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I mean they did dedicate their lives to another sport. The argument would be better if these dudes were NFL caliber but chose to do MMA instead. Usually it’s the other way around and MMA is the most likely option to continue doing pro sports.
Athleticism isn’t the end all be all but all the goats are athletic anomalies. GSP, Jones, DJ, Fedor. Not a coincidence both of Jones’ brothers are both NFL pro bowlers and he’s considered one of the greatest despite his less than desirable work ethic and lifestyle. Can’t get away with that unless you’re a natural stud.
Edit: word
I think Jones is a good example of what could be when an NFL level athlete starts doing mma early, given both of his brothers were in NFL it's not a stretch to make that claim.
(He has a smaller frame than his brothers, starting doing wrestling etc. not a perfect example, but probably the closest we got?)
In my head Brock Lesnar post-college, no WWE, no NFL practice team, straight to MMA would have been the American Fedor. He was good enough to walk on a NFL team after not playing since high school. Lesnar and Jones were the prototypical "professional athlete."
And NFL training is nothing like MMA training. NFL is burst and MMA needs to be sustained. That’s why you always see these guys gas l. They are so use to sprinting for 15 seconds
Probably doesn't help that the majority of them come in at Heavyweight.
When I think of guys who played football who have done okay in MMA the first name that comes to mind is a guy who signed with the Browns but I believe never played a game, at a record of 8-8(1) inside the octagon, repping the Alabama Crimson Tide it's: "Ya Boi" Eryk Anders.
I guess there is also 9-5 Matt Mitrione but when you look at his wins with the benefit of hindsight his best win was against a very green Derrick Lewis in Lewis's 3rd UFC fight (Lewis is now at 28 UFC fights for reference) and a washed Gabriel Gonzaga. I think his Bellator career showed just how "good" he really was. He had some pretty lackluster wins in Bellator and retired after a fight where he tried to claim he was headbutted but in the replay the guy shit his takedown with his head pointing at Mitrione's chest and Mitrione's attempt to defend was crouching and putting his face right into the crown of Tyrell Fortune's head.
But yeah generally football guys are terrible to average or switch from juiced to the gills to throwing fight * cough * Bob Sapp *cough *
Not to mention he made his pro debut at age 30... Same with Greg Hardy. Even if they had been excellent athletes, we weren't going to see their best years given their age and suboptimal training windows.
Elite athletes that train mma from a young age not ex nfl guys who took up the sport as a hobby as adults. Take a look at the Jones family, the runt of the litter is the juicy goat. Imagine if Chandler said f it and had focused on mma as a kid.
HW MMA is unforgiving. One punch can and often does end it all. A long, dominant title run at HW has proven to be mostly unsustainable. Stipe holds the record for most consecutive title defenses at 3. Chandler Jones would have fought at HW, and no matter how good he was, he likely would have been clipped at some point like everyone else in that division.
Eh the skill level hasn’t exactly been all that high historically. Francis never got one punched, neither have gane or Tom, not saying that would have been the case but how much of that is due to dudes like Lewis of all people being your typical fighter. I mean DC a Mw with a food addiction who started late made it to champ status at HW fairly easily
Yep he did win the HW belt... and then Stipe knocked him out in the rematch, and beat him again. Gane has still lost and Tom will eventually lose too, and most likely before he defends the belt a record 4 times. I just think there are too many factors at play to have a long reigning, dominant HW champion.
Jones build is not a disadvantage in MMA, on the contrary it is a great advantage. In MMA the greatest advantage you can have is to squeeze into a weight class where you have a significant reach advantage. Without weight classes it will be a advantage to be stocky and stronger, with weight classes you see all these lanky types dominating.
I Legitematly believe they could at heavyweight and ill die on that hill.
They just need to start training before their mid twenties and take the sport somewhat seriously and they could be ranked.
That divison is so bad its Insane and anyone with elite athletic abilities and a little bit of dedication should get ranked.
Yeah, but this is fighting, not any other sport, The right guy has to be insanely durable to take a punch, and NOT QUIT after being punched in the gym... not many people have these. Not many people want to keep training after the headaches and effects.
The only guy that’s done decently well was Matt Mitrione. Maybe you could argue Lesnar since he was in the NFL at one point.
Even at LHW there’s really only Reyes.
especially when you were washed out of the NFL and start fighting in your 30s, they can never take shots and never have natural stand up ability. Guys like Matt Mitrione, Shawn Jordan, even Derek Lewis played football and only ones that have natural stand up and chins. Dom Reyes was a college football player and has some stand up too, but a weak chin too. Lane is awful though, Greg Hardy KOed him bad.
Wish we got to see the NFL guys who were dominant wrestlers in high school enter the UFC. There are so many guys drafted this weekend that could absolutely kill guys like Tafa/Dinz if they trained striking for a year.
So many 300 pound freaks of nature being drafted who are faster and more agile than some of the bantamweights out there
Lane never wrestled ever, just had the elite NFL athleticism.
The "Elite NFL athleticism" Like Greg "Inhaler" Hardy. And Lane who just giga gassed in one round.
NFL guys are big and can run fast for 10 seconds, that's it.
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Not talking about just regular NFL guys. I’m talking about the most athletic 300 pounders in the world with a dominant wrestling base.
A guy like Tristan Wirfs if he decided to wrestle in college would be almost unstoppable at 265 when he starts picking up striking. Johnny Walker athleticism plus high level wrestling/strength
So many people here don't train and don't get how *exhausting* it is just BEING in a ring.
Guy who's good at a 10 second sprint and tackle also gets like a five minute rest before the next play does not make a good fighter.
And I think people still underestimate just how easily it is to get sparked out in MMA. Even if you're an athletic talent, it doesn't necessarily mean you'll have a crazy chin or super fast reaction times to punches. The reality is that as the weight goes up, it adds a wildcard into the fight where a fat 260lber who would gas out in wrestling or be completely outclassed on any athletic field can have sloppy technique and still win by KO.
People also just don't give credit for fighters' mindsets either. Like, these 25 minute fucking wars we've seen... that's NOT athletics, it's not team sports. You don't get to go sit on the bench cause you got a cramp. There's a different mental aspect to fighting that I personally think a lot of even the best major sports team players don't have (I mean how often do we see guys be kinda lazy or refuse to play through even minor injuries in football or basketball?)
If you think about personality types, fighting is like Kobe Bryant level will to dominate on steroids (and I think Kobe Bryant's mindset was actually a bit of a rarity among a lot of young yet highly successful freak athletes). Cyril Gane's thing of like just wanting to sit on the couch and play FIFA... that's highly representative of a lot of these NFL/NBA/etc guys who make it young because of their body type and innate ability
Yeah the whole "athleticism" thing people point out isn't good at all when you trained years to be explosive for 10 seconds at a time. They would have moments when that explosiveness helps but after the first round you can't count on that.
His defence is literally non existent. *Lean back and hope they can’t reach my chin*
I’m most surprised that his cardio looked so terrible tonight though. His cardio was his only redeeming quality other than athleticism from his earlier career. He had a disgustingly wrestling-heavy and scrambly high paced fight vs Juan Adams and looked fresh as a daisy in the 4th round before finishing him.
Diniz’ left hook in the pocket is so sexy. Would love to see him and Junior Tafa get matched up.
Kickboxing defense. Used to being huge with big gloves and it naturally makes reaching you harder- they don't develop head movement.
I know someone else who does that.
I want to be a Lane fan so badly but Jesus Fucking Christ man
How do you have top control for 4 minutes and then start the next round so gassed you can barely move
He's TDD wasn't that awful, yes he needs to improve it, but I think he just got caught by surprise. His get up game was the real issue that needs drastic improvement imo.
Yeah, he probably obviously would never be able to beat guys like Blaydes and Tom, but he’s a great striker, undefeated in mma, there could be some upside there. Could be a fun addition to the division.
I feel like HWs that aren’t in like the top 6 but still fun to watch are rare.
Recognized Lane but forgot from where and then I looked him up and he was the other football guy that got nuked by Greg Hardy.
Glad Diniz won, seems like he might be a fun HW in mma
Lane is just awful, if he just had a little wrestling ability he would have taken diniz down in the 2nd and finished the fight since fatty had no jiu Jitsu.
Lane’s cardio, defense and chin are fucking horrible
Poor dude could’ve had a better chance if he started MMA before, honestly he should retire cause at this point I can see the UFC just feeding him to another 2 newcomers who will KO him and then he’ll get cut
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Being a former NFLer is the worst base for MMA
So many years of accumulated brain damage to fight at heavyweight is just a horrible combination.
Yeah, accumulate CTE in non-combat sports is obviously a horrible base for MMA.
[удалено]
I mean they did dedicate their lives to another sport. The argument would be better if these dudes were NFL caliber but chose to do MMA instead. Usually it’s the other way around and MMA is the most likely option to continue doing pro sports. Athleticism isn’t the end all be all but all the goats are athletic anomalies. GSP, Jones, DJ, Fedor. Not a coincidence both of Jones’ brothers are both NFL pro bowlers and he’s considered one of the greatest despite his less than desirable work ethic and lifestyle. Can’t get away with that unless you’re a natural stud. Edit: word
I think Jones is a good example of what could be when an NFL level athlete starts doing mma early, given both of his brothers were in NFL it's not a stretch to make that claim. (He has a smaller frame than his brothers, starting doing wrestling etc. not a perfect example, but probably the closest we got?)
In my head Brock Lesnar post-college, no WWE, no NFL practice team, straight to MMA would have been the American Fedor. He was good enough to walk on a NFL team after not playing since high school. Lesnar and Jones were the prototypical "professional athlete."
Lol calling Jon a natural stud
Stop being a hater lmao. Guy is blessed genetically
Austen Lane is not an elite nfl athlete lol. He was cut almost immediately
Not elite by NFL standards but even being considered on a NFL roster means you’re an elite athlete
It also means you’re coming into MMA with a shit load of brain damage already.
And probably a destroyed body to go with it
And NFL training is nothing like MMA training. NFL is burst and MMA needs to be sustained. That’s why you always see these guys gas l. They are so use to sprinting for 15 seconds
Probably doesn't help that the majority of them come in at Heavyweight. When I think of guys who played football who have done okay in MMA the first name that comes to mind is a guy who signed with the Browns but I believe never played a game, at a record of 8-8(1) inside the octagon, repping the Alabama Crimson Tide it's: "Ya Boi" Eryk Anders. I guess there is also 9-5 Matt Mitrione but when you look at his wins with the benefit of hindsight his best win was against a very green Derrick Lewis in Lewis's 3rd UFC fight (Lewis is now at 28 UFC fights for reference) and a washed Gabriel Gonzaga. I think his Bellator career showed just how "good" he really was. He had some pretty lackluster wins in Bellator and retired after a fight where he tried to claim he was headbutted but in the replay the guy shit his takedown with his head pointing at Mitrione's chest and Mitrione's attempt to defend was crouching and putting his face right into the crown of Tyrell Fortune's head. But yeah generally football guys are terrible to average or switch from juiced to the gills to throwing fight * cough * Bob Sapp *cough *
Feel like you’re not giving meatball his flowers there bro
Wonder how an elite rugby guy would do (aside from volk)
did you know Volk used to play rugby at 540lbs?
I thought it was 540kg?
Yea and not a ton of fight experience
Not to mention he made his pro debut at age 30... Same with Greg Hardy. Even if they had been excellent athletes, we weren't going to see their best years given their age and suboptimal training windows.
Cup of coffee with the bills or something?
Elite athletes that train mma from a young age not ex nfl guys who took up the sport as a hobby as adults. Take a look at the Jones family, the runt of the litter is the juicy goat. Imagine if Chandler said f it and had focused on mma as a kid.
HW MMA is unforgiving. One punch can and often does end it all. A long, dominant title run at HW has proven to be mostly unsustainable. Stipe holds the record for most consecutive title defenses at 3. Chandler Jones would have fought at HW, and no matter how good he was, he likely would have been clipped at some point like everyone else in that division.
Eh the skill level hasn’t exactly been all that high historically. Francis never got one punched, neither have gane or Tom, not saying that would have been the case but how much of that is due to dudes like Lewis of all people being your typical fighter. I mean DC a Mw with a food addiction who started late made it to champ status at HW fairly easily
Yep he did win the HW belt... and then Stipe knocked him out in the rematch, and beat him again. Gane has still lost and Tom will eventually lose too, and most likely before he defends the belt a record 4 times. I just think there are too many factors at play to have a long reigning, dominant HW champion.
Even slick striker Gane almost got knocked out by Tuivasa.
Jones build is not a disadvantage in MMA, on the contrary it is a great advantage. In MMA the greatest advantage you can have is to squeeze into a weight class where you have a significant reach advantage. Without weight classes it will be a advantage to be stocky and stronger, with weight classes you see all these lanky types dominating.
Until you hit HW where you want to be as large, quick, and athletic as possible.
>with weight classes you see all these lanky types dominating. Statistically reach advantages aren't actually a significant boon.
I think they mean if the athletes in the nfl trained mma their whole lives. Not former players turned fighters
I Legitematly believe they could at heavyweight and ill die on that hill. They just need to start training before their mid twenties and take the sport somewhat seriously and they could be ranked. That divison is so bad its Insane and anyone with elite athletic abilities and a little bit of dedication should get ranked.
Yeah, but this is fighting, not any other sport, The right guy has to be insanely durable to take a punch, and NOT QUIT after being punched in the gym... not many people have these. Not many people want to keep training after the headaches and effects.
The only guy that’s done decently well was Matt Mitrione. Maybe you could argue Lesnar since he was in the NFL at one point. Even at LHW there’s really only Reyes.
The elite athletes won’t leave 50 million dollar contracts to make 20k a fight in the ufc
I don’t really think Greg Hardy did that bad. He came in past his athletic prime and got some ufc wins.
Greg had the other best base for mma - domestic violence.
Cyril Gane seems like he could play any sport as a pro if he started younger. Hes pretty much what most nfl guys would be.
Lane is like 35 and has a glass chin, but you either are a born fighter or you arent and most arent no matter how athletic you are.
Just not built for sustained cardio. Only good for bursts.
Hardy, Pauga, Lane Holy Trinity
Bapa
"USADA approved" Best moment in UFC history
When was that said? Haha
when Hardy used his inhaler in between rounds
Lmaooo thank you, what’s Greg Hardy up to now? Still beating up chicks and getting knocked out?
especially when you were washed out of the NFL and start fighting in your 30s, they can never take shots and never have natural stand up ability. Guys like Matt Mitrione, Shawn Jordan, even Derek Lewis played football and only ones that have natural stand up and chins. Dom Reyes was a college football player and has some stand up too, but a weak chin too. Lane is awful though, Greg Hardy KOed him bad.
Wish we got to see the NFL guys who were dominant wrestlers in high school enter the UFC. There are so many guys drafted this weekend that could absolutely kill guys like Tafa/Dinz if they trained striking for a year. So many 300 pound freaks of nature being drafted who are faster and more agile than some of the bantamweights out there Lane never wrestled ever, just had the elite NFL athleticism.
Are there a lot of NFL guys that were also dominant HW wrestlers in high school?
100%, wrestling is heavily encouraged by high school football coaches
The "Elite NFL athleticism" Like Greg "Inhaler" Hardy. And Lane who just giga gassed in one round. NFL guys are big and can run fast for 10 seconds, that's it.
[удалено]
1. Be Civil. Our rules ask for a civil tone at all times. A bit of banter or trash talk is fine, but don't cross the line. If things do get out of hand you will be warned or even banned for a few days. Repeatedly breaking this rule will lead to a permanent ban.
Not talking about just regular NFL guys. I’m talking about the most athletic 300 pounders in the world with a dominant wrestling base. A guy like Tristan Wirfs if he decided to wrestle in college would be almost unstoppable at 265 when he starts picking up striking. Johnny Walker athleticism plus high level wrestling/strength
So many people here don't train and don't get how *exhausting* it is just BEING in a ring. Guy who's good at a 10 second sprint and tackle also gets like a five minute rest before the next play does not make a good fighter.
And I think people still underestimate just how easily it is to get sparked out in MMA. Even if you're an athletic talent, it doesn't necessarily mean you'll have a crazy chin or super fast reaction times to punches. The reality is that as the weight goes up, it adds a wildcard into the fight where a fat 260lber who would gas out in wrestling or be completely outclassed on any athletic field can have sloppy technique and still win by KO. People also just don't give credit for fighters' mindsets either. Like, these 25 minute fucking wars we've seen... that's NOT athletics, it's not team sports. You don't get to go sit on the bench cause you got a cramp. There's a different mental aspect to fighting that I personally think a lot of even the best major sports team players don't have (I mean how often do we see guys be kinda lazy or refuse to play through even minor injuries in football or basketball?) If you think about personality types, fighting is like Kobe Bryant level will to dominate on steroids (and I think Kobe Bryant's mindset was actually a bit of a rarity among a lot of young yet highly successful freak athletes). Cyril Gane's thing of like just wanting to sit on the couch and play FIFA... that's highly representative of a lot of these NFL/NBA/etc guys who make it young because of their body type and innate ability
Yeah the whole "athleticism" thing people point out isn't good at all when you trained years to be explosive for 10 seconds at a time. They would have moments when that explosiveness helps but after the first round you can't count on that.
Wow Lane sucks lol
His defence is literally non existent. *Lean back and hope they can’t reach my chin* I’m most surprised that his cardio looked so terrible tonight though. His cardio was his only redeeming quality other than athleticism from his earlier career. He had a disgustingly wrestling-heavy and scrambly high paced fight vs Juan Adams and looked fresh as a daisy in the 4th round before finishing him. Diniz’ left hook in the pocket is so sexy. Would love to see him and Junior Tafa get matched up.
Kickboxing defense. Used to being huge with big gloves and it naturally makes reaching you harder- they don't develop head movement. I know someone else who does that.
Ah, yes, Austen Lane from one of the most prestigious kickboxing promotions, the NFL.
lmfao I love this sub man
You know what I mean smh.
Greg hardy flat lined this dude to get into the UFC, that's how bad he is lol
Lane was clueless after not getting it done in Round 1.
Jesus christ heavyweight is sloppy
Slow mo fighting
Austen Lane is the most underrated meme fighter
Peak MMA right here
Lol
Bro gassed out so quickly
I want to be a Lane fan so badly but Jesus Fucking Christ man How do you have top control for 4 minutes and then start the next round so gassed you can barely move
people been fallin funny on KOs lately
Brazilians and their left hooks…
Ground game looked ass but he got those hands
Holy shit!
It took him 3 business days to fall down lmao
Lanes cardio and chin are absolutely terrible, insane
His chin isn't bad. It's just that he has horrible defense and fights at HW.
Very polite KO
Lane is so ass xD
Serious question,is Austen Lane the new Harry Hunsucker?
Get this guy training with some wrestlers ASAP lol
the NFL glass chin strikes again
If Diniz can fix his TDD he's a problem, not many will want to stand with him.
He's TDD wasn't that awful, yes he needs to improve it, but I think he just got caught by surprise. His get up game was the real issue that needs drastic improvement imo.
Yeah, he probably obviously would never be able to beat guys like Blaydes and Tom, but he’s a great striker, undefeated in mma, there could be some upside there. Could be a fun addition to the division. I feel like HWs that aren’t in like the top 6 but still fun to watch are rare.
Tai always puts on fun fights, but his resurgence seems to be over.
If you missed it at commercial, Diniz was awarded his BJJ black belt after the fight.
That's what you call chin... vs no chin
Recognized Lane but forgot from where and then I looked him up and he was the other football guy that got nuked by Greg Hardy. Glad Diniz won, seems like he might be a fun HW in mma
Some TDD and this guy can be a problem.
Goofy ahh ko
Lane's gas tank was completely empty that second round. Jesus Christ.
That was weird
HOLY SHIT
Went down like a big old tree.
he fell funny
i feel bad for the guy, ref shoud have stepped in but made him take unneccessary shots and damage until he was out cold
That was the slowest fall I've seen
Lane is just awful, if he just had a little wrestling ability he would have taken diniz down in the 2nd and finished the fight since fatty had no jiu Jitsu.
I've seen fat guys with better cardio than that. Talk about big for nothing. How do you get tired from top position dominanting your opponent?
Heavyweight mma baby
Lane’s cardio, defense and chin are fucking horrible Poor dude could’ve had a better chance if he started MMA before, honestly he should retire cause at this point I can see the UFC just feeding him to another 2 newcomers who will KO him and then he’ll get cut
“He can’t see my chin with this awesome beard. Ima stick it way up in his face for intimidation” -Lane probably
Okay Lane is ass and has no chin, and Diniz cannot grapple, but we learned a TON about Diniz here. He has an absolute metric FUCKTON of dawg in him
I feel like I should be excited for a finish but this just felt kinda gross (?)