If Rampage fought in the UFC instead of PRIDE would he have taken Chuck's place as 1st mma superstar

I'm Shawn Spencer

I'm Shawn Spencer

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If Rampage started out in the UFC and never went to PRIDE, do you think he would have taken Chuck's spot as the first real mainstream mma superstar in America?

He had the personality, the looks, the fighting style and the skills to do so, I think. It's kind of interesting to think about. Because Rampage's style was similar to Chuck's but not exactly the same. Did Chuck have better TDD than Rampage? Could Rampage have found as much success in the UFC during that time as Chuck did? Would Rampage have gotten past Randy? Would the American public have embraced him back then as much as they did Chuck? What do you think?
 
Who knows.

Rampage when he first came to the UFC was better than he ever was in Pride.
 
He did take Chuck's spot though but things went downhill after the Forrest Griffin loss.
 
Randy would have smacked his ass too
 
Reign009 said:
Who knows.

Rampage when he first came to the UFC was better than he ever was in Pride.
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Well, his boxing was better than it was in Pride. But imo he'd gotten away from the slams and the raw physicality he had in Pride. Although he did have a great wrestling match with Hendo in the UFC, so he still could use that when he needed to.

But also by the time Rampage got the UFC, mma in the US had already exploded and Chuck was the face of all that. So even when Rampage beat Chuck...he didn't get the kind of fame Chuck had gotten. I think possibly if Rampage had started out in the UFC he'd have been the UFC's poster boy, and the face of mma in America, instead of Chuck. But then again, who knows if he'd have beaten Chuck back then in the cage? I know he beat Chuck in Chuck's prime back in Pride, but that wasn't in the cage. So that might have mattered. Maybe Chuck would've beaten Rampage in the UFC if they'd fought there in the early to mid 2000's? Who knows?
 
He would've been the next one if he would've given a fuck and trained for Forrest rather than taking him lightly.
 
I'm Shawn Spencer said:
Well, his boxing was better than it was in Pride. But imo he'd gotten away from the slams and the raw physicality he had in Pride. Although he did have a great wrestling match with Hendo in the UFC, so he still could use that when he needed to.

But also by the time Rampage got the UFC, mma in the US had already exploded and Chuck was the face of all that. So even when Rampage beat Chuck...he didn't get the kind of fame Chuck had gotten. I think possibly if Rampage had started out in the UFC he'd have been the UFC's poster boy, and the face of mma in America, instead of Chuck. But then again, who knows if he'd have beaten Chuck back then in the cage? I know he beat Chuck in Chuck's prime back in Pride, but that wasn't in the cage. So that might have mattered. Maybe Chuck would've beaten Rampage in the UFC if they'd fought there in the early to mid 2000's? Who knows?
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The slams worked well for him a few times in Pride but they had become a little impractical in the UFC where it was more about competition rather than putting on a show. I remember him gassing himself out pretty bad going for those slams sometimes.

The Arona one was a thing of beauty though. Perfect time, situation, and position to use it. You don't always get an opening like that.
 
DarkneT said:
Randy would have smacked his ass too
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That would've been a great fight. That's one I wish we'd gotten to see.

Also Rampage vs Vitor back then would've been good. Would Rampage have gotten past those guys like Chuck did?
 
Rampage was clearly better than Liddell. If he'd have been in the US at the time Liddell never would have become champion.
 
Reign009 said:
The slams worked well for him a few times in Pride but they had become a little impractical in the UFC where it was more about competition rather than putting on a show. I remember him gassing himself out pretty bad going for those slams sometimes.

The Arona one was a thing of beauty though. Perfect time, situation, and position to use it. You don't always get an opening like that.
Click to expand...

He attempted the same slam on Machida (from a triangle) but Machida just released it and dropped back to his feet.
 
I'm Shawn Spencer said:
Well, his boxing was better than it was in Pride. But imo he'd gotten away from the slams and the raw physicality he had in Pride. Although he did have a great wrestling match with Hendo in the UFC, so he still could use that when he needed to.
Click to expand...

His cardio was also a lot better since he was actually training like a professional for the UFC.
 
Wasnt Tank Abbott the first true UFC Superstar ;) ;) ;)
 
DarkneT said:
Such a better time

No really

Mma is weak nowadays
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I only wish they'd have put the Chuck and Wanderlei fight together back before they'd both been knocked out repeatedly. Dana introduced Wanderlei and they did a face off (after the second Tito fight, perhaps, or maybe after Babalu... can't recall), so obviously it was on the radar, but I assume they couldn't come to terms on how they would handle things if Wanderlei were to win, being that he was under contract with Pride.
 
and Tito vs Ken Shamrock was the 1st true superstar rivalry
 
He would have been UFC champ for sure. How long? Who knows? I do agree that Randy would have been a challenge but he would have smashed most of the competition.

He just had Liddell's number though.
 
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