How many top UFC fighters are actually MMA based rather than former specialists?

[spacetime]

I think this is the only sport in which the best fighters are not based in the sport they're competing in.

Some of the exceptions:

Tim Sylvia
Anderson Silva (no real specialist background, just dabbled around).

Robert Whitaker arguably. He did Karate for 8 years as a kid, which I see very little sign off in the matches I watched.

 

[OZ!]

Anderson Silva was a Muay Thai guy. Had several pro bouts before he ever joined mma.

 

[spacetime]

Anderson Silva was a Muay Thai guy. Had several pro bouts before he ever joined mma.

Not according to Wiki

 

[OneManGang]

How about CM Punk being a specialist in nothing.

 

[Kumason]

Rory Mac comes to mind.There's a ton of very good (depends on what you call "top") but I can't contribute much to a shitty made thread.You don't see Silva as a MT guy lol.I see a lot of Whittaker's karate especially in his stance,throwing the right straight after leaping in etc. etc. duh.No wonder I had you on ignore.

 

[spacetime]

Rory Mac comes to mind.There's a ton of very good (depends on what you call "top") but I can't contribute much to a shitty made thread.You don't see Silva as a MT guy lol.I see a lot of Whittaker's karate especially in his stance,throwing the right straight after leaping in etc. etc. duh.No wonder I had you on ignore.

Guys who fight in Muay Thai for a living like Kevin Gastellum say that Anderson is in now way a former Muay Thai expert

 

[g*r*b]

Well, it's a young sport. Other sports more entrenched in the culture already have a lot of easily available youth programs to turn to.

 

[spacetime]

Well, it's a young sport. Other sports more entrenched in the culture already have a lot of easily available youth programs to turn to.

I don't think it I'll change. The specialist will win more often than not

 

[flairleguccijoints]

I think this is the only sport in which the best fighters are not based in the sport they're competing in.

Some of the exceptions:

Tim Sylvia
Anderson Silva (no real specialist background, just dabbled around).

Robert Whitaker arguably. He did Karate for 8 years as a kid, which I see very little sign off in the matches I watched.

What does “mmA” based mean?

 

[Egészségére!]

 

[Bangkok ready d1]

Right now in the ufc? Edmen shabazyan is the only one i know

 

[agibmxmma]

Guys who fight in Muay Thai for a living like Kevin Gastellum say that Anderson is in now way a former Muay Thai expert

Kelvin Gastelum never fought Muay Thai for a living..

 

[agibmxmma]

Max Holloway

 

[Kumason]

Guys who fight in Muay Thai for a living like Kevin Gastellum say that Anderson is in now way a former Muay Thai expert

What are you babbling about?If you're trying to be funny can you at least make sense?

 

[BEER]

View attachment 704923

Cowboy had a bunch of MT fights before transitioning IMO.

Everyone has a "base" though. Rory was touted as the "next generation" because he was one of the younger guys that was training just "MMA" early on. But pretty much everyone will move into MMA from another singular sport.

 

[Tyler Durden]

Kelvin Gastelum never fought Muay Thai for a living..

Yeah, wasn’t Gastelum billed as a wrestler while in TUF?

 

[Breaking]

There is a lot of dumb shit being said in this thread...

A lot.

 

[spacetime]

Kelvin Gastelum never fought Muay Thai for a living..

I meant kevin Ross