How did Bo rationalize Ed Ruth?

[Thesnake101]

Maybe he wasn't making a lot of money from MMA?

Ed just wasn't that good sadly. Amosov and Neiman got the better of him in the grappling iirc, his own wrestling didn't really do much for him there, and then he got subbed quickly by Taylor in a way that just told you he was not going to be rising up the ranks, ever.

Clear example of accolades not mattering in MMA.

 

[AndrewGolota48]

Ruth's problem was actually that he almost never wrestled in MMA for some reason.

It was as if he figured he would never reach the top without improving his striking and he had freakishly long reach, so he basically used used his striking and not his wrestling at all.

Maybe he just did it to expose the truth to himself more quickly so he wouldn't waste time on something if it didn't come quick, I don't know. But I remember getting mad that Ruth never took his opponents down. I figured he could unleash a Jon Jones style hElbows from on top.

Bo was starting to head down that same direction, clearly having the desire to be some kind of sprawl and brawler. It seems that he and his team and/or the UFC tried to match him up with the twin worst strikers back to back for him to use that gameplan...or maybe the thought was just that it would give valuable in-cage striking time while still being able to win.

But what I think is the most concerting result from this fight is that Bo and his team came out in round 2 with the gameplan to wrestle and he simply couldn't do it. I had a bad feeling he wouldn't go far when, to me, his wrestling looked far from invincible even against much lower level competition. When he's at the higher end of the division, if his wrestling isn't other worldly, he's going to get crushed on the feet, and his wrestling in MMA unfortunately isn't on that level. In order to survive he would need Merab level toughness and durability, and he doesn't have that either.

 

[Meathead Jock]

Ed just wasn't that good sadly. Amosov and Neiman got the better of him in the grappling iirc, his own wrestling didn't really do much for him there, and then he got subbed quickly by Taylor in a way that just told you he was not going to be rising up the ranks, ever.

Clear example of accolades not mattering in MMA.

I still think he was and could have been great if his head was more in it. The Taylor fight going up a weight class for just felt like a cash grab before quitting.

 

[GreatSaintGuillotine]

Ed was really good. His bjj wasn't good enough to beat top tier mma grapplers.

 

[KillerIsBack V2]

Dr Seuss had a top seller that I think Bo should look into.
View attachment 1093649

Red Foreman approved

 

[SaltedVinegarfootstomps]

By the time prestigious American wrestlers try to cross over to MMA most of them are in double digits on back, neck, shoulder, knee injuries. They actually have a very limited window physically and this is compouned by modern training requirements. It's also gotta be hard transitioning to a sport where you are no longer pinning someone to win, but you have to smash their face in on the ground. Muscle memory has them holding back and writhing around like a toothless snake