe began training in MMA a few years ago but never ended up competing. Another who has never made the step into the deep waters of MMA and in my opinion should have done, so therefore is a let-down is Kurt Angle; an Olympic gold medallist who for some reason never made the move. Kimbo Slice is another, the man who just couldn’t handle the octagon when it came down to it. Roger Gracie, and James Toney; we all know how that fiasco ended up. But two of the biggest let downs for me, are at either end of the ladder and they are Mariusz Pudzianowski and it may seem harsh, but another is Brock Lesnar.
Marius, for those of you who don’t know, is the all-time leader in the World’s strongest man. A five time world champion who started his MMA career – all be it in Poland like a whirlwind. I watched his first ever fight against a former pro boxer and was cowering behind the sofa at what I was watching. I saw a man of his size and strength move so fast and hit so hard that I truly didn’t know who could stop him if he decided to take over your street one day. He won the fight inside of a minute, leaving behind a dazed and confused victim. But then what happened after he was touted, mainly in Europe I admit as the next UFC Champion? He didn’t progress at all. He got inside the ring with former champ Tim Sylvia and got battered – fair enough, but then he became a freak show and ended up fighting butterbean and James Thomson who he lost to. Now he has got Bob Sapp, but still, despite holding a 3, 2, 1 record, for me he was a let-down. A man who had the potential to be truly unstoppable.
Now to my second let-down, Brock Lesnar. A former UFC champion may raise a few eyebrows but a man 6’3, over 260 pounds and a NCAA all American should not have been beaten in the fashion he has done in his last two bouts. I know his life threatening illness took it out of him and he was never the same fighter as the man who fought Mir the second time, but still for me he was a let-down. He literally has all the gifts god could have given him: Power, strength, athleticism, aggression. Yet somehow, and despite being a champion, he failed to forge a legacy for himself and has also attracted the critism of fans of the sport and beyond.
There are many others I can think of that have been a ‘let down’. Another potential let-down has been Stephan Bonnar, because despite all of his talents and heart, and all the amazing wars over the years, this is a man who should have at least contested a title, but for reasons unknown hasn’t. So who for you are the biggest let downs in all of MMA. They do not even have to have competed in the sport - i.e.: Dave Batista and Kurt Angle. Hell, we can do biggest let down fights in the history of MMA as well.
I am talking about the men and women (this is the twenty first century after all) that began either training MMA or competing in MMA only to have their name batted around as a future champion or hall of famer and then disappear off the radar entirely or just sink into smaller shows. Half the time it may not have been their fault, there may have been injuries or illness, politics surrounding their fights or just them as Athletes and celebrities protecting their reputations, but I am talking about the likes of Dave Batista from the WWE who I believe began training in MMA a few years ago but never ended up competing. Another who has never made the step into the deep waters of MMA and in my opinion should have done, so therefore is a let-down is Kurt Angle; an Olympic gold medallist who for some reason never made the move. Kimbo Slice is another, the man who just couldn’t handle the octagon when it came down to it. Roger Gracie, and James Toney; we all know how that fiasco ended up. But two of the biggest let downs for me, are at either end of the ladder and they are Mariusz Pudzianowski and it may seem harsh, but another is Brock Lesnar.
Marius, for those of you who don’t know, is the all-time leader in the World’s strongest man. A five time world champion who started his MMA career – all be it in Poland like a whirlwind. I watched his first ever fight against a former pro boxer and was cowering behind the sofa at what I was watching. I saw a man of his size and strength move so fast and hit so hard that I truly didn’t know who could stop him if he decided to take over your street one day. He won the fight inside of a minute, leaving behind a dazed and confused victim. But then what happened after he was touted, mainly in Europe I admit as the next UFC Champion? He didn’t progress at all. He got inside the ring with former champ Tim Sylvia and got battered – fair enough, but then he became a freak show and ended up fighting butterbean and James Thomson who he lost to. Now he has got Bob Sapp, but still, despite holding a 3, 2, 1 record, for me he was a let-down. A man who had the potential to be truly unstoppable.
Now to my second let-down, Brock Lesnar. A former UFC champion may raise a few eyebrows but a man 6’3, over 260 pounds and a NCAA all American should not have been beaten in the fashion he has done in his last two bouts. I know his life threatening illness took it out of him and he was never the same fighter as the man who fought Mir the second time, but still for me he was a let-down. He literally has all the gifts god could have given him: Power, strength, athleticism, aggression. Yet somehow, and despite being a champion, he failed to forge a legacy for himself and has also attracted the critism of fans of the sport and beyond.
There are many others I can think of that have been a ‘let down’. Another potential let-down has been Stephan Bonnar, because despite all of his talents and heart, and all the amazing wars over the years, this is a man who should have at least contested a title, but for reasons unknown hasn’t. So who for you are the biggest let downs in all of MMA. They do not even have to have competed in the sport - i.e.: Dave Batista and Kurt Angle. Hell, we can do biggest let down fights in the history of MMA as well.
I admit as the next UFC Champion? He didn’t progress at all. He got inside the ring with former champ Tim Sylvia and got battered – fair enough, but then he became a freak show
Comment