Shogun fears The Dragon...Zord

[Via Armbar]

Look familiar? If you were a child growing up in the early nineties he should. His name is Jason David Frank and he played the Green Ranger on Might Morphin Power Rangers. What some do not know is that he is an accomplished practitioner of mauy thai, tae kwon do and other forms of martial arts.

Now many people know that a being a good instructor or practitioner of these things doesn't always translate well to mma. Frank is going to try and put his skills to the test. He has a fight today, May 22nd in Virginia. It will be his fourth professional fight as a mixed martial artist. He fights at light heavyweight and has won all of his fights. Not only is he undefeated, but he hasn't even seen the second round of a fight yet. Of couse there is a large discrepancy between smaller fights in smaller promotions and the talent pool in the UFC or Strikeforce, but still he has shown some real promise.

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He has won two fights since this interview. Now of course with anybody that was known previously for something else is going to be looked at with a degree of uncertainty. Lesnar got those looks, as did Kimbo. Do you think anything will come of Frank's venture into mma outside of a couple of wins in smaller promotions? Do you think that with enough impressive wins he could be looked at by Dana or Strikeforce? Could he ever potentially be a draw based of his time as a Power Ranger?

I personally think all of those things are possible. It really shouldn't matter if he's known for a kick ass yet corny television show. If he's good enough and could be considered and elite fighter than I don't see any reason why he wouldn't be looked at by the big boys.

Edit: He just won his fourth fight in just 24 seconds...via armbar. Nice.

 

[Minor League Brian]

You know what he is perfect for? The Ultimate Fighter. I'm serious. I'm sick of the TUF having people that no one really knows, just guys you have to bond with as the show goes on. Having Kimbo was one of the best things to happen to that show and I think adding Tommy would be even better.

I know a lot of people will roll their eyes but I look at it like this; if Dana puts one "show" on every TUF, not only will people watch to see if they're the real deal, but he can use it to either prove that they're not real fighters or say he's willing to give ANYONE a shot. I mean, he did it with Kimbo after talking all that shit and he really came away like him. Put in those boxers that think they're the shit, put in the Celebs who want to go Pro. Shit, Lesnar should have gone through with the show as well. I think that is THE best way to test a fighter.

But boy does he look old and MAN did he get tatted up. XD

 

[jmt225]

Yeah, I say it’s time the UFC gives the guy a shot. The dude is not only popular, but his record and credentials speak for themselves.

I know it would be kind of corny to let an ex-Power Ranger (let alone the most popular one) into the octagon, but what can it hurt? How is it any different than letting a professional wrestler with a 1-0 MMA record into the octagon? I don’t see any difference, so give the guy a shot on a Fight Night or Versus show and let’s see what he has to offer against real competition. No harm will be done, and if he turns out to be legit… then the better it is for the UFC.

Moreover, Strikeforce is dying right now when it comes to the Light Heavyweight Division. The UFC should not let them get a hold of this guy, because if they do, Strikeforce will then have a shot to building a SUPERSTAR in that division, which, make no doubt about it, Jason David Frank will be if he turns out to be legit. The UFC needs to sign the guy to a 1 fight contract and sign him now. See how he does, and go from there, just like they would do with any other prospect.

 

[Buffalo Dave]

You know what he is perfect for? The Ultimate Fighter. I'm serious. I'm sick of the TUF having people that no one really knows, just guys you have to bond with as the show goes on. Having Kimbo was one of the best things to happen to that show and I think adding Tommy would be even better.


But boy does he look old and MAN did he get tatted up. XD

The only problem with that would be, he wouldn't get a chance to compete for almost a long time because the next season of TUF are for the light weights. But yea if Kimbo gets a shot, he definitely deserves one. And he would look old to us since we haven't seen him for the better part of 10 years when he was in his early 20's, now he is 36.

Well after reading some about him he has earned quite a few awards in martial arts. I definitely agree JMT, UFC should scoop this guy up and just put him on a Fight Night or Versus as a tryout. Although if Strikeforce acted first it might be intresting to see him against King Mo. The only thing would be if he went there and didn't perform in would hurt his UFC chances. We also can't forget the ROH of MMA Bellator (credit: GuyCompton for the comparison) that would be another place I could see him go. No matter where he ends up he will be a decent draw. Im sure people will have their eyebrows raised when they here a Power Ranger is competing, but as long as he keeps doing what he has been people will have to accept it.