Tank Abbott vs. "Cabbage" Correira (I & II) [GOAT HW Brawlers]

I thought Tank was great for weeding people out back in the day.

Things were different back then.

You still had a lot of the corner shop traditionalists who had been passing off bullshit so long they actually believed it worked themselves.

Tank would be nice enough to expose and beat the shit out of them.
He was a big strong street fighter with some boxing and wrestling training.

Then of course when Tank faced a real martial skill practitioner he himself was exposed as just a street fighter

I thought he was perfect for the era
 
Trip down memory lane.
 
Sushi Fitness said:
I thought Tank was great for weeding people out back in the day.

Things were different back then.

You still had a lot of the corner shop traditionalists who had been passing off bullshit so long they actually believed it worked themselves.

Tank would be nice enough to expose and beat the shit out of them.
He was a big strong street fighter with some boxing and wrestling training.

Then of course when Tank faced a real martial skill practitioner he himself was exposed as just a street fighter

I thought he was perfect for the era
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Dana White was made a good comment years ago basically stating the same thing. He said that Tank was a guy that proved whether a fighters style was effective or not. He also said that Tank would have a spot in the UFC HOF for this, but Tank has been pretty vocal about his dislike for Dana over the years, so it will probably never happen.
 
DanaWhitesButler said:
It was a fun fight but no he is not a legend and pioneer. He appealed to a small portion of rednecks and hillbillies of the time who identified with his massive gut and utter lack of athleticism and skill. Yes, I know he wad a wrestler eons before his MMA career

Don Frye, Dan Severn, the Shamrock brothers and others are legends and pioneers of that time, and Tank Abbot was a fat brawler who shouldn't be mentioned among them. The Butterbean of MMA. On top of that, he was a terrible person and still is. I like his fight with Vitor where he was quickly exposed when he faced a fighter of real quality in Belfort who was a real athlete who put in the work and was tremendously skilled. Look what happened.
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You are totally wrong on that but most likely you werent watching the sport anywhere near that time.

He is one of the legends of the sport without a doubt, up there with Frye, Severn, Ken, Royce, Oleg and Ruas. He may not have their accolades but his place in history is not in dispute.
He was even the first guy to wear mma finger gloves in the UFC to protect his hands.

He went to an epic overtime fight with Taktarov and was one of the most feared fighters of the era.
Yes he was never elite but he was the first truly scary destroyer type fighter to enter with unparralleled punching power and a solid amateur wrestling background.
He gave Tito his break into the sport also.
Tank-1.jpg


He also transitioned to pro wrestling later which brought in a ton of new fans and even appeared on an episode of friends all brought attention to the sport at a time when it was at risk.

Anyone who denies his pioneering and legend status is just ignorant.
 
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TheMaster said:
You are totally wrong on that but most likely you werent watching the sport anywhere near that time.

He is one of the legends of the sport without a doubt, up there with Frye, Severn, Ken, Royce, Oleg and Ruas. He may not have their accolades but his place in history is not in dispute.
He was even the first guy to wear mma finger gloves in the UFC to protect his hands.

He went to an epic overtime fight with Taktarov and was one of the most feared fighters of the era.
Yes he was never elite but he was the first truly scary destroyer type fighter to enter with unparralleled punching power and a solid amateur wrestling background.
He gave Tito his break into the sport also.
View attachment 722413


He also transitioned to pro wrestling later which brought in a ton of new fans and even appeared on an episode of friends all brought attention to the sport at a time when it was at risk.

Anyone who denies his pioneering and legend status is just ignorant.
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Great post, but Melton Bowen was the first guy in wear gloves like that in the UFC at UFC 4.

20140801071731_Picture15.JPG
 
Congo66 said:
And he quit because he was gassed out vs Maurice Smith.
He's not the badass some people here like to pretend he was. He was good for 60 seconds if fighting someone else with no skill or talent.
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he quit many times. i gotta look up the longest fight he won

heh he went to decision - once- vs yoji anjo. pro wrestler/can
Yoji Anjo
 
Tank was a great character. Cabbage, meh.

Both fairly dreadful fighters that make Derek Lewis look as technical as FMJ.
 
DanaWhitesButler said:
Like two slugs aggressively trying to mate. Tough guys though but very unskilled compared to todays fighters. Neither would be ufc caliber or maybe even bellator
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No shit sherlock
 
Steve-French said:
Tank was my favorite fighter back in the NHB days in the 90's. Win or lose he always brought it. He wasn't just a bar brawler either. He had a legit athletic background as a collegiate wrestler. Yeah was a bit of a loose cannon, but I think he was trying to portray a character.
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Ask anyone who interacts with him irl he is an a-hole. The only time I met him he was polite but he is well known as a drunk bully.
 
Steve-French said:
Great post, but Melton Bowen was the first guy in wear gloves like that in the UFC at UFC 4.

20140801071731_Picture15.JPG
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True but Tank was the first to KO someone with punches standing in the ufc. Bowen didn’t do a lot with those gloves.
 
arrmike said:
True but Tank was the first to KO someone with punches standing in the ufc. Bowen didn’t do a lot with those gloves.
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Bowen was still the first to wear those gloves though, not Tank. That's all I was trying to say. Who did what with them is kind of a moot when pointing out who wore them first.
 
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arrmike said:
Ask anyone who interacts with him irl he is an a-hole. The only time I met him he was polite but he is well known as a drunk bully.
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I'm not doubting that one bit, but I think he was turning it up a bit for the cameras. I remember reading that he wanted to get into pro wrestling all along and thought that he could use the UFC to get his name out there.
 
DanaWhitesButler said:
Like two slugs aggressively trying to mate. Tough guys though but very unskilled compared to todays fighters. Neither would be ufc caliber or maybe even bellator
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keep in mind Derrick Lewis fought for a title. derrixk Lewis isn’t even on the same level as gary goodridge.

40+ year old men are still at the top of the division until just last year.
 
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