UnderGround Forum >> Dwight Howard: Nikola Pekovic could be MMA champ

GriffinQ - 

gamer - Hispanics and latinos dominate most of the lower weight calsses in boxing

The heavier wight classes in boxing are dominated mostly by Europeans (HW is dominated by a Russain for example)

And boxing is very popular around the world and has the world to draw from for talent. Much BIGGER talent pools because of all of that

p.s

I think hispanics will start to take over MMA once MMA starts to become popular in Mexico

There are a lot of natural born fighters in Mexico, who LOVE TO FIGHT, but they are all choosing to box from a young age

If only you could get them to start doing MMA from a young age instead, THEN the talent pool will dramtic rise, and we will start to see some LEGITIMATE TALENTS in MMA

Imagine an Oscar De La Hoya who grew up training in MMA instead? JUST damnnn!

Imagine a Cezar Chaves who trained in MMA instead?

Damnnnnn!

Hell imagine if Canelo Alveraz trained MMA instead

Skill wise he would FAR SURPASS anything that Jones' big goofy ass is capable of

Canelo would be a legit star in MMA!

Latinos WILL ALWAYS dominate most of combat sports, but at this point, there IS LITTLE INTETEST IN MMA from latinos or in most latino countries

Think about this, there is very little interest and yet a large portion of great UFC champs still have been Latino...So just imagine what will happen once interest in MMA really starts to pick up with Latinos

I think Mexico should be the next big push. Mexicans LOVE FIGHTING. Lots of real talent will come out of Mexico

.....Thiaguy?

gamer - 

renofheavens - The Black Mamba Kobe Bryant. He just has that finishers mentality that could translate well into MMA.

LMAO NOPE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5No9p9SEY2E

Look at how pathetic that elbow was from Koby

And what is sad is that most big NFL or NBA athletes throw "punches" just like that haha

Koby doesnt even deserve to be called the "black momba"

There is some savage Russian kid in Russia right now who could fight his ass of who deserves that nickname more then Koby does hahaha

Cotton - Bruce Bowen in his prime could probably fight. Dude was tough as hell. Same with Anthony Mason. This is all nonsense because we have no clue of anyone's fight skills, but I bet some of the athletic swing men that got 6'6"+ and could cut to 205 could be trouble if they knew how to fight.

Allen Iverson would have been a killer fighter at featherweight too. He had the intensity and mentality to fight too. Of course he is just about the most athletic NBA player ever and could have probably been tremendous at any sport had he played it professionally.

gamer - ....

I'm simply talking about Allen Iverson. This guy wasn't normal. He was the Associated Press High School player of the year in both basketball and football in his junior year of high school. I don't think anyone else has ever done that before. He played quarterback and defensive back, and the people of Virginia swear he is the greatest football player in the history of the state. And Michael Vick is from the same freaking town.

Iverson is a true freak of nature. He was known to be able to spend all night partying and then go score 40+ and play 42 minutes. At 5'11" and about 160 pounds, Iverson took a serious physical pounding every night., more so than anyone in league history maybe. And he would still lead the league in minutes and play in almost every game every year. He had a crazy intensity and intimidating factor to his game. He had the mentality that he could have fought if he wanted to and there isn't a doubt in my mind about it.

I don't say this about many guys, but Iverson was truly a freak athlete in every sense of the phrase. He was on a different level of speed, quickness, jumping ability, toughness and durability. He is a once in a generation athlete and a rare guy who really could have excelled at any sport he put the effort in to be great at.

gamer - 

bmd - gamer: "Micheal Jordan was one of the best at basketball but was no where near an elite level in baseball

I dont think ive ever seen an athelte be at a top level in multiple sports"


First off, Michael Jordan went from playing professional basketball to professional baseball. It's actually quite a feat to jump from one sport to another at a professional level.

My brother is a college baseball player, and he's incredibly good at baseball. But there was a guy at my high school who got drafted out of high school who makes my brother look like a hobo as far as his physical abilities are concerned. And that guy just recently quit baseball because he was stuck in the minors and couldn't get to the majors.

So for Michael Jordan to just go from playing no baseball to playing professionally like with people like the guy I'm talking about, it's pretty incredible.

By the way, there are several athletes who have played multiple sports at the highest level. Bo Jackson played both major league baseball and football. Herschel Walker played football and was on the 1992 Olympic Bobsled team. Deion Sanders played both football and major league baseball.

There are also plenty of players who have been recruited to play in different sports, but they have to make a choice which one they want to play in. The most recent example is Colin Kapernick of the San Francisco 49ers who is an NFL player but also was drafted by the Chicago Cubs.

LeBron James was a football star in high school and also a basketball star.

Allen Iverson is another basketball and football star.

These are just people off the top of my head. There are tons of multi-sport athletes out there who have had to make a choice.

Your fourth paragraph is correct

Thats a good point and i have to agree with you there

p.s Micheal Jordan was given a contract to play minor league baseball based on his name. That is what I remeber. He couldn't cut it bottom line though. Thats how I looked at it.

Also, Lebron was a football star in HIGH SCHOOL. So was Iverson. I said give me examples of an "athlete" being at the highest professional level of multuple sports. Im sure there other examples but its really rare, and for a reason. I guess maybe Bo Jackson is a good example, but thats still sketchy to me

The rest of my post makes it clear what point I was getting at too

gamer - 

bmd - 

gamer - 

bmd - gamer: "Micheal Jordan was one of the best at basketball but was no where near an elite level in baseball

I dont think ive ever seen an athelte be at a top level in multiple sports"


First off, Michael Jordan went from playing professional basketball to professional baseball. It's actually quite a feat to jump from one sport to another at a professional level.

My brother is a college baseball player, and he's incredibly good at baseball. But there was a guy at my high school who got drafted out of high school who makes my brother look like a hobo as far as his physical abilities are concerned. And that guy just recently quit baseball because he was stuck in the minors and couldn't get to the majors.

So for Michael Jordan to just go from playing no baseball to playing professionally like with people like the guy I'm talking about, it's pretty incredible.

By the way, there are several athletes who have played multiple sports at the highest level. Bo Jackson played both major league baseball and football. Herschel Walker played football and was on the 1992 Olympic Bobsled team. Deion Sanders played both football and major league baseball.

There are also plenty of players who have been recruited to play in different sports, but they have to make a choice which one they want to play in. The most recent example is Colin Kapernick of the San Francisco 49ers who is an NFL player but also was drafted by the Chicago Cubs.

LeBron James was a football star in high school and also a basketball star.

Allen Iverson is another basketball and football star.

These are just people off the top of my head. There are tons of multi-sport athletes out there who have had to make a choice.

Your fourth paragraph is correct

Thats a good point and i have to agree with you there

p.s Micheal Jordan was given a contract to play minor league baseball based on his name. That is what I remeber. He couldn't cut it bottom line though. Thats how I looked at it.

Also, Lebron was a football star in HIGH SCHOOL. So was Iverson. I said give me examples of an "athlete" being at the highest professional level of multuple sports. Im sure there other examples but its really rare, and for a reason. I guess maybe Bo Jackson is a good example, but thats still sketchy to me

The rest of my post makes it clear what point I was getting at too

Michael Jordan wasn't great at all, but he was still playing professional baseball, which is pretty good considering he never played baseball since he was a teenager.

I'm using LeBron and Iverson as examples.

Guess what... LeBron went to the NBA straight out of high school. The NFL doesn't allow players to come right out of high school. But if it was allowed, LeBron would have also been drafted by an NFL team. Same with Iverson.

I have no doubt LeBron would be a great player in the NFL. Jimmy Graham was a basketball player in college, and never really played football. He got into the NFL based on his physical attributes alone, which are similar to LeBron's, and he is a great player right now. LeBron is way more athletic, and he's actually played football before and was one of the most recruited guys in the entire country.

And how is Bo Jackson sketchy? Deion Sanders? Hershel Walker? Jim Brown? Jim Brown is in the Lacrosse Hall of Fame. He went to college on a Lacrosse scholarship before he ever played football.

Tim Duncan used to be a swimmer and set records for the Virgin Islands and hoped to compete in the Olympics.

How about John Elway? The Super-Bowl winning quarterback was also drafted by the New York Yankees. It was a big deal regarding which sport he'd choose.

There are a ton more examples that I can't even think of right now.

This is just irrelavant babble

Bottom line, you are now specualting

1. Michale Jordan couldn't cut it in the MINOR leagues of baseball

2. And like I already said

We dont know how great somebody would be at another sport until they try it...And the ones that have tried it have not had much succes.

An athlete becomes great at a sport because he TOOK to that sport well, and practiced that sport every day of his life

Boxing and MMA are combat sports but EVEN boxers or MMA fighters would not transition well to the other combat sport of choice....So LOL at this ridiculous idea that American show sport athletes, NOT FIGHTERS, but show sport athletes could transition to MMA and become great fighters"

gamer - 

bmd - Also... I can think of several former football players who have taken up MMA...

Ovince St. Preux - football
Michael Westbrook - football
Herschel Walker - football
Matt Mitrione - football
Brendan Schaub - football
Buddy Roberts - football

Probably more I can't even think of right now.

Also... why can so many wrestlers get into MMA? Wrestlers don't get kicked in the head or punched in the face. Yet wrestlers flock to MMA constantly. How do those "athletes" do it if they aren't "fighters"?

Yeah, and not many of those former football players are any good

Thanks for proving my point

LOL

Also are you reatarded? Wrestling IS AN ASPECT OF MMA

Football or basketball isnt

Fighters train to wrestle. I have never seen a fighter train to fight by throwing balls into a hoop or by running with a football lol

And especially in the UFC, where rules heavily favor the American wrestler, of course wrestlers are going to be successful, and are thus going to be drawn into MMA

Wrestling has become like a farm system for the UFC.

gamer - ...

gamer - 

OnlyTheStrongSurvive -  We have former basketball and football players in the UFC, stupid. Playing basketball automatically means they aren't tough enough for mma? Look up the list of injuries Iverson played through and do some research about what he put his body through every year.

There are tough athletes in every sport. Tons of the fighters in the UFC come from sports like soccer. It makes zero sense to assume that nobody from another sport could fight.

"It makes zero sense to assume that nobody from another sport could fight"

You fuckin moron. You and others have said that NBA players / NFL players would be great fighters just because they are "athletes"

Thats what im arguing against. You are being absurd and are saying things that I never implied.

p.s soccer players WILL TRANSITION A LOT BETTER INTO MMA because of the endurance and insane cardio soccer takes. Plus the fact that in soccer you learn how to use your feet, how to kick, and how to stay cordinated with footwork. It applies a lot to MMA actually!

Football and basketaball requires NOTHING that would help you for MMA. Just maybe size and muscles haha

In fact football would HURT you because you are taught to explode for 10 seconds at a time, then you go on the bench and wait 10 minutes before exploding for another 10 seconds hahaha

That kind of cardio training in football would ruin you in MMA and does not apply to how MMA works

Do you want to grasp for more straws now?

wink91wink - Jeff Samardzija was a WR for Notre Dame that was projected to be drafted in the NFL, but instead chose to pitch for the cubs.

Russell Wilson was drafted by the Orioles in 2007 but instead wanted to play football, and is now starting on the Seahawks.

Antonio Gates averaged 20 and 7 for Kent State, and helped them reach the elite 8 his senior year, and is now one of the best TE's in the NFL.

gamer - 

bmd - 

gamer - 

bmd - Also... I can think of several former football players who have taken up MMA...

Ovince St. Preux - football
Michael Westbrook - football
Herschel Walker - football
Matt Mitrione - football
Brendan Schaub - football
Buddy Roberts - football

Probably more I can't even think of right now.

Also... why can so many wrestlers get into MMA? Wrestlers don't get kicked in the head or punched in the face. Yet wrestlers flock to MMA constantly. How do those "athletes" do it if they aren't "fighters"?

Yeah, and not many of those former football players are any good

Thanks for proving my point

LOL

Also are you reatarded? Wrestling IS AN ASPECT OF MMA

Football or basketball isnt

Fighters train to wrestle. I have never seen a fighter train to fight by throwing balls into a hoop or by running with a football lol

And especially in the UFC, where rules heavily favor the American wrestler, of course wrestlers are going to be successful, and are thus going to be drawn into MMA

Wrestling has become like a farm system for the UFC.

You are arguing two different points. You are all over the place. You were at first arguing that other athletes aren't fighters therefore they can't take punches because they don't have a "fighter's heart".

Now after I name several fighters who were former professional athletes, you say "well they aren't any good".

And yes, wrestling is a part of MMA, but it isn't a combat sport where you are getting punched in the head. It teaches tools that are used in MMA, but it doesn't teach a "fighter's heart" any differently than other sports.

No I said, many athletes would panic as soon as fists were flying and or were touching their chins

You DONT learn to have the abiltiy to stay composed in combat

Its NOT for everybody

And many will break.

Brock Lesnar was a freak physical specimen of an athelte, and he trained specifically to take punches...But as soon as was in a fight and fists from legit badasses were touching his chim HE WOULD PANIC. THAT WOULD be the case for a majority of athletes IMO

Im sure there are some athletes out there who have the right mind set to fight...And THAT WOULD MAKE them POTENTIAL fighters, NOT becauae they are "athletes"

Also the poster I responded to said that since wrestlers transition well into MMA, and they dont train to get punched and kicked in the head, that why cant sport athletes from American show sports do it too(since thry dont train to be punched and kicked in the head either)

He was being ridiculous. Its a dumb point.. Thats what I was responding to though.

Its very different

Wrestling is a big aspect of MMA unforrunatly....

So wrestlers are training a big part of MMA from the beginning

Many wrestlers SAY that the intensity of their grappling exchamges and weight cutting prepares them better for MMA too

Again its very different

My point is clear. I dont know what you were trying to get at though

gamer - BMD:"Why would soccer players be great because of endurance but basketball players woudnt"

Soccer is one of the most grueling cardiovascular sports in the world. Its 70+ minutes of no stop play, back and fourth across a big ass field, with very little breaks.

To play a game of Basketball is like a cardiovascular walk in the park conpared to soccer lol.

Basketball is half the field. Less running across a shorter distance. There are many breaks in the action too etc

I mean for you to ask this question, you dont have a clue. You are clueless

Also, blocking in football has no applicable corellation to any movements made during the course of an MMA bout.

In football you are taught to squat, put your hands out in a a funny manner and "push" the shouler pads etc

I would love to see a football player try to do that to a high level MMA fighter in a clinch sutuation durring an MMA bout

(Strength does not mean as much in MMA has it means in football either)

In basketball you are just dribbling a basketball with your hands and then shoot it into a tiny hoop

Again, that doesn't give you skills FOR MMA. Those motions and or skills are not applicable to MMA in any way shape or form

In soccer you are actually using your feet in a very cordinated manner. Dribilling a ball with your feet and running. That can corralte really well to having good footwork in MMA.

I mean if you want to say that any running you do durring a basketball or football game can help your footwork in MMA, then you might as well say that walking can help you to have good footwork in MMA too

In soccer it really applies and can help. Its specific.

Plus in soccer you are taught how to kick a ball with correct form. That can help a lot with how to kick in MMA.Plus it helps with leg dexterity which is very important in MMA

Of any sport, I would say that soccer easily has the most applicable skills which would more correlate to succes in MMA

- from the insane cardio, to the grear foot cordination, to learning how to kick properly etc