Do you think Michael Jai White would have won UFC 1 and changed the path of the sport?

Swepingright said:
They didn't have striking anywhere near his level and they wanted it to the ground. Severn wasn't in UFC 1.
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No, Severn was in 3. Meaning Gracie beat a bigger better wrester who knew what he was getting into.

There were much better strikers than MJW in UFC 1. There were guys who could win fights without a script dictating it. Patrick Smith knocked out Andy Hug in K1. Gordeau was 1991 World Champion Savate and holder of the Dutch Champion Kyokushin Karate (same style as MJW's base) title for 8 consecutive years. Art Jimmerson was the former national golden gloves champ and a 29-5 pro boxer.

The only way anyone other than gracie was winning UFC 1 was if they knew more/better submission defense than a shoot wrestler of Ken Shamrock's pedigree.

In other words MJW may "impress" the pros in sparring, but he has nothing to offer that wasn't already presented and he wouldn't have been the best, most cross trained, or most pedigreed guy. And he'd have by FAR the least competitive experience.

He'd have lost.
 
Swepingright said:
MICHAEL jai white is not going for a takedown. I don't know why this is so hard to comprehend. Stop comparing him to wrestlers and grapplers.
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what college did he wrestle at?
 
6 Pack Lapadat said:
Exactly. Ken Shamrock was as legit as it got for UFC 1 time period, and he was chocked out.

You are bringing up an actor who has no combat sports record.
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MJW has competitive points fighting competition background . I used to look down on those guys , but there have been some pretty creative elusive fighters that have come from the background like MVP so who knows.

As a former competitive martial artist who became an actor he’s definitely more legit than people give him credit for (not saying he would’ve won UFC1) But it does amaze me that people like him get questioned but Bruce lee is an untouchable god because of anecdotal evidence of him beating untrained guys and getting a draw against some local wing chun master . I guess it’s all in the marketing .
 
jx820 said:
No, Severn was in 3. Meaning Gracie beat a bigger better wrester who knew what he was getting into.

There were much better strikers than MJW in UFC 1. There were guys who could win fights without a script dictating it. Patrick Smith knocked out Andy Hug in K1. Gordeau was 1991 World Champion Savate and holder of the Dutch Champion Kyokushin Karate (same style as MJW's base) title for 8 consecutive years. Art Jimmerson was the former national golden gloves champ and a 29-5 pro boxer.

The only way anyone other than gracie was winning UFC 1 was if they knew more/better submission defense than a shoot wrestler of Ken Shamrock's pedigree.

In other words MJW may "impress" the pros in sparring, but he has nothing to offer that wasn't already presented and he wouldn't have been the best, most cross trained, or most pedigreed guy. And he'd have by FAR the least competitive experience. He'd have lost.
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Patrick Smith and Gerard Gerdau don't know wrestling.

MJW is a much better striker than those guys. Anybody can see that. He won everything he competed in before setting his eyes on a movie career.

And he knows how to wrestle.
 
Heelhook71 said:
MJW has competitive points fighting competition background . I used to look down on those guys , but there have been some pretty creative elusive fighters that have come from the background like MVP so who knows.

As a former competitive martial artist who became an actor so he’s definitely more legit than people give him credit for (not saying he would’ve won UFC1) But it does amaze me that people like him get questioned but Bruce lee is an untouchable god because of anecdotal evidence of him beating untrained guys and getting a draw against some local wing chun master . I guess it’s all in the marketing .
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He did both point fighting and FC.
 
jx820 said:
He'd have lost.
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Patrick smith was not a great fighter. He knocked out Andy Hug who didn't have his mouth piece on right and got slaughtered in the rematch and never did anything in K1
 
Swepingright said:
Does it matter? A high school wrestler is good enough for that matter as TDD.
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what years did he wrestle in high school?

and lol at any hs wrestler being good at tdd.....hahahaha. you're sad....
 
Heelhook71 said:
MJW has competitive points fighting competition background . I used to look down on those guys , but there have been some pretty creative elusive fighters that have come from the background like MVP so who knows.

As a former competitive martial artist who became an actor he’s definitely more legit than people give him credit for (not saying he would’ve won UFC1) But it does amaze me that people like him get questioned but Bruce lee is an untouchable god because of anecdotal evidence of him beating untrained guys and getting a draw against some local wing chun master . I guess it’s all in the marketing .
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he fought in small regional point fighting tournaments in high school gyms.
 
kflo said:
you don't know what you're talking about. you're an obvious troll.
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You think BJJ guys have better wrestling than high school wrestlers? Explain that if they don't have an instructor who can teach it.
 
Reach4theSky said:
Royce did this to Prime Ken Shamrock who had a submission background, which in 1993 MJW didn't. He would have suffered the same fate as Ken imo..

UFC01-RoyceXKen-03-400-slomotapout1-sg.gif


Royce gets no respect around here. People don't realize that at that time nobody knew how defend the sh!t Royce was doing..
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Isnt that tap supposed to bring concrete up from the canvas??? Or have I been lied to?
200.gif
 
Swepingright said:
You think BJJ guys have better wrestling than high school wrestlers? Explain that if they don't have an instructor who can teach it.
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lol. you think anyone with a hs wrestling background at all couldn't be taken down by anyone who trained bjj in the 90s...... fuck why am i bothering.......
 
kflo said:
lol. you think anyone with a hs wrestling background at all couldn't be taken down by anyone who trained bjj in the 90s...... fuck why am i bothering.......
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A good athlete most likely not. He would have to be a natural at wrestling which Royce clearly wasn't
 
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