Issue 063
June 2010
In the early days of the sport, MMA was dominated by a variety of men from a wide range of disciplines: From wrestling to Muay Thai and judo to jiu-jitsu. At that time, there was no such thing as a true mixed martial artist.
Fast forward to 2010, and the days of the single-discipline fighter have come to an end. Today, it’s the well-rounded, complete fighters who rule the Octagon. But the mixed martial artist is more than just a well-rounded fighter – the mixed martial artist is also a true athlete, in the same sense as a professional player of football, basketball or hockey. The idea of the combat athlete seems to carry a lot of appeal, so much so that a variety of athletes from more traditional sports have even decided to give fighting a shot.
Though these ‘crossover athletes’ always create a stir in the media, very few actually manage to create a stir in the Octagon. In most cases a quick paycheck (or an attempt at self-promotion) is the primary motivator for these endeavors, but occasionally a truly exceptional athlete enters the cage and changes our perceptions of the sport.
We at Fighters Only have prepared a list featuring a variety of ‘crossover athletes’ and their stories. Some of them have succeeded, some have failed and some we would pay good money to see, should they ever decide to put on the four-ounce gloves.
THE GOOD
Unsurprisingly, it’s the professional combat athletes who seem to have the best luck at crossing over into MMA. All four of these fighters entered the cage with very limited experience in anything other than their respective sport, yet all four have had very successful MMA careers. Some have even become champions.
Shinya Aoki
Sport: Judo and jiu-jitsu
Another submission specialist who seemingly refuses to learn anything other than the most basic of stand-up skills. Aoki is a black belt in both judo and jiu-jitsu and as ‘pure’ a grappler as they get. He made a successful crossover to MMA in 2003, due largely to the fact that he’s light years ahead of the competition in all things submission-related. However, his inability to take a punch has cost him on several occasions – most notably in his two losses against Hayato ‘Mach’ Sakurai.
Some claim that Aoki’s success has been largely due to the fact that he’s the poster boy of Japanese MMA, and has been somewhat protected. However, it is undeniable that Aoki’s record is littered with submission wins over top fighters.
Demian Maia
Sport: Brazilian jiu-jitsu
It’s rare that a ‘pure’ jiu-jitsu practitioner does well in MMA these days, yet somehow Maia seems to be able to make the ‘gentle art’ work. His groundwork isn’t just effective; it’s a thing of beauty. The highly respected submission specialist is the 2007 ADCC champion, and had a lengthy and highly successful career as a grappler before making his official MMA debut in 2005.
Maia has no qualms with his jiu-jitsu focused style, in fact it doesn’t seem like he has any plans to change. He has already inspired a whole new wave of fans to focus on their submission skills at a time when most thought BJJ was less important in the cage.
Mirko ‘Cro Cop’ Filipovic
Sport: K-1 / Kickboxing
Several outstanding kickboxers have tried their hand at MMA, including Peter Aerts, Jerome Le Banner and Ray Sefo, but only ‘Cro Cop’ has been truly successful. The Croatian first donned the four-ounce gloves in 2001 following a successful career in K-1. At the time, Cro Cop relied on nothing more than his kickboxing and a rudimentary knowledge of MMA rules, but over time he perfected the sprawl ‘n brawl style.
Within five years, he had defeated a who’s who list of fighters, and was holding the prestigious Pride Openweight Grand Prix title. Though he has slipped in recent years, Cro Cop is still undoubtedly the most successful kickboxer to have ever made the transition into MMA.
Brock Lesnar
Sport: Wrestling
A standout amateur and pro wrestler, Lesnar was best known for his successful career in the WWE. In 2007, he made the transition to MMA with virtually no cage experience and only his wrestling ability to fall back on. Less than a year later, he signed with the UFC, causing fans and fighters alike to question whether a pro wrestler could become a real fighter. The debate raged on, but finally even the naysayers had to agree that the answer was a resounding yes.
In a span of two years Lesnar has become a force to be reckoned with. Today the former NCAA champion is the UFC heavyweight titleholder, and solid proof that ‘pure wrestlers’ can in fact be successful in the Octagon. WWE fanboys rejoice.
THE BAD
“How hard can it be?” seems to be what these four guys were thinking when they signed the dotted line. Though some of these athletes were among the best in their business, the crossover to MMA just didn’t pan out for them – a warning to others that if you’re going to do it, you had better be prepared.
Jose Canseco
Sport: Baseball
Why the former baseball star decided to try his hand at MMA is beyond anyone’s best guess. Canseco fared slightly better than Morton and co, lasting a whole 1:17 against Korean giant Hong Man Choi in what was a very painful bout (to watch). If Canseco proved anything, it’s that baseball does not provide a good base for MMA. The Cuban has gone on record saying that he would like to fight under the Strikeforce banner. According to recent reports, Strikeforce has decided not to rule him out.
Johnnie Morton
Sport: American Football
NFL fans were optimistic about Morton’s MMA endeavors, believing his speed and athleticism would be enough to guarantee success. Unfortunately, the former wide receiver’s career was very short-lived, lasting only 38 seconds. In an embarrassing turn of events, Morton tested positive for anabolic steroids following his post-fight drug test, with 14 times the legal level of testosterone in his body. He was denied his purse and has not taken part in MMA since – probably a good thing.
Pawel Nastula
Sport: Judo
Nastula is an Olympic gold medalist, and nothing short of a judo legend. Experts even claim the Polish grappler is one of the 20 greatest judokas to walk the planet. Unfortunately, he’s had nowhere near the same level of success in his MMA career, probably due to the fact that he started at the age of 35. The Warsaw native holds a 1-4-0 record in MMA, with one of the losses coming due to exhaustion. In all fairness, he’s had some pretty tough competition, including ‘Minotauro’ Nogueira and Josh Barnett.
Marcus Jones
Sport: American Football
An outstanding lineman, Jones was nothing short of a college football legend. He was drafted into the NFL and played exclusively for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for a total of seven seasons. At 34 he started his MMA career, and performed surprisingly well, winning four out of five fights before taking part in The Ultimate Fighter 10. Jones wasn’t particularly successful on TUF, in fact he was dubbed ‘Big Baby’ for being overly emotional and sensitive. He retired from MMA following a knockout loss to Matt Mitrione during the TUF finale. Though he fared significantly better than the majority of football players, he joined the sport far too late to be truly successful.
THE ONES THAT GOT AWAY
All four of these athletes are at the top of their sports, and all four have expressed an interest in MMA, but have yet to make the crossover. We’ve still got our fingers crossed.
Eddie Bravo
Sport: Jiu-jitsu
Bravo is a jiu-jitsu whiz and the inventor of the increasingly popular rubber guard. His no-nonsense, no-gi style is perfectly suited for MMA and has caused a paradigm shift among many mixed martial artists, as well as jiu-jitsu practitioners. Many top fighters have trained with Bravo and have implemented his lessons into their games. While he’s a successful coach and grappler, Bravo had always been somewhat hesitant to step into the cage, though he is an MMA fan.
Probability of seeing him in the cage?
Nonexistent. At 39 years of age, Bravo has moved on. His interests now lie primarily in jiu-jitsu, making music and marijuana advocacy – but we can always dream.
Shaquille O’Neal
Sport: Basketball
In case you’ve been living under a rock, O’Neal is one of the most dominant NBA players of all time, with strength and power that could only be described as freakish. At 7’2’’ and 325lb, O’Neal is an absolute beast, but, unknown to most, he has spent his last few off-seasons training in MMA. According to reports, the former NBA MVP has good conditioning, powerful knees, and a phenomenal rear naked choke.
Probability of seeing him in the cage?
Unlikely. O’Neal obviously takes his basketball very seriously. It would seem foolish that someone of O’Neal’s caliber would put his image and reputation on the line for an MMA contract – especially one that couldn’t pay even a fraction of what he makes through sponsorships alone. There is also the issue of the giant’s sheer size. With a 265lb cap on heavyweights, the 325lb O’Neal would have some serious trouble making
Buakaw Por Pramuk
Sport: Muay Thai
Buakaw is a spectacular Thai boxer – the 27-year-old has won the K-1 MAX world title twice and is perhaps one of the most exciting fighters in an already exciting sport. A brilliant technician, Buakaw is always one step ahead of his opponents and fans and constantly develops and changes his game. It is unclear how much (if any) grappling training he has had, and he would need to make some adjustments to his overall game, but the Thai striker could cause some serious damage inside the Octagon.
Probability of seeing him in the cage?
Unlikely. K-1 often promotes alongside Dream, thereby making an MMA match featuring Buakaw a possibility, however, the Thai is far too focused on K-1 and Muay Thai. Money would be the only reason Buakaw would sign the dotted line, and it would have to be a truckload of money at that.
David Haye
Sport: Boxing
A top boxer and heavyweight world champion, Haye has often spoken about crossing over into MMA. Unlike most boxers, Haye has been actively pursuing fundamental MMA training for the last six years and seems to be taking it seriously. Better yet, his interest in MMA is genuine and not solely for the purposes of collecting an easy paycheck.
Probability of seeing him in the cage?
Good. Though Haye is currently on a quest for the heavyweight boxing titles, he has gone on record saying that he would take up MMA after finishing his boxing career, and that he would take it seriously, with the intention of becoming a champion. At 29 years of age, Haye still has some time to adjust his game and make things happen. We can’t wait.
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