The world of fiction is populated with many characters that spur the imagination and inspire the spirit of their fans. Of these characters, there are many that we wish were real and could test their skills in the UFC.Who are these fictional characters …
The world of fiction is populated with many characters that spur the imagination and inspire the spirit of their fans. Of these characters, there are many that we wish were real and could test their skills in the UFC.
Who are these fictional characters and why would we love to see them fight in the UFC, or in MMA in general? This question was partly answered before with 11 different fictional characters, but this slideshow includes 25 new ones for your reading pleasure.
Like with the last slideshow, keep in mind that all the characters on this list are absent of superpowers. Who would want to see an insanely powerful character like Superman crush a poor mortal MMA fighter?!
Even after his epic win over Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva, few MMA fans know the name Daniel Cormier. However, this will one day change. Cormier will become one of the most legendary figures in the sport. How? By beating UFC light heavyweight champion Jon J…
Even after his epic win over Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva, few MMA fans know the name Daniel Cormier. However, this will one day change. Cormier will become one of the most legendary figures in the sport. How? By beating UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones.
Jones is a great competitor, but Cormier has several distinct advantages that Jones has yet to see in an opponent so far.
First, Cormier is an Olympic level wrestler. He has faced the best wrestlers in the world and has beaten many of them. He came fourth in the 2004 Olympic games and was part of the Olympic team in 2008, but had to bow out due to kidney failure.
What makes Cormier’s wrestling so dangerous is his rapidly expanding knowledge of kickboxing. Cormier is training under the tutelage of Javier Mendes at the fabled American Kickboxing Academy (AKA) in San Jose, and it showed in his fight against Silva.
AKA is undergoing a new renaissance and is beginning to give Greg Jackson’s gym—the home of Jon Jones—a run for its money. Rarely has there been a wrestler with such fluid, precise and powerful strikes! This is the work of AKA.
Another distinct advantage that Cormier will bring to the cage is size.
Cormier currently competes at heavyweight, but is carrying around a lot of excess bulk at that weight. A drop to the light heavyweight division is totally plausible, and even likely, considering that fellow AKA member Cain Velasquez happens to be UFC heavyweight champion.
AKA fighters (namely Jon Fitch and Josh Koscheck) have been adamant about not fighting each other in the past, and it’s unlikely that particular stance will change any time soon.
Cormier will therefore have to drop to light heavyweight when the UFC either absorbs the Strikeforce roster, or brings Cormier up to the UFC (one of these two scenarios is inevitable but which isn’t certain yet).
How will the fight with Jon Jones play out then (assuming Jones is still the champion by the time Cormier makes it to the UFC)?
The advantages Jones has had over his other opponents—wrestling, striking and overall athleticism—won’t exist in a fight with Cormier.
Cormier can out-wrestle and out-strike Jones (the enormous difference in height and reach won’t mean much, as it didn’t mean much when Cormier fought Silva) and will have the athleticism to keep up with Jones.
Cormier will bring the fight to Jones like no other fighter has before, he will grind on him, push the pace and batter him until Jones either breaks, or the fight is over. Either way, Daniel Cormier will see his hand raised at the end of a fight with Jon Jones.
The dust has settled at Strikeforce: Barnett vs. Kharitonov, as Josh Barnett easily submitted Sergei Kharitonov and Daniel Cormier battered the larger Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva.There is not a better fight to conclude the tournament than Josh Barnett vs. …
The dust has settled at Strikeforce: Barnett vs. Kharitonov, as Josh Barnett easily submitted Sergei Kharitonov and Daniel Cormier battered the larger Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva.
There is not a better fight to conclude the tournament than Josh Barnett vs. Daniel Cormier.
Aside from the results of the eagerly anticipated heavyweight semifinals round of the grand prix, there were other important happenings at the event—questions were answered and lessons were learned.
What were these answers and lessons? Read on and find out!
When UFC president Dana White announced that Nick Diaz had no-showed two press conferences and was therefore out of his fight with UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre, many fans were and still are livid. However, they may not have a right to be…
When UFC president Dana White announced that Nick Diaz had no-showed two press conferences and was therefore out of his fight with UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre, many fans were and still are livid. However, they may not have a right to be; Nick Diaz’s stunt may be one of the most important actions in UFC history.
How could such a stupendously moronic crime help fulfill the destiny of the UFC?
Ever since the UFC started to gain traction with The Ultimate Fighter reality series, agitated fans have constantly called for the UFC to reform. People felt that the UFC reflected its targeted demographic, males ages 18-34, far too much.
The UFC went on its merry way and continued to grow while ignoring the doubters who said the UFC needed to change its ways.
Then Dana White got into some hot water when he went on a profanity-laden tirade against MMA reporter Loretta Hunt—a tirade which included an anti-gay slur. White issued an apology, but haters clamored for him to be removed as president and for the UFC to act “more professional.”
After this, the waters were calm for a while but the infamous “motorboat-gate“—an incident where former UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson jokingly went to “motorboat” reporter Karyn Bryant—happened and angry fans were singing the same tune all over again.
It didn’t help matters when UFC commentator Joe Rogan called a reporter who criticized Jackson’s antics “all kinds of cunty.”
The common thread amongst all these problems is that fans have consistently said that for the UFC to be taken as seriously as other sports organizations, such as the NFL, it must act like those organizations.
By now, you might realize where Nick Diaz fits into all of this. Nick Diaz, by not showing up to two press conferences, finally gave the UFC the perfect situation in which to act like the major sports organization it aspires to be (and really already is in some ways).
Having Dana White step down as president or firing Rampage or Joe Rogan would’ve put a black eye on the UFC and would’ve alienated many UFC fans, who identify with such characters. It’s no secret that the UFC’s image was carefully crafted to appeal to the youth and to avoid being seen as dapper and corporate like Major League Baseball or the NFL.
The Diaz situation has given the UFC an out. They can be professional (and, most importantly, impress their new friends at FOX) by punishing Diaz but still keep its painstakingly maintained “cool” image. Even better, they can still keep Diaz and are having him fight B.J. Penn!
It’s truly a win-win situation for the UFC. They get to keep their exciting fighter, their image and all the while get to trumpet how stern they were and how their disciplinary policy is among the toughest in sports. All thanks to Nick Diaz’s desire to miss a “beauty pagent.”
All the recent talk of Brock Lesnar vs. Alistair Overeem and Nick Diaz’s disappearance has overshadowed one of the most exciting cards of the year: UFC 136, an event that is headlined by a lightweight title fight between champion Frankie Edgar and chal…
All the recent talk of Brock Lesnar vs. Alistair Overeem and Nick Diaz’s disappearance has overshadowed one of the most exciting cards of the year: UFC 136, an event that is headlined by a lightweight title fight between champion Frankie Edgar and challenger Gray Maynard.
Aside from being an event that looks good on paper from head to toe, UFC 136 will also answer crucial questions that the MMA world is asking. What are these questions? Read and find out!
The announcement that former UFC champion Brock Lesnar will fight former Strikeforce champion Alistair Overeem has set the MMA world aflame. Many are excited and think this will be the fight of the year. They are wrong. This fight will be one of the mo…
The announcement that former UFC champion Brock Lesnar will fight former Strikeforce champion Alistair Overeem has set the MMA world aflame. Many are excited and think this will be the fight of the year. They are wrong. This fight will be one of the most epic fails in MMA history.
Why will such a hyped up fight be such a disappointment? How can a fight between such strong fighters be a let down? Read and find out, but keep in mind you may lose your enthusiasm for the upcoming bout!
Even after his epic win over Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva, few MMA fans know the name Daniel Cormier. However, this will one day change. Cormier will become one of the most legendary figures in the sport. How? By beating UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones.