http://www.sherdog.com/news/article...Would-Have-Made-Intriguing-MMA-Fighters-76469
Some interesting choices on this list, but it seems built to pander to the professional wrestling audience that mixed martial arts is constantly trying to lure. It's heavy on former amateur wrestlers for reasons obvious to any MMA fan- amateur wrestling is a great base to start from, and a good half of the UFC roster has a college wrestling background.
Kurt Angle and Lou Thesz are some of the obvious choices; had MMA been a thing back when they were in their primes, they would have been solid. (Take nothing away from Daniel Puder almost separating Kurt's shoulder- if your opponent isn't familiar with Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, there are a couple dozen ways to sucker them into a submission. See: Lesnar vs. Mir I)
Then, there are the less obvious choices, like Bruiser Brody and Rey Mysterio Jr. In Brody's case, being tough isn't enough to get by in MMA- every fighter there is tough, and technique matters ten times more. Perhaps in the early, Tank Abbott days of MMA he could have been worth the price of putting him on a card, but today, it'd be over with the first takedown. The same thing goes with Rey; he's on the list for his quickness, but every guy in the flyweight through lightweight classes is quick.
What names do you think should or shouldn't be on that list, that weren't/were? Tonga Fifita (Meng) rings a loud bell for me, although I'm not sure how well he'd fare in a fighting world where nose bites and eye gouges are prohibited. Shelton Benjamin would be up there as well; he has a solid wrestling background, plus the natural athleticism that would help him transition to the striking and jiu-jitsu backgrounds necessary today. (He reminds me a lot of Anthony Johnson, minus the wifebeating.)
Some interesting choices on this list, but it seems built to pander to the professional wrestling audience that mixed martial arts is constantly trying to lure. It's heavy on former amateur wrestlers for reasons obvious to any MMA fan- amateur wrestling is a great base to start from, and a good half of the UFC roster has a college wrestling background.
Kurt Angle and Lou Thesz are some of the obvious choices; had MMA been a thing back when they were in their primes, they would have been solid. (Take nothing away from Daniel Puder almost separating Kurt's shoulder- if your opponent isn't familiar with Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, there are a couple dozen ways to sucker them into a submission. See: Lesnar vs. Mir I)
Then, there are the less obvious choices, like Bruiser Brody and Rey Mysterio Jr. In Brody's case, being tough isn't enough to get by in MMA- every fighter there is tough, and technique matters ten times more. Perhaps in the early, Tank Abbott days of MMA he could have been worth the price of putting him on a card, but today, it'd be over with the first takedown. The same thing goes with Rey; he's on the list for his quickness, but every guy in the flyweight through lightweight classes is quick.
What names do you think should or shouldn't be on that list, that weren't/were? Tonga Fifita (Meng) rings a loud bell for me, although I'm not sure how well he'd fare in a fighting world where nose bites and eye gouges are prohibited. Shelton Benjamin would be up there as well; he has a solid wrestling background, plus the natural athleticism that would help him transition to the striking and jiu-jitsu backgrounds necessary today. (He reminds me a lot of Anthony Johnson, minus the wifebeating.)
