Modern UFC fighters going through Lions Den tryouts?

[Ogata]

There is a discussion about old school MMA training the old school trainers demanding insane work rate. One was Kens try out, he believed that cardio was and still is the greatest asset a fighter can have regardless of combat sports. I am curios to know, if all modern UFC fighters can go through the try out?

This is the requirements: (copy and paste)

• 500 squats

• 200 push ups

• 200 sit ups

• 1.5-mile (2.4 km) run

• Repeated runs up and down bleacher steps

• Bear-crawls up steep hills

• Lugging heavy barrels of water and sand bags up steep hills

• The candidates who were still left at this point would then go on to do as many pull-ups as they can without stopping.
  

• Candidates then went to the actual Lion's Den facility for several hours of sparring.

Shamrock wanted fighters that could get through this ordeal without quitting, even after their body had failed on them, in order to see how serious the fighter was about dedicating his life to MMA fighting


Here is the video of part 1, the rest are also on YouTube if you want to watch all of it.

 

[TheRuthlessOne]

Its all bullshit

 

[Ogata]

Its all bullshit

What is? the try out?

I mean, its a solid program for conditioning and stamina. A bit excess but then, lots of old school catch wrestlers trained like this as did old school judokas. Kimura the greatest judoka had his students do 1,000 push ups, though it was what they called diver bomb push up or Hindu push ups.

 

[leto1776]

It made sense back in the day. One night tournaments were the name of the game at the time. Ken pushed guys to the limits and beyond, because that's what a one night tournament of fights with no time limits also did.

 

[TheRuthlessOne]

What is? the try out?

I mean, its a solid program for conditioning and stamina. A bit excess but then, lots of old school catch wrestlers trained like this as did old school judokas. Kimura the greatest judoka had his students do 1,000 push ups, though it was what they called diver bomb push up or Hindu push ups.

I dont think Ken himself could have done all that shit

Thats what I mean by bullshit

Its was a gimmick to get people into lions den

 

[UFC=Pride]

Was this actually true I just assumed it was bullshit

 

[leto1776]

I dont think Ken himself could have done all that shit

Thats what I mean by bullshit

Its was a gimmick to get people into lions den

A gimmick would have been something that upped the clientele. Ken's tryouts washed out the majority of guys.

 

[DWAYNEAMERICA]

• 500 squats

• 200 push ups

• 200 sit ups

• 1.5-mile (2.4 km) run

• Repeated runs up and down bleacher steps

• Bear-crawls up steep hills

• Lugging heavy barrels of water and sand bags up steep hills

• The candidates who were still left at this point would then go on to do as many pull-ups as they can without stopping.

• Candidates then went to the actual Lion's Den facility for several hours of sparring.

I think this kind of "extreme" Red Bull energy drink training is retarded. All it is a test of endurance. Not skill, natural ability or talent...just brute gut strength.

 

[The Moloko man]

No offense to Ken.....

But his cardio was always quite subpar for the most part

......And I'm a huuuuge shamrock mark

 

[eon001]

Very old school. Not very smart to destroy your body like that, and not all Lions Den fighters went on to be champs so I guess it doesn't work for everyone.

 

[Titleboxe]

That's quite the toughman regimen, which Lion's Den fighters certainly were. Many current UFC fighters could certainly go through the try out, but now it's more of a question of why they shouldn't; it sounds like a good way to destroy all the joints in your body, as in say-hello-to-snap-city. I guess it really is the difference between yesteryear's 'train hard' to today's 'train smart'.

 

[Workaholic]

It made sense back in the tournament days I guess. Before people knew how to train properly for this sport and when cardio really was king

It would be retarded for anyone to train like that today though given what we know and how the game has evolved

 

[xxAfricanQueenxx]

Roy Nelson, and I am not joking

 

[Patman]

This isn't too hard if you're an average athlete juiced to the gills.

 

[The Schmoop]

What would they do after lunch?

 

[Patman]

Very old school. Not very smart to destroy your body like that, and not all Lions Den fighters went on to be champs so I guess it doesn't work for everyone.

Cain be like "where do I sign up?"

 

[Ogata]

I dont think Ken himself could have done all that shit

Thats what I mean by bullshit

Its was a gimmick to get people into lions den

Yes and no, I mean I agree with you in a sense that, 99 percent of the time Ken would fail. But the 1 percent is when he was motivated, on insane amount of PEDs + injury free. I think he would pass it when he was young, healthy and he was new to PEDs.

That being said, the most impressive person was John Gunderson. His most impressive win was a submission win over Karo Parsiyan and he was the only one to pull it off. That being said, there was a story with John trying out and passing the try out. The day before, he spend the entire day driving to the try out, with ZERO sleep and few energy drinks, he walked in to the try out and will powered his way to the Lions den.

He fought in the UFC, unassuming character, had lots of losses but most of it was decision losses.

 

[A.S. Deep]

It made sense back in the tournament days I guess. Before people knew how to train properly for this sport and when cardio really was king

It would be retarded for anyone to train like that today though given what we know and how the game has evolved

Barnett said in a recent interview with Mark Kerr that no one had any idea how to train for MMA back in the day. Barnett would go to random gyms (combat sports and lifting) and ask random people to fight him.

 

[yookfarb]

Was this actually true I just assumed it was bullshit

I'm sure it happened but at a certain point as you can see in the video it devolved into Ken screaming shit at an exhausted husk going through the motions

 

[ajwbjj87]

More or less probably just a test of heart, I'm sure some guys who failed miserably but tried their best were accepted