Who are the fighters who are credited with changing the "meta" of MMA and should someone else get credit?

[don't ask]

Mark Coleman is credited with ground and pound.

Maurice Smith is credited with figuring out how to beat Mark Coleman (strikers beating wrestlers).

Chuck Liddel is credited with cage-walking back to their feet

I've seen Chuck and Mirko Filopevic credited with sprawling on wrestlers.

Miletich and his gym popularized point-fighting.

Khabib is credited with Dagestani handcuffs.

Cain popularized wall'n'stall, but I'm pretty sure it's probably someone like Randy who came up with it.

Randy is credited with bringing dirty boxing to the game.

I'm not sure if the last two changed the game, but the others were damn influential. For awhile I thought Jon was going to popularize oblique kicks to the knee, but his game-changing meta is all about getting away with PEDs and fouls.

Who else was influential or who rightfully deserves credit for these developments?

 

[HHJ]

Machida showed Karate wasnt bullshit after all

Karo would hit a judo throw in every one of his fights

Fedor's casting punches

Rutten's palm thrusts

Sakuraba's creative anti BJJ clowning

 

[don't ask]

Machida showed Karate wasnt bullshit after all

Karo would hit a judo throw in every one of his fights

Fedor's casting punches

Rutten's palm thrusts

Sakuraba's creative anti BJJ clowning

Good call. Karate and that bladed stance started showing up more and more because of Machida (even Vitor was training it before he kicked Dan's head off).

I'm not sure anyone else ever managed to do what Fedor or Sakuraba were doing, though. They kind of broke the mold lol

 

[Lord Pyjamas]

Mark Coleman is credited with ground and pound.

Maurice Smith is credited with figuring out how to beat Mark Coleman (strikers beating wrestlers).

Chuck Liddel is credited with cage-walking back to their feet

I've seen Chuck and Mirko Filopevic credited with sprawling on wrestlers.

Miletich and his gym popularized point-fighting.

Khabib is credited with Dagestani handcuffs.

Cain popularized wall'n'stall, but I'm pretty sure it's probably someone like Randy who came up with it.

Randy is credited with bringing dirty boxing to the game.

I'm not sure if the last two changed the game, but the others were damn influential. For awhile I thought Jon was going to popularize oblique kicks to the knee, but his game-changing meta is all about getting away with PEDs and fouls.

Who else was influential or who rightfully deserves credit for these developments?

Toquinho marketed leg locks very well.
To me at least.

 

[HHJ]

Good call. Karate and that bladed stance started showing up more and more because of Machida (even Vitor was training it before he kicked Dan's head off).

I'm not sure anyone else ever managed to do what Fedor or Sakuraba were doing, though. They kind of broke the mold lol

When i was watching Fedor on his come up, every single fight was legendary for some reason or another. Some shit that I'd never seen before.

 

[BrockLesnarsTurtleBack]

Black Beast revolutionized the game with his just stand up technique against wrestling/BJJ.

 

[Mohawk Banditó]

Sakuraba's creative anti BJJ clowning

Saku's anti-BJJ really helped popularize "sprawl and brawl"

 

[HHJ]

Black Beast revolutionized the game with his just stand up technique against wrestling/BJJ.

Plenty of guys did that before him.


Remember Wanderlei got so frustrated with Arona's LNP in the second fight he just berserk beasted Arona into the air and just stood up, in a fit of murderous rage?!?!

Someone should make a gif of that....

 

[HHJ]

Saku's anti-BJJ really helped popularize "sprawl and brawl"

well I dont just mean that.

He would be doin cartwheels and flying stomps on butt scooters, and even willingly offer his back to cinch up a kimura.

 

[Your Salad]

Mark Coleman is credited with ground and pound.

Maurice Smith is credited with figuring out how to beat Mark Coleman (strikers beating wrestlers).

Chuck Liddel is credited with cage-walking back to their feet

I've seen Chuck and Mirko Filopevic credited with sprawling on wrestlers.

Miletich and his gym popularized point-fighting.

Khabib is credited with Dagestani handcuffs.

Cain popularized wall'n'stall, but I'm pretty sure it's probably someone like Randy who came up with it.

Randy is credited with bringing dirty boxing to the game.

I'm not sure if the last two changed the game, but the others were damn influential. For awhile I thought Jon was going to popularize oblique kicks to the knee, but his game-changing meta is all about getting away with PEDs and fouls.

Who else was influential or who rightfully deserves credit for these developments?

Imo think I think Chuck pioneered Sprawl and Brawl VS the way you worded it as cage-walking.

 

[TriangleMonkey]

Imanari rolls ftw!


Mo Smith showed how to use leg kicks effectively in MMA much like Rizzo did

Tito carried Coleman’s legacy and kept the GnP alive on both sides of the globe

Diego Sanchez was like a New-Mexican Khabib there for a while when he came to the scene

I would say Jack/Wink brought the point-fighting. Militich gym was known for hard-sparring mofos getting ktfo at practice and they had a hell of a stable of champs at one time. Grimy Iowa wrestlers that wanted to fight. Iowa is a MMA pioneering state with Victory shows using Pride rules dating way back in the day


And Khabib brought life back to grappling in mma and I see a lot more guys working to be more active with it instead of settling into positions

 

[HHJ]

People dont truly realize the importance of the things listed here.

This is all relevant to the history of martial arts, and fighting.

 

[don't ask]

Imo think I think Chuck pioneered Sprawl and Brawl VS the way you worded it as cage-walking.

I see them as two different things because Pride didn't have a cage to walk up and things were changing over there, too, for strikers against wrestlers.

I could be wrong, though.

 

[don't ask]

Also, I thought calf kicks were going to be the new meta for awhile. I have no idea who popularized that.

 

[HHJ]

I would say Jack/Wink brought the point-fighting. Militich gym was known for hard-sparring mofos getting ktfo at practice and they had a hell of a stable of champs at one time. Grimy Iowa wrestlers that wanted to fight. Iowa is a MMA pioneering state with Victory shows using Pride rules dating way back in the day

Miletich seemed to train Tim Sylvia similarly to the Jackson/Wink approach, when Sylvia won the title.

 

[don't ask]

Saku's anti-BJJ really helped popularize "sprawl and brawl"

oh damn, is this true? I never made that connection before because, in my mind, it would be crazy for anyone to imitate Sak.

 

[don't ask]

I would say Jack/Wink brought the point-fighting. Militich gym was known for hard-sparring mofos getting ktfo at practice and they had a hell of a stable of champs at one time. Grimy Iowa wrestlers that wanted to fight. Iowa is a MMA pioneering state with Victory shows using Pride rules dating way back in the day

MFS was getting criticized hard for training point-fighters long before Jackson-Wink.

 

[TriangleMonkey]

Miletich seemed to train Tim Sylvia similarly to the Jackson/Wink approach, when Sylvia won the title.

Yeah but tbf…..

How else you train Grimmace?

 

[HHJ]

Also, I thought calf kicks were going to be the new meta for awhile. I have no idea who popularized that.

I remember that.

I remember Valentina Shevchenko being asked about this and she thought the whole thing was being blown out of proportion and she was right, as usual.

 

[TriangleMonkey]

MFS was getting criticized hard for training point-fighters long before Jackson-Wink.

Who? Timmay?

He don’t count to me dammit LoL