Bellator announces signing of star Rugby player

TouchButtDork said:
Surprised more rugby or aussie football dudes don't do MMA or NFL
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When the money is there, they will come. Right now you basically need to be top ten in the world to make a decent wage. If more fighters got paid a comfortable 6 figure salary you would see more Rugby guys come over, after their rugby careers, if they make the choice while young enough to acquire the skills.

It seems to be working out pretty well for Robert Whittaker, though as a former rugby player, I do wonder if all of Bobby Knuckles accumulated injury time has something to do with playing rugby. I played 2 years of college rugby and 9 surgeries later here I am...
 
i have a feeling that he loses the first fight via rnc.
 
That's cool, should get his wife involved too (she's pretty buff herself) so we can watch Richard & Judy's daughter beat the shit out of some bitch on Bellator Prelims

Chloe-s-abs-were-impossible-to-miss-in-her-tiny-red-swimsuit-300059.jpg
 
A-level athlete?








Just asking.
 
jeff7b9 said:
When the money is there, they will come. Right now you basically need to be top ten in the world to make a decent wage. If more fighters got paid a comfortable 6 figure salary you would see more Rugby guys come over, after their rugby careers, if they make the choice while young enough to acquire the skills.

It seems to be working out pretty well for Robert Whittaker, though as a former rugby player, I do wonder if all of Bobby Knuckles accumulated injury time has something to do with playing rugby. I played 2 years of college rugby and 9 surgeries later here I am...
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Alexander Volkanovski used to play rugby.

Rugby players are though as nails.
 
A friend of mine that’s a rugby coach said the guy is a beast on the international rugby scene. I’ll be watching for his fight.
 
No idea who that guy is but he's probably tough as hell. Can he fight though? We'll see. This sport has wrestlers and nfl players and shit.

Really its about UK market and signing a big name over there and I guess Rugby is a big sport there? NFL and MLB isnt so thats one of the sports over there you can get a big star in.

The guy is in his mid 30's and has never fought so I dont think anyone expects him to be anything special other than he's a HW, he can probably beat up some beef plant workers and draw a crowd and tv ratings for a little while.
 
CC27 said:
No idea who that guy is but he's probably tough as hell. Can he fight though? We'll see. This sport has wrestlers and nfl players and shit.

Really its about UK market and signing a big name over there and I guess Rugby is a big sport there? NFL and MLB isnt so thats one of the sports over there you can get a big star in.

The guy is in his mid 30's and has never fought so I dont think anyone expects him to be anything special other than he's a HW, he can probably beat up some beef plant workers and draw a crowd and tv ratings for a little while.
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It's not a big sport like NFL is in the USA; soccer is completely dominant and everything else is a long way behind. If you're a sports fan in the UK or Australia you'd know who James Haskell is though - also he's a bit of a tabloid attention whore too, so even if you're not then you might do. Alex Reid vs Tom Watson did huge tv numbers here (millions) just because Alex was going out with a trampy glamour model at the time, so it's smart honestly.

As far as crossover sports go, rugby's probably the best as he'll take a beating and he won't get tired.. but whether he has any kind of skills to speak of remains to be seen obviously. Sonny Bill Williams is still active in Rugby player and has a WBA HW boxing belt as a hobby on the side, so it't not unthinkable he could do ok.
 
AFter soccer whats the next biggest sport in UK, is it boxing? What about darts? I see alot of people talking about darts and its on tv and shit over there.
 
Guys a freak and very high level athlete. Wonder how well he does.
He has got to be over 265 though imo, what is he 6'5 or some shit ?

A flanker too. Hes a rough bastard.
 
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HI SCOTT NEWMAN said:
When the Bellator HW title is contested by WWE Jack Swagger vs random Rugby player it will finally prove how horrific HW MMA has become. Lower than the sewers now
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Random rugby player? Dude played for england national team you fuckin silly tit
 
James Haskell is an expeceptional athlete (big, strong, powerful, explosive, fast, great engine, amzingly agile for a man his size, everything you would expect from a top level rugby player) and has been training combat sports for a while. This has obviously been limited due to his day job but he has managed to obtain a BJJ blue belt I believe. The flip side though is that he is a 34 year-old who has had a lot of injuries over the last few years, going into a new sport at a totally different level to anything he's done so far.
 
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CC27 said:
AFter soccer whats the next biggest sport in UK, is it boxing? What about darts? I see alot of people talking about darts and its on tv and shit over there.
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I guess it's rugby & cricket after soccer, but it's mainly just international games against other countries which do big viewership where as soccer is everything.

Darts and also snooker are on tv a lot and have their audience (i.e people who spend their time bumming around in pubs and think it's a sport because they can do it without getting too out of breath), but I couldn't name any players personally. It's not taken seriously.
 
Brit_Brawler said:
Guys a freak and very high level athlete. Wonder how well he does.
He has got to be over 265 though imo, what is he 6'5 or some shit ?

A flanker too. Hes a rough bastard.
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Was he really good in his day? Serious question, what’s his potential?
 
Rugby players are hard as fuck, and good athletes for the most part - good explosion of pace, strong as hell, durable. His cardio should be very good, too, considering his size.

However, he's 34 and let's not kid ourselves here - this is Bellator's Greg Hardy signing. He isn't there to compete or aim for the belt, he will be killed as soon as he fights someone remotely legitimate.

He's there for 3-4 freakshow draw fights on UK cards - probably co-main event level. They'll have him fight 1-1 dudes and if he makes it to opponent 3 who might have a winning record like 3-2, and he wins that, MAYBE they'll try a sink or swim tactic. If he wins, title fight, if he loses, nothing lost of note.
 
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