Apparently Gokhan Saki fought in the UFC??

[achoo42]

He fought (and lost) to Khalil Rountree on the main card UFC 226.

Why didn't I know this

He never pops up in the "greatest UFC strikers of all time" discussions where people regularly mention Art Jimmerson and Maurice Smith

 

[TheBulge]

Yeah. I confused him at times with Siyar, another vicious muslim fighter from the netherlantics. But Gokhan had a very high but short peak, and people just thought he needed a good moment to recapture that momentum he once had. Maybe in his next comeback.

 

[2004 account]

He fought (and lost) to Khalil Rountree on the main card UFC 226.

Why didn't I know this

He never pops up in the "greatest UFC strikers of all time" discussions where people regularly mention Art Jimmerson and Maurice Smith lol

No, but he did pop up in a thread about worst ufc signings.

Turkish tyson in retrospect was a bad ufc signing, tons of potential but not built for mma and no ground game

 

[blaseblase]

Why would he be brought up as the greatest UFC striker?

 

[Tweak896]

The hype came and left. It's hard for people to think you're a feared K1 striker when some random mma guy finishes you on the feet. People moved on after that.

 

[WoozyFailGuy]

The reason he isn't brought up is probably because he was starched by Rountree standing.

 

[achoo42]

Why would he be brought up as the greatest UFC striker?

Because behind only Semmy Schilt (and debatably Alex Pereira), he's the most decorated kickboxer who ever fought in the UFC?

Man Semmy Schilt fighting in the UFC is also so weird to me.

 

[RoyJonesJr]

Was too washed and injured when he came to the UFC

Theres Glory and theres K1

K1 was just brutal on the body, and he had 81 fights in K1 alone, some in the same day

If we got prime Saki in the UFC, he could be up there with Izzy and Alex in terms of legacy

 

[VinceArch]

Kind of put an end to the "K-1 striking" talk that had littered MMA so that was a silver lining.

 

[blaseblase]

Because behind only Semmy Schilt (and maybe Alex Pereira), he's the most decorated kickboxer who ever fought in the UFC?

Man Semmy Schilt fighting in the UFC is also so weird to me.

You saw the Khalil Rountree fight right?

 

[achoo42]

Kind of put an end to the "K-1 striking" talk that had littered MMA so that was a silver lining.

OK but let's not pretend that K-1 in 2018 was anything like K-1 at its peak

You saw the Khalil Rountree fight right?

I'm talking about accomplishments, not performance in a single fight

Weidman is not a greater striker than Anderson Silva

 

[VinceArch]

OK but let's not pretend that K-1 in 2018 was anything like K-1 at its peak

I'm not. But the difference in gloves can negate any kind of exceptional striking skill someone can have when they are going against someone with the same gloves.

 

[blaseblase]

I'm talking about accomplishments, not performance in a single fight

Weidman is not a greater striker than Anderson Silva

Silva dominated the middleweight division for years. Saki didn't accomplish anything in the UFC and got KO'd by an unheralded fighter. It would be laughable to even put him in the conversation.

 

[moreorless87]

Kind of put an end to the "K-1 striking" talk that had littered MMA so that was a silver lining.

Honestly Saki whilst he wasnt THAT old he was close to the end of his career, has done very little since.

 

[VinceArch]

 

[RockyLockridge]

yeah unfortunately he got KO'd by roundtree jr.

but in his first fight he looked SICKKK

You saw the Khalil Rountree fight right?

yeah and? It doesn't make Saki any less decorated as a kick boxer.

 

[PrideNverDies]

The reason he isn't brought up is probably because he was starched by Rountree standing.

Since when is Rountree some bum striker? He trained in Thailand and has tons of KOs in UFC

 

[Ludwig von Mises]

This thread exposes how dumb so many posters on this forum are.

"He lost to Roundtree, this means Saki sucks and K-1 striking sucks."


Saki became a pro fighter in 2003 and landed in the UFC in 2017 and had 81 fights at the highest level of Heavyweight kickboxing by then. While Poatan was getting starched by little K-1 Max guys like Kyshenko and getting outclassed by MW Artem Levin in Glory, Saki was fighting the best HW kickboxers in the world and taking insane damage and mileage from fights with guys like Ubereem, Badr Hari, Daniel Ghita, Tyron Spong, Peter Aerts, Ruslan Karaev, Ray Sefo and Ignashov.

Saki was absolutely washed up by the time he got to the UFC and blew his knees out trying to adjust his game to MMA and retired.

Your average shertard lacks the critical thinking to take these things into account. Smh.

 

[NoSmilez]

Saki isn't the same human being when he came to the UFC. He was a Mike's gym product. He came to the UFC deflated and slow. Testing really ruined him. He also didn't really belong in the UFC. He had zero wins in MMA when he came to the UFC. I think the UFC is a little better at letting fighters develop outside of the UFC before bringing them in now.

 

[blaseblase]

yeah and? It doesn't make Saki any less decorated as a kick boxer.

You're not the greatest UFC striker if you're getting KO'd by average fighters. Might as well ask why Khalil Rountree is never brought up.