White Shogun
Hall of Famer
- Joined
- Mar 2, 2005
- Messages
- 6,285
Why is that a guy like Chris Leben, who is 15-2 and lost only to Anderson Silva and Joe Doerksoen, is now considered a can, but a guy like Carlos Newton, who is 12-10, is still considered a great fighter?
Newton has lost to Matt Hughes (twice), Sakuraba, David Menne - who just lost to Josh Koscheck, of all people; Anderson Silva, and Ryo Chonan, among others.
I doubt you would find one fan of mixed martial arts who would say Koscheck is better than Newton.
Kevin Randleman is considered a good fighter. Hell, he's even KO'd Cro-Cop! But he has a record of 16-11, and has lost to a lot of great fighters like Emilianenko, Couture, Liddell, Jackson, Sakuraba, Cro-Cop, and Rutten. Where does he rank?
How important do you think a fighter's record is in determining whether they are a top-tier fighter in mixed martial arts? It is obviously much less important than in boxing, where even one loss on your record diminishes your value and esteem as a fighter. But in MMA? Why all the hate for guys like Leben who are 15-2? If this were like boxing, Leben's record would equate to, say 19-0, and he'd be the next best prospect for a title shot. But in MMA now he is a can because he lost to a great fighter.
Why is there so much difference in the way people view boxers as fighters and mixed martial artists as fighters?
Newton has lost to Matt Hughes (twice), Sakuraba, David Menne - who just lost to Josh Koscheck, of all people; Anderson Silva, and Ryo Chonan, among others.
I doubt you would find one fan of mixed martial arts who would say Koscheck is better than Newton.
Kevin Randleman is considered a good fighter. Hell, he's even KO'd Cro-Cop! But he has a record of 16-11, and has lost to a lot of great fighters like Emilianenko, Couture, Liddell, Jackson, Sakuraba, Cro-Cop, and Rutten. Where does he rank?
How important do you think a fighter's record is in determining whether they are a top-tier fighter in mixed martial arts? It is obviously much less important than in boxing, where even one loss on your record diminishes your value and esteem as a fighter. But in MMA? Why all the hate for guys like Leben who are 15-2? If this were like boxing, Leben's record would equate to, say 19-0, and he'd be the next best prospect for a title shot. But in MMA now he is a can because he lost to a great fighter.
Why is there so much difference in the way people view boxers as fighters and mixed martial artists as fighters?