10 Fights that Changed the Course of Careers |
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Kimbo Slice's Punchout!
Career record: 204-116
Season: 47-23 (#163)
Location:
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Take his career as a whole and Matt Hughes -- who competes Saturday for the first time since a second devastating loss to Georges St. Pierre -- is unquestionably the most accomplished 170-pound athlete to ever don a pair of open-fingered Ouano gloves.
With a list of casualties including B.J. Penn, Sean Sherk, and even St. Pierre himself, Hughes has run the gauntlet in one of the deepest talent pools in the sport. Yet the defining image fans will carry into his bout against Thiago Alves in London's O2 arena is his arm being torqued at unnatural angles at the hands of St. Pierre last December.
That sobering defeat could turn out to be the fulcrum on which Hughes' career now swings. Snapped from his perpetual dominance of the division, he may be more cognizant of his physical limitations and opponents may be less fearful of his abilities.
In properly melodramatic form: the St. Pierre loss could be the beginning of the end.
It wouldn't be the first time that five or 10 minutes managed to stall career momentum for good. Other athletes have had experiences that reduced them to shells of their former selves. Inversely, some fights have taken fighters to new levels of popularity and performance.
The psychological and physical reverberations of a good beat down -- taken or given -- can last the duration of a fighter's ring life.
Some examples, in ascending order of impact:
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It's lose, not loose!
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Post #1 6/5/08 12:28:46PM
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Muay-Thai_Mogwai
MMA Regular
Career record: 172-91
Season: 46-24 (#832)
Location: Missory
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 excellent article
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Post #2 6/5/08 12:48:54PM
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Laying down the beats
Career record: 192-150
Season: 37-33 (#1810)
Location: Canada
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I'd like to add to the list
Ken Shamrock and Tito Ortiz I
Hughes and Penn II
GSP vs Serra I
Last edited 6/5/08 1:10PM by Rush
Edit note/reason: n/a
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MMA Playground Ninja Moderator - Be cool and follow forum conduct or you'll be banned and all you will see is a puff of smoke. Members banned - 31, IPs banned - 19
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Post #3 6/5/08 1:07:27PM
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casey64
MMA Sensei
Career record: 155-93
Season: 44-25 (#2004)
Location: Football Field
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Posted by Muay-Thai_Mogwai
excellent article
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Post #4 6/5/08 1:13:06PM
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The Origional Playground Bully
Career record: 181-100
Season: 51-19 (#22)
Location: Minnesota
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I really wish Sherdog would leave Kimbo the Clown off this list. I mean seriously, that was hardly MMA in the first place. In six months Kimbo will be an afterthought. If you want to talk about fights that propelled the sport, I say look no further than the Shamrock/Ortiz bouts. They had popularity explosion written all over them.
I expected more out of Sherdog on this one.
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And as El Guapo always says- "God speed, and party on. Whoap!"
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Post #5 6/5/08 1:47:05PM
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Laying down the beats
Career record: 192-150
Season: 37-33 (#1810)
Location: Canada
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Posted by bojangalz
I really wish Sherdog would leave Kimbo the Clown off this list. I mean seriously, that was hardly MMA in the first place. In six months Kimbo will be an afterthought. If you want to talk about fights that propelled the sport, I say look no further than the Shamrock/Ortiz bouts. They had popularity explosion written all over them.
I expected more out of Sherdog on this one.
I agree with you on the Kimbo one, but I want ot point out that these were bouts that defined a significant change in a fighter's career, not the sport.
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MMA Playground Ninja Moderator - Be cool and follow forum conduct or you'll be banned and all you will see is a puff of smoke. Members banned - 31, IPs banned - 19
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Post #6 6/5/08 3:00:01PM
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seanfu
In Full Mount
Career record: 90-55
Season: 31-19 (#5037)
Location: Fort Wayne IN
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Arlovski Sylvia was a big one.
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Post #7 6/5/08 5:06:21PM
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kevietre
In Full Mount
Career record: 137-99
Season: 32-29 (#3659)
Location: New Jersey
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Nick Diaz vs. Robbie Lawler
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Post #8 6/5/08 9:51:28PM
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