Fighters Who Never Lived Up To Their Potential
by HeadKickOfDoom on Dec 17, 2011 1:09 AM EST
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As a fan of sports or music, everyone loves to find that hidden jem. Whether it be a local band who blow the roof off a bar one night and make you a fan for life, when they hit it big you can tell all your friends that you were there from the beginning. Or watching that kid in college who possesses a butter smooth jumper and a devastating first step, or the college QB who looks like the next big thing and can make every throw. It is just fun to watch prospects develop, and see as they potentially grow into a star in their industry. I as a MMA fan feel privileged enough to have watched the rise of Junior Dos Santos. From that night back in October of 2008 when I watched him upset Fabricio Werdum with a massive uppercut, I was a fan of the kid. I told all my friends who watched MMA casually that this guy was going to be a someone someday. I would always make sure when people would come over for a night of drinking and MMA, to watch this kid fight, he could be a champion someday. So when he beat Cain Velaquez last month, I was more fired up afterwards than after any of the hundreds of fights I had seen before. He was my guy, and I was there from the beginning (well of his UFC career anyway). I saw him live up to his promise as a fighter.
Over the past three years in MMA we have been fortunate enough to see some excellent prospects rise to the top of the food chain. Jon Jones, Cain Velasquez, JDS, Frankie Edgar, Lyoto have all risen up through the ranks as uberprospects and fulfilled their potential by becoming champions. But for every prospect that makes it big, there are dozens and dozens who don't. In this piece I will be looking at some fighters who looked like they could potentially be elite fighters and potentially champions (or the greatest of all time), but for different reasons they never lived up to expectations.
Roger "El Matador" Huerta
The very first mixed martial artist to appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated back in May of 2007, Roger Huerta looked like he could be the future of the 155 lbs division. He was explosive, well rounded and was rarely boring to watch. He entered the UFC in 2006 with a 15- 1 - 1 record, and proceeded to ring off 6 wins in a row. During that run, he had two classic fights, one a 3 round war and Fight of The Year candidate over Leonard Garcia and the other a spectacular come from behind submission victory over Clay Guida in the 3rd round at TUF 6 finale. He looked to be on his way to a title shot when he met up with Kenny Florian at UFC 87. Unfortunately for Huerta, Florian would be too much for him, as the TUF veteran outpointed El Matador on his way to a unanimous decision.
After this loss to Florian, Huerta surprised Dana White and the MMA community by stating he would be taking a break from his MMA career to pursue acting, after landing a role in the Tekken live action shitbomb of a movie. This would derail really any hype Heurta had, and pissed off Dana White, not a good combination at all.
Heurta would find out the hard way that being in a craptastic video game movie was not the path to Hollywood stardom, and he would return to the Octagon a year later to face Gray Maynard at UFN 19 and fulfill his UFC contract. In a back in forth fight, it was looking very close until the third round, when Maynard took Heurta down, got him in a crucifix and locked on a deep kimura.
via i25.tinypic.com
As you can see in the gif, Heurta managed to hit a sweep and survive the round, but would drop a split decision to the Xtreme Couture fighter, ending his run in the UFC.
Being one of the biggest free agents in MMA, Heurta signed with Bellator and was announced that he would be entered into their season 2 lightweight tournament. It was essentially agreed on that Heurta would run the table, and get to fight then champion Eddie Alvarez for the title. He would go on to defeat Chad Hinton via kneebar in his first round matchup, and would face Pat Curran in the second round. The fight with Curran wouldn't end well tho, as Roger dropped a controversial split decision to the eventual season 2 tourney winner.
Fortune would smile on Heurta tho, as Curran got hurt prior to his fight with Alvarez, and Heurta stepped in to fight the champion in a non title match. During that fight, Alvarez was simply the better fighter, battering Heurta for two rounds before the doctor stopped the fight in between the second and third rounds.
He reappeared in MMA when he fought War Machine earlier this year, being stopped due to a rib injury at UWF 1, making him 1-5 over his last six fights. For a man who once looked like the future of the LW division, he has fallen far.
via octagonlife.com
Brandon "The Truth" Vera
There was a point in time where Brandon Vera was seen as the next big thing in MMA. He had a strong wrestling base, sharp Muay Thai and entered the UFC with a 4 - 0 record with 3 KO's. He would enter the UFC against Fabiano Scherner, who he would defeat via crushing knees in the second round. After the fight, Vera called out Chuck Liddell (despite him being in the HW division) and essentially told the crowd he would simultaneously hold both the Light Heavyweight and Heavyweight title. For someone just completing his first fight in the UFC, this was big talk.
Vera would continue with a meteoric rise by finishing Justin Ellers, Assuerio Silva and former champion Frank Mir all in the first round. Prior to his defeat of Frank Mir at UFC 65, Dana White had announced the winner of Mir/Vera would face off against the winner of Tim Sylvia and Jeff Monson for the UFC HW championship. So what did Vera decide to do? He held out for a better contract. Cause you know, Dana White loves that. So instead of Vera getting his shot, it went to Randy Couture, who would defeat Sylvia.
Vera returned at UFC 77 against Tim Sylvia, and would lose the first fight of his career via unanimous decision. After the Sylvia loss, he would meet Pride veteran Fabricio Werdum at UFC 85, losing via TKO (which Vera argued was a poor stoppage).
After these two loses, Vera moved down to Light Heavyweight, but could never replicate the success he had prior to his contract hold out. He would win his first LHW fight, but would then drop a split decision to Keith Jardine. He has continued on, putting together a paltry 4 - 3 - 1 NC (when Thiago Silva tested positive for PEDs) and is literally a borderline cut candidate should he lose his next fight. After starting off so well, Vera's career has fizzled out.
Brett "The Grim" Rogers
Rogers first gained the attention of MMA fans in the short lived Elite XC organization. He was a big powerful heavyweight, with dynamite in his hands who finished all 5 of his fights via strikes. He would finish all three of his Elite XC opponents via KO or TKO, and famously called Kimbo Slice "garbage" in a post fight press conference. After Elite XC folded, Rogers moved over to Strikeforce, where he would KO Abongo Humphery in the second round. This would set up a matchup with former UFC Heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski. Rogers would shock the MMA world when he KOed the former champ in just 22 seconds. With this KO, Rogers was propelled into a fight with the recently aquired Fedor Emelianeko.
When he met the Pride legend in November of 2009, few gave Rogers a chance. But, he came out ready, and looked fairly solid before eating a huge overhand right from the Russian superstar, where Fedor would jump in for the finish
Despite this loss, he looked impressive enough that Strikeforce put him into a Heavyweight title fight with the returning Alistair Overeem. This also would not end well for The Grim, as the Dutch kickboxing sensation would manhandle him and finish him in the first round.
The Arlovski fight seems to be the highlight of Rogers' career, as he has gone 1- 4 since that victory, and was released from his Strikeforce contract after being charged for spousal abuse. Rogers at one point looked to be one of the best heavyweight prospects in the world, and now seems to be relegated to fighting in regional shows.
Built like a superhero, Duffee burst onto the MMA scene at UFC at UFC 102. Coming into his UFC debut a year after stopping former Pride and UFC vet Assuerio Silva, few people took notice of the fight coming into the event. It took all of 7 seconds for all that to change. Duffee tied the UFC record for fastest KO when he clipped Canadian Tim Hague and put him away quickly. The Sherdog boards exploded, telling anyone who would listen that this kid was the future of the division, and would be the next big thing.
He would be matched up against veteran Mike Russow at UFC 114, moving immediately from the preliminary card to the PPV. Over the course of 2 and a half rounds, Duffee battered the 14 fight veteran. Late in the the third, in what is the MMA equivalent of a Hail Mary, Russow hit Duffee with a hard straight right hand, ending the hype train early.
After the losing to Russow in May, he was suddenly cut from the UFC for what Dana White described as an attitude problem. Uncle Dana did leave the door open, saying that Duffee could fight his way back into the UFC. So instead of taking a fight to help get his career on track, Duffee excepted a late notice fight with K-1 and Strikeforce champion Alistair Overeem at Dream's New Years Eve show. As expected, Overeem crushed Duffee with a vicious hook
via www.gbring.com
Since that loss to Overeem (in which Overeem inexplicably won the Dream HW title) Duffee hasn't competed in MMA since. The closes he has come to a fight since last NYE is being in Never Back Down 2 direct on DVD.
Karo "The Heat" Parisyan
The former WEC welterweight champion was once considered to be one of the most talented welterweights on the face of the planet. The judoka had a very well rounded MMA game. He made his UFC debut in a loss to GSP, and then won the WEC title from MMA veteran (and stone cold pimp) Shonie Carter. After his victory over Carter, he came back to the UFC, where he would rack off 5 wins over notables Chris Lytle, Nick Diaz and Matt Serra. Most fans got to know Parisyan when he almost came to blow with Nate Diaz during Season 5 of The Ultimate Fighter. He would drop a decision loss to then undefeated Diego Sanchez, but most fans still considered it was only a matter of time before Karo would challenge for a title. He would win 3 in a row before being stopped by a vicious knee from Thiago Alves at UFN 13.
After the loss to Alves and while training for a scheduled UFC 88 match up with Yoshiyuki Yoshida, Parisyan would seriously hurt his back, which put him on the shelf for 4 months. He would return in January, where he would be the first to defeat "The Stun Gun" Dong-Hyun Kim in a controversial split decision. After the fight, the decision was changed to a No Contest due to testing positive for a cocktail of painkillers, including hydrocodone, hydromorphone and oxymorphone. He would receive a nine month suspension from competition, setting his career back even further.
Parisyan was set to make his comeback fight at UFC 106, but the day before the weigh ins, he would pull out of the fight, drawing the ire of Dana White, who proclaimed that he would never again fight in the UFC. News would follow that Karo was battling an addiction to pain killers, and was having some serious issues in his personal life.
After coming back and earning a victory in Australian run promotion ImpactFC, Parisyan was brought back to the UFC to fight Dennis Hallman at UFC 123. He looked lethargic in his return fight, and Hallman took advantage, defeating him in under 2 minutes. Since that loss, he has dropped two more fights, essentially ending his time as an upper echelon MMA fighter.
Once known as the only man to ever defeat Urijah Faber, Tyson Griffin was 8 - 0 in his MMA career prior to dropping a decision to future champion Frankie Edgar in Edgar's UFC debut. After this loss, he would reel off 4 wins, including a Fight of The Year with perennial contender Clay Guida and looked to be well on his way to getting a title shot. When he met Sean Sherk at UFC 90, many thought that with a victory he could earn a shot at BJ Penn's Lightweight title.
Sherk and Griffin would put on a Fight of the Night winner, with Sherk scoring the decision win, derailing Griffin's title hopes. Even with the loss, Griffin had won FOTN 3 times in his first 7 UFC fights, and had the fans support. After the Sherk loss, Griffin would put together 2 wins (including another FOTN against Rafael Dos Anjos, he would lose to prospect Evan Dunham in a close split decision. Following the loss to Dunham, Griffin was matched up with former Pride superstar Takanori Gomi. Coming in as a heavy favorite (-300) against a Gomi who was a shadow of his former self, Griffin would suffer a huge upset when he got clipped with a fastball right hand.
After the Gomi loss, he dropped another decision to another prospect in Nik Lentz. With the UFC folding the WEC and creating the featherweight and batamweight divisions, Griffin would be one of the first 155 pounders to make the drop down in hopes of revitalizing his career. His first fight at 145 since 2005 would be a successful one, as he took a decision from former featherweight title challenger (and TUF veteran) Manny Gamburiyan. His next fight against WEC vet Bart Palaszewski he would fail to make weight, coming in at 148 lbs. The 3 pounds didn't seem to matter, as Griffin got blasted early in the 1st round, making him 1 - 4 in his last 5 fights and having his name kicked around as a potential UFC cut.
via mmatrainingworkoutsonline.com
Vitor "The Phenom" Belfort
Vitor Belfort maybe the most polarizing fighters in MMA history. For any longtime Vitor fan will tell you with much frustration that you never really know what Vitor is going to show up at any fight. Bursting onto the MMA scene as a 19 year old, he would win the UFC 12 tournament in devastating fashion, winning both of his fights in a total of 2 minutes. He would crush fan favorite Tank Abbott a couple of months later, and was seen as the future of the sport. He represented the ability to blend multiple styles, with his black belt under Carleson Gracie in BJJ, as well as his excellent boxing, he was one of the first true mixed martial artists.
He was defeated by MMA legend Randy Couture in his 4th fight in the UFC, causing a bit of a derailment in the hype train, but Vitor rebounded with a quick armbar victory over Joe Charles, and then followed that up with what is the most recognizable highlight in his career when he KOed future Pride champion Wanderlei Silva in 44 seconds.
via imgboot.com
After this victory, Belfort would head overseas to begin fighting for Pride, making his debut against Japanese legend Sakuraba, dropping a unanimous decision at Pride 5. After this defeat, he would win his next 4 fights before coming back to the UFC in 2002 to face Chuck Liddell at UFC 37.5. He would lose this fight via unanimous decision, dropping his record to 10 - 3. He would bounce back a year later, with a win over Marvin Eastman, and would earn a rematch against Randy Couture for the UFC Light Heavyweight title. He would win his one and only championship when he stopped Couture in the first round when a seam from his glove opened up a vicious cut over Randy's eye.
They rematched immediately at UFC 49, where Belfort would be stopped in the third round due to a doctor's stoppage after eating some vicious ground and pound from Captain America. After this fight, Vitor hit a rough patch, going 2 - 4 over the next year and a half (including 2 losses to Alistair Overeem and a loss to Dan Henderson) bouncing around between the UFC, Pride and Strikeforce. During this time, he also received a suspension for testing positive for steroids after his loss to Dan Henderson at Pride 32. He would then move over to Cage Rage in England, where he would win their Light Heavyweight title, before signing with upstart promotion Affliction and dropping down to 185 lbs.
He would win his first two fights at 185 pounds before Affliction folded and he re-signed with the UFC for a third time. After a KO victory over former champion Rich Franklin, he would sit on the shelf for a over a year waiting for a fight with Anderson Silva. The fight wasn't worth the wait, as Belfort was KOed in highlight reel fashion by the champion. He has since bounced back with a victory over Yoshihiro Akiyama but considering how much promise he showed earlier in his career, it is safe to say that Vitor will never achieve the heights MMA fans had for him when he came on the scene as The Phenom.
via www.abry.biz
Once considered the future of the Light Heavyweight division, Sokoudjou exploded onto the scene when he crushed Antonio Rogerio Nogueira back at Pride 33, knocking the BJJ black belt out in just 22 seconds. He would follow it up with a victory of Pride Middleweight GP finalist Ricardo Arona in just under 2 minutes, and it seemed like the sky would be the limit, as he had defeated 2 top 10 fighters in this first 2 fights under the bright lights. He moved over to the UFC with the fold of Pride to face fellow prospect Lyoto Machida in 2009. It became evident as their fight wore on, that if you were gameplanning to defeat Sokoudjou, all you had to do was survive the early onslaught and wait for him to get tired. Machida would submit him in the second round with an arm triangle, setting back the expectations a bit. He would follow up this defeat by stopping Kazuhiro Nakamura with a leg injury between rounds, but then Luis Cane would take him into the second round, finishing him with strikes.
After the Cane loss, Dana White had seen enough and cut Sokoudjou loose. After 1 fight in Affliction (a loss to Babalu Sobral) he would enter the Dream Super Hulk tournament, making it all the way to the finals. Prior to the finals matchup, he lost to Gegard Mousasi via TKO, He was then finished in the Super Hulk tournament final by Ikuhisa Minowa. He has continued to alternate a handful of wins with a handful of losses, compiling a 12 - 10 record and going down as one of the biggest busts in MMA history.
The FanPosts are solely the subjective opinions of Bloody Elbow readers and do not necessarily reflect the views of Bloody Elbow editors or staff.
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It's really hard to include Belfort on this list.
I get the fact that he never lived up to his potential or at least what people expected of him but he’s still a top 10 MW, he’s still a very relevant fighter, and even though he has fallen it’s not that far especially if you compare it to guys like Brandon Vera or Brett Rogers.
I would not put Belfort on this list. He did win a UFC Title, and is a top ten fighter in his weight class still. He really hasn’t fallen off that bad, and his fights in the UFC now are main events or co-main events.
Everyone else though, I generally agree with. Todd Duffee is still very young and has potential to improve, so he may or may not have fizzled out in MMA.
Check out the C&D Channel on YouTube at: http://www.youtube.com/user/Gobusiness123 for MMA reviews, predictions, analysis, and other MMA related content.
He's a top 10 MW because of his name
What’s his biggest win at 185?
Fact is for the most part Belfort looks unstoppable against subpar competition and than fails in big fights.
"Everyone has a plan until they’ve been hit."
~ Joe Lewis
http://worldisart365.blogspot.com/
He did beat Rich Franklin
But that was at a 195 lb. catchweight. I guess his best MW win would be against Matt Lindland, who has looked like crap lately going 1-4 in his last 5 fights.
Exactly
Vitor Belfort lives off his name, not his actual accomplishments. People rank him top 10 because he fought for a title, a fight in which he accomplished nothing and did nothing to earn.
I mean seriously, all credit to him, he ruins Franklin in a catchweight fight but then sits for over a year and gets a title fight? If his name wasn’t Vitor Belfort he never would have got the fight with Anderson.
"Everyone has a plan until they’ve been hit."
~ Joe Lewis
http://worldisart365.blogspot.com/
That's ridiculous
You have to really stretch the truth to think Belfort doesn’t deserve his place in the top 10.
He destroyed Akiyama and Franklin in a way that no current MW other than Silva could. What is your definition of sub-par competition? Everyone except for Silva? Because I would pick him (and I bet Vegas does the same) over every MW except Sonnen and Silva.
If he loses to Rumble, then you can start putting him out of the elite, but even then he’s still clearly top 10 and it would be a huge upset if he lost to, for example, Bisping.
by paythefighters on Dec 18, 2011 12:56 PM EST up reply actions
Akiyama is subpar competition
And he didn’t fight Franklin at 185lbs.
If Akiyama is his biggest win at MW, that doesn’t really make him a top ten MW in my eyes.
"Everyone has a plan until they’ve been hit."
~ Joe Lewis
http://worldisart365.blogspot.com/
Who cares what weight he fought Franklin at?
He still beat him. That counts as a quality win in my book.
I smoke on the mic like Smokin' Joe Frazier
Yeah I wanted to pick him, since he never quite lived up to his potential,
but that’s because his potential was enormous. He’s still had a pretty fine career anyway.
What's this war in the heart of nature? Why does nature vie with itself? The land contend with the sea? Is there an avenging power in nature? Not one power, but two?
by Kwisatz Haderach on Dec 18, 2011 2:11 PM EST up reply actions
I would like to submit David Terrel for this as well.
"It is himself that a coward abandons first, after that all other betrayals come easily."
by doonerthesooner on Dec 19, 2011 2:48 PM EST up reply actions
I voted Vera just because the disparity between where he was and where he is now seemed the worse to me. He’s not quite as low as some of these guys have fallen, but he got higher than most of them.
I'd rather be trollin'.
The thing is Vera took too big of a jump in competition
The first there guys he beat ended up with a combined 1-7 record in the UFC, then he fought fat Frank and suddenly after all of the disputes he gets Tim freaking Sylvia in his prime. They built him too fast as much as the UFC took him down.
What’s scary with Vera now is that he’s gone three straight fights with a broken body part. Orbital vs. Jones, nose vs. Silva, and arm vs. Marshall. If I were Vera I’d retire. Because now he’s getting rocked on the feet by a guy with unremarkable striking skills like Eliot Marshall. It’s scary and the guy could get hurt even more than he already has been in the last few fights.
Read my tweets or whatever - @SSReporters
Belfort
has made a comeback, which is still in progress…
John Fitch > WW Devision
Dude, the old vitor is back. what are you talking about
"UFC is so gay, pride is awesome!"
by Hendo_One-Shot on Dec 17, 2011 10:23 AM EST up reply actions
It is hard to differentiate between guys who didn’t live up to their potential, and guys who were never very good in the first place. I don’t think Sokoudjou was ever very good to be honest. I voted Pariysian because he had a crazy skill set that he just didn’t get to use for many different reasons. Guys like Griffin and Huerta, they just aren’t doing very well, they were good for a while, I don’t think it is a case of not living up to their potential, I think they did but they are just losing to better fighters now. I think Rogers lived up to his potential definitely, he did great against Fedor and Arlovski. He is an aggressive brawler, guys like Overeem and Barnett will beat him 99 times out of 100
Proud to be the second pick of the draft for the K1 Level Predictions Team
Expert practitioner of the question mark pick
I saw the title
And immediately thought Vera
Business as Usual has a STACKED team. I mean, we could win with just me, but you know.
Rogers never had potential.
The only reason we even know his name is because: 1. The heavyweight division is very weak worldwide, 2. The the org he was fighting in had an ever weaker division and needed a warm body against Arlovski, and 3. Arlovski’s chin was made by Swarovski.
Share for share, share alike, you'll get struck each time I strike.
by gzl5000 on Dec 17, 2011 12:01 PM EST reply actions 16 recs
this
I was kinda shocked to even see Rogers on this list. I’ve never thought of him as on of these type of guys.
by Ricardo Arguello on Dec 17, 2011 1:04 PM EST up reply actions
I wanted to flag you for rhyming arlovski with swarovsky
but recced instead.
I'm all out of bubblegum
by some schmuck in texas on Dec 17, 2011 6:25 PM EST up reply actions
The rhyme was unintentional.
So thanks. I could’ve gone with Waterford instead.
Share for share, share alike, you'll get struck each time I strike.
The only reason we even know his name is because:
mmalogic bet $18,000 on him.
by wonderfulspam on Dec 19, 2011 3:56 PM EST up reply actions 2 recs
I think Karo is the first that comes to mind. He’s an exciting fighter and a great grappler. Even if he should probably drop down in weight.
by discoandherpes on Dec 17, 2011 12:32 PM EST reply actions
Heurta. He has a lot of potential but refused to evolve with the game.
Fuck you, double fingers
- Nick Diaz
Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society
- Mark Twain
Huerta has always had issues though. He got out wrestled by Guida for most of that fight and was out struck by Florian. He was never really elite at any aspect of MMA.
by discoandherpes on Dec 18, 2011 9:54 AM EST up reply actions
I voted Vera,
Sokoudjou would be second. His management kept taking money fights, when it was clear he had holes he needed to develop. Now he is way down the road, and probably will never see UFC again.
Vera never fought Alessio Sakara
I think you meant Assuerio Silva.
Read my tweets or whatever - @SSReporters
Your absolutely right Joe
Why I put Sakara I have no idea. I blame writing this at 2am
Robbie Lawler vs Nick Diaz UFC 47
Rogan: (after Diaz throws a looping left kick) Look at this Karate Kid stuff right here
Goldie: Daniel Miyagi has arrived in the OCTAGON.
by HeadKickOfDoom on Dec 17, 2011 4:03 PM EST up reply actions
It’s you’re, not your, and this time it’s not 2am
-Joe
by paythefighters on Dec 18, 2011 1:02 PM EST up reply actions
Where
is Yves Edwards?
Like a flame burning away the darkness
Life is flesh on bone convulsing above the ground.
GREAT POST
pretty hard to make a list with just one generation of fighters.
got to be vera thinking back it’s unreal to think he got cut…
i was excepting bj penn on list so it’s good to see an unbiased post
Why the bold?
And how would putting BJ on this list make it biased?
Business as Usual has a STACKED team. I mean, we could win with just me, but you know.
BJ Penn and Cro Cop.
Yes, they were both champs, but they both are notorious for their flakiness. Imagine if Penn had trained has hard as possible his whole career – how dominant would he have been? What if Cro Cop never lost his fire?
The Machiavellian.
Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better. -Samuel Beckett
by Scott C. Broussard on Dec 17, 2011 3:40 PM EST reply actions 1 recs
I also expected to see Penn on the list. The guy spent his whole career taking on the toughest challenges, and in my opinion is one of the top 10 fighters of all time. That being said, I feel as you do that his laziness and lack of heart prevented him from being an even better champion than he already was. There’s nobody quite like Penn who is both a great champion and an underachiever.
"I think you'll see my style of man beast will definitely come through" - Brad Pickett
by bcpjkell on Dec 18, 2011 2:05 AM EST up reply actions 1 recs
I really don't see BJ Penn having a lack of heart
GSP was a MMA baby the first time they fought, so it shouldn’t be used as a gauge for heart in getting crushed the second time.
Edgar is just too fast for BJ (and probably 99% of LWs), and along with judging it was more fight IQ that was lacking in securing the win in the first fight. It’s going to take a GSP-esque LW to take Edgar out, assuming his chin stays intact. Benson may be that guy, but maybe not.
IMO Penn overachieved against Fitch with an uncharacteristically great gameplan, so nothing to hold against Penn there. Against Diaz, BJ had plenty of heart, but he had a bit of a brainfart in getting cornered and pounded in the second.
by paythefighters on Dec 18, 2011 1:17 PM EST up reply actions
It's not gonna take a GSP type LW to take Edgar out
It’s going to take someone who has Gray Maynard’s boxing and a killer instinct.
Not afraid to nitpick
It's BJ Penn's Heart
that made him one of the top 10 fighters of all time. His work ethic can be questioned but his heart shouldn’t be.
It would be nice to turn back to clock and see what would have happened if he had got the decision he deserved against Edgar in the first fight.
I just fast travelled to a location where a cave bear, 2 wolves and 3 giant ass spiders attacked me. They felt the wrath of my glass war axe - Jon Fitch
I don't think guys like Griffen, Huerta and Rogers should be on here
I think they all hit their ceiling. Not great credentials to speak of, just heart and will.
Guys like Karo and Sokodjou have very legit credentials that built their potential up.
I’d add in guys like Pawel Nastula and Jake Rosholt
K-1 Level Predictions Team
David Terrell, David Loiseau, and Evan Tanner come to mind.
Terrell basically flaked but the Lindland KO was awesome. Tanner’s demons got the best of him. And Rich Franklin beat the will to compete out of The Crow.
For lower profile guys, Jake Rosholt and Steve Cantwell have both flown wildly under their expectations.
"Someone is WRONG on the internet. What do you want me to do? LEAVE? Then they'll keep being wrong!"
-Randall Munroe
by pdl on Dec 17, 2011 4:18 PM EST reply actions 1 recs
Cantwell is so disappointing
I feel bad for the guy.
Business as Usual has a STACKED team. I mean, we could win with just me, but you know.
I feel like there are other things at play with the Cantwell thing
That undisclosed health issue that stopped him from getting licensed at one point really looms large in my mind.
"Everyone has a plan until they’ve been hit."
~ Joe Lewis
http://worldisart365.blogspot.com/
Rosholt disappointed me so much.
I expected a hell of a lot more from that cat.
KEMvP
"You know Joe, if Keith Jardines last name was Johnson, the nickname 'The Dean of Mean' wouldn't work at all."
Terrell for sure.
He was supposed to be the next big thing. Of course, so was Vera. Those are the two biggest in my opinion.
Evan Tanner had accomplished all he was going to. Franklin beat the fight out of him.
"It is himself that a coward abandons first, after that all other betrayals come easily."
by doonerthesooner on Dec 19, 2011 2:49 PM EST up reply actions
I thought Terrell had like back injuries
or something.
Nick Diaz did call him out (for training) though after beating BJ…
I smoke on the mic like Smokin' Joe Frazier
It's hard to include a multi-divisional champ on this list.
But I would have to go with BJ. He was obviously fantastic, but his potential was so far beyond everyone else that it makes his inclusion possible.
Yeah. BJ probably could have been champ at 145 as well if he worked hard enough.
Fuck you, double fingers
- Nick Diaz
Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society
- Mark Twain
by TheLastEmpress on Dec 17, 2011 8:41 PM EST up reply actions
BJ would still be champ at 155
if he worked hard at it.
No matter how he worked, at this point, 170 is just to big for him. But at 155 lbs, w/ his skill set, I still think BJ could kick the shit out of Edgar…but woulda/coulda/shoulda don’t really mean to much.
I smoke on the mic like Smokin' Joe Frazier
sorry about the bold i never realised how it worked.
crocop talents abandoned him years early but he definitely reached his potential winning pride open weight gp was really an achievement if anything.
i’d love a post on what people excepted bj to achieve………
jake rosholt is a great shout!!!!!!!1
BJ...
I’m a huge Penn fan, but we all know he never lived up to his potential. He accomplished great things and is no way a bust, but he had the potential to be, by far, the best ever. His lack of solid cornering and intense training and perhaps his own motivation, kept him from achieving that status.
"Okay, Lindsay, are you forgetting that I was a professional twice over - an analyst and a therapist. The world's first analrapist."
My problem is this
Guys who never lived up to their potential is a completely different thing than who was the biggest bust.
For instance, I could accept Belfort as not living up to his potential, for many reasons, but I could never get behind classifying him as a bust.
"Okay, Lindsay, are you forgetting that I was a professional twice over - an analyst and a therapist. The world's first analrapist."
HeadKickOfDoom, let me just get this off my chest: I like your fanposts, but there are way too many woulds in them. 72 in this post alone, and I’m not sure any of them are necessary. The posts will flow better if you cut down on that. Otherwise, keep up the good work.
As for the meat of this post, I think there should be a category reserved for fighters who don’t stay in their proper weight class. Imagine what legends like BJ Penn or Sakuraba (who never won a single belt, if you don’t count the UFC Japan tourney) could have done if they had kept to their natural weight classes.
Fabricio Werdum
This guy is one of the best grapplers of all time, winning back-to-back ADCC championships, amongst other amazing grappling feats. He started his MMA career 8-1-1, submitting Alistair Overeem in 2006. Since, he has a respectable 7-4 record, including his career defining triangle of Fedor Emelianenko. But besides that, his best wins have come against Bigfoot Silva, Brandon Vera, and Gabriel Gonzaga. Those losses came via Big Nog, Arlovski, JDS, and that god awful rematch against Overeem.
Werdum is a great fighter, but for being perhaps the best grappler in MMA, I feel like he could’ve done better.
"I think you'll see my style of man beast will definitely come through" - Brad Pickett
He’s still improving in my opinion. I look forward to seeing him back in the UFC. He’s looked in much better shape since his last UFC stint and has improved significantly in his stand up.
I doubt he’ll ever be a champ, but he should be a top 5-7 guy for a while.
"Expose yourself to your deepest fear; after that, fear has no power, and the fear of freedom shrinks and vanishes. You are free." - Jim Morrison
by LowkickGreed on Dec 18, 2011 5:07 AM EST up reply actions
I think that Werdum is exactly where he should be despite being one of the top grapplers in MMA. Being great at one thing in MMA doesn’t mean that you’ll get that far in MMA, but Werdum has stayed as a consensus top ten Heavyweight and has beaten some name opponents. I just don’t see why it should be expected of him to go higher. By this logic, Vinny Magalhaes should be a world beater at Light Heavyweight.
Check out the C&D Channel on YouTube at: http://www.youtube.com/user/Gobusiness123 for MMA reviews, predictions, analysis, and other MMA related content.
I remember when I thought Houston Alexander was going to the top. Wow that train stopped quickly. James Irvin had some crazy potential as well and gave us some pretty awesome highlights. Andrei Arlovski fell off quick, and really only reigned the division when it was thin and only had one viable contender (in the UFC). BJ should also be on the list, but that’s debatable. Ryan Bader is looking to becoming a bust, although he’s still a mid range fighter. Oh, and Jake Shields was a huge UFC bust.
I voted for Karo, just because I think his fall has been the most tragic. That guy was a beast, and almost beat GSP (granted it was a young GSP).
"Expose yourself to your deepest fear; after that, fear has no power, and the fear of freedom shrinks and vanishes. You are free." - Jim Morrison
Vera.
Great skills, physical atributes and unfortunalely a headcase. Guys with his skills shouldn’t get smashed (literally) in every fight. Now he’s running out of bones to break.
"I'm not the best, but I'm capable of achieving the impossible" - Anderson Silva
running out of bones to be broken (I think that’s the correct way to say it).
"I'm not the best, but I'm capable of achieving the impossible" - Anderson Silva
by dancingChicken on Dec 18, 2011 10:29 AM EST up reply actions
Paulo Filho deserves a spot on the list too...
I remember him being the #2 ranked MW behind Anderson Silva, with a 16-0 record.
How the mighty have fallen…
by JiuJitsu Ergo Sum on Dec 18, 2011 8:24 AM EST reply actions
Good call
I think he hit his potential though, and just wasn’t able to keep it up…
I mean, the guy was ranked number 2 in the world.
I always wished he got his head on straight and hooked up with the guys at Black House.. I think it would have turned his career around.
K-1 Level Predictions Team
A good spin off to this would be Fighters who never lived up to their hype
And Sokodjou takes that one easily. He never really had that much potential, that much was clear early in his UFC career, but he still had a fuck ton of hype behind him.
Sokodjou was all potential
Unlike guys who were had no real elite skills (Vera, Rogers, Huerta), Sokodjou was an elite level judoka, with serious power in his hands, and unbelievable athleticism.
He could strike, grapple and was probably a better athlete the most of his opponents… but he wasn’t able to put those two things together.
K-1 Level Predictions Team
He also was a front runner, had a bad gas tank and no BJJ.
"I'm not the best, but I'm capable of achieving the impossible" - Anderson Silva
by dancingChicken on Dec 18, 2011 10:41 AM EST up reply actions
but elite Judo should be able to work against BJJ
I’m not a expert at either, but isn’t submissions and such a big part of Judo, as well as the throws?
You would think that being a elite Judoka, he would be able to defend against submissions well enough, but that’s why he failed to live up to the potential I guess.
And yes, he might have one of the worst gas tanks in all of MMA
K-1 Level Predictions Team
I think that a big part of Soko’s judo game was his athleticism, which made him kind of “one dimensional” (I’m using that term loosely) as a grappler. He wasn’t really a technician like Karo (who met Soko in Judo competition and beat him, even though he was much smaller), and it shows in his MMA game.
"I'm not the best, but I'm capable of achieving the impossible" - Anderson Silva
by dancingChicken on Dec 18, 2011 10:54 AM EST up reply actions
Someone else may be able to break this down better than me, but I think there’s a big distinction between Judo the martial art (represented by guys like Gene LeBell and Karo), and Judo the sport (as seen in dudes like Soko). Sport Judo apparently de-emphasizes ground fighting in favor of throws to a large degree, and Soko said as much at a press conference (to the exasperation of an also present Karo).
My name isn't Todd.
What makes potential?
I think in order for a fighter to have serious “potential” they must poses some type of elite skills, whether it be Boxing, wrestling, judo or BJJ…
Most of these guys on this list don’t have elite skills in anything. Tyson Griffen isn’t the best at anything, so why would we think he has the potential to be a world beater?
Guys like Sokodjou and Karo poses elite skills that make them potentially dangerous to anyone they fight.
K-1 Level Predictions Team
I would like to put Denis Kang
into that list.
Huge MW prospect coming into the UFC, completely fizzled and I dont even want to mention
his last fight.
by stiffUpperLip on Dec 18, 2011 1:36 PM EST reply actions 1 recs
That whole story about his wife is what really brought him down. His record before and after is really telling.
"Expose yourself to your deepest fear; after that, fear has no power, and the fear of freedom shrinks and vanishes. You are free." - Jim Morrison
by LowkickGreed on Dec 18, 2011 4:51 PM EST up reply actions
i went for Vera too... but there are some more names to be included
Although i know there would be useless to make an articles on the fighters who never reached much at all in the UFC. My choices would go for:
- Mirko Crocop who was i think one of the biggest dissappointments in the UFC
- BTW Alessio Sakara but i dont know whether he was ever considered a top contender
- I would but Mac Danzig here because i saw the guy in TUF and he seemed to have great qualities really paired up with a lot of belief in his abilities
and i agree on Vitor Belfort
Ahhh and let me say i m like you are
I love to spot such talents who i think would be great prospects. My biggest win was Badr Hari as i knew him before he turned out to become a superstar in the standup fighting world. However its not my responsibility what happenned with him afterwards :D
This guy's #1, IMO. Goddam injuries.
"Hi. I don't know you." - me
"Cigano punch my face...all the time." - Anderson Silva
by POW on Dec 18, 2011 5:57 PM EST reply actions 1 recs
fedorable
i don’t see how you’d need an elite skillset to have potential.
rory mcdonald is just an amazing all round fighter potenial ww champ?
jon jones (maybe) not sure how u’d class his wrestling at this stage
Right
I’m not saying guys can’t be great without elite credentials.
But who looked at Jon Jones and said “Wow, this guy is going to be the best LHW EVER!” when he first started fighting? No one really.
Now when Karo started fighting, people knew he was an elite level Judoka and had a serious chance at being a great fighter in MMA
K-1 Level Predictions Team
I would put Melvin Guillard on the list
Power, speed, reach and a ridiculous frame; just needed a brain transplant.
To me the potential issue has more to do with addressing natural God-given gifts and athleticism.
His chin is fine otherwise he'd have gotten KO'd by now at least.
He just has a severe tendency to underestimate his opponents or do something really, REALLY stupid and get caught.
He got subbed by Lauzon after he went down off a punch. If I remember correctly Stevenson dropped him with a jab.
by discoandherpes on Dec 20, 2011 11:48 PM EST up reply actions
slap yo self.
i tried to change my username to 'big country fit' but the system wouldnt let me.
by gspmademegay on Dec 19, 2011 5:29 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
Nice article
Handful of typos, but whatever. As for Belfort losing to Anderson… EVERYBODY loses to Anderson. If he beats Rumble, his spot in the Top 10 is more than justified.
Just Plain Sports
www.youtube.com/JustPlainSports
Because Rumble is a top 10 MW?
Or has even accomplished anything of note at MW?
I don’t get how beating a guy who has had a middling career as a WW reaffirms your place as a top 10 MW.
"Everyone has a plan until they’ve been hit."
~ Joe Lewis
http://worldisart365.blogspot.com/
Aleksander Emelianenko
How is he not on this list?
"Now you see that evil will always triumph, because good is dumb."
I think pulling off the biggest "bank" robbery in history is living up to ones potential and then some
"Now you see that evil will always triumph, because good is dumb."
by menckenstein on Dec 19, 2011 10:40 AM EST up reply actions
Jon Jones
Stopped in the first by Matt Hamill. He’ll never live that down.
"If you say Chael Sonnen I will light you on fire." -- Farthammer.
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