Don Frye was way before his time

[Kvolcom]

Royce was great but he would have never beat Don Frye imo

Once Don lost his soul and agreed to fix a fight(lose to Yosihda) his career was over but at the beginning? He was the evolution imo Him and Ruas were the first complete fighters.

Frank Shamrock took it to another level followed by BJ, GSP, Silva, Jones,

 

[wlu.29]

 

[AllDay97]

The guy clapping in the back of that gif above is hilarious

he is a monk at the just bleed temple in Tokyo… I just checked it’s true

 

[TheGreatA]

He was sort of a jack-of-all-trades, well-rounded but nothing special in any category. Which is why he lost against specialists like Mark Coleman who totally dominated him in the wrestling aspect.

Definitely set the table for a lot of fighters who came after him. At his peak he was 15-1 which was as good as it got in those days.

It should be remembered that he was over 30 years old when he started fighting in MMA, and was nearing 40 years of age for the part of his career that most people remember (in Japan). He also ruined his body doing pro wrestling, just like Ken Shamrock did.

 

[Blanqa Blanqua]

The guy clapping in the back of that gif above is hilarious

he is a monk at the just bleed temple in Tokyo… I just checked it’s true

Does he have a large mustache too?

 

[Benoitthegr8]

No doubt, Don Frye is definitely a one of a kind type of fighter and man

 

[AllDay97]

Does he have a large mustache too?

I don’t know but he looks big and he is in a cardinals jersey or something they guy is just awesome… I have seen that fight 68 times first time I ever noticed that guys utter delight in violence

 

[KBE6EKCTAH_CCP]

He was sort of a jack-of-all-trades, well-rounded but nothing special in any category. Which is why he lost against specialists like Mark Coleman who totally dominated him in the wrestling aspect.

Definitely set the table for a lot of fighters who came after him. At his peak he was 15-1 which was as good as it got in those days.

It should be remembered that he was over 30 years old when he started fighting in MMA, and was nearing 40 years of age for the part of his career that most people remember (in Japan). He also ruined his body doing pro wrestling, just like Ken Shamrock did.

Yes him or Ruas are definitely the first well rounded MMA fighters. But I disagree with the rest of your analysis. He was like 31 when he started which is prime. Then, I think Coleman had a significant size advantage. Frye would have punched him into a TKO if they had been the same size. Imo.

 

[KBE6EKCTAH_CCP]

No doubt, Don Frye is definitely a one of a kind type of fighter and man

And he also looked and sounded like the coolest, most positive dude outside the cage. At least in his early run.

 

[Local Plata]

He was well rounded for the time, I guess.

 

[TheGreatA]

Yes him or Ruas are definitely the first well rounded MMA fighters. But I disagree with the rest of your analysis. He was like 31 when he started which is prime. Then, I think Coleman had a significant size advantage. Frye would have punched him into a TKO if they had been the same size. Imo.

How many MMA fighters these days start at 31?

Coleman was a different level of wrestler compared to Frye. I'm not sure Frye could've ever defended the takedown from someone like Coleman.

 

[bloodyknuck]

Bas Rutten was well ahead of his time as well-

 

[sabretitan]

Well then came mark coleman two cards after ..
But yes frye was a beaut

 

[STRAWBOSS]

old confirmed: i remember in the 90s being awed by Severn and then Frye came along, as another Freddie Mercury motherfucker, a new and improved Severn, more well rounded and I was like damn. He inspired me. He was awesome.

he also said the funniest thing about Nick Diaz, if you see my signature.

 

[Robert Clarke]

BMF !

 

[SouvlakiSpaceStation]

Based on what exactly was the Yoshida fight a fixed fight... please explain. And even if it was, there's no logic to that statement at all. Why would his career be over after losing a fixed fight/throwing the fight to Yoshida? You say that as if him agreeing to a "fixed" fight is the reason why his career started to go downhill. Like he "sold his soul" or something...

He had the war with Takayama in his previous MMA fight and then got obliterated and KO'd by Jerome Le Banner in a Kickboxing fight just 2-3 months before the Yoshida fight. He was also 37 years old.

He had a known and all but confirmed fixed fight with Mark Hall at Ultimate Ultimate 96 (for the record, Don denies ever taking place in any fixed fights during his career), why wasn't his career over then? Bizarre statement.

 

[dnmb]

Yes him or Ruas are definitely the first well rounded MMA fighters. But I disagree with the rest of your analysis. He was like 31 when he started which is prime. Then, I think Coleman had a significant size advantage. Frye would have punched him into a TKO if they had been the same size. Imo.

Coleman had a huge size advantage. Frye was just above 200 pounds when he started MMA. But he went in there and took his beating like a man

Highly recommend his podcast with Joe Rogan

 

[Sweater of AV]

Don > time

 

[HUGHPHUG]

Don's fight against Amaury Bitetti is one of the earliest 'great' MMA fights, yet hardly anyone ever talks about it

 

[HI SCOTT NEWMAN]

Dan Severn taught him well and how to own a mustache. Severn is the GOAT though of that couple