{"id":1706,"date":"2010-02-06T06:00:47","date_gmt":"2010-02-06T13:00:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/attractwomenanywhere.com\/blog\/?p=1706"},"modified":"2010-05-31T21:52:36","modified_gmt":"2010-06-01T04:52:36","slug":"10-mma-fighters-who-changed-our-perception","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/attractwomenanywhere.com\/blog\/2010\/02\/06\/10-mma-fighters-who-changed-our-perception\/","title":{"rendered":"10 MMA Fighters Who Changed Our Perception!!"},"content":{"rendered":"

10MMA Fighters that change the way we think:<\/span><\/h2>\n

.<\/p>\n

\u00a0Big UFC event on Saturday night featuring 4 solid matches that should be serve entertaining.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0If you follow this blog, you know that I am a fan of the UFC and love the Martial Arts in general.\u00a0 Yes, it probably all started watching Bruce Lee movies when I was a kid, and even though that\u2019s a clich\u00e9d story, it holds true for many people including numerous successful professional fighters.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0I wanted to take a retrospective look at the infant sport of \u201cMMA\u201d and take a look at athletes who pushed boundaries and changed the way we viewed the sport.\u00a0 This is not about who is better than someone else in a particular fight.\u00a0 Let\u2019s keep perspective here.\u00a0 It\u2019s only about fighters that changed the way we think about the sport forever.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0In the Spirit of Bruce Lee, who changed the way people thought about fighting philosophy, (and even Martial Arts movies for that matter), here are a list of fighters that changed the way WE think about the sport of \u201cMixed Martial Arts.\u201d<\/p>\n

They effectively changed our perceptions about the game by being pioneers of some sort.\u00a0\u00a0 The following are the list of 10 fighters, more or less in chronological order.<\/p>\n

\n

Royce Gracie<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 ———————–<\/p>\n

\u00a0Grappling & Submission Wrestling<\/em><\/p>\n

There from the very beginning in the Ultimate Fighting Championship [UFC],\u00a0Royce\u00a0was the one to the who introduced the \u201cGround Game\u201d and submission style grappling to most of the world.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 While not the best Brazilian Jiu Jitsu guy ever, he helped redefine the UFC by allowing us to see that you can be very effective on the ground.\u00a0 Before that, most people thought that once you were rolling on the ground with a person bigger than you, that it was all over.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0In essence, yes, it can be all over, but with you submitting that bigger individual.\u00a0 Royce Gracie showed us that a smaller guy could somewhat neutralize a bigger guy by taking the fight to the ground, wrapping himself like a snake around that guy, until he got hold of a limb to dislocate or disjoint.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0No where was this more prevalent than when he fought Aki Bono, the sumo wrestler.\u00a0 Once the heavy giant sumo wrestler was on the ground, it was only a matter of time before Royce found one of his limbs, got an armbar and submitted the man who outweighed him by over a 100 pounds.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0 In essence, Royce Gracie changed the way we viewed the role of grappling in a fight.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n

Mark Coleman:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"
Mark Coleman<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>The Ground And Pound!<\/em><\/p>\n

After Royce Gracie introduced Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, the sport sported some dull matches where people stuck inside the guard of somebody spent most of their time trying to escape out of that position.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0Mark Coleman showed that he was comfortable staying there, keeping his balance, and punching the hell out of the Jiu Jitsu guy lying on his back.<\/p>\n

\u00a0Effective Ground and Pound.\u00a0 If you were in someone\u2019s guard, you had to escape that position.\u00a0 Not with Mark.\u00a0 Heavy handed and strong, Mark showed that he could punish you with a barrage of punches and elbows even from being inside someone’s guard.\u00a0 The “Godfather of the Ground and Pound” as he is known, \u00a0changed the game forever.<\/p>\n

\u00a0Mark Coleman changed the way we looked at being in someone\u2019s guard forever.\u00a0 In fact, because of his ability to pound someone while on the ground,\u00a0 a new vernacular was introduced to the Lexicon of MMA vocabulary: \u201cThe Ground and Pound!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Mark Coleman was a true pioneer.\u00a0 Enter…. “The Ground & Pound!”
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n

Chuck Liddell:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"
Chuck Liddell<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0——————<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 ——————<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 ——————<\/p>\n

\u00a0Keep The Fight Standing Regardless!<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0One of my favorites in this category, the haymaker throwing chuck forever changed our perception.\u00a0 Before chuck, an unspoken consensus had risen that all fights must go to the ground and that\u2019s just the way it had to be.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 By displaying excellent take-down Defense, Chuck repeatedly blocked attempts from Wrestlers and Jiu Jitsu guys alike, forcing them into a striking battle which often resulted in Chuck emphatically knocking them the fuck out.\u00a0 And by the way, if they did succeed in taking him to the ground, the average time Chuck spent down there before escaping to get back on his feet:\u00a0 16 seconds!!<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0 Amazing!\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0Chuck would find a way to escape and get back on his feet where he could continue to rain down bombs on people.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Chuck displayed exemplary take-down defense, and masterful escapes to keep the fights standing up in a kickboxing match.\u00a0 Twice he knocked out Olympic-Caliber wrestler Randy Couture; Twice he knocked out grappler Tito Ortiz; and twice he knocked out Brazilian Jiu Jitsu master Renato Sobral.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, for Chuck, his style of throwing haymakers took a setback when people started figuring out that you could beat him if you were well versed in a disciplined classical Western-Boxing style of punching.\u00a0 Nevertheless, he is recognized as the most popular fighter in current UFC history, and it\u2019s a well-deserved title. His mohawk and overall look reminded you of a White-supremacist who had just broken out of prison.\u00a0 That “Scary”\u00a0look only worked in his favor in establishing him as a legend who knocked people out.\u00a0<\/p>\n

He is a true pioneer in changing the way we thought about MMA cage fighting.<\/p>\n

Chuck Liddell changed the way we thought about having to go to the ground in every fight.\u00a0 He showed that you could keep the fight standing against an Olympic level Wrestler and knock him out.\u00a0 He is an unquestionable pinoeer in changing\u00a0 MMA observer’s perceptions about the MMA fighting game.<\/p>\n

\n

\u00a0Mirko \u201cCro-Cop\u201d Filipovich:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"
You KNEW this was coming, right?<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0—————————-<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 —————————<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 —————————-<\/p>\n

Head Kicks!
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/em>
\n\u00a0 Much like Chuck Liddell, Crocop had excellent takedown defense but more precision and technical striking than Chuck.\u00a0(Though he wasn’t as skilled in escaping as Liddell.)\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0His left head-kick routinely knocked people out.\u00a0 Prior to \u201cCro-Cop\u201d, you didn\u2019t see a whole lot of effective head-kicks.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0Headkicks were considered a waste of time and effort, and if you managed to land one, it would have been considered lucky. Certainly, there was the famous Pete Williams head kick against in a gassed-out & \u00a0fatigued Marc Coleman in overtime, (and a few others), but they were considered somewhat of anomaly. People often thought of head-kicks as a general waste of time and effort.\u00a0 Mirko “Cro-cop” changed all of that.<\/p>\n

\u00a0Mirko Crocop took it to another level . He knocked people out consistently<\/span> with a vicious left kick to the head that the opponents KNEW was coming at some point.\u00a0 That was the scary part.\u00a0 People knew that this was his main weapon and Crocop still pulled it off.\u00a0 In a flash, he could swing hat left leg\u00a0 a like\u00a0an extra long, extra\u00a0 heavy baseball bat.<\/p>\n

\u00a0In his fight with Wanderlei Silva,\u00a0Wanderlei\u00a0KNEW that at some point Crocop was going to try that head-kick,\u00a0and yet, cropcop still connected knocking hout Wandereli out-cold for a solid two minutes.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0Mirko \u201cCro Cop\u201d Filipovich forever changed the way we viewed the effectiveness of head-kicks in a professional fight.<\/p>\n

\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/strong><\/p>\n


\nWanderlei Silva:\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/strong><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/strong><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/strong><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/strong><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/strong><\/div>\n
<\/strong><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Wanderlei Sliva<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0Clinch Work.\u00a0 Vicious barrage of knees in the clinch.<\/em>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0At a time, where a lot of fighters liked to loiter and waste time in the clinch, Wanderlei\u2019s usage of his vicious knees knocked people out in devastating fashion.\u00a0 Employing subsequent hard knees to the forehead, he laid people out flat on the mat as he walked away.\u00a0 Your perception of the clinch game had been changed forever after you\u2019d watched a few Silva fights.<\/p>\n

\u00a0Wanderlei\u2019s handwork was primarily a barrage of hook punches that were thrown like bombs.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t really employ the \u201cSweet Science.\u201d\u00a0 You weren\u2019t going to see a jab, cross, hook, uppercut, 4-punch combo from Wanderlei.\u00a0 He threw hard kicks, hook punches, and once he got in clinch\/trapping range, the opponent came to know his knees intimately.<\/p>\n

Sporting a frightening looking face and a vicious fighting style, he lived up to his nickname of “The Axe Murder.”<\/p>\n

\u00a0Wanderlei Silva changed the way we thought of what proper aggressive Clinch-work ought to look like.<\/p>\n

\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Anderson Silva:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0\"\"<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0————<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 ————<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 ————<\/p>\n

\u00a0 Precision technical striking.<\/em>\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0 While he was not a pioneer of sorts, he helped define what beautiful precision striking would look like.\u00a0 He is light years ahead of anyone else in the game when it comes to striking, punches and kicks.\u00a0 His nickname of \u201cSpider\u201d could easily be changed the \u201cMatrix\u201d because that\u2019s what he looks like.\u00a0 As though he is in the matrix where everyone else moves in slow motion around him.<\/p>\n

\u00a0Watching\/reading interviews with people such as Dan Inosanto, I often read things such as \u201cI\u2019ve never seen anyone who was as fast and precise as Bruce Lee<\/em>.\u201d\u00a0 It made me wonder what it\u2019d look like to watch someone strike with such quickness and precision.\u00a0 I wondered what accurate, precise, powerful striking flowing in harmony would look like.\u00a0\u00a0
\n\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0Watching Anderson Silva fight against former champ Forrest Griffin gave me an idea of what such quick & accurate striking looks like.\u00a0 Silva made Griffin look like an inexperienced clueless high school kid thrown in the ring to be eaten by the lion. He toyed with Griffin, kept his hands down, dodged punches and throw few shots, all of which connected.<\/p>\n

\u00a0His performance was reminiscent of Boxer Roy Jones Jr. in his prime.\u00a0\u00a0 While Silva is great all around (he submitted and choked out world-class wrestler Dan Henderson), it’s his striking that is a thing of beauty to watch everytime he sets foot in the Octagon.\u00a0 He is so far ahead of everyone in his weight class that he cleaned out the 185 pound division in the UFC, and bored after doing that, he is now fighting in the light heavyweight 205lb class.\u00a0 He is widely recognized as the best “Pound for Pound” fighter along with the following athlete, GSP.<\/p>\n

\u00a0Anderson Silva changed the way we view precision striking forever.\u00a0 He set a standard of what it accurate, fast, flowing striking ought to \u00a0look like.<\/p>\n

\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/strong><\/p>\n

Georges St. Pierre:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0 ——————<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0 ——————<\/p>\n

\u00a0——————-<\/p>\n

\u00a0The Modern Day Athlete<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0GSP, as he is now known, showed us to face of the new modern day complete package Athlete-fighter.\u00a0 Long gone are the days of brawlers, fat guys with beer breath, and karate guys who looked like they\u2019d never sparred in their lives.\u00a0 GSP is a raw natural athlete who is well skilled, adapts efficiently, and learns quickly.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0While having started with a background in Karate & striking, his grappling skills have improved so astronomically that he started to embarrass career wrestlers.\u00a0 He starts training with the Canadian Olympic wrestling team, and then, \u00a0they ask him to try out to represent Canada in that sport (which he refuses.)\u00a0 The guy is that good.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0In his 2nd<\/sup> fight with Matt Hughes, George St. Pierre\u00a0 knocked out Hughes with punches and a vicious left kick.\u00a0 In their 3rd<\/sup> fight, GSP took Hughes to the ground, outwrestled him at his own game, and completely outclassed Matt Hughes on the ground to submit Matt Hughes.\u00a0 (Keep in Mind that Hughes is a career wrestler.)\u00a0 When you realize that GSP came to MMA with minimal grappling skills, you develop an appreciation for the athlete (And hard worker), he must be to make such strides so quickly.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0While GSP did not introduce any new styles or techniques, he showed us a glimpse of what can happen when superior super-athletes become involved in this sport.\u00a0 Combining his superior athletecism with hard work, GSP has dominated top level competition.\u00a0 He does not squeeze out wins, but completely outclasses top level compettion, twice destroying Matt Hughes, displaying absolute dominance over top level contenders, BJ Penn, Jon Fitch, and Thiago Alves.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Strong, Agile, Explosive, he shows us what\u2019s to come in the future of the sport.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n

\n

Lyoto Machida:<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n

Incorporating\u00a0& \u00a0Introducing Elements of a New Style: Karate!<\/p>\n

\u00a0Let\u2019s face it.\u00a0 Most modern MMA fighters follow a simple boring formula because it\u2019s safe and they figure it\u2019s tested.\u00a0 Few guys step outside the box and look to venture into incorporating various elements of various Martial Arts.\u00a0 They\u2019ll do some Muay Thai, some wrestling and Jiu Jitsu and that\u2019s 90% of the fighters out there.\u00a0 Some may venture out and work with an actual \u201cWestern Boxing\u201d coach who teaches them some proper hand combos and even uppercuts.<\/p>\n

\u00a0Few MMA fighters are willing to venture out this boring formula.\u00a0 View are willing to explore, and incorporate new things.\u00a0 Few are progressive.\u00a0\u00a0 Granted the formula works, but it\u2019s potential is also more limited.\u00a0 A great athlete can venture outside this formula and gain greater skills by incorporating other techniques from other Martial Arts.<\/p>\n

\u00a0With his Karate background, Machida ventured into breaking that boring mold.\u00a0 With Kicks that came from all sorts of various angles, a different stance, and precision that\u2019s 2nd<\/sup> only to Anderson Silva, he knocked people out while confusing them.\u00a0 You have to respect Machida for this.\u00a0 Most of his opponents have trouble preparing for him because they can’t even find sparring partners who resemble his\u00a0style. (And yes, we can all agree that Shogun Rua beat him.)\u00a0 There is something to be learned from Machida’s refusal to blend in, and ordering from the same menu\u00a0every other fighter does.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0 He deserves credit for changing our minds.\u00a0 Before Machida, everyone thought you had to go to a nice Muay Thai school to fight in the Octagon or MMA in general.\u00a0 \u00a0Lyoto Machida changed that.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0One can only hope that future talented fighters will venture out and use elements of Kung-fu, Kali, Silat, or other Filipino martial arts, (and various other arts out there) incorporating them into their overall game.\u00a0\u00a0 There are still many arts out there that begged to be explored.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0Honorable Mentions:\u00a0<\/p>\n

Randy Couture:<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

For being a competitive fighter at age 45 fighting men 20 years his junior.\u00a0 Randy brings his best to every fight and fighting at such an age, he changes the way we think what a 45 year-old man can do.\u00a0 Randy should also get a nod for being a good strategist who studies his opponents very carefully before a\u00a0 fight.\u00a0 Like a football or basketball scout, he watches a lot of film on his opponent\u00a0looking to take advantage of their weakness.\u00a0\u00a0 He is recognized as a legend in the sport and continues to inspire many people.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0—————————————<\/p>\n

\u00a0Fedor Emelianenko<\/strong> \u00a0:<\/p>\n

\u00a0\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Sheer Dominance<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Changed the way we think about a dominant fighter.\u00a0 When you look at Fedor’s photo, you may think he is a guy who office worker\u00a0behind a desk who dabbles in a bit of weight training.\u00a0 Powerful, agile, explosive,\u00a0Fedor is a\u00a0dangerous guy who can transition from standing to grappling and back, he is 30-1 in his fighting career (and that loss was a bit of a fluke)\u00a0 and seems to find a way to win against everyone.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0He has forever changed our perception of a dominant fighter and a super athlete.\u00a0 He also shows us that athletic prowess doesn\u2019t mean you have to look like a chiseled \u201cBodybuilder\u201d.\u00a0\u00a0 He is perhaps most famous for his icy-cold demeanor, which\u00a0resembles more of a\u00a0guy bored at a corporate meeting, rather than a man about to step into fight. \u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0——————————<\/p>\n

Frank Shamrock:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0In many ways, Frank Shamrock is the forgotten fighter.\u00a0 No one really thinks of him in discussions these days, but he was one of the pioneers.\u00a0 In the early days of the UFC, he showed us the representation of a\u00a0well-rounded fighter.\u00a0 Long before days of guys like GSP and Anderson Silva, Frank Shamrock stood as the guy who could submit you with a leg-lock or knock you out with a punch.\u00a0\u00a0 There weren’t many guys who were\u00a0that balanced in the early days of the sport\u00a0taking on formidable competition. \u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0A brash smack-talker, and ultimately a good guy, Frank knew how to sell fights.\u00a0 Unfortunately, due to being under-paid\u00a0in those days, Frank walked away from\u00a0the UFC as\u00a0a champion in his prime.\u00a0 He relinquished his title and walked into a bit of obscurity.\u00a0 He remains the forgotten fighter who doesn’t get his due.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0Nevertheless,\u00a0he changed our perception by showing us \u00a0a glimpse of what a well-rounded fighter would look like in the late 1990s of the UFC.<\/p>\n

A few special nods should be thrown out to some guys.\u00a0 While they didn\u2019t change the way we think forever, they showed glimpses of interesting things.\u00a0 BJ Penn showed us what dexterity and extreme flexibility could do, while Rampage Jackson showed an alternative way of getting out of someone\u2019s guard by employing his \u201cPower Bombs\u201d which would destroy anyone if they were on any sort of hard surface.\u00a0<\/p>\n

I ran this list by my brother who is also a fellow MMA fan.\u00a0 He added two names, Tito Ortize & Marco Ruas.\u00a0\u00a0 Tito Ortiz should get a nod for being so efficient with his weight-cutting.\u00a0 Able to make weight-cutting a science, Tito could step into the ring heavier & stronger than his competition.\u00a0\u00a0 Marco Ruas during one particular fight in the very early days of the UFC showed most fight-fans what damage leg-kicks could inflict.\u00a0 In his match against a giant man named the Polar-bear, Marco chopped him down like a tree with effective leg-kicks.\u00a0 It was memorable that if you saw that fight back then, you’d never forget it.<\/p>\n

Lastly, special\u00a0acknowledgment to Ken Shamrock for representing an early somewhat well-rounded fighter, even though his stand-up is terrible by modern standards.\u00a0\u00a0 I am torn on the Ken Shamrock issue, as part of me feels he ought to more than just a special nod.\u00a0 \u00a0By modern standards, he is not well balanced, but back in the beginning, he did represent what a well-balanced fighter ought to look like.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"
Ken Shamrock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 ————————————————————————<\/p>\n

\u00a0 There you have it. 10 Fighters who changed the way we viewed the sport of MMA forever, plus some special nods.\u00a0 \u00a0Remember this is a list for men who changed our way of thinking and our perceptions.\u00a0\u00a0For example, you may be a fan of Matt Hughes personally, but while dominant for a good period, he remains a great grappler and rather mediocre striker who hasn’t really done anything \u00a0to introduce \u00a0a new aspect\u00a0to the sport of Mixed Martial Arts.\u00a0 There\u00a0are even great champs from the mid 90s period such as Bas Rutten and Don Frye, but they don’t make this list as pioneers\u00a0of something new. \u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0While you may not be a fan of some of the guys mentioned above, you do have to admit that they brought something new to the fighting game.\u00a0 Whether it was the “ground-and-pound” of Mark Coleman, or keeping the fight standing through the entire fight ala Chuck Liddell, these men\u00a0changed our perceptions forever.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0As the Sport grows, there will inevitable be more phenomenal athletes who will change our perception in new ways to come.<\/p>\n

\u00a0If you think I missed anyone who should be in the list above, feel free add the name and\u00a0 discuss why:<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

10MMA Fighters that change the way we think: . \u00a0Big UFC event on Saturday night featuring 4 solid matches that should be serve entertaining.\u00a0 \u00a0If you follow this blog, you…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1706","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/attractwomenanywhere.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1706","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/attractwomenanywhere.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/attractwomenanywhere.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/attractwomenanywhere.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/attractwomenanywhere.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1706"}],"version-history":[{"count":36,"href":"http:\/\/attractwomenanywhere.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1706\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1779,"href":"http:\/\/attractwomenanywhere.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1706\/revisions\/1779"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/attractwomenanywhere.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1706"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/attractwomenanywhere.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1706"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/attractwomenanywhere.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1706"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}