(“C’mon bro, you’re a UFC fighter for Christ’s sake. If you start crying, you’ll never be able to show your face in this parlor again. You’ll be no better than Phil Baroni.” Photo via ami-james.)
It feels like its been eons since we’ve seen Thiago Alves in action, and by “in action,” we mean cutting down fighters young and old with leg kicks powerful enough to give even Cecil Peoples nightmares. Ever since suffering a last minute, come-from-behind submission defeat at the hands of Martin Kampmann last March, Alves has been forced to pull out of bouts with Siyar Bahadurzadaand Matt Brown due to various injuries. In fact, Alves has hit something of a rough patch ever since fighting Georges “The Career Killer” St. Pierre at UFC 100, having dropped 3 of his past 5 contests and picking up wins over less-than-stellar competition.
Thankfully, none other than Ariel Helwani has passed along the news that Alves is finally healthy again and hoping to secure a fight at UFC 171: Jones vs. Teixeira.
Who would you like to see Alves paired up with in his return bout, Nation? Pyle? MacDonald? Paulo Odbelis?! Before you decide, let’s all just revel in the only Thiago Alves highlight reel that isn’t accompanied by a horrendous rap song after the jump.
(“C’mon bro, you’re a UFC fighter for Christ’s sake. If you start crying, you’ll never be able to show your face in this parlor again. You’ll be no better than Phil Baroni.” Photo via ami-james.)
It feels like its been eons since we’ve seen Thiago Alves in action, and by “in action,” we mean cutting down fighters young and old with leg kicks powerful enough to give even Cecil Peoples nightmares. Ever since suffering a last minute, come-from-behind submission defeat at the hands of Martin Kampmann last March, Alves has been forced to pull out of bouts with Siyar Bahadurzadaand Matt Brown due to various injuries. In fact, Alves has hit something of a rough patch ever since fighting Georges “The Career Killer” St. Pierre at UFC 100, having dropped 3 of his past 5 contests and picking up wins over less-than-stellar competition.
Thankfully, none other than Ariel Helwani has passed along the news that Alves is finally healthy again and hoping to secure a fight at UFC 171: Jones vs. Teixeira.
Who would you like to see Alves paired up with in his return bout, Nation? Pyle? MacDonald? Paulo Odbelis?! Before you decide, let’s all just revel in the only Thiago Alves highlight reel that isn’t accompanied by a horrendous rap song after the jump.
I know what a lot of you were thinking (and by “a lot” I mean nobody): Where is The12ozCurls with his obligatory fluffy, ball-washing post on Georges St. Pierre pertaining to his upcoming fight? Well, I hate to disappoint my dozens of CagePotato fans and Twitter followers (seriously, *bottom lip quivers* I got like 50) so I will give you what you want. What most of you want is more ammo to fire in my direction if/when GSP loses. And judging from the current CP Fight Picking Contest stats, a majority of you think Johny Hendricks is going to put my beloved Canadian to sleep on Saturday night. You are all entitled to your opinion no matter how wrong it might be.
Let me explain: GSP has dominated the welterweight division for the better part of a decade. He has systematically vanquished each foe with a combination of athleticism, technique, cardio and sound game-planning. There is no debating that. Yet most of the flat-billed hat-wearing mouth-breathing meatheads that scream “KNEEEEES!” whenever there is a clinch, constantly talk shit on GSP because he is a boring fighter that doesn’t finish (and because he is handsome . . . . really really handsome).
That is the knock on one of the greatest MMA fighters of all time—that he’s ambien personified—but upon further review, GSP has done far more long-term damage to his last 8 opponents than ending a fight via TKO or submission. He effectively sent their careers into the toilet, which is far worse than just knocking them out cold. All of the following fighters were the #1 contender for the UFC WW Championship but each one was sent packing like my ex-wife (What? Too soon?). I’ll start with all the fights after GSP kneed Matt Serra’s kidneys into oblivion and became the undisputed champ back at UFC 83.
Take a look at the first guy who’s career GSP derailed after the jump.
(Five-pound dumbbells are the secret to dominance. / Image courtesy of GSP RUSHFIT)
I know what a lot of you were thinking (and by “a lot” I mean nobody): Where is The12ozCurls with his obligatory fluffy, ball-washing post on Georges St. Pierre pertaining to his upcoming fight? Well, I hate to disappoint my dozens of CagePotato fans and Twitter followers (seriously, *bottom lip quivers* I got like 50) so I will give you what you want. What most of you want is more ammo to fire in my direction if/when GSP loses. And judging from the current CP Fight Picking Contest stats, a majority of you think Johny Hendricks is going to put my beloved Canadian to sleep on Saturday night. You are all entitled to your opinion no matter how wrong it might be.
Let me explain: GSP has dominated the welterweight division for the better part of a decade. He has systematically vanquished each foe with a combination of athleticism, technique, cardio and sound game-planning. There is no debating that. Yet most of the flat-billed hat-wearing mouth-breathing meatheads that scream “KNEEEEES!” whenever there is a clinch, constantly talk shit on GSP because he is a boring fighter that doesn’t finish (and because he is handsome . . . . really really handsome).
That is the knock on one of the greatest MMA fighters of all time—that he’s ambien personified—but upon further review, GSP has done far more long-term damage to his last 8 opponents than ending a fight via TKO or submission. He effectively sent their careers into the toilet, which is far worse than just knocking them out cold. All of the following fighters were the #1 contender for the UFC WW Championship but each one was sent packing like my ex-wife (What? Too soon?). I’ll start with all the fights after GSP kneed Matt Serra’s kidneys into oblivion and became the undisputed champ back at UFC 83.
Jon Fitch
Lost via UD at UFC 87
Record since = 7-3-1
(Image courtesty of MMAWeekly)
GSP’s victory over Fitch is the third most lopsided 5-round decision in UFC history. However, Fitch is one of the few that can boast a winning record since facing GSP, but those numbers are inflated. Much like the SEC football teams’ out-of-conference schedule, Fitch padded his stats. He has a positive record by essentially fighting B- to C+ fighters like Akihiro Gono, Paulo Thiago and Ben Saunders. That is not to say defeating a very game Erick Silva is not impressive, but then again, that was Fitch’s last fight in the UFC before getting choked unconscious in World Series of Fighting and then moving across the country for a training job at a start-up gym.
B.J. Penn Lost via TKO (corner stoppage) at UFC 94
Record since = 3-4-1
During the Countdown special prior to his fight with GSP, Penn looked straight into the camera and said, “To the death Georges. To the death.” Well, thankfully for The Prodigy, his corner stopped the fight at the end of the 4th round or else he might very well be six feet under because he got his ass handed to him. Afterwards, Penn dropped back to lightweight and got a couple wins before running into Frankie Edgar. He then moved back to welterweight where he most recently got annihilated by Nick Diaz and Rory MacDonald. For his next trick (and probably his last), B.J. will try and make the featherweight limit as a coach on the next exciting installment of The Ultimate Fighter *yawn*.
Thiago Alves Lost via UD at UFC 100
Record since = 2-3
(Image courtesy of SHERDOG)
Alves got taken down a total of 10 times during his contest with GSP. The feared striker didn’t come close to winning a round. He has beaten John Howard and Papy Abedi since November 2008. That is 2 wins in the last five fucking years. Sure, the injury bug has bitten him on more than a few occasions, but that is two wins in FIVE YEARS—a Tito Ortiz or Ken Shamrock level statistic! CagePotato was just an infant (with UFC credentials) five years ago and my liver did NOT look like a baked potato.
Yep, another clean sweep on the scorecards for GSP in this one but there were two times during the fight where Hardy was in severe danger of getting his arm snapped. To Hardy’s credit, he preserved through 25 minutes…but then he lost three consecutive fights afterwards. At least he had the honor of tapping to Chris Lytle during his Lights Out’s retirement fight. Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome has sidelined Hardy for over a year and his career as a fighter is hazy at best.
Josh Koscheck
Lost via UD at 124
Record since = 2-2 (Image courtesy of MMAPro)
GSP jabbed Fraggle Rock’s face into a pulp en route to another 50-45 victory. Koscheck has always been a perennial contender but unless he catches lightning in a bottle, his best days are behind him. In his last fight Robbie Lawler sent him to dream land with a barrage of punches. I wonder what it is like for a notorious shit-talking virtuoso like Kos to walk around backstage at UFC 167 and have to see GSP, Johny Hendricks, AND Lawler—the last three men to beat him. Humbling, I suppose but I bet he still bumps his gums nonetheless.
Jake Shields
Lost via UD at UFC 129
Record since = 3-1-1
Shields conjured his inner Koscheck during his bout with GSP and went into unintentional eye-poke mode, which limited the champion’s vision for a majority of the fight. Even fighting with one peeper, GSP was able to easily outpoint Shields for 25 minutes. Though Shields is 3-1-1, he could just as easily be 1-3-1 because his last two fights were decided via split decision in his favor. He is a very good fighter who probably has a few years left in his career (provided California continues to approve medicinal marijuana) but he will never be champion.
Let’s be honest about two things right now. First, Condit had GSP really hurt for about 90 seconds and that was the only time that “The Natural Born Killer” held any advantage during the 25 minute affair. Secondly, Condit is the only name on this list that still has the potential to be the welterweight champion in the future. Though he is only batting .500 in his last two contests, Carlos Condit is a stud who could be the champ one day if/when GSP retires (or does something else). Until then, he is waiting in line.
Diaz finally got a shot at GSP and was thwarted by footwork, speed and wrestling. The destructor of all things bullshit then (as expected) acted like a petulant child, took his ball, went home, and retired. I can’t wait for 2014 to see if Nick decides to stop promoting his own fighting organization and start promoting his comeback fight (CAGEPOTATO BAN BE DAMNED).
There you have it. With the exception of Carlos Condit, there is not one guy on this list that is a “player” in the welterweight mix. Fitch is out of the UFC, while Penn is grasping at straws as he plays musical weight classes and prepares for a swan song. Thiago Alves needs a new mattress because his bed bugs have been cross-bred with injury bugs and Dan Hardy may never fight again due to his medical condition. Josh Koscheck is still a dickhead but now more of a gatekeeper than contender and the world awaits a global coma for the Jake Shields vs Ben Askren fight to get announced (although now that seems unlikely). That leaves us with Nick Diaz who is, well, Nick Diaz and there isn’t a thing anybody can do about it. Minus Condit, all of these men have seen their once prolific and ascending careers’ tailspin in recent years and there is only one thing that they ALL have in common: They were all dominated by GSP. Georges St. Pierre doesn’t end the fight inside the cage, he ends the fighter.
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.
Thiago Alves won’t be returning to the Octagon in 2013.
A former welterweight title challenger, Alves has not competed since a March 2012 loss to Martin Kampmann. Alves told MMAFighting.com’s Guilherme Cruz on Wednesday that he plans on returning …
ThiagoAlves won’t be returning to the Octagon in 2013.
A former welterweight title challenger, Alves has not competed since a March 2012 loss to Martin Kampmann. Alves told MMAFighting.com’s Guilherme Cruz on Wednesday that he plans on returning in February or March 2014, which could mean two full years away from MMA competition.
Alves challenged Georges St-Pierre for the welterweight championship when he was 25 years old. Though the Brazilian looked like he’d be a force to be reckoned with in the 170-pound division for years, Alves is now 29 and a loser in four of his past six outings.
Despite his poor win-loss record of late, Alves has still shown signs that he can be a contender in the welterweight class.
All four of Alves‘ recent defeats came against upper-echelon fighters. He was also on his way to victory against Kampmann before shooting himself into a guillotine choke with less than one minute remaining.
Though he’s still within striking distance of the Top 10, Alves could probably use a tune-up fight after such a long period of inactivity. At the same time, Alves is a big name that the UFC will likely try to pair with another well-known 170-pound fighter.
Although he’s on a two-fight winning streak and Alves is coming off a loss, Dan Hardy seems like a very intriguing opponent for the Brazilian.
Hardy was diagnosed with Wolff–Parkinson–White syndrome in March, which forced him out of a scheduled matchup with Matt Brown. While Hardy briefly considered retirement from MMA as a result of the heart condition, the Englishman recently told BloodyElbow.com that he’s training and will seek a second opinion on his health.
If Hardy does return to the Octagon, he’d likely put on a show opposite Alves. The welterweights are both entertaining strikers who could be Knockout of the Night or Fight of the Night candidates when matched together.
UFC matchmakers rarely book winners with losers, but this is one of those cases where an exception could be in order.
Out of action for 12 months, Hardy has lost the momentum he gained by beating AmirSadollah and Duane Ludwig. Meanwhile, although he lost his last fight, Alves would still be a step up in competition for Hardy considering he nearly defeated No. 6 contender Martin Kampmann in his most recent outing.
There are plenty of options in the deep welterweight division, but compared to the opponents he was previously facing, a bout with Hardy eases Alves back into competition while still likely keeping him on the main card.
Sean Smith is a B/R MMA Featured Columnist. Follow him on Twitter @SeanSmithMMA.
From an competitive standpoint, I’d call that a fair trade. Matt Brown is on a five-fight win streak with all but one of those wins coming by KO/TKO, and Pyle has been victorious in his last four (with three of those wins via KO/TKO), and is coming off a split-decision win against Rick Story at UFC 160. Both fighters havegriped about not getting enough respect from fans and media despite their recent success, so this is a perfect opportunity to see who really deserves it.
From an competitive standpoint, I’d call that a fair trade. Matt Brown is on a five-fight win streak with all but one of those wins coming by KO/TKO, and Pyle has been victorious in his last four (with three of those wins via KO/TKO), and is coming off a split-decision win against Rick Story at UFC 160. Both fighters havegriped about not getting enough respect from fans and media despite their recent success, so this is a perfect opportunity to see who really deserves it.
* I feel like every time I write about Matt Brown, I describe him as “gritty.” It’s starting to get redundant, but if you know of any better adjectives for this guy, I’m all ears.
** Whoa, Matt Brown and Mike Brown are on the same card? Has that ever happened before? It’s a holiday, so don’t expect me to spend 10 minutes on Wikipedia trying to find out.
Thiago Alves has suffered an injury that has forced him to withdraw from his UFC on Fox Sports 1: Shogun vs. Sonnen fight against Matt Brown. Stepping in to replace “The Pitbull” is 37-year-old MMA veteran Mike Pyle. Fox Sports 1’s official T…
ThiagoAlves has suffered an injury that has forced him to withdraw from his UFC on Fox Sports 1: Shogun vs. Sonnen fight against Matt Brown.
Stepping in to replace “The Pitbull” is 37-year-old MMA veteran Mike Pyle.
#BREAKING: @ThiagoAlvesATT is injured and won’t fight on @foxsports1 in Boston on 8.17, NEW FIGHT at 170lbs @Mike_Pyle vs @IamTheImmortal
Pyle will enter the bout on a four-fight winning streak, and his well-rounded, aggressive skill set lends itself favorably to Brown’s hyper-offensive style.
Still, a little zing is lost with this matchup, as fans across the globe have been awaiting the return of Alves to the Octagon. Alves has not competed since a March 2012 submission loss to Martin Kampmann at UFC on FX 2, and the August 17 bout against Brown would have provided a slugfest between two capable stand-and-bang fighters.
The news is disappointing for Brown, as a win over Alves would represent a more significant milestone than a win over Pyle.
With all respect to Pyle, Alves has previously challenged for the welterweight title, and his savage striking earned him a reputation as one of the division’s most fearsome stand-up artists. The Pitbull has a name that fight fans recognize—a name that attracts.
Making matters worse for Brown, Pyle is skilled, and his talents are underrated.
A four-fight winning streak is nothing to scoff at, and Pyle’s crafty submission game accounts for 64 percent of his victories. He has also knocked out three of his last four opponents inside the Octagon.
Thanks to Pyle’s recent surge, this is not entirely a lose-lose situation for Brown, but a dominant win over Pyle still would put him around the fringe top-10 area that Alves previously inhabited.
From a fan’s perspective, though, this bout is phenomenal. This is another instance of the UFC making a short-notice fight that still offers intrigue and luster.
