Fighters with the best credentials who failed the worst

[mjfan23]

Has to be CM Punk, with amateur wrestling runner ups like Romero and bench warmers like DC doing well, most expected the multiple time Professional wrestling champ to dominate.

 

[Dr. Raglan]

Royce Alger

 

[welcometohavoc]

Usually when we talk about fighters with high level credentials it's a success story - wrestling Olympians like Cormier, Romero, Cejudo and McMann, striking champions like Overeem, Holm, Shevchenko and Jedrzejczyk, BJJ champions like Werdum, Jacare and Maia, and stars from other grappling sports like Fedor and the Once Ever Athlete. However, what are the best examples of world class credentials not translating well into MMA and leaving the fans who were hyped for an athlete feeling flat? Ishii might be a decent example since he never made any waves at HW despite coming in as a young gold medalist in judo, but he isn't anywhere near the worst. Jessica Rakoczy is closer being 1-5 in MMA after being a multiple time boxing champion, but she was also already older when she started. James Toney might count but I wouldn't think he ever truly dedicated himself to MMA.

Who had the greatest, um, nonsuccess relative to prior credentials outside MMA?

Roger Gracie

 

[welcometohavoc]

Sage Northcutt is a great one. Will Brooks is another. Jesus he was way overhyped.

Holly Holm too. YES she beat the queen cunt but otherwise a total bust.

Still can't believe she got a title shot on a 2 fight losing streak

 

[maxi diablo]

Sara Mcmann

 

[Dead Kennedy]

Probably Dennis Kang.

Still sucks he didn't have a better run in the UFC. All the talent to be a dominant champion, yet could never get it together. Regardless I'm a fan...


WAR DENIS KANG!!!

 

[DaPunkMinowaMan]

Ricardo Almeida
Alex Stiebling
Mark Kerr
Tom Erickson
Carlos Barreto
Ricardo Moraes

 

[dudefacemcghee]

Overeem? Great fighter but man his losses against Bigfoot and Travis were the definition of failure. The fact a prospect like him never won UFC gold is sad(or a good thing depending on how you look at it).

In a way I guess, but overseen was a decent grappler relatively early on and had a long decorated career. Hard to consider him a failure

 

[Naramie]

Hector Lombard
Rousimar Palhares

 

[Lint]

Overeem? Great fighter but man his losses against Bigfoot and Travis were the definition of failure. The fact a prospect like him never won UFC gold is sad(or a good thing depending on how you look at it).

I agree with you, but damn that loss was beautiful, I'm glad he did it!

It's hard for me to recall a KO/TKO half as awesome as that one.

 

[Guile]

Probably Dennis Kang.

what how..

 

[aizen00]

Usually when we talk about fighters with high level credentials it's a success story - wrestling Olympians like Cormier, Romero, Cejudo and McMann, striking champions like Overeem, Holm, Shevchenko and Jedrzejczyk, BJJ champions like Werdum, Jacare and Maia, and stars from other grappling sports like Fedor and the Once Ever Athlete. However, what are the best examples of world class credentials not translating well into MMA and leaving the fans who were hyped for an athlete feeling flat? Ishii might be a decent example since he never made any waves at HW despite coming in as a young gold medalist in judo, but he isn't anywhere near the worst. Jessica Rakoczy is closer being 1-5 in MMA after being a multiple time boxing champion, but she was also already older when she started. James Toney might count but I wouldn't think he ever truly dedicated himself to MMA.

Who had the greatest, um, nonsuccess relative to prior credentials outside MMA?

According to the ufc, Phil Brooks should top the list!

 

[AndleMyRiddum]

Audley Harrison. The guy was a genetic freak. He was 6`6 with an 86 inch reach (Jon Jones has 84 inch reach for comparison, Klitschko 81 and Joshua 82), and weighed around 250lbs lean. He had knockout power, won the Olympic gold medal in boxing, but never manged to become anything in professional boxing. He just failed. Much due to lack of discipline. Just sad. He is bankrupt and drug addicted now.

 

[Kneepocalypse]

Sexyama

While his UFC run was not great, he put on some great fights with Belcher, Bisping, and Leben. On top of that, his wins over Denis Kang and Melvin Manhoef were stellar. He has had a great career, and he is still sexy as fuck.

 

[Wanderlei Industries]

Rulon Gardner.

 

[Katsumi Yamada]

I'm tempted to say Hidehiko Yoshida, partly due to his role in Rulon Gardner's MMA foray.
An honorable mention would go out to Marcus LeVesseur.

Yoshida started MMA 10 years after his Judo peak and way undersized, he submitted Don Frye in his damn debut and also submitted Mark Hunt, Kiyoshi Tamura, Ogawa etc. And went to war with Wanderlei.

He lost to Gardner because he is way smaller.

A better example would be Ogawa himself or Pawel Nastula who both have better judo records than Yoshida and never beat anyone good in MMA

 

[Katsumi Yamada]

Roger Gracie is the answer, he's a decent fighter with a decent record but in my opinion he is the greatest BJJ player EVER, as well as being a tall LHW, he should have been champ.

 

[emeraldgsl]

For some reason this thread reminds me of Tiki Gnosh. He doesn't belong on this list but I always lol when I think of Mike Goldberg calling one of his fights where he lost and saying something to the effect of "the greatest/best fighter to never win a UFC fight" lmao

 

[Strijfy]

Uriah Hall... after his brutal knock out /skill display early on , he never really carried it through in the UFC

 

[AtlSteel]

Anderson Silva. Twice.