Who were some very marketable but fairly average MMA fighters?

Discussion in 'MMA Forum' started by mark ant, Jun 18, 2020.



  1. mark ant

    mark ant Canelo was never athletic Full Member

    36,654
    16,430
    May 4, 2017
    Ronda Rousey had very average stand-up skills yet had a huge fan base, which other MMA fighters drew better viewing figures and aclaim than their talent deserved?
     
    iloverachel likes this.
  2. BCS8

    BCS8 VIP Member Full Member

    51,551
    63,486
    Aug 21, 2012
    Brock Lesnar, for one.

    Guys like Tank Abbott.

    In Japan there were some Japanese fighters who usually lost but were very, very game, and had a big following as a result. Those guys would literally fight to the death. There was an Olympic level judoka that fought Igor Vovchanchyn and he nearly beat the guy to death on live TV. The Japanese refs just used to let it go on so long as a Japanese fighter was still moving, and the judoka simply would not tap, despite a horrendous beating. I think he was in the hospital for a year after that.

    And then of course there were the freakshow guys like Bob Sapp that were huge in Japan.
     
  3. outtieDrake

    outtieDrake Well-Known Member Full Member

    2,454
    1,121
    Dec 17, 2009
    Thing is Ronda most wins are by armbar which she was phenomenal at. She made the mistake of thinking she was a boxer. I dont' consider an Olympian athlete to be average by no stretch.
     
  4. outtieDrake

    outtieDrake Well-Known Member Full Member

    2,454
    1,121
    Dec 17, 2009
    In some aspects they were average but in others they were above average. Brock had very high level wrestling and size strength. Same with Sapp, his size and power and at his prime was a massive brick wall silverback gorilla which is above average but had soso striking and grappling. Tank had decent wrestling but a good punch for his era of less skilled fighters.

    Cm Punk was the only really marketable fighter who was bad across the board. But are we just going by marketable or overall wins.
     
    Ph33rknot and BCS8 like this.
  5. Samart'sTeep

    Samart'sTeep Active Member Full Member

    511
    828
    Nov 17, 2019
    I will probably get some hate for this, but i'll say the Diaz brothers. I mean, I wouldn't call them average fighters because they are fighting at the highest level. Some guy who is fighting at a local or regional mma event is an average fighter if you mean the mean of all mma fighters in the world. But I assume by average you mean in terms of UFC/world class level.

    The Diaz brothers were well loved for their aggressive, exciting fighting styles and their pure game mentalities. But if you look at their records and even their skill sets, there's a lot to be desired in contrast to how popular they were with the fans. I know Nick beat Gomi when he was still considered one of the best lightweights in the world, and Nate has the McGregor and Cerrone wins to define his legacy. But besides that, they would usually beat middle of the pack fighters and lose to anyone who was a real, legitimate contender.
     
    iloverachel and mark ant like this.
  6. DONT B SCARED

    DONT B SCARED Pimpin Aint Easy Full Member

    4,745
    2,802
    Mar 8, 2017
    No there is plenty of Diaz haters here and I guess we all just have different interpretations of what makes a fighter a certain level but for me, being a top contender in multiple divisions and in top 10 over a long period makes you better then average
     
    ForemanJab likes this.
  7. Heisenberg

    Heisenberg Well-Known Member Full Member

    2,973
    5,386
    Apr 30, 2017
    Rousey was a world class Judoka who with the right trainer, and not that fool Edmund Tarverdyan could of retired unbeaten. In both her defeats she fought to her opponents strengths.
     
    DONT B SCARED and BCS8 like this.
  8. Francis75

    Francis75 FAB 4 Full Member

    14,101
    2,758
    Oct 1, 2007
    Although Michael Bisping won a UFC belt he was nowhere near as good as his persona/popularity or pay cheque would have you think. A decent well rounded fighter but imo not elite level.

    Both Diaz brothers (or known as DIVA BROS by knowledgeable mma fans) are ridiculously overrated and always have been. Nate has the better wins imo. Neither of the bros have ever been elite level fighters. A similar level to Michael Bisping really.
     
    BCS8 and mark ant like this.
  9. mark ant

    mark ant Canelo was never athletic Full Member

    36,654
    16,430
    May 4, 2017
    Ronda was not an average judo expert, but she wasn`t rounded enough to take on world class fighters like Holm or Nunes, the woman`s game simply moved onand evolved leaving Ronda behind, you can no longer beat an elite female being only having a good ground game.
     
    Last edited: Jun 19, 2020
  10. mark ant

    mark ant Canelo was never athletic Full Member

    36,654
    16,430
    May 4, 2017
    Nunes is the greatest female MMA fighter of all-time and beat Cyborg who would have detroyed Rousey, it takes years to get to Nunes`s skill level.
     
  11. Samart'sTeep

    Samart'sTeep Active Member Full Member

    511
    828
    Nov 17, 2019
    The problem with Rousey is that, as good as she was, her game was far too specialized. A master counter puncher is probably the worst match up for a elite Judoka because all of their takedowns necessitate upper body control to use. They have to close the striking distance between their opponent and Holly specialized in maintaining that distance with her footwork and leading girls her left hand. And Rhonda never developed the striking skills necessary to close that distance safely.

    Someone like Tate who had more traditional wrestling skills and a well rounded mma game, who could wait for that left hand counter to slip under and a shoot double leg takedown, fared much better against Holly.

    I think by the Nunes fight, Rhonda's confidence was so shattered that it didn't matter what she tried to do. She wasn't a fighter anymore. Honestly, I agree with Heisenberg. Someone like Firas Zahabi, who could have taught some of these missing component's in her game like he did with GSP, possibly could have done wonders with Rousey. But the question is would Rhonda have been humble enough to learn from someone who didn't take any drama or BS?
     
  12. mark ant

    mark ant Canelo was never athletic Full Member

    36,654
    16,430
    May 4, 2017
    GSP had that spark that ability to pick things up, Ronda never displayed that apart from beeing taugt judo from a young age, GSP was special, I don`t think Ronda was.
     
  13. Samart'sTeep

    Samart'sTeep Active Member Full Member

    511
    828
    Nov 17, 2019
    You're right in that GSP was far more talented than Rhonda was, and I wasn't trying to make an exact comparison to him. But the truth is, though, we have no idea what Rhonda could have accomplished if she had a competent head coach and team to guide her development. Edmond Tarverdyan is a complete idiot who has no business training anyone. I'm just saying that Rhonda would have been a lot better off with someone like Firas, who actually understands the sport.
     
    BCS8 likes this.
  14. BCS8

    BCS8 VIP Member Full Member

    51,551
    63,486
    Aug 21, 2012
    Man, I hated Bisping so much when I first saw him in MMA. I felt Hammill beat him fair and square and was robbed. I nearly blew a load when Henderson switched him off. That said, Bisping became a pretty good fighter as his career progressed and he displayed the sort of grit that earns the respect of people - even me. Agree, not as good as his popularity might suggest, but still pretty good at the end of it.
     
  15. iloverachel

    iloverachel Member banned Full Member

    173
    127
    Jun 12, 2020
    I agreed with the Nate and Nick brothers. Almost as many losses as wins. Lost most their big fights. But they were marketable due to their persona. Nate sold over 1 million PPV with Mcgregor

    Ben Askren was quite marketable, marketable enough for Dana White to give up one of the GOATS Demetrious Johnson. He was undefeated, a champion in Bellator and OneFC, had Olympic level wrestling, was cocky and liked to talk trash, fans wanted to see him.
    When he came to the UFC it was clear he didn't belong there. Almost lost the first fight after being slammed on his head, gets knocked out in record breaking time, gets submitted by an aging veteran. Fairly average for UFC standards.

    Also agreed with Rousey. She looked great when the competition was poor. When she stepped up to Holly and Amanda she got whooped.
     
    mark ant likes this.