In every sport in the world, athletes evaluate their strengths in addition to their weaknesses, constantly working to become the best they can be.
After all, no one is the complete package—there is always room for improvement; in the combative sports, the only real exception to this rule is probably Sugar Ray Robinson, who was just about as great as a fighter could hope to be.
But the exception is not the norm, and we should be thankful for that, especially in the fight game.
The theatre of combative sports is so great not only because of a fighter’s advantages; but also because of a fighter’s flaws, no matter how pronounced or subtle.
That’s the real drama of fight sports—knowing that the man in command of one moment could see it all taken away from him if his opponent strikes deep into that aspect of his game that is weakest.
At UFC 160, if Mark Hunt begins to knock Junior dos Santos all over the ring, everyone is going to be watching one thing while waiting for another.
They’ll be watching the action, hoping for a knockout, and all the while waiting to see if dos Santos can score a takedown, because everyone knows that is the weakest link in Hunt’s chain.
Hunt’s not alone of course. Here’s a list of 10 men who could be really and truly great were it not for one nagging flaw.