R.I.P. Danny Hodge

[Deleted member 278323]

In this forum we often speculate about how the greats of the past would have fared in MMA. Bruce Lee could strike and had an interest in grappling, so how would he have done in the UFC? Kurt Angle was a hardworking bad-ass, could he have adapted to MMA? Muhammad Ali had at least a passing interest in crossing over (the Inoki-fight), so how would he have done with proper training?

Yesterday we lost one of the greatest "what ifs" in the history of combat sports.

Danny Hodge could box. Undefeated as an amateur and National Golden Gloves Champion as a heavyweight. Decent pro-career as well going 8 and 2.

Danny Hodge could wrestle. Never taken off his feet in collegiate wrestling and won all three of his NCAA-championships by pinning his opponent in the finals. Olympic silver-medalist. Today The Dan Hodge Trophy is given to Americas top collegiate wrestler of the year.

Danny Hodge had grip-strength like crazy, still crushing apples one-handed well past the age of 80.

What make the "what if"-question even more intriguing is that Hodge was very succesfull in pro-wrestling as well, which indicates that he had the sort of charisma, that might draw in casual and crossover-fans just as Rousey, Lesnar or McGregor have done.

It is a shame we never got to see it, but damn it, Danny Hodge still deserves a tribute in a MMA-forum.

 

[Pancake Sprawl]

i heard he could break pliers too

 

[Hellowhosthat]

RIP to Danny, one of the first true mixed martial artists.

 

[DzNuttzOnYaChin]

Dont foget about the guy who could rip phone books in half .. that dude has true chi

 

[CroCopsLHK]

With all due respect to the dead and their right to RIP, I've never heard of that person

 

[Nihongi]

He kinda looks like Hendo. Sounds like a true badass, respect and RIP.

 

[SKYNET]

 

[Deleted member 278323]

With all due respect to the dead and their right to RIP, I've never heard of that person

That is why I wrote that neat little introduction on him. He has been talked about for years in pro-wrestling-communities as well as an example of a pro wrestler, that was legitimately bad ass.

 

[Deep808State]

 

[SakurabasEar]

I believe he could finish artem

 

[JSN]

I don't even consider him to be a what if. He would have almost certainly merc'd everyone else during his prime years.

 

[LazaRRus]

RIP

 

[BoxingMMA]

Rickson by armbar

 

[Kovalev's "Man Bag"]

I've mentioned his grip strength before and the Hodge trophy named after him. One of the best collegiate wrestlers ever. I knew he briefly boxed as well. He was pretty bad ass. RIP

 

[mozfonky]

With all due respect to the dead and their right to RIP, I've never heard of that person

I don't think i have either, a million people claim to be the first this or that and not to belittle anyone. There really was and is nothing new under the sun. People have been fighting in all kinds of ways for thousands of years, we are a violent species.

 

[CroCopsLHK]

My post does feel a little tasteless, I am sorry. May he RIP

 

[Kforcer]

I don't think i have either, a million people claim to be the first this or that and not to belittle anyone. There really was and is nothing new under the sun. People have been fighting in all kinds of ways for thousands of years, we are a violent species.

Danny Hodge is the only person to be a Golden Gloves national champion as well as an NCAA champion wrestler. He's possibly the only person to never be taken down in his collegiate career and he is one of the only people to go undefeated through the entirety of his college career. He's also the only wrestler ever to be featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated to this date.

He was also a submission genius, a legitimate catch-wrestling wizard. Long before the days of Eddie Bravo, he was utilizing the twister as a submission hold in his professional wrestling matches. He was able to break down and explain the inner-workings of Ed "The Strangler" Lewis's most famous choke-hold and people like Hiro Matsuda talk of testing him in shoots and being utterly smoked.

People have been fighting for thousands of years, certainly. But among those countless combatants, Danny Hodge stands out.

 

[Kovalev's "Man Bag"]

I don't think i have either, a million people claim to be the first this or that and not to belittle anyone. There really was and is nothing new under the sun. People have been fighting in all kinds of ways for thousands of years, we are a violent species.

Probably because you don't follow collegiate wrestling. The trophy that bears his name is the collegiate wrestling equivalent to the Heisman trophy in college football.

 

[mozfonky]

Fine, but in all my years around combat sports all I've really seen is a lot of I and Me. I was the first to open this I started that. I understand that this gentleman is not saying that but I'm kinda tired of hearing such ego in the sport. What they all really want to say is I'm the only one and no one else is shit, which just isn't true.

 

[Athenry04]

RIP, always been spoken about as one of the legit toughest pro-wrestlers of all time. A real tough bastard who cross trained years before it was a thing.