I watched the Ernesto Hoost fights, who I really don't know much about, (I don't watch kickboxing) and felt bad for Hoost, he was clearly the better fighter and got beat purely because the man was a giant. I see him beating Sapp easily if he fought smarter. Still, he went to war and kicked his ass in spots.
I kinda liked Sapp however, he was a gentle goofy guy outside the ring in many ways. lets put it this way, he was all power and very little skill, lol
I was ****ed when New Japan Pro Wrestling put the IWGP title on Sapp. Was a recipe for disaster and when Fujita (Also a NJPW wrestler) kicked his ass in MMA they then had to get the title off Sapp as they then had a champ who looked weak.
Well Sapp was actually facing someone his own size, so I dont think this was a dive. He could not knock out Ehonda, and both were brawling. Sapp is a joke. Sapp cannot fight people his own size
Sapp also got KO'd by Jan "The Giant" Nortje who was about his size. I sort of feel a bit sorry for Sapp. I think he could have been a force, and could have had a legacy of some sort.
Yeah, and just like Minowa Man has a legacy built upon defeating bums/cans 100-200 pounds heavier than him and taller, Sapp would have been known for defeating bums 100-200 pounds less and shorter! :hat
He nearly took out Nogueira in MMA and did defeat Hoost in kickboxing, twice. That's pretty impressive stuff for a guy that had virtually no experience. :nono
Hoost fought the wrong fight, and Nog's style allowed Bob to get many hits in. :nono What an absolute fraud Sapp was. Sapp has a greater chance defeating a smaller opponent than he does a big one his size.
Hoost could have done some things better... But Sapp was allowed to flatout cheat and that's the really the story of those fights. With better officiating there's NO WAY Sapp would have won either of those fights.
Hoost lost to Sapp primarily because he fought a stupid fight and he has a glass chin. The ref had nothing to do with Hoost deciding to plant his feet and brawl with Sapp. Also quite ironically Sapp showed incredible heart esp in the 2nd fight.
So Sapp should have been allowed to literally throw throw Hoost into a corner and wail away at him? Sapp fought incredibly dirty fights. The powers at be(you know the Yakuza had a lot of interest in K-1) clearly at a lot invested in Sapp at the time.
1) That was Hoost's choice. 2) That was Nog's choice. 3) Sapp had minimal experience in fighting. I think that he did incredibly well considering the calibre of opponent he was thrown in with 4) I agree that without his size Sapp was nothing. That doesn't make him a total fraud. It just gives you a guy that's using a different, legal way to win. What is Sapp's fault is that he collapsed mentally and would probably be beaten by an asthmatic midget at the moment. He could have chosen to regroup, train up some actual fighting skills and come back. He didn't.