The historical legacy of NFL players at the highest levels of MMA and Kickboxing

superpunch

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I'm just running through my mind here. Here's who I can think of:

Lesnar -- Cut from the practice squad. UFC HW world champ in 4 fights.

Sapp -- Played 1 game in the NFL. Beat Hoost and almost killed Nog.

Shaub -- Made the Bills' practice squad and was cut before the season started. KOd Cro Cop.

Mittrione -- 4 tackles in the NFL. KOd Fedor.

NFL players succeeding at the highest levels of the sport is hardly unprecedented. Why are people surprised that Greg Hardy is beating UFC level competition?
 
Calling Lesnar an nfl player is like calling Shaq a boxer...
 
Conclusion = bum NFL washouts become UFC level fighters with a few years (sometimes even months) of part-time training

Imagine Prime Bo Jackson being fully dedicated to MMA
 
He's beating piss poor fighters in a piss poor division.

NFL and NBA athletes have different qualities and a lot of them wouldn't excel at MMA IMO.

This whole A-level athlete thing is kind of a joke.

MMA requires unique qualities that the so called A-level athletes might not possess.
 
Calling Lesnar an nfl player is like calling Shaq a boxer...
Perfect example. Shaq is such an A level athlete that it's not even legal for him to compete in the UFC. The UFC literally sets rules to keep guys like him out of the sport. Schaub and Mitrione are the "manlets" of the NFL and NBA and KOd Fedor and Cro Cop. What do you think the HW versions of A level athlete sized guys like Shaq and Lebron would do to Fedor and Cro Cop?
 
NFL players succeeding at the highest levels of the sport is hardly unprecedented. Why are people surprised that Greg Hardy is beating UFC level competition?

So being on contract in the UFC is not synonymous with being world class (I.e, “highest levels of the sport”) Let’s cool our jets until he beats someone worth talking about...
 
He's beating piss poor fighters in a piss poor division.

NFL and NBA athletes have different qualities and a lot of them wouldn't excel at MMA IMO.

This whole A-level athlete thing is kind of a joke.

MMA requires unique qualities that the so called A-level athletes might not possess.
Whatever that mythical "it" is, Schaub and Mittrione have "it". NFL athletes with 4 tackles, cut during their first preseason, cut after 1 game, cut from the practice squad.. have enough "it" to beat GOATs. I don't think that mythical "it" will be that rare among other NFL and NBA guys..
 
He's beating piss poor fighters in a piss poor division.

NFL and NBA athletes have different qualities and a lot of them wouldn't excel at MMA IMO.

This whole A-level athlete thing is kind of a joke.

MMA requires unique qualities that the so called A-level athletes might not possess.
<TrumpWrong1>
 
Whatever that mythical "it" is, Schaub and Mittrione have "it". I don't think "it" will be that rare among other NFL and NBA guys.. NFL athletes with 4 tackles, cut during your first preseason, cut after 1 game.. have enough "it" to beat GOATs.
No they don't. Brendan and Mitrione beat old great fighters. They would get smoked if CC and Fedor were in their prime.
 
No they don't. Brendan and Mitrione beat old great fighters. They would get smoked if CC and Fedor were in their prime.
Cro Cop always had a glass chin

If a LHW with a .500 record like Randleman could sleep him, then so could Hardy, Schaub, Mitrione etc.
 
No they don't. Brendan and Mitrione beat old great fighters. They would get smoked if CC and Fedor were in their prime.
Do you think Jon Jones would beat a 40 year old Michael Jordan in 1 on 1 basketball just because he has an 84" reach? Of course not.

But the equivalent happens all the time in MMA only its not even Jon Jones doing it -- its the NFL's Cody Mckenzies doing it. Hell, sometimes Cody Mckenzie even beats Michael Jordan in his prime in this sport.
 
NFL athletes have different qualities and a lot of them wouldn't excel at MMA IMO.
NFL Linebackers and defensive linemen tend to have experience in either high school or college wrestling. There's a lot of crossover there.

If you gave Aaron Donald 6 months of MMA training, he'd have a ton of success in this sport. Easily.
... But that won't happen 'cause he makes 140 million playing his sport.
 
Johnnie Morton - Had four 1,000-yard receiving seasons in his 12-year career with the Lions, Chiefs and 49ers, knocked out by a Yu-Gi-Oh voice actor and refused to submit a urine sample in his only fight.
 
Johnnie Morton - Had four 1,000-yard receiving seasons in his 12-year career with the Lions, Chiefs and 49ers, knocked out by a sports dj and refused to submit a urine sample in his only fight.
If I'm reading right, the Lions had Sanders and Morton at the same time.. and still sucked. How is that possible?
 
It would be interesting to see how football players would translate to MMA in the lower divisions outside HW.

Obviously they wouldn't have any small guys, but some of the skill positions would have guys outside HW weights.
 
Johnnie Morton - Had four 1,000-yard receiving seasons in his 12-year career with the Lions, Chiefs and 49ers, knocked out by a sports dj and refused to submit a urine sample in his only fight.
Wide receivers are pussies, in every way possible. The rules are set up so they play like soccer players, flopping all over the place to draw pass interference flags.
 
Johnnie Morton - Had four 1,000-yard receiving seasons in his 12-year career with the Lions, Chiefs and 49ers, knocked out by a Yu-Gi-Oh voice actor and refused to submit a urine sample in his only fight.
Not all great players will automatically become good mma fighters. However, the physical specimens that go into these sports are heads and shoulders and knees and toes above the best mma athletes.

Joe rogan even said if Lebron did mma we would be all getting killed. Jon Jones is the least athletic guy in his family. And he’s the lhw goat.
 
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