6'9'' 250lbs top level athlete

[bigconan]

NBA player James Johnson 6'9 250lbs Power Foward says he would love to do MMA after his NBA career is done.
Do you think such an high level athlete would have a chance to succeed in MMA in is 30's after he's done in the NBA (currently 28yrs old) Reach & size already make him interesting/marketable
Good KickBoxing background 7-0 amateur MMA, 20-0 in kickboxing
;
Johnson comes from a clan of warriors. His parents are black belts. He has eight siblings, and they are also all black belts of varying degrees. His youngest sister, about 10 years his junior, is working toward her third degree. He’s a second-degree black belt himself. His first MMA bout came at the age of 18. Johnson was declared the winner after 97 seconds. He’s fought a total of seven MMA matches and is undefeated. He’s 20-0 in all his kickboxing matches.

Limk ; http://grantland.com/the-triangle/they-call-him-bloodsport-james-johnson-kicks-his-way-into-the-nba/

With a ton of training, he might do ok at the local shows. But at the larger stages, he will get killed. If you do not have any martial arts background, you never be successful. simple. If you look at guys that are successful, they grew up in martial arts or wrestling or boxing or kickboxing. not basketball.

 

[Paul L]

No seems real!!! http://www.mixedmartialarts.com/fighter/James-Johnson:8E11B69F21DEC45A

Props to you, I couldn't find that. He has a few anyways from 7 years ago, but I still think those numbers are super exaggerated.

 

[Sonny Qc]

Props to you, I couldn't find that. He has a few anyways from 7 years ago, but I still think those numbers are super exaggerated.

yeah probably ... would still like to see him fight tho

 

[RondaDrowsy]

By far the most absurd post of the day.

Specially when discussing it on an MMA level. Simply put it this way: elite grappler has a much better chance to KO an elite striker than a striker subbing a grappler lol.

this is because it is easier to KO someone (requires 1 punch) than it is to set up a submission. that's like saying competing in 100m is easier than 5km run because it's easier to finish 100m. what you said makes no fcking sense when talking about competition

 

[mkt]

Good point, I think there's hope for this guy. Mostly a bench player/defense expert. but have to agree that pass 32yrs old he won't reach the UFC level

Imagine the opposite: "Yeah, I'm enjoying my MMA career and plan to fight until I'm about 35. After that, who knows. I'm thinking about walking on to the Broncos. I may not start right away, but I can see myself enjoying an NFL career after I'm done with the UFC."

 

[Sonny Qc]

Imagine the opposite: "Yeah, I'm enjoying my MMA career and plan to fight until I'm about 35. After that, who knows. I'm thinking about walking on to the Broncos. I may not start right away, but I can see myself enjoying an NFL career after I'm done with the UFC."

well there's a lot of guy who started their athletic career eslewhere and still end up pretty good, but I get the point...

 

[Based God]

To all the people saying he would fail because of lack of grappling. Derrick Lewis started MMA with only a very short boxing background (only trained boxing, never actually fought) and is currently 19-4 (6-2 UFC)

Derrick Lewis is a fat dude, with no gas tank, and only boxing and has been successful. Yet to all the supposed sherdog experts an A-level athlete with over a decade of kickboxing experience, including numerous fights and a 3-0 amateur MMA record would fail.....simply because of grappling lol people are retarded.

 

[BRASIL WAND]

this is because it is easier to KO someone (requires 1 punch) than it is to set up a submission. that's like saying competing in 100m is easier than 5km run because it's easier to finish 100m. what you said makes no fcking sense when talking about competition

My point is you can't replicate a real black belt son.

A decade's worth of learning and repetition.


Grapplers have an easier time picking up striking than strikers do grappling for a reason. Some of the most efficient strikers in MMA have grappling bases... Dom, TJ, Werdum, MM, etc.

 

[Elitebrawler]

He will be the HW champ

 

[leatherneck]

Striking in MUCH easier to pick up that grappling,

i dont think ive ever disagreed with you before,

but i couldnt disagree more here.

very subjective.

in fact, i think if i had to pick, striking is harder.

certainly i think elite striking is harder to come by than elite grappling.

 

[RondaDrowsy]

My point is you can't replicate a real black belt son.

A decade's worth of learning and repetition.


Grapplers have an easier time picking up striking than strikers do grappling for a reason. Some of the most efficient strikers in MMA have grappling bases... Dom, TJ, Werdum, MM, etc.

well this convo is pointless if you consider dom,werdum to have good striking.

being a pro boxer is WAY harder to become than a black belt. there is no requirement to be a black belt. people hand them out after a certain amount of time put into the sport

 

[green giant]

Depends on is he is a born fighter or not. He has a chance if he is but athleticism does not translate into automatic MMA skill either. Being a born fighter is much more important then being a born athlete.

 

[DCarf]

I would have said James Johnson is def one of the toughest guys in the NBA and one of the last people you want to fight in the NBA even before learning this info

 

[combobreaker]

At heavyweight yes

 

[wiseolddragon]

The main problem with all of these scenarios is the same. These athletes would like to do MMA after their physical prime is over--or after a bunch of injuries in their chosen, much-better paying pro sport...which may even be pro wrestling. We're not going to see a true, prime NFL pro bowl athlete or champion boxer in MMA.

Holly Holm.

 

[Sonny Qc]

Imagine the opposite: "Yeah, I'm enjoying my MMA career and plan to fight until I'm about 35. After that, who knows. I'm thinking about walking on to the Broncos. I may not start right away, but I can see myself enjoying an NFL career after I'm done with the UFC."

Brock lesnar try a NFL career before MMA fail miserably, after became UFC champion.. just sayin'

 

[BRASIL WAND]

well this convo is pointless if you consider dom,werdum to have good striking.

being a pro boxer is WAY harder to become than a black belt. there is no requirement to be a black belt. people hand them out after a certain amount of time put into the sport

I do agree that Pro Boxing requires more talent and learning than MMA.


But if you read my quote I did say "on an MMA level"

 

[BeardotheWeirdo]

One thing to take into account is that he'd be fighting at HW.

The HW division has barely evolved in the past 10 years, and almost all of the top guys are in their mid 30's

Jon Jones had been fighting for 3 years when he won the UFC LHW belt, if Johnson trains seriously during his off-time then he could maybe be legit before he's too old. Who knows.

 

[Takamine86]

How so? Your argument is basically that nba experience and some toughman boxing competitions would make this guy successful in the UFC lol

I don't know what you're reading but I never made that argument. Let me explain what my argument was since the example I laid out for you is too complex for you to understand.

You said James Johnson would never be able to stop a guy who has been grappling his whole life. I told you that he can learn to grapple, then I gave you an example of a fighter (Holly Holm) beating another fighter (Ronda Rousey) with a life's worth of grappling experience in MMA. Then you proceeded to point out some more examples of fighters who learned grappling later and were able to defeat fighters who have been grappling their whole lives. So thank you for pointing out examples that go against your original argument and admitting you were wrong.

 

[BRASIL WAND]

Brock lesnar try a NFL career before MMA fail miserably, sfter became UFC champion.. just sayin'

He failed at football because he was a lifelong wrestler who just happened to have elite athleticism even by NFL standards. Dude wanted to make money before the WWE picked him up.

Do you know how hard it is to win two NCAA wrestling tourneys?


FYI he has better combine numbers than any of Jon Jones brothers who were First Round Picks.


NBA players in MMA... Lol stop it