Many sports stars and athletes have tried their hands at mixed martial arts with varying degrees of success. For every Brock Lesnar, there’s 15 other crossover athletes who did not have such a smooth transition into the world’s most violent and dangerous sport. We here at LowKick MMA have compiled a solid list of 10 crossover […]
Many sports stars and athletes have tried their hands at mixed martial arts with varying degrees of success.
For every Brock Lesnar, there’s 15 other crossover athletes who did not have such a smooth transition into the world’s most violent and dangerous sport.
We here at LowKick MMA have compiled a solid list of 10 crossover sports stars who just couldn’t make it in mixed martial arts.
10. Jose Canseco
Jose Canseco had a long and storied career in baseball before trying his hand at mixed martial arts. The Cuban-American was a six time all-star and won two World Series championships with the Oakland Athletics in 1989 and New York Yankees in 2000 before a steroid scandal in 2005 tarnished his reputation as a professional athlete.
Four years after the steroid scandal, Canseco attempted a career in MMA. The former baseball star took on Korean giant Choi Hong-man at DREAM 9 back in 2009. It was the perfect freak-show fight for its’ Japanese audience, which was hosting DREAM’s Hulk Grand Prix.
Canseco, while a sturdy 6-foot-4 and 240 pounds, was dwarfed by Choi, who weighed in at 320 pounds while standing at a massive 7-foot-2. Canseco tried to stay light on his feet, at times running from Choi to reset at the center of the ring, but the big man eventually caught up to him, forcing Canseco to tap to strikes at just 1:17 minutes into the first round.
“That’s a big man,” Canseco said of Choi at the time. “I ran into one of his left jabs and that almost knocked me out. You have no idea how scary it was facing a man that big.”
Canseco would never fight in mixed martial arts ever again, and if his performance against Choi is any indication, he probably never will again. However, he did participate in a celebrity boxing match with former child star Danny Bonaduce in a match that went to a draw.
But, with 462 home runs to his name and 17 seasons in the MLB, Canseco will be remembered as a baseball player rather than a fighter.
Angela Lee and Roger Gracie were crowned new ONE champions Friday night at ONE: Ascent to Power.
Lee earned a decision over Mei Yamaguchi in the main event inside the Singapore Indoor Stadium, becoming the first-ever ONE female atomweight champion.
The victory was the first time in six fights that the 19-year-old “Unstoppable” was pushed outside of the second round. She had finished all five of her previous foes, including three in the first round.
Gracie, a veteran of the UFC and Strikeforce, slipped an arm triangle choke on Michal Pasternak in the first round to become the inaugural ONE light heavyweight champion.
In other action, former ONE featherweight champion Narantungalag Jadambaa defeated ex-ONE lightweight titleholder Kotetsu Boku via third round submission, while Christian Lee – the brother of Angela Lee – scored another quick finish.
Complete results can be found below:
Angela Lee def. Mei Yamaguchi via unanimous decision to become the ONE female atomweight champion
Roger Gracie def. Michal Pasternak via technical submission (arm triangle) at 2:13 of Round 1 to become the ONE light heavyweight champion
Narantungalag Jadambaa def. Kotetsu Boku via submission (Von Flue choke) at 1:27 of Round 3
Christian Lee def. Cary Bullos via submission (D’Arce choke at 2:07 of Round 1)
Tatsuya Mizuno def. Mohamed Ali via TKO (strikes) at 3:52 of Round 2
Amir Khan def. John Chang via TKO (strikes) at 3:39 of Round 1
Benedict Ang def. Jimmy Yabo via submission (strikes) at 3:11 of Round 3
Saygid Guseyn Arslanaliev def. Ma Jia Wen via TKO (strikes) at 1:57 of Round 1
Agilan Thani def. Brad Robinson via TKO (soccer kick/strikes) at 4:40 of Round 1
Angela Lee and Roger Gracie were crowned new ONE champions Friday night at ONE: Ascent to Power.
Lee earned a decision over Mei Yamaguchi in the main event inside the Singapore Indoor Stadium, becoming the first-ever ONE female atomweight champion.
The victory was the first time in six fights that the 19-year-old “Unstoppable” was pushed outside of the second round. She had finished all five of her previous foes, including three in the first round.
Gracie, a veteran of the UFC and Strikeforce, slipped an arm triangle choke on Michal Pasternak in the first round to become the inaugural ONE light heavyweight champion.
In other action, former ONE featherweight champion Narantungalag Jadambaa defeated ex-ONE lightweight titleholder Kotetsu Boku via third round submission, while Christian Lee – the brother of Angela Lee – scored another quick finish.
Complete results can be found below:
Angela Lee def. Mei Yamaguchi via unanimous decision to become the ONE female atomweight champion
Roger Gracie def. Michal Pasternak via technical submission (arm triangle) at 2:13 of Round 1 to become the ONE light heavyweight champion
Narantungalag Jadambaa def. Kotetsu Boku via submission (Von Flue choke) at 1:27 of Round 3
Christian Lee def. Cary Bullos via submission (D’Arce choke at 2:07 of Round 1)
Tatsuya Mizuno def. Mohamed Ali via TKO (strikes) at 3:52 of Round 2
Amir Khan def. John Chang via TKO (strikes) at 3:39 of Round 1
Benedict Ang def. Jimmy Yabo via submission (strikes) at 3:11 of Round 3
Saygid Guseyn Arslanaliev def. Ma Jia Wen via TKO (strikes) at 1:57 of Round 1
Agilan Thani def. Brad Robinson via TKO (soccer kick/strikes) at 4:40 of Round 1
On Friday, Metamoris promoters announced the main event and the majority of the undercard matches planned for their Metamoris 7 event in Los Angeles, California in July.
Just days after UFC presents their landmark UFC…
https://youtu.be/aIqqhGcp3K4
On Friday, Metamoris promoters announced the main event and the majority of the undercard matches planned for their Metamoris 7 event in Los Angeles, California in July.
Just days after UFC presents their landmark UFC 200 event on July 9th, Metamoris will present Metamoris 7 on July 17th with Roger Gracie vs. Marcus “Buchecha” Almeida in a rematch as the headline attraction for the jiu-jitsu event.
Also expected for Metamoris 7 on 7/17 is Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Satoshi Ishii, Gilbert Burns vs. Dillon Davis, Ralek Gracie vs. Tim Springs, Matheus Diniz vs. Yuri Simoes and a secret match that will be unveiled on the night of the event.
(Brandon Vera vs. Igor Subora. PRIDE…[*wipes away tear*]…neva die.)
ONE FC 23: Warrior’s Way just wrapped up in Pasay City, Philippines, featuring the promotional debuts of Brandon Vera and Roger Gracie, who were both victorious. Full results are below, and GIFs of the main card stoppages continue after the jump, via Zombie Prophet. As usual, brutal soccer kicks were involved.
– Bibiano Fernandes def. Dae Hwan Kim via submission (rear-naked choke), 1:16 of round 2
– Brandon Vera def. Igor Subora via KO (punch, soccer kicks), 3:54 of round 1
– Timofey Nastyukhin def. Eduard Folayang via KO (flying knee, soccer kicks), 3:11 of round 1
– Roger Gracie def. James McSweeney via TKO, 3:15 of round 3
– Kevin Belingon def. Koetsu Okazaki via unanimous decision
– Herbert Burns def. Honorio Banario via submission (rear-naked choke), 3:59 of round 1
– Jake Butler def. Sylvain Potard via unanimous decision
– Dejdamrong Sor Amnuaysirichoke def. Rene Catalan via KO (knee), 2:30 of round 1
– Ana Julaton def. Walaa Abas Mohamed Kamaly via unanimous decision
– Jujeath Nagaowa def. Tharoth Sam via TKO, 3:34 of round 2
(Bibiano Fernandes vs. Dae Hwan Kim)
(Brandon Vera vs. Igor Subora. PRIDE…[*wipes away tear*]…neva die.)
ONE FC 23: Warrior’s Way just wrapped up in Pasay City, Philippines, featuring the promotional debuts of Brandon Vera and Roger Gracie, who were both victorious. Full results are below, and GIFs of the main card stoppages continue after the jump, via Zombie Prophet. As usual, brutal soccer kicks were involved.
– Bibiano Fernandes def. Dae Hwan Kim via submission (rear-naked choke), 1:16 of round 2
– Brandon Vera def. Igor Subora via KO (punch, soccer kicks), 3:54 of round 1
– Timofey Nastyukhin def. Eduard Folayang via KO (flying knee, soccer kicks), 3:11 of round 1
– Roger Gracie def. James McSweeney via TKO (and possibly a busted right leg), 3:15 of round 3
– Kevin Belingon def. Koetsu Okazaki via unanimous decision
– Herbert Burns def. Honorio Banario via submission (rear-naked choke), 3:59 of round 1
– Jake Butler def. Sylvain Potard via unanimous decision
– Dejdamrong Sor Amnuaysirichoke def. Rene Catalan via KO (knee), 2:30 of round 1
– Ana Julaton def. Walaa Abas Mohamed Kamaly via unanimous decision
– Jujeath Nagaowa def. Tharoth Sam via TKO, 3:34 of round 2
The news that Jake Shields had been axed by the UFC on Tuesday was not taken lightly by MMA fans who had referred to the former Strikeforce champion as “Jake Shieldzzzz” for years prior. Days later, we are still trying to make sense of the decision to cut Shields following his first loss in two and a half years, but it was an easy one to make in the eyes of Dana White, who basically told reporters that Shields was released because he didn’t “WAR!!” enough.
The news that Jake Shields had been axed by the UFC on Tuesday was not taken lightly by MMA fans who had referred to the former Strikeforce champion as “Jake Shieldzzzz” for years prior. Days later, we are still trying to make sense of the decision to cut Shields following his first loss in two and a half years, but it was an easy one to make in the eyes of Dana White, who basically told reporters that Shields was released because he didn’t “WAR!!” enough.
Otherwise known as the UFC firing that opened the floodgates of criticism for an entire week back in 2013, the release of perennial contender Jon Fitch was initially met with shock and outrage by fans and pundits of the sport alike, despite the fact that none of us could sit through an entire Jon Fitch fight without checking our cell phones or throwing pencils into the ceiling out of boredom if our lives depended on it.
You’re telling me that Fitch, who’s already had a better career than 90 percent of active welterweights, and who’s been with the same organization for more than seven years, has priced himself out of a job with $66,000 in show money? Seriously? Take away taxes, training expenses, his management’s cut, and all the other miscellaneous stuff that eats into a fighter’s pay, and that’s not a ton of take-home cash for a night of professional cage fighting. If that’s too much for a guy like Fitch, most other fighters should go ahead and start working on that law school application right now because the future is grim.
Yushin Okami (Who’s got two thumbs and will be out of a job come Monday? THIS GUY. Photo via Getty.)
Listed as the #6 middleweight at the time of his release, Yushin Okami had scored 3 victories in as many fights until a first round knockout loss to #4 ranked Jacare Souza at Fight Night 28 apparently signified that the times had passed him by. Said Dana White:
He’s been with us forever. He was always a tough guy and was right up there, but it’s almost like he’d become a gatekeeper. I like Okami, and you’ve heard me say this many times, that a win over Yushin Okami meant something. But he was never able to get over the hump and win one of those [significant] fights. We have a lot of guys coming in and I’ve been saying this all year: We have a full roster and there are guys who deserve opportunities. When you bring guys in, someone has to go. That’s why these fights are so meaningful.
“You know, sometimes you just have to cut a guy in the top 10 to make room for the 0-0 yoga instructors who really deserve a shot.”
Proof that one underwhelming fight can get your fired regardless of your record, TUF 7 alum Gerald Harris was let go by the UFC following his lackluster decision loss to Maiquel Falcao at UFC 123. The insanity in this decision being that the loss was Harris’ first under the UFC banner, and came following three straight TKO wins, two ‘Knockout of the Night’ awards, and an appearance on the Sportscenter Top 10. Harris has fought seven times since his departure, going a respectable 5-2 in such organizations as the WSOF, Dream, and Legacy Fighting Championships, but will likely never fight in the UFC again because he had an off night that one time back in 2010.
Meanwhile, Jared Hamman, who joined the UFC around the same time as Harris, has been smoked in his past three fights by Costas Philippou (legit), Michael Kuiper (fired) and Magnus Cedenblad (no Wiki page), and is 2-5 in the UFC overall, yet is still listed as an employee of the UFC. Politics, ladies and gentleman.
Come to think of it, you could just as easily swap Harris with Falcao, who was also fired for coasting to victory over Harris at UFC 123 (although it was later revealed that Falcao’s release stemmed from an assault case). In hindsight, it was clearly a good move on the UFC’s part, but at the time it was almost unprecedented to see a fighter booted after a win.
(On the other hand, a noodling business venture with the Diaz brothers seems pretty tempting.)
Kron Gracie, son of family champ Rickson Gracie, won gold in the -77kg weight class of the 2013 ADCC tournament this past weekend. The ADCC is like the Olympics of submission grappling, with the world’s best meeting every two years to decide weight class champs as well as an open-weight champion.
Gracie won all four of his matches by submission, joining the elite ranks of former champions to have done the same like Marcelo Garcia and second cousin Roger Gracie. Kron beat UFC veteran Andy Wang in his first match, Gary Tonon in his second, J.T. Torres in his third and rival Otavio Souza in the finals.
Before competing at Metamoris II this past summer, Gracie told CagePotato that he has been training MMA with the Diaz brothers for some time and plans to make the transition to MMA in the near future. Gracie is supposed to have a super match at the World Jiu Jitsu Expo next month but it will be interesting to see what he decides to do in 2014.
Will Gracie decide to leverage his now champion status in the submission grappling world or walk away and make a name for himself in MMA? How much of a sense of urgency does he feel to focus all of his attention on developing a well-rounded MMA game?
Only time will tell but we’ll certainly bring you updates as they occur. For the time being, enjoy Kron’s 2013 ADCC matches against Tonon and Souza after the jump.
(On the other hand, a noodling business venture with the Diaz brothers seems pretty tempting.)
Kron Gracie, son of family champ Rickson Gracie, won gold in the -77kg weight class of the 2013 ADCC tournament this past weekend. The ADCC is like the Olympics of submission grappling, with the world’s best meeting every two years to decide weight class champs as well as an open-weight champion.
Gracie won all four of his matches by submission, joining the elite ranks of former champions to have done the same like Marcelo Garcia and second cousin Roger Gracie. Kron beat UFC veteran Andy Wang in his first match, Gary Tonon in his second, J.T. Torres in his third and rival Otavio Souza in the finals.
Before competing at Metamoris II this past summer, Gracie told CagePotato that he has been training MMA with the Diaz brothers for some time and plans to make the transition to MMA in the near future. Gracie is supposed to have a super match at the World Jiu Jitsu Expo next month but it will be interesting to see what he decides to do in 2014.
Will Gracie decide to leverage his now champion status in the submission grappling world or walk away and make a name for himself in MMA? How much of a sense of urgency does he feel to focus all of his attention on developing a well-rounded MMA game?
Only time will tell but we’ll certainly bring you updates as they occur. For the time being, enjoy Kron’s 2013 ADCC matches against Tonon and Souza after the jump.
