WON MMA HOF

[Sass 0]

Hey, I only got 6 votes. Kaz is a HOFer but in the grand scheme of things, Funaki means more. He wasn't a stiff in the fighting department either.

 

Rutten > Shamrock.

 

That's why I'll never feel the need to vote for Ken on anything since Bas just did it all better at the same (205 & 220) Ken weighed in through his career.

[Guest Brian]

Maurice Smith - No; got mother of all puncher chances wins on Coleman

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

You're not giving him enough credit for the strategy he brought against Coleman. Plus, he gets credit for initiating Sprawl-And-Brawl and working with "The Alliance". Not to say he should get in.

[Lord of The Curry 0]

I'm probably amongst the least-knowledgable in this thread but I've had a few bottles of Old Credit Amber Ale so here the fuck goes.........

 

Randy Coture- First pick that came into my head. I'd say that he's my hero but Jim Henson is my hero so I can't do that.

 

Royce Gracie- Rudo has pimped me enough of his stuff and what I've seen is great, great goodness.

 

Satoru Sayama- Melded pro wrestling and shoot/hooking. Tha Pioneer in that regard. Also wore a Tiger Mask which earns bonus points.

 

Frank Shamrock- Because 1) I don't like Ken and 2) Sick, sick fighter. Really loved up his match w/ Tito.

 

Room for more? Aight.

 

Kazushi Sakuraba- I love the Sak. Lately he hasn't done too much to impress me but his prime stuff is gold. I called into Live Audio Wrestling once and purposely baited Meltzer into pimping Sakuraba which made me laugh a lot and Rudo too, IIRC.

 

Don Frye- Great amateur, great fighter. Early user of a GNP style before it became cool to do GNP. Threw down w/ Takayama in one of the grimiest stand-up battles I've ever seen. UFC Champ, for reals.

[RavishingRickRudo 0]

Sakuraba is next to Royce Gracie in terms of "DUH!" picks. He has an incredible body of work, is very influencial, and drew huge box offices.

[Guest Brian]

1. Was he ever regarded as the greatest fighter in the world? Was he ever regarded as the top fighter at his weight class? Was he ever regarded as the greatest fighter in his respective organization?

 

- Mark Coleman won the first six fights of his career, with none going the distance, using powerful wrestling technique and G&P. From UFC 10 until UFC 14, he was considered a top fighter.

 

2. How many years did he have as a top fighter?

 

- From 7/96 to 2/97 and 11/99 to 3/01, Coleman compiled a record of 12-0 winning three tournaments.

 

3. Did his career decline or suffer over the years?

 

- In between going 12-0, Coleman lost four straight fights. As an amateur wrestler, he had been criticized for losing sight of his goals and not working as hard up to his potential. His lost the three of his last four fights, though those losses came to Big Nog, Cro Cop, and Fedor. Still, it is pretty much the down-phase of his career.

 

4. Was he known for being an exciting fighter?

 

- Coleman was an explosive wrestler with quick takedowns. Not afraid to pass the guard and use his strength to his advantage, but ground fighting is not everyone’s cup of tea.

 

5. How many good fights or top quality fights has he been involved in?

- Coleman had very good fights with Don Frye at UFC X; and in losing efforts against Maurice Smith (UFC XIV), Pete Williams (UFC XVII), and Pedro Rizzo (UFC XVIII).

 

6. How many memorable rivalries has he been involved?

 

- None that I know of.

 

7. What types of titles or tournaments has he won?

 

- Won eight-man tournaments at UFC 10 and UFC 11 and was 2000 PRIDE Grand Prix Champion. Won the UFC Heavyweight Championship.

 

8. Does the fighter’s win-loss record reflect a hall of fame caliber fighter? What was his record against top competition?

 

- His record is 13-7-0. At UFC X, he defeated Gary Goodridge (21-14-1) and a previously undefeated Don Frye (14-5-0), the latter who he holds two wins and no losses over. At UFC XII, he defeated Dan Severn (67-11-7). At the PRIDE Grand Prix, he defeated Kazuyuki Fujita (10-4) and Igor Vovchanchyn (45-8-1). He also holds a win over Alan Goes (7-4-2). His losses include Maurice Smith (11-9), Pete Williams (11-6-0) Pedro Rizzo (14-6), Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (25-3-1), Fedor Emelianinko (21-1-0), and Mirko Filipovic (16-2-2). The glaring loss on his record was to Nobuhiko Takada (2-6-2), though it is widely considered a work. That’s 7-6 against fighters with a winning record. But his last four fights were in the down-phase of his career against Fedor, Mirko, Nog, and Frye, in which he was 1-3, so even that is a little mis-leading.

 

9. How did the fighter respond to losses?

 

- Coleman, between his two dominant streaks lost four fights in a row. Following an embarrassing loss to Nobuhiko Takada, he bounced back to win six straight fights. On the tail end of his career, he followed up his loss to Nog with a unanimous decision over Don Frye. The same can be said of Coleman following his disappointing 7th place finish in the 1992 Olympics, where he went into a slump and was ranked fourth or fifth from 1993-1995, before getting back to form and defeating Kurt Angle at Sunkist Open.

 

10. Was he innovative or influential? Did he make an impact on the evolution of fighting and fighting styles? Did his career lead to any rule changes?

 

- Coleman is often considered the granddaddy of “ground and pound”. The term was coined to describe his style of getting an opponent to the ground and “pounding them to submission”. Helped create Hammer House. His loss to Maurice Smith is sometimes credited as ushering in the “Sprawl and Brawl” and the use of cross-training through the Alliance, where striker could use the sprawl to neutralize wrestlers.

 

11. Did this fighter evolve? Did he incorporate different styles and techniques? Did those techniques result in wins?

 

- Not really. Still primarily a ground ands pound fighter, but he will use his strength to perform submissions (neck crank) and if he gets position he can take it.

 

12. Did the fighter uphold the standard of sportsmanship?

 

- Coleman was a very humble and gracious fighter by most accounts, and highly respected.

 

13. Was he the most popular in his promotion? Did he ever anchor a promotion? Was he ever the star?

 

- No, not really. His time on top of UFC was very short. I’m not so sure about PRIDE.

 

14. Was he able to transcend the sport? Did he gain mainstream recognition?

 

- Mark Coleman was a highly successful amateur wrestler and played a role in helping to bring in amateur wrestlers into the sport through his UFC success. Credited for bringing in Olympic caliber wrestlers such as Mark Kerr and Kevin Randleman. Amateur wrestling credentials include 2 Time Mid-American Champion (Miami-Ohio), 1988 National Champion, two-time NCAA All-American, Gold Medal at 1991 Pan-Am Games, 1991 World Championship Silver Medalist, US Olympic Team 1992 (7th), defeated Kurt Angle at Sunkist Open in 1995.

 

 

I think Mark Coleman is a safe bet at the Hall of Fame. He has a good career record (and it reflects well against top competition), numerous tournaments won, held the title, and has had a strong influence on the sport (both as a result of his work and a reaction to it). Coleman’s big downside is the losses he suffered in the middle of his big streaks.

[AboveAverage484 0]

Just my two cents but Akira Maeda should DEFINITELY be on there for "mamagerial/historical" purposes. I'm sure Lei could elaborate on him more than I could.

 

As for the six fighters, I'll say Sakuraba, Coleman, Rutten, Couture, Shamrock, and Royce. Maybe not for everything they did in the ring/octagon, but their overall contributions to the sport as a whole; for example, I believe Rutten has had way more influence on MMA as a commentator than as a fighter, same with Shamrock as a spokesperson/pro wrestler who drew attention to the sport back in its infancy.

[Your Paragon of Virtue 0]

I would have lovde to have seen a Coleman-Kerr fight, if only for curiousity.

[Your Paragon of Virtue 0]

I would have lovde to have seen a Coleman-Kerr fight, if only for curiousity.

[razazteca 0]

Why put active fighters in the HOF?

[Sass 0]

You shouldn't.

 

Who would be eligible on that list then?

[AboveAverage484 0]

If we only put inactive fighters into the HOF, than only five fighters from that list would be placed into it; Rickson, Funaki, Frank Shamrock, Bas, and Mo Smith. Everyone else has fought at least once in the past year.

[Your Paragon of Virtue 0]

Retirement and fighting are a weird mix though, as rarely does someone stay retired. Frank is scheduled to fight this year, so that's not really a good way to judge retirement. I'd say if someone doesn't really compete anymore, but does a one shot deal here or there, like Royce, that might as well be retirement.

 

Even then, not enough, so just waive the retirement rule.

[Guest Brian]

We're going by WON standards, which is 35+. MMA fighter, like wrestlers or boxers, will often come back at some point so it's difficult to judge retirement.

[Lei Tong 0]

Who on the list should I do a write-up on next?

[Sass 0]

Do Rickson Gracie next.

 

The WON HOF already gets ragged on for the crummy eligibility requirements, along with how the first batch of HOFers were just thrown into it anyways, so I fail to see why anyone here would want to use Meltzer's rules.

 

No one should be eligible for the HOF until they are retired. You don't see guys in baseball, basketball, football or hockey playing with HOFers by their side. That only works out with coaches who retired but then came back after being voted into the HOF.

 

It's only been 12 years since UFC 1 was on PPV. Some of the guys who fought on that show are still fighting today.

[Lei Tong 0]

Rickson Gracie

 

1. Was he ever regarded as the greatest fighter in the world? Was he ever regarded as the top fighter at his weight class? Was he ever regarded as the greatest fighter in his respective organization?

 

- Though considered as best fighter in Brazil during his prime (though some Luta Livre members would dispute it), he never really achieved fame on an international scale until '94, and as most of the best fighters on the era never fought each other during that period, it's hard to say how highly he was regarded overall. It could be said that he was the best fighter in Shooto during the period (the Japan Vale Tudo events he won being sponsored by Sayama's org).

 

2. How many years did he have as a top fighter?

 

- Another tough one to answer. He was a legend in Brazil for years before MMA became widespread, but an exact tiem frame is hard to figure. I suppose you could say he was considered a top level fighter from the early 80's up until his two JVT tournament wins.

 

 

3. Did his career decline or suffer over the years?

 

- Inactivity kept him to 3 fights during the last 5 years of his career, though he never looked drastically different during his last match than druing most of his others matches.

 

4. Was he known for being an exciting fighter?

 

- His matches were often entertaining, though "exciting" may be pushing. A single glaring exception his bout with Yoshihisa Yamamoto at JVT '95.

 

5. How many good fights or top quality fights has he been involved in?

 

- Most of his opponent's were too outmatched for their bouts to be considered top quality. If you wan to be generous, you could give him the Funaki match.

 

6. How many memorable rivalries has he been involved?

 

- Rickson v. Zulu was one of the very first MMA rivalries, though most of Rickson's only other notable rivalry never resulted in a match (v. Marco Ruas).

 

7. What types of titles or tournaments has he won?

 

- Rickson won two Japan Vale Tudo 8 man tournaments.

 

8. Does the fighter’s win-loss record reflect a hall of fame caliber fighter? What was his record against top competition?

 

- Not really. For the most part, Rickson's competition was rather comparable to Royce's, but he lacked a truly big name like Severn or Shamrock on his resume. Yuki Nakai & Yoshinori Nishi were quality fighters at the time, but both were outsized, and in Nakai's case, half blinded and beaten before the match. Funaki, on the other hand, was considered to still be a skilled fighter. He was only a few years removed from his prime, and combined with a 15+lbs. weight advanatge, many favored him to defeat Rickson. It was only after Rickson beat him convincingly that the many claims of Funaki being "too old" and/or "shopworn" began swirling. I suppose you could say he was 3-0 vs. good comeptition.

 

9. How did the fighter respond to losses?

 

- Rickson has never lost in MMA competition.

 

10. Was he innovative or influential? Did he make an impact on the evolution of fighting and fighting styles? Did his career lead to any rule changes?

 

- Along with Royce, Rickson helped spread the names of Gracie & Brazilian Jiu Jitsu(Royce in America, Rickson in Japan). BJJ is easily one of the most practiced styles in MMA compeition, and the Gracie name is one synonomous with MMA.

 

11. Did this fighter evolve? Did he incorporate different styles and techniques? Did those techniques result in wins?

 

- Rickson claimed to have trained his boxing skills prior to the Funaki match, but the results of the training never showed.

 

12. Did the fighter uphold the standard of sportsmanship?

 

- Rickson often treated his opponets with respect in the ring, but since his retirement has been blasted for his put-downs of many modern MMA fighters and current status of the sport as well.

 

13. Was he the most popular in his promotion? Did he ever anchor a promotion? Was he ever the star?

 

- Though he helped PRIDE became a big name, it was more as a foil to Takada, a roll in which arguably any number of other gaijin could've filled.

 

14. Was he able to transcend the sport? Did he gain mainstream recognition?

 

No. His name is not even as recognizable as Royce's, who himself is not recognized in the mainstream.

[Your Paragon of Virtue 0]

Do Rickson Gracie next.

 

The WON HOF already gets ragged on for the crummy eligibility requirements, along with how the first batch of HOFers were just thrown into it anyways, so I fail to see why anyone here would want to use Meltzer's rules.

 

No one should be eligible for the HOF until they are retired.  You don't see guys in baseball, basketball, football or hockey playing with HOFers by their side.  That only works out with coaches who retired but then came back after being voted into the HOF.

 

It's only been 12 years since UFC 1 was on PPV.  Some of the guys who fought on that show are still fighting today.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

I think you answered your own question with the last line, as there isn't enough of a past to wait for retirement, yet there is enough of a history to judge fighters to have been special, to deserve to be in a HOF, which is why one should be created, albeit prematurely.

[Your Paragon of Virtue 0]

Another thing about Rickson that will always stand out to me as to why I can't respect the guy as a fighter, was a line where asked why instead of giving a fight to Kerr, Sakuraba, etc. (other big names in the early days of PRIDE) why did he give a rematch to Takada?

 

He said something like "Takada has proven he is a warrior to me in the first fight. The others are not worthy of my time." Something like that, i'll find the interview, but the guy NEVER stepped up to fight top competition when the top competition was there for him to fight. He gets a big NO from me. I think it would be better to add one more question to the list: "After weighing in all these factors, would you let him into the HOF?" Just a nice resolution to the list and way to conclude it.

[Sass 0]

Sak's camp called out Rickson in 2000. The Gracie's never gave an answer. That match would have sold out any arena in Japan.

[RavishingRickRudo 0]

Debating the merits of an WON MMA HOF is pretty easy - there shouldn't be one because MMA is still in its infancy. But there is one, so that discussion is irrelevant.

 

I'd like to see a Gordy List on someone who isn't nominated - a Marco Ruas, Gary Goodridge, Oleg Taktarov or a Mario Sperry (anyone who is under the radar). If Sperry comes close, we should call it the Sperry List.

[Sass 0]

The Tank Test.

[Lei Tong 0]

Oleg Taktarov

 

1. Was he ever regarded as the greatest fighter in the world? Was he ever regarded as the top fighter at his weight class? Was he ever regarded as the greatest fighter in his respective organization?

 

- No to all. There could be an argument made for him after his UFC VI victory, but with an unavenged loss to Severn only months earlier, it's hard to proclaim that he was the best fighter in the UFC.

 

2. How many years did he have as a top fighter?

 

Roughly 3 ('95-97).

 

3. Did his career decline or suffer over the years?

 

- Yes. A combination of knee problems, conflicting goals and overestimation of his skills were his downfall.

 

4. Was he known for being an exciting fighter?

 

- Yes, though there were exceptions. He was a very gutsy, never-back-down style fighter, but if his opponents wasn't bringing the fight to him, he would often wait back and engage only occasionally.

 

5. How many good fights or top quality fights has he been involved in?

 

- If by "top quality" you're talking good back and forth action, the fight vs. Tank Abbott is widely considered one of the most dramatic of all time.Most of his other exciting fights, while entertaining, were often quick wins or losses.

 

6. How many memorable rivalries has he been involved?

 

- None, though him & Marco Ruas were often seen as something resmbling competitive rivals.

 

7. What types of titles or tournaments has he won?

 

- He won the UFC VI 8-man tournament.

 

8. Does the fighter’s win-loss record reflect a hall of fame caliber fighter? What was his record against top competition?

 

- Oleg's record is a mixed bag. Despite wins over Abbott, Ruas & Beneteau (all quality wins at the time), he also had brutal KO losses to Renzo Gracie & Gary Goodridge, as well as relatively one-sided losses to Dan Severn (twice) & Ryushi Yanagisawa.

 

9. How did the fighter respond to losses?

 

- Oleg was a fighter, and even after brutal losses, he went right back into the swing of things, often fighting elsewhere sortly thereafter.

 

10. Was he innovative or influential? Did he make an impact on the evolution of fighting and fighting styles? Did his career lead to any rule changes?

 

- Oleg was one of the first submission stylists outside of Royce to have great success in the UFC. Also, perhaps fittingly, Oleg was also the recipient of the UFC's first TKO loss due to a cut (vs. Severn I).

 

11. Did this fighter evolve? Did he incorporate different styles and techniques? Did those techniques result in wins?

 

- Later in his career, Oleg fancied himself as something of a boxer. Though this got him a quick win over the larger Sean Alvarez, it helped to result in the brutal loss to Gary Goodridge.

 

12. Did the fighter uphold the standard of sportsmanship?

 

- Very much so. Oleg nary spoke a harsh word of anyone in or out of the ring, and was often seen as gentleman.

 

13. Was he the most popular in his promotion? Did he ever anchor a promotion? Was he ever the star?

 

- No. The UFC relied more on Ken Shamrock's name during Oleg's tenure.

 

14. Was he able to transcend the sport? Did he gain mainstream recognition?

 

- Kind of. Upon leaving MMA, Oleg realized his life-long dream of acting in movies. Though mostly relegated to small roles, he recieved praise for his performance in the otherwise underwhelmind film "15 Minutes."

[Your Paragon of Virtue 0]

If you wanna see Oleg cut up in a box, Bad Boys II is one to watch.

[Your Paragon of Virtue 0]

Bas Rutten

 

1. Was he ever regarded as the greatest fighter in the world? Was he ever regarded as the top fighter at his weight class? Was he ever regarded as the greatest fighter in his respective organization?

 

Well, a King Of Pancrase title and a UFC HW Title, which was actually one weight class above what he was used to, is impressive. Beat two solid heavyweights, (and I would say both were top ten at the time) in TK and Kevin Randleman, combined with beating Frank Shamrock, a top LHW/MW is more then impressive. So yes, easily, also was the greatest fighter in TWO organizations. Okay, this is an easy yes to all.

 

2. How many years did he have as a top fighter?

95-99 really, as he has stated that that was when he really started to learn the ground game, and that is apparent through the fact that he went undefeated in this time and retired shortly after.

 

3. Did his career decline or suffer over the years?

No, quite the contrary, he improved very much in his grappling ability, mostly self taught, and never declined after that.

 

4. Was he known for being an exciting fighter?

Definitely, had some great fights in Pancrase, as well as all of his UFC bouts. Notables are vs. Frank and vs. TK and Randleman. His fights with Funaki and Maurice Smith are also action packed. Of course, one could argue that the Pancrase fights were worked, althoguh Bas has steadily maintained that he was never involved in a work. You'd have to take his word, but since he's generally a straight shooter and that other fighters in the same period had admitted to being in works, I take his word. Combine that with the fact that it wouldn't make sense to work his fights, as he lost fights that he was supposed to lose, being a grappling noob, and won once that changed.

 

5. How many good fights or top quality fights has he been involved in?

All of the ones previously mentioned.

 

6. How many memorable rivalries has he been involved?

Other than one with Frank Shamrock, not really any. Funny ones with Kevin Randleman due to a dispute over that decision, and out of the ring with Rickson, but nothing really. He was king during the "dark days" of MMA.

 

7. What types of titles or tournaments has he won?

UFC Heavyweight Title, King Of Pancrase.

8. Does the fighter’s win-loss record reflect a hall of fame caliber fighter? What was his record against top competition?

 

His fights were against top calibre competition I would say, as he fought against the best wherever he went. Funaki and Shamrock were on top of Pancrase, and TK and Randleman were both serious heavyweight contenders in the UFC.

 

9. How did the fighter respond to losses?

 

Perhaps better than anyone else, interesting story as he was learning the ground game from someone, and they showed him a specific defense to a leglock. Of course, he used this in his second fight with Ken and fell victim to one of the sicker leglocks I've seen, if only because of his scream. He went to hell with this, got a friend and began watching and picking up the ground game through self study, taking notes in sparring sessions and generally figuring out what worked. As a result, he never lost again, and even won many of his later fights by submission.

 

10. Was he innovative or influential? Did he make an impact on the evolution of fighting and fighting styles? Did his career lead to any rule changes?

Again, not really popular due to his time, but he was one of the first successful hybrid fighters, combining a very good background of kickboxing with a catch wrestling type submission style. Was one of the first great strikers to enjoy great success in MMA, in fact I think he was the first, as no one else enjoyed success to the length that he did.

11. Did this fighter evolve? Did he incorporate different styles and techniques? Did those techniques result in wins?

 

Again, yes. Was very successful with submissions in the latter part of his career, and evolved from being a one dimensional fighter with no ground game (A UFC I reject basically) to a dangerous striker who was more than competent on the ground. He won in a variety of ways, although obviously he loved the KO.

 

12. Did the fighter uphold the standard of sportsmanship?

Don't remember him ever doing anything stupid, even after Randlemans camp threw a fit after that fight he didn't get involved, was always respectful to Ken after losing twice to him. Was very respectful even to Delucia, who acted like a douche to him despite losing multiple times.

13. Was he the most popular in his promotion? Did he ever anchor a promotion? Was he ever the star?

 

This is one where I can't honestly say yes, for the UFC at least. Probably not for Pancrase either, though I don't know much about how the Japanese viewed him. I imagine they liked him, but not really a star.

 

14. Was he able to transcend the sport? Did he gain mainstream recognition?

Has been on a few tv shows, movies, two of which he starred. He's a great ambassador thoguh, constantly making appearances and flying all over the world giving seminars. In that way he transcended the sport, but definitely not a mainstream star. He isn't done though, as his publicity is only adding up as he continues to pursue all these endeavours. Widely recognized as one of the better commentators, and his duo with Stephen Quadros is considered by many to be the best two man commentary team, in English at least. So I would say no to mainstream recognition, but due to all these other ventures, he is transcending the sport.

[Your Paragon of Virtue 0]

I'm also happy to say that I refrained from making numerous stupid liver jokes. If only he could do the same now.

[Your Paragon of Virtue 0]

 

When it's all said and done, will these men enter the HOF?

[Guest Brian]

I think what we should do is get done with evaluating the frontrunners that were on the Meltzer ballot and then go through a process of nominating dark horse candidates.

[Dangerous A 0]

Here is who made it in WON MMA Hall of Fame and who didn't..

 

(In are in bold, not in regular text)

 

Kazushi Sakuraba

Royce Grace

Ken Shamrock

Randy Couture

Antonio Inoki

Rorion Gracie

Kazuyoshi Ishii

Frank Shamrock

Satoru Sayama

Bas Rutten

Dan Severn

Rickson Gracie

Mark Coleman

Don Frye

Masakatsu Funaki

Maurice Smith

 

Less than 10% of the votes and dropped from next year's balloting: Tank Abbott

 

On next year's ballot: Chuck Liddell, Rumina Sato, Wanderlei Silva, Igor Vovchanchyn

 

Thoughts? Comments?

[Guest Brian]

I added DA's post to this topic, though it shouldn't influence the way we eventually decide on things, it is interesting. Here's the list of fighters who haven't been evaluated.

 

Tank Abbott

Don Frye

Royce Gracie

Kazushi Sakuraba

Dan Severn

Frank Shamrock

Maurice Smith

 

Also, I'm going to add Oleg to the original list.

[Guest Brian]

I did a quickie on Couture:

 

1. Was he ever regarded as the greatest fighter in the world? Was he ever regarded as the top fighter at his weight class? Was he ever regarded as the greatest fighter in his respective organization?

 

- Yes, as both a heavyweight and a light-heavyweight. Couture holds wins over top fighters at each level.

 

2. How many years did he have as a top fighter?

 

- Still is in many respects. Emerged as a contender after defeating Vitor Belfort at UFC 15.

 

3. Did his career decline or suffer over the years?

 

- So far, it hasn’t. Randy Couture is forty-years old and can still claim to be on top of the game, though the evolving heavyweight division did catch up to him.

 

4. Was he known for being an exciting fighter?

 

- Awkward stand-up and lots of ground and pound. Taste. Since dropping to light-heavyweight, he’s had a few one-sided wins of his own, which while emotional and very surprising, are not going to be for everyone.

 

5. How many good fights or top quality fights has he been involved in?

 

- A five round war with Pedro Rizzo at UFC 31. I’ve found his Belfort (UFC XV), Liddell (UFC 43), and Ortiz (UFC 44) to be good, and his latest fight with Van Arsdale was also good.

 

6. How many memorable rivalries has he been involved?

 

- Aforementioned fight with Rizzo resulted in another fight between the two. His two fights with Liddell should blossom into a third fight, and a memorable rivalry.

 

7. What types of titles or tournaments has he won?

 

In his UFC debut, he won the heavyweight tournament at UFC XIII. Entered King of Kings but lost in the semi-finals to Valentijn Overeem. Two-time heavyweight champion and two-time light-heavyweight champion; only man to win titles at two weight classes in UFC history.

 

8. Does the fighter’s win-loss record reflect a hall of fame caliber fighter? What was his record against top competition?

 

At 14-7, Randy Couture’s record is deceptive. He’s literally fought the best of the best, and his record reflects that. He was the first man to beat (expose?) Vitor Belfort (12-6) in the octagon, and hold two wins (and a loss by cut stoppage) over him. He defeated Mauric Smith (11-9), Jeremy Horn (75-14-5), Kevin Randleman (15-11), Tsuyoshi Kohsaka (18-9-1), two victories over Pedro Rizzo (14-6), Chuck Liddell (17-3), Tito Ortiz (12-4), and Mike Van Arsdale (8-2). Many of his losses have come at the hands of top fighters, such as Ricco Rodriguez, Josh Barnett, and Chuck Liddell. The aforementioned cut stoppage against Vitor is a blemish on his record that probably shouldn’t be there.

 

9. How did the fighter respond to losses?

 

He came back from the two losses in the heavyweight division by dropping down in weight and dominating there for nearly two years. His loss to Vitor was followed up by a win at the next show. His loss to Chuck was followed by a submission victory over Mike Van Arsdale.

 

10. Was he innovative or influential? Did he make an impact on the evolution of fighting and fighting styles? Did his career lead to any rule changes?

 

Whereas Coleman is credited with Ground and Pound, Randy deserves credit for his style of fighting out of the clinch; using short elbows and uppercuts bridged with trip takedowns, as well as positioning using the cage.

 

11. Did this fighter evolve? Did he incorporate different styles and techniques? Did those techniques result in wins?

 

Randy has become a better striker over time, working on his boxing.

 

12. Did the fighter uphold the standard of sportsmanship?

 

To the utmost degree. Randy is an ambassador of the sport, one of its finest.

 

13. Was he the most popular in his promotion? Did he ever anchor a promotion? Was he ever the star?

 

Yes. After defeating Tito, he became a star and anchor of the promotion.

 

14. Was he able to transcend the sport? Did he gain mainstream recognition?

 

Couture has been featured on the Ultimate Fighter’s first season as a coach, probably about as big as fighters are going to get at this point.