Canada has been a hot bed for elite level mixed martial artists and has been the host location of countless great fights throughout the years. It is well known that MMA is being extremely popular among fans of betting and gambling. Since MMA events are postponed, MMA fighters train at home and participate in online broadcasts […]
Canada has been a hot bed for elite level mixed martial artists and has been the host location of countless great fights throughout the years.
It is well known that MMA is being extremely popular among fans of betting and gambling. Since MMA events are postponed, MMA fighters train at home and participate in online broadcasts organized by different gambling providers. So, while events are currently on hold, fans don’t have many options left, to play MMA slots in one the best online casino in Canada to or to check out the list of the top five Canadian MMA fighters of all time, that we’ve put together.
#1 Georges St Pierre (26 – 2)
Top of our list of course is Georges St Pierre. The 38-year-old from Montreal is far and away the greatest Canadian fighter of time. He is also for our money the greatest fighter of all-time full stop. Throughout his 28-fight career he has done it all. ‘GSP’ dominated the welterweight division for almost a decade. He made 10 consecutive defences of his 170lb title between 2008-2013 and beat a bunch of elite level fighters including Nick Diaz, Carlos Condit, Johny Henricks and Jake Shields. ‘GSP’ only lost twice in his career to Matt Hughes and Matt Serra, both of which he avenged in emphatic fashion. The Canadian MMA legend even came back to the sport four years after retiring to dethrone middleweight champion Michael Bisping in an epic fight at UFC 217 in November 2017.
#2 Rory MacDonald (21 – 6 – 1)
Former Bellator welterweight champion Rory MacDonald is second on our list of great Canadian fighters. He burst onto the scene as a UFC prospect over a decade ago and was touted as the heir to St Pierre’s welterweight throne. His record is littered with big-name wins over BJ Penn, Nate Diaz, Demian Maia, Tyron Woodley, and Douglas Lima. However, he is most known for his Fight of the Decade with Robbie Lawler. MacDonald came up short in lone UFC title shot suffering a fifth-round TKO loss against Lawler. ‘The Red King’ is currently signed to PFL and at just 30-years-old still has plenty of time to build on his already great MMA legacy.
#3 TJ Grant (21 – 5)
Lightweight contender TJ Grant is a sad story of wasted potential, but he nonetheless goes down as our third greatest Canadian MMA fighter of all time. Grant looked unimpressive during his first six fights in the UFC. He won three fights and lost three fights against some of the best fighters at welterweight. Grant decided to drop down to 155lbs and never lost again inside the octagon. He won five straight including a highlight-reel knockout over former title challenger Gray Maynard. The fight earned him a shot at lightweight champion Benson Henderson, but Grant was never able to take it. He suffered a concussion in 2013 and never managed to recover. Grant was still a great fighter and it was a pleasure watching him representing Canada during his rise through the ranks at lightweight.
#4 Carlos Newton (16 – 14)
Despite his less than pretty record it’s impossible for us to leave out Carlos Newton from this list. He was a pioneer for Canadian MMA. Starting his career in 1996 he fought and beat the best fighters of his era. He captured the UFC lightweight (now welterweight) title by beating Pat Miletich in 2001. By doing so he became the first Canadian UFC champion and etched his name in MMA history forever.
#5 Patrick Cote (23 – 11)
Last but by no means least is Patrick Cote – one of the hardest hitters in Canadian history. Throughout his 15-year professional MMA career, Cote came so close to achieving greatness but always missed out. He finished runner-up in The Ultimate Fighter, before falling short in against Anderson Silva in his lone shot at UFC gold. Despite that, he beat a bunch of great fighters including Josh Burkman, Ben Saunders, Kyle Noke, Ricardo Almeida, Kendall Grove, and many more. A Canadian MMA list without him wouldn’t be worth reading. Hat’s off on a hell of a career Mr. Cote.
Throwback Thursday is a new recurring column that pays tribute to the stars of an upcoming UFC PPV by taking a look back at some of their earliest defining moments. For our inaugural edition, we focus on Dan Henderson’s middleweight tournament-winning effort at UFC 17 (in his promotional debut, no less) ahead of his UFC 173 co-main event clash with Daniel Cormier this weekend.
What can be said about Dan Henderson that hasn’t already been said about Bill Brasky, or Chuck Norris? A poor way to start a retrospective, I know, but the fact is, the inventor and sole proprietor of the “H-Bomb” has one of the most well-documented yet somehow mythologized careers in MMA. From his back-to-back Olympic runs in ’92 and ’96 to his reign as the one and only concurrent double-title holder in PRIDE, everything about Dan Henderson is simply, legendary. He’s a credit to mixed martial arts, the human race, and perhaps most importantly, ‘Murica. Dan Henderson could kick a bald eagle in its little bird balls while waving a burning flag atop Mt. Rushmore and receive a Good Samaritan Award for doing so.
But every legend has to have an origin story, and for Henderson, it was the night he took out Alan Goes and Carlos Newton in back-to-back fights to win the UFC Middleweight Tournament at UFC 17: Redemption.
Relive Hendo’s epic one-night performance, complete with full videos of both fights, after the jump.
Throwback Thursday is a new recurring column that pays tribute to the stars of an upcoming UFC PPV by taking a look back at some of their earliest defining moments. For our inaugural edition, we focus on Dan Henderson’s middleweight tournament-winning effort at UFC 17 (in his promotional debut, no less) ahead of his UFC 173 co-main event clash with Daniel Cormier this weekend.
What can be said about Dan Henderson that hasn’t already been said about Bill Brasky, or Chuck Norris? A poor way to start a retrospective, I know, but the fact is, the inventor and sole proprietor of the “H-Bomb” has one of the most well-documented yet somehow mythologized careers in MMA. From his back-to-back Olympic runs in ’92 and ’96 to his reign as the one and only concurrent double-title holder in PRIDE, everything about Dan Henderson is simply, legendary. He’s a credit to mixed martial arts, the human race, and perhaps most importantly, ‘Murica. Dan Henderson could kick a bald eagle in its little bird balls while waving a burning atop Mt. Rushmore and receive a Good Samaritan Award for doing so.
But every legend has to have an origin story, and for Henderson, it was the night he took out Alan Goes and Carlos Newton in back-to-back fights to win the UFC Middleweight Tournament at UFC 17: Redemption. (Author’s note: Truthfully, the story of Henderson’s MMA career actually dates back one year prior, when he both started training mixed martial arts and defeated Crezio de Souza and Eric Smith in one night at the 1997 Brazil Open. But as we all know, if it didn’t happen in the UFC, it didn’t happen. You hear that, PRIDE-era Wanderlei! You never even existed!)
(Henderson vs. Goes @ UFC 17: Redemption.)
Fighting on the same card that featured the professional debut of Chuck Liddell and such future legends as Frank Shamrock, Jeremy Horn, Mark Coleman, and Tank Abbott, Henderson was paired against future PRIDE and IFL vet Allan Goes, who had fought Shamrock to a draw in a Pancrase event some three years earlier (and who also, according to his Wikipedia page at least, both helped found Brazilian Top Team and is an 8-time World Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Champion).
The significant size and experience disadvantage suffered by Henderson was evident at first, as the American was wobbled by leg kicks and dropped with a clean right hand early in the first round. Had Goes known that the only thing strong enough to crack Henderson’s granite jaw was synthetic testosterone, he probably would’ve laid down and called it a night. But Goes forged ahead…right into the punches, knees, and takedowns of Hendo, who would utilize his Greco-Roman pedigree to control Goes with ground-n-pound until the halfway point of the fight.
Henderson would again find himself on the wrong end of a knockdown near the 8:30 mark, but thanks to a kick delivered to his head while he was down, referee Joe Hamilton would be forced to break up what could’ve been a fight-ending submission on Goes’ part. When the action was restarted on the feet, Henderson’s cardio would shine against the visibly exhausted Goes.
The second, or “overtime” round as it was called then, was largely controlled by Henderson, thanks in part to his aggressiveness and constant pursual of Goes. A flurry that put Goes down in the final seconds would earn “Hollywood” (I so often forget he was called that) the unanimous decision nod and a shot at Carlos Newton, who had secured his spot in the finals via a lightning quick submission over Bob Gilstrap earlier in the evening.
(Henderson vs. Newton, UFC 17 Middleweight Tournament Finals, May 15, 1998.)
Henderson vs. Newton would start off in very similar fashion to Henderson vs. Goes, with the much fresher Newton dropping Hendo in the opening exchange before succumbing to his excellent takedowns and G-n-P. The crazy thing is, Newton technically defeated Henderson that night. Watch and listen closely around the 2:10 mark of the above video. Newton drops Hendo with a combo, prompting Big John McCarthy to shout “That’s it!” before pulling an Yves Lavigne and allowing the action to continue. Henderson would go on to defeat Newton, who was never able to catch a break in the UFC when it came to big fights, by split decision.
The rest of Dan Henderson’s story is, well, legendary — filled with more brutal knockouts and top-class trim than most of us could ever dream of. On the heels of a thrilling come-from-behind victory over Maurico Rua in their Fight Night 38 rematch and set to face fellow Olympian Daniel Cormier at UFC 173 this weekend, not many fans or so-called experts are giving Hendo a snowball’s chance in Hell. And while it’s true that Henderson is older, slower, smaller, and sans-TRT-ier than his latest challenge, there’s a key X-factor that must always be considered in a Hendo fight: Manliness.
The simple fact is, Dan Henderson is more of a man than you or I. He’s more of a man than Daniel Cormier, Fedor, or Fedor standing on Zeus’s shoulders. Dan Henderson has a pocket full of horses and f*cks the shit out of bears. Dan Henderson threw a knife into Heaven and can kill with a stare. Dan Henderson once held an opponent’s wife’s hand in a jar of acid, at a birthday party. Say it with me: Dan. F*cking. Henderson.
At the UFC 165 post-fight presser last month, UFC president Dana White showered praise upon UFC interim bantamweight champion Renan Barao, calling him one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the sport and remarking that the media hadn’t given enough credit to his eight-year, 32-fight undefeated streak, which has remained pristine since May 2005.
Barao has only tasted defeat once, and it was in the first fight of his career. The fact that he’s rebounded with the longest current undefeated streak in mixed martial arts — despite the fact that his first loss could have ruined his confidence forever — is absolutely amazing to me, as many young would-be prospects have crashed and burned in their debuts, never to be heard of again.
It got me thinking: What other mixed martial artists lost their first fight but then went on to have great success? I expected to bang out a list of ten fighters, but once I started doing the research, it blew my mind that some of the best fighters to ever compete in the sport, and a number of currently top 10-ranked fighters, actually lost their very first fight.
And so, I compiled a list of the top 24 MMA fighters of all time who lost their first fight. The list is based on accomplishments in the sport, overall skill level, and potential. Enjoy, and if I somehow missed somebody notable, please leave a comment below and explain why he or she should be included.
On July 26, 1996, at the age of 19 years old, Travis Fulton fought Dave Strasser in his MMA debut at Gladiators 1 in Davenport, Iowa, losing the fight via first-round submission. He then went on to win 249 fights, the most wins in mixed martial arts history. Fulton also holds the record for most fights (309) and most knockout wins (91) in MMA history.
Mind = blown.
Was Fulton a can crusher? Yes, yes he was. Or, should I say, yes he is, as he beat some nobody in his native Iowa just this past March. But you don’t win 249 MMA fights by accident, and Fulton deserves a place on this list based on volume alone.
(Renan Barao: Started from the bottom, now he here. / Photo via Getty)
At the UFC 165 post-fight presser last month, UFC president Dana White showered praise upon UFC interim bantamweight champion Renan Barao, calling him one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the sport and remarking that the media hadn’t given enough credit to his eight-year, 32-fight undefeated streak, which has remained pristine since May 2005.
Barao has only tasted defeat once, and it was in the first fight of his career. The fact that he’s rebounded with the longest current undefeated streak in mixed martial arts — despite the fact that his first loss could have ruined his confidence forever — is absolutely amazing to me, as many young would-be prospects have crashed and burned in their debuts, never to be heard of again.
It got me thinking: What other mixed martial artists lost their first fight but then went on to have great success? I expected to bang out a list of ten fighters, but once I started doing the research, it blew my mind that some of the best fighters to ever compete in the sport, and a number of currently top 10-ranked fighters, actually lost their very first fight.
And so, I compiled a list of the top 24 MMA fighters of all time who lost their first fight. The list is based on accomplishments in the sport, overall skill level, and potential. Enjoy, and if I somehow missed somebody notable, please leave a comment below and explain why he or she should be included.
On July 26, 1996, at the age of 19 years old, Travis Fulton fought Dave Strasser in his MMA debut at Gladiators 1 in Davenport, Iowa, losing the fight via first-round submission. He then went on to win 249 fights, the most wins in mixed martial arts history. Fulton also holds the record for most fights (309) and most knockout wins (91) in MMA history.
Mind = blown.
Was Fulton a can crusher? Yes, yes he was. Or, should I say, yes he is, as he beat some nobody in his native Iowa just this past March. But you don’t win 249 MMA fights by accident, and Fulton deserves a place on this list based on volume alone.
Akihiro Gono was just 19 when the Japanese icon made his MMA debut in his home country against Yasunori Okuda in the first round of the Lumax Cup: Tournament of J’ 94, way back in April 1994. Like many of the fighters of the time, Gono wasn’t ready to defend submissions, and he tapped out to a first-round toe hold.
Gono may have lost the fight, but he would go on to have a very solid career that saw him compete in the UFC, PRIDE, Shooto, Pancrase, Sengoku, and finally Bellator, which would be his final stop.
In May 2012, after a solid 18-year run as a fan favorite, Gono fought for the last time against current Bellator lightweight champion Michael Chandler at Bellator 67, losing the fight via first-round KO.
Some will laugh that Minowaman is on this list, but he deserves to be after amassing a respectable 55-35-8 record during his cult-legendary career as a journeyman, where — like the great Fedor Emelianenko — he was notorious for fighting and beating larger opponents in the UFC, PRIDE, Dream and Pancrase, amongst other promotions.
However, he was also notorious for losing to some of them.
The first of his 35 losses came to Yuzo Tateishi via decision on March 30, 1996, at the Lumax Cup: Tournament of J ‘96 in Japan. It was the first of many career losses for Minowa, who started off his career 2-9-2 in his first 13 fights. To his credit though, he rebounded to eventually leave the sport with a winning record, and became a big star in PRIDE because he always put on exciting fights and feared no man.
The name “Minowaman” is always one that makes the hardcores’ hearts beat whenever anyone brings it up. Not bad for a guy who at first glance looked like he would contribute nothing in the sport.
(NOTE: The graphic in the video say his record was 3-1 but that tally likely referred to his amateur fights.)
Back on February 15, 1997 in – surprise, surprise – Iowa, a 24-year-old Shonie Carter got into his first professional MMA fight, the first of many for him.
It didn’t last long, however, as he was KO’ed by future five-time UFC vet Laverne Clark at Monte Cox’s Extreme Challenge 3, just nine seconds into the first round in what was the MMA debut of both men.
It became a classic KO in regional circuit MMA history.
Despite that early career loss, Carter then went on to have an unexpectedly awesome career where he attained 50 wins, including 26 by stoppage. He even made it to the Ultimate Fighting Championship and, in total, he fought six times in the UFC — one more than Clark, who knocked him out in that first battle.
One of those 26 aforementioned stoppage wins I mentioned — and one of the best KOs in UFC history — was his spinning back fist knockout of Matt Serra at UFC 31. Serra, who at the time was considered to be below Carter in the ranks, later defeated Georges St-Pierre at UFC 69 to win the UFC welterweight title. Carter, on the other hand, never quite made it to the top of the sport, to say the least, but at least he built a memorable persona as a stone-cold pimp.
Brian Ebersole’s first MMA bout took place on February 24, 2000 against Chris Albandia at TCC – Total Combat Challenge in Chicago. He lost the fight via decision.
He was just 18 years old.
However, despite the loss, Ebersole has gone on to have an awesome journeyman career that has seen him compile an excellent record of 50-15-1, 1 NC.
Ebersole finally made it to the UFC in 2012, upsetting Chris Lytle at UFC 127 and then winning three more in a row before a split decision loss to James Head at UFC 149 ended his win streak. He has sat out the past year with injuries.
But things are looking up for Ebersole, as he will finally make his return to the cage at UFC 167 against Rick Story. It’s a difficult matchup on paper, but it’s winnable. And even if he loses, the fans get to see the Hairrow — well hopefully, anyways — or at least one of those fancy cartwheel kicks. Make it happen, Brian.
On April 7, 2007, at UCW 7 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, two unknown Canadian women fought each other. One was Sarah Kaufman, who would later go on to win the Strikeforce women’s bantamweight champion and who will be making her UFC debut this Saturday at UFC 166, and the other was a 21-year-old Alexis Davis, who would eventually make it into the UFC as well.
On that night, Kaufman was the better woman, as she finished Davis via strikes in the third round. And Kaufman would demonstrate her superiority once again, defeating Davis via majority decision in March 2012 at Strikeforce: Tate vs. Rousey.
However, Davis looks to be on the rise, and she certainly showed her potential in defeating Rosi Sexton in her Octagon debut at UFC 161. If her and Kaufman ever meet for a trilogy match, it’s possible Davis might finally get a win over her rival.
In this clip from FUEL TV’s Ultimate Matt Hughes special, the UFC Hall of Famer (and current Vice President of Athlete Development and Government Relations) recalls his infamous welterweight title fight at UFC 34 back in November 2001, in which he defeated Carlos Newton via slam-knockout, despite being nearly finished by a triangle choke. At the time, Hughes was returning to the UFC after building up a seven-fight win streak outside of the organization, and Newton had just become champion by bulldog-choking Hughes’s homey Pat Miletich seven months earlier at UFC 31.
From the moment that Newton emerged for his pimpin’-pimpin’ walkout to the cage, Hughes wasn’t impressed. (“This guy’s off in la-la land, thinkin’ this is some entertainment show…I’m gonna mop this guy up.”) And Hughes did just that for a while, until he found Newton’s legs wrapped around his neck. As was often the case when Hughes found himself in trouble in a fight, he picked up his opponent and carried him like a bale of hay.
Hughes claims that he slammed Newton intentionally — even though it kind of looked like he just passed out on the spot — but he does admit that he was dazed afterwards, half-asleep from the affects of Newton’s triangle choke. But since Newton was completely unconscious, the belt went to the challenger. Hughes would defend the title five times during his first championship reign, including a fourth-round TKO win over Newton in a rematch the following year. Newton never fought for a UFC title again, and is currently trying to sell his afro wig on eBay.
In this clip from FUEL TV’s Ultimate Matt Hughes special, the UFC Hall of Famer (and current Vice President of Athlete Development and Government Relations) recalls his infamous welterweight title fight at UFC 34 back in November 2001, in which he defeated Carlos Newton via slam-knockout, despite being nearly finished by a triangle choke. At the time, Hughes was returning to the UFC after building up a seven-fight win streak outside of the organization, and Newton had just become champion by bulldog-choking Hughes’s homey Pat Miletich seven months earlier at UFC 31.
From the moment that Newton emerged for his pimpin’-pimpin’ walkout to the cage, Hughes wasn’t impressed. (“This guy’s off in la-la land, thinkin’ this is some entertainment show…I’m gonna mop this guy up.”) And Hughes did just that for a while, until he found Newton’s legs wrapped around his neck. As was often the case when Hughes found himself in trouble in a fight, he picked up his opponent and carried him like a bale of hay.
Hughes claims that he slammed Newton intentionally — even though it kind of looked like he just passed out on the spot — but he does admit that he was dazed afterwards, half-asleep from the affects of Newton’s triangle choke. But since Newton was completely unconscious, the belt went to the challenger. Hughes would defend the title five times during his first championship reign, including a fourth-round TKO win over Newton in a rematch the following year. Newton never fought for a UFC title again, and is currently trying to sell his afro wig on eBay.
(“Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome while trying to succeed.” – Booker T. Washington.)
Despite protests from people of every color, February is Black History Month, and as such, I’ve compiled a chronological timeline of the greatest moments in black MMA history. Like famed Hollywood actor Morgan Freeman, I “don’t want a black history month. Black history is American history.” But until we get our collective act together and abolish this antiquated celebration, I find it only appropriate to bring to the forefront the most spectacular moments and accomplishments of these world-class athletes, who just so happen to be black.
12/16/1994 – UFC 4: Revenge of the Warriors
Ron Van Clief entered the eight-man tournament at UFC 4 against future UFC Hall of Famer Royce Gracie at the ripe old age of 51, making him the oldest competitor to date to compete inside the Octagon. Even though the former U.S. Marine lost via rear naked choke in under four minutes by the BJJ master himself, Van Clief proved that the warrior spirit knows no age limits.
7/27/1997 – UFC 14: Showdown
After defeating Mark Coleman in a superfight by unanimous decision, kickboxer Maurice Smith became the first-ever black UFC champion. “Mo” didn’t let his underdog status leading up to the fight discourage him. Instead, it made his victory all the more sweet; especially considering this was the first time a striker of any caliber withstood the grinding onslaught of a world-class wrestler.
(“Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome while trying to succeed.” – Booker T. Washington.)
Despite protests from people of every color, February is Black History Month, and as such, I’ve compiled a chronological timeline of the greatest moments in black MMA history. Like famed Hollywood actor Morgan Freeman, I “don’t want a black history month. Black history is American history.” But until we get our collective act together and abolish this antiquated celebration, I find it only appropriate to bring to the forefront the most spectacular moments and accomplishments of these world-class athletes, who just so happen to be black.
12/16/1994 – UFC 4: Revenge of the Warriors
Ron Van Clief entered the eight-man tournament at UFC 4 against future UFC Hall of Famer Royce Gracie at the ripe old age of 51, making him the oldest competitor to date to compete inside the Octagon. Even though the former U.S. Marine lost via rear naked choke in under four minutes by the BJJ master himself, Van Clief proved that the warrior spirit knows no age limits.
7/27/1997 – UFC 14: Showdown
After defeating Mark Coleman in a superfight by unanimous decision, kickboxer Maurice Smith became the first-ever black UFC champion. “Mo” didn’t let his underdog status leading up to the fight discourage him. Instead, it made his victory all the more sweet; especially considering this was the first time a striker of any caliber withstood the grinding onslaught of a world-class wrestler.
On the very same night, Kevin Jackson became the Wendell Scott of Ultimate Fighting by becoming the first and only black fighter to win a UFC tournament. Jackson faced Todd Butler in the semi-finals. The Olympic gold medalist punched his way to a submission win in just over a minute. In the finals, Jackson submitted Tony Fryklund — who earlier in the night had hit his opponent after the bell before stepping on him as he walked away — with a slick rear naked choke in just 44 seconds.
5/4/2001 – UFC 31: Locked & Loaded
Carlos Newton became the first black UFC welterweight champion after handing Pat Miletich his first loss inside the Octagon, effectually ending the Croatian Sensation’s nearly three-year reign with the gold. Both of those facts are impressive in their own right, but I think we’re all more amazed that “The Ronin” did it with a bulldog choke.
Earlier that night, Shonie Carter gave us a highlight reel knockout for the ages when he utilized the fan favorite fight finisher known as the spinning back fist to defeat Matt Serra. This is what Chael Sonnen had in mind when he attempted to do the same to Anderson Silva in their rematch at UFC 148. Although not the most spectacular KO in black MMA history (more on that later), it’s still worthy of a spot on the timeline for its sheer awesomeness.
4/25/2004 – Pride Total Elimination 2004
Kevin Randleman pulls off the most lopsided upset of the year with a knockout of the year finish of Mirco “Cro Cop” Filipovic. After losing his last two bouts in PRIDE, Randleman stepped in the ring with the 2003 Black Belt Magazine full-contact fighter of the year. “Cro Cop” hadn’t let an opponent get out of the first round all year. Randleman was no different — but not for the reasons you’d expect. Using his Mark Coleman-esque wrestling with two-minute drill urgency, “The Monster” rushed the former K-1 kickboxer and eventually shocked the entire Saitama Super Arena with a powerful left hook that sent Filipovic to the canvas before landing a barrage of blows to the skull prompting the referee to call a stop to the action.
6/20/2004 – Pride Critical Countdown 2004
Quinton “Rampage” Jackson borrowed a page from “Big Daddy Cool” Diesel when he power bombed Ricardo Arona, in one of the most spectacular knockouts in the history of the sport. The only difference is that when Rampage did it his opponent didn’t just lie there pretending to be incapacitated, he literally got KTFO.
11/5/2005 – The Ultimate Fighter 2 Finale
“Suga” Rashad Evans earns a six-figure contract with the UFC after winning a split-decision fight against Brad Imes in the heavyweight finals. This also makes him the first African-American man to win the grand prize of the MMA reality TV show. A win on cable television was just the thing to launch Evans’s impressive UFC career.
10/14/2006 – UFC 64: Unstoppable
In only his second showing inside the Octagon, Anderson Silva proves that the only thing “unstoppable” is himself. UFC poster boy Rich Franklin found himself on the wrong side of a violent beatdown that night. “The Spider” masterfully executed devastating knees from the Muay Thai-clinch, breaking Franklin’s nose in the process. It wasn’t long before the former high school math teacher collapsed in a bloody heap on the mat halting the attack. This marked the first time in UFC history that a black fighter held the middleweight strap.
(Photo via Kent Horner/WireImage)
5/26/2007 – UFC 71: Liddell vs. Jackson
Riding a seven-fight win streak, Chuck “The Iceman” Liddell sought to avenge his TKO loss to Quinton Jackson at PRIDE Final Conflict 2003. But that just wasn’t in the cards. After roughly a minute and a half, “Rampage” dropped Liddell with a Knockout of the Night-winning right hook to become the first black fighter to capture the UFC’s light-heavyweight championship.
On the next page: Kimbo, Jon Jones, and Mighty Mouse leave their own marks on the sport…
(Come on Tim, you haven’t even read the column yet. Maybe we wrote nice things about you, okay?)
Today on the CagePotato Roundtable, we’re talking paper champs — the one-and-dones and never-shoulda-beens who weren’t quite worthy of the gold around their waist. To limit our scope a bit, we’re only focusing on major MMA promotions like the UFC (including tournament champions), PRIDE (even though all their champions were awesome), Strikeforce, the WEC, and probably Bellator and DREAM as well if anybody cared enough to mention them. Joining us this week is our dear friend Kelly Crigger, the retired solider and best-selling MMA author who’s currently elevating rugby-awareness at American Sin Bin. Read on for our picks, and please, please, please send your ideas for future Roundtable topics to [email protected].
Jared Jones
For four months in 2001-2002, Dave Menne — the fighter who Phil Baroni famously steamrolled at UFC 39 — was the UFC’s middleweight champion. That’s right: The belt that Anderson Silva has proudly worn for the last five-and-a-half years used to belong to this guy. Menne won the title in September 2001 by beating 5-0 newcomer Gil Castillo, and went on to compile an overall record of 2-4 in the Octagon. Gentlemen, the floor is yours. Good luck.
The worst major MMA champion of all time has to be Carlos Newton. For starters when you say your fighting style is Dragon Ball Z Jiu Jitsu to pay homage to a Japanese anime character, there’s a screw loose somewhere.
Secondly, when Newton won the UFC welterweight title, there wasn’t exactly a deep talent pool of competition. MMA was still evolving and techniques were as sound as using bubble gum on a car engine. I will admit that he beat a very experienced and talented Pat Miletich to get the strap, but that’s the lone gem in his dreadlocked crown. Today every weight class has a laundry list of accomplished fighters and an alternate list of accomplished fighters waiting in the wings in case they tweet something controversial and Mr. White fires all of them. The point is, he didn’t exactly climb a ladder of giants to get to the belt.
(Come on Tim, you haven’t even read the column yet. Maybe we wrote nice things about you, okay?)
Today on the CagePotato Roundtable, we’re talking paper champs — the one-and-dones and never-shoulda-beens who weren’t quite worthy of the gold around their waist. To limit our scope a bit, we’re only focusing on major MMA promotions like the UFC (including tournament champions), PRIDE (even though all their champions were awesome), Strikeforce, the WEC, and probably Bellator and DREAM as well if anybody cared enough to mention them. Joining us this week is our dear friend Kelly Crigger, the retired solider and best-selling MMA author who’s currently elevating rugby-awareness at American Sin Bin. Read on for our picks, and please, please, please send your ideas for future Roundtable topics to [email protected].
Jared Jones
For four months in 2001-2002, Dave Menne — the fighter who Phil Baroni famously steamrolled at UFC 39 — was the UFC’s middleweight champion. That’s right: The belt that Anderson Silva has proudly worn for the last five-and-a-half years used to belong to this guy. Menne won the title in September 2001 by beating 5-0 newcomer Gil Castillo, and went on to compile an overall record of 2-4 in the Octagon. Gentlemen, the floor is yours. Good luck.
The worst major MMA champion of all time has to be Carlos Newton. For starters when you say your fighting style is Dragon Ball Z Jiu Jitsu to pay homage to a Japanese anime character, there’s a screw loose somewhere.
Secondly, when Newton won the UFC welterweight title, there wasn’t exactly a deep talent pool of competition. MMA was still evolving and techniques were as sound as using bubble gum on a car engine. I will admit that he beat a very experienced and talented Pat Miletich to get the strap, but that’s the lone gem in his dreadlocked crown. Today every weight class has a laundry list of accomplished fighters and an alternate list of accomplished fighters waiting in the wings in case they tweet something controversial and Mr. White fires all of them. The point is, he didn’t exactly climb a ladder of giants to get to the belt.
Thirdly, he never defended it. They say you’re not really the champion until you defend the belt. They’re right. The hunger that consumes so many fighters as they climb the lofty MMA mountain is frequently snuffed out once they get to the top. The mighty tumble faster down those slopes than the President’s approval ratings. Newton never defended the welterweight title and had one of the shortest reigns as champ in the history of the UFC, especially when you consider how infrequent the events were back in 2001 when he was the champ. Newton’s inability to defend the belt could be forgiven if he’d remained a contender or changed weight classes to challenge for another belt. But his career nosedived after losing the welterweight title to Matt Hughes in his very next fight and he went 6-9 over the next eight-and-a-half years of fighting, with no wins over anyone notable.
Carlos Newton was in the right place at the right time to win the UFC welterweight belt, but since that day his career has been lackluster at best and largely unmemorable. Guess that Dragon Ball Z Jiu Jitsu wasn’t so hot after all.
I’ll be honest: When this topic was first introduced, I was pretty skeptical about how it would work as a column. “Major MMA promotion” is an incredibly vague term that could apply to pretty much any promotion that we’ve covered on this site. KSW is a major promotion in Poland. Inka Fighting Championship is a major promotion in Peru. What I’m trying to say is that I didn’t want this column to degrade into a contest to see who can name the most obscure organization’s least-talented champion, like we’re a bunch of MMA hipsters who just overheard someone say “Brock Lesnar should totally be in the UFC Hall of Fame, you guys.”
Yet ironically enough, not only am I about to write about the most obscure champion on this list, but I’m also picking the most obscure weight class in the organization I’m writing about. The WEC carved its niche with the smaller weight classes for a good reason: It had virtually no depth beyond lightweight. Hell, I’m still not entirely convinced that it ever had a true light-heavyweight division. Looking at all the middleweights who fought for the WEC at light-heavyweight back then, it’s almost like the promotion invented the “Rumbleweight” division before most of us knew who Anthony Johnson was.
The WEC light-heavyweight division was made up of guys like Lodune Sincaid, Brian Stann, Steve Cantwell and Tim McKenzie — all of whom are now competing at 185. Oh, and Doug Marshall, too. Remember him? If you were one of those “The WEC in its prime was better than the UFC” fans, you’ve probably repressed all memories that Marshall formerly held the light-heavyweight title for your precious World Extreme Cagefighting.
Doug Marshall was — and I can’t believe I’m about to type this — the minor league version of Tim Sylvia. He was a champion when the division was completely barren of anything resembling talent, winning the belt from Lodune Sincaid (who I almost went with, except Marshall winning was considered a minor upset), defending it against Justin McElfresh (?) and Ariel Gandulla (LOL), and then losing the belt to Brian Stann. Before you justify the loss to Stann with Captain America’s current success in the UFC middleweight division, keep in mind that Stann at this point was little more than a great story and a damn good cross. Stann was so green in the sport that he would go on to lose the belt to Steve Cantwell, of all people. When the UFC absorbed the WEC’s light-heavyweights, Doug Marshall was left behind.
Since getting snubbed by the UFC, Doug Marshall has (act surprised) dropped to middleweight, where he’s been little more than a can crusher. He has gone 6-3, yet his three losses come against guys you’ve actually heard of, most recently suffering a quick KO at the hands of Zelg Galesic at Super Fight League 3. Meanwhile, the WEC’s final Light-Heavyweight champion, Steve Cantwell, has lost five straight fights in the UFC. Such is life when you’re the worst of the best.
I know what I am saying is blasphemy, but at least give me a cigarette and my last words before the firing squad unloads. I want to preface this by stating; without Royce there would absolutely NOT be the sport of MMA as we know it. I do appreciate his effort and skill within the BJJ community as well as the attention he brought to the sport. He was the real life David versus his Goliath competitors.
That being said, Royce was a complete and total DICK. He was the original Paul Harris but back in the day, we were all so enamored that a 175-pound man could annihilate much bigger dudes, it went unnoticed. So ladies and gentlemen of the jury I introduce to you:
This poor bastard got his arm broken in half even though he was tapping faster than a professional Track and Field arcade game competitor. Don’t give me any of this “The referee never stopped it” nonsense either. Royce knows what a tap is and he snapped it anyway.
This lucky guy knows he is defeated and taps in a gentlemanly fashion. Once the choke is not let go, you see Gordeau’s tap frequency increase to panic mode and then he begins to tap with both hands simultaneously as his death approaches. At least he was wearing awesome pajama pants.
Mr. Van Clief was pulling a Social Security check when he took this fight and how did Royce treat his elder? By making Big John McCarthy scream repeatedly to release the choke after Ron tapped. Following the fight Van Clief was presumably sent to the glue factory.
The real “Beast” was taking it to Royce during this contest. Unfortunately for Dan, he subscribes to the Chael Sonnen School of Triangle Defense. Once the choke is locked in, Severn gives his big awkward taps to say “Uncle.” Not so fast mustachioed one, as Royce kept the triangle locked tight until John McCarthy finally pried him off.
So, in closing ladies and gentlemen of the CP jury, I present to you the worst champion in MMA history, Royce Gracie. Not by his performance but rather with his classless actions during his performances. He is a highly skilled BJJ practitioner and a master of his craft but he is also a bloodthirsty animal who was not content with victory alone. He seemingly craved to injure his opponent after they had conceded. Having trained for decades, Royce knew what a tap meant and he didn’t care. Oh yeah, the jerk pulls hair too.
Ben Goldstein
In December 2006, fledgling MMA promotion Strikeforce decided to crown a light-heavyweight champion, despite their general lack of a light-heavyweight division. To fill the vacancy, Scott Coker grabbed the first two 205′ers he could find. One was Bobby Southworth, who had gained a bit of name-recognition on the first season of TUF; never mind that his major accomplishments on that show were calling Chris Leben a fatherless bastard and losing a decision to Stephan Bonnar. Southworth hadn’t won a fight in over three years, and his Strikeforce debut the previous June ended in no-contest due to freak accident (James Irvin). His opponent at Strikeforce: Triple Threat would be aging Lion’s Den product Vernon White, who was riding a two-fight losing streak, and had never competed under the Strikeforce banner. One of these men, honest to God, was about to become a Strikeforce World Title Holder.
Southworth wound up collecting the belt in that fight via decision, and while the title itself was rather meaningless, his title reign was even more forgettable. Southworth’s first defense was against Canadian journeyman Bill Mahood, who verbally submitted due to a rib injury after just 75 seconds, then tested positive for steroids. Southworth’s next challenge was late-replacement Anthony Ruiz; since Ruiz only had about three weeks to prepare for the fight, Strikeforce made it a non-title affair — which made things kind of awkward when Ruiz beat Southworth by TKO due a cut. Obviously, the two men had to run it back, and Southworth won the rematch by unanimous decision in an unwatchably dull five-rounder.
Southworth’s Cinderella-story ended in November 2008, when they finally matched him up with a fighter worthy of holding a belt — former UFC title contender Renato Sobral. Although Southworth put in a valiant effort against Sobral, the bout was stopped before the second frame due to a horrible gash above Bobby’s eye. A rematch was agreed to, but never materialized. Southworth has only competed once since that night, beating some dude in Australia back in 2010. An attempt to get back on The Ultimate Fighter didn’t pan out, which is probably for the best.
Josh Hutchinson
When I heard this week’s question a lot of people came to mind. I had never really sat back and thought about “bad” MMA champions before. Once I did, I realized, holy shit, there have been a lot of them. Although I was gifted with a list of possible candidates as long as the Nile River, my brain stubbornly clung to one specific individual: Brock Fucking Lesnar.
Let me set the scene for you. It was what turned out to be the extremely foul year of our lord 2007, and I heard a rumor that the UFC had contracted a former “professional” wrestler to mix up the heavyweight division. I had also heard that he had a good collegiate wrestling record to his credit. So I thought to myself, “what the hell”? There have been a lot of MMA fighters who have done pro wrestling, and at least he has a solid legitimate wrestling background. Then came the hype, and it never stopped.
Fast forward four months. By this time, I had seen pictures and video until my eyes bled of this supposed unstoppable force. Once I picked myself off the floor from a crippling case of hysterical laughter at the hands of a grown man willingly having a giant dick tattooed on his chest, I started to get mildly annoyed at the attention he was receiving. For fuck sakes the man had one professional MMA fight, and that was against Kim Min-Soo. If you’re not familiar with Mr. Min-Soo, allow me to elaborate. He is a 3-7 fighter, and was 2-5 when he fought Lesnar. On top of that, he has also actually lost to Bob Sapp legitimately. Luckily Frank Mir came along and submitted Lesnar in a minute and a half of the first round, thus successfully derailing what was clearly a bullshit hype-train to begin with. Wait…that didn’t happen.
Instead, they threw the former “golden boy” to heavyweight gatekeeper Heath Herring. That fight somehow warranted Lesnar worthy to fight the aging and undersized Randy Couture for the UFC heavyweight title. I’m either too drunk, too stupid, or too naïve at the lengths promoters will go too when hyping “the next big thing” to understand the logic here. But it happened. What followed was one more win in the vein of Lesnar’s “plow you over and hammerfist you the way I do my dick after viewing Carmen Valentina‘s website” style of fighting, in the form of a rematch win against Frank Mir. Although Shane Carwin exposed the extreme distaste Lesnar has for actually being punched in the face, Lesnar survived his title defense against “The Engineer of Pain” with his belt intact, but beat-down losses to Cain Velasquez and Alistair Overeem forced the phallically branded “athlete” back to scripted fights with an MMA record of 5-3.
I have neither the time, nor energy to look up the following, but I’m willing to bet that he is the only man in UFC history to get a title shot at 2-1, and the only “superstar” to retire at 5-3. That, ladies and gentlemen, is my argument for worst MMA champion of all time.
“I just fucked your ass.” That was the t-shirt Tito Ortiz wore in the Octagon after his victory at UFC 18. It was also the night, as Tito says in his book, that Ortiz became the “Huntington Beach Bad Boy,” and he began his one-man destruction of the Lion’s Den camp. So, who was the unlucky soul whose ass was fucked by Tito Ortiz at UFC 18? Jerry Bohlander, my choice for the worst major MMA champion of all-time.
Jerry Bohlander walked into Ken Shamrock’s Lion’s Den gym in the early 1990s, submitted one of the best fighters in the gym, and was soon thrown into his first pro fight, which he won. In Bohlander’s second pro fight, and first UFC fight, Bohlander submitted Scott Ferrozzo, who outweighed Bohlander by almost 150 pounds. Bohlander went on to lose to Gary Goodridge later that night, but it was only one year later, in February 1997, that Jerry Bohlander would taste UFC tournament gold. Bohlander won the UFC Lightweight (under 200lbs) Tournament at UFC 12, and did so in under two minutes total fight time.
So, after all that success, you ask, why is Jerry Bohlander my choice for worst champion? Well, the night Bohlander won his tournament, he beat Rainy Martinez and Nick Sanzo. Martinez’s pro record? 0-2. Sanzo’s pro record? 1-1, with Sanzo’s only win coming earlier that night against Jackie Lee, who was making his pro debut. So, to become champion, Bohlander beat two completely irrelevant guys who were immediately forgotten in MMA history. Of Bohlander’s 11 career wins, only 3 of those came against opponents with winning records. The three fighters of note who Bohlander fought (Ortiz, Goodridge, Murilo Bustamante) all handily beat him. Granted, in the early days of the UFC the competition was slim, but Bohlander simply has no victories over relevant opponents.
While Bohlander may be the worst major MMA champion of all-time, that says nothing about him personally. After 9/11, he was inspired to become a police officer, and has been serving as a deputy for the Napa County Sheriff’s Office for close to ten years. Bohlander is on the SWAT team and works many dangerous cases. Apparently, Bohlander has two justified killings while on-duty: once shooting and killing a man charging him with a knife; and shooting and killing another suspect who was reaching in his waistband for a gun. So, while I may believe you are the worst major MMA champion of all-time, Jerry Bohlander, I salute you.
