10 Tough Debuts
5 - 1
Jake Rossen Dec 15, 2008
5. Sergey
Ignatov vs. Ricardo
Arona (10/31/04)
There’s no waiting list of athletes looking for a fight with Arona. He’s strong, methodical and can make even the most experienced and aggressive of combatants look ineffectual.
The Russian Ignatov looked unconcerned by all this, gamely trotting
out for competition. Arona proceeded to use him as an inanimate
practice dummy, passing guard and garnering his back or the mount
at will.
Possibly as offended by the mismatch as fans were, Arona held a rear-naked choke well past the point of reason. Ignatov never fought again. What exactly any of this was supposed to prove remains a mystery.
Long the patriarch in a stable of high-profile, high-value fighters (Nick and Nate Diaz, Jake Shields), Gracie had never had a professional MMA bout until meeting up with a semi-retired Shamrock. The difference in striking ability was evident immediately, with Shamrock needing only 21 seconds to end his three-year layoff with a victory.
In the long, distressing list of offenses committed by the California State Athletic Commission with Armando Garcia at the helm, a 0-0 fighter paired with 22-7 opponent is at the top of the pile. Or the bottom. Take your pick.
3. Istvan Majoros vs. Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto (K-1 Dynamite, 12/31/06)
Ounce for ounce, there may be no better athlete in the sport than the diminutive “Kid,” a firecracker of a wrestler so gutsy he actually took on K-1 kickboxing legend Masato in a stand-up match -- and knocked him down in his own game.
The Hungarian Majoros, a Greco-Roman Gold Medal winner in the 2004 Olympics, continued the ignoble trend of using that chunk of precious metal as admission into a fight far exceeding his current abilities. After a brief feeling-out process, “Kid” pounded on him like he was a dirty throw rug.
As if the skill disparity weren’t enough, Majoros was a 55-kilogram entrant in the Games -- 121 pounds of prime competition weight to Yamamoto’s 145. Another thrilling achievement in the annals of Japanese sports history.
2. Tatsuya Iwasaki, Kiyoshi Tamura vs. Wanderlei Silva (Various)
Poor bastards.
1. Brock Lesnar vs. Frank Mir (UFC 81, 2/2/08)
So it’s a bit of a cheat -- Lesnar’s first pro MMA bout came against Min Soo Kim in 2007. But I argue that if your opponent doesn’t punch you back, it’s not much of a fight.
Lesnar’s real test came against Mir in his UFC debut, a fight that organizers seemed to concoct with the intention of giving Lesnar the most difficult road possible. Where Lesnar is at his most formidable and comfortable -- providing offense on top -- is where Mir is most dangerous, a fact he proved less than a couple of minutes in with a kneebar.
That Lesnar was able to rebound speaks to his confidence as an athlete, and the fact that he didn’t enter the sport for the quick payday. While I generally yawn at rematches, this is one that would likely provide contrast between first-fight jitters and the cage calm that comes with experience.
For comments, e-mail [email protected]
Note: This article was revised on Dec. 15 to correct the Lesnar-Mir finish, which was a kneebar by Mir and not a heel hook.
There’s no waiting list of athletes looking for a fight with Arona. He’s strong, methodical and can make even the most experienced and aggressive of combatants look ineffectual.
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Possibly as offended by the mismatch as fans were, Arona held a rear-naked choke well past the point of reason. Ignatov never fought again. What exactly any of this was supposed to prove remains a mystery.
4. Cesar
Gracie vs. Frank
Shamrock (Strikeforce, 3/10/06)
Long the patriarch in a stable of high-profile, high-value fighters (Nick and Nate Diaz, Jake Shields), Gracie had never had a professional MMA bout until meeting up with a semi-retired Shamrock. The difference in striking ability was evident immediately, with Shamrock needing only 21 seconds to end his three-year layoff with a victory.
In the long, distressing list of offenses committed by the California State Athletic Commission with Armando Garcia at the helm, a 0-0 fighter paired with 22-7 opponent is at the top of the pile. Or the bottom. Take your pick.
3. Istvan Majoros vs. Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto (K-1 Dynamite, 12/31/06)
Ounce for ounce, there may be no better athlete in the sport than the diminutive “Kid,” a firecracker of a wrestler so gutsy he actually took on K-1 kickboxing legend Masato in a stand-up match -- and knocked him down in his own game.
The Hungarian Majoros, a Greco-Roman Gold Medal winner in the 2004 Olympics, continued the ignoble trend of using that chunk of precious metal as admission into a fight far exceeding his current abilities. After a brief feeling-out process, “Kid” pounded on him like he was a dirty throw rug.
As if the skill disparity weren’t enough, Majoros was a 55-kilogram entrant in the Games -- 121 pounds of prime competition weight to Yamamoto’s 145. Another thrilling achievement in the annals of Japanese sports history.
2. Tatsuya Iwasaki, Kiyoshi Tamura vs. Wanderlei Silva (Various)
Poor bastards.
1. Brock Lesnar vs. Frank Mir (UFC 81, 2/2/08)
So it’s a bit of a cheat -- Lesnar’s first pro MMA bout came against Min Soo Kim in 2007. But I argue that if your opponent doesn’t punch you back, it’s not much of a fight.
Lesnar’s real test came against Mir in his UFC debut, a fight that organizers seemed to concoct with the intention of giving Lesnar the most difficult road possible. Where Lesnar is at his most formidable and comfortable -- providing offense on top -- is where Mir is most dangerous, a fact he proved less than a couple of minutes in with a kneebar.
That Lesnar was able to rebound speaks to his confidence as an athlete, and the fact that he didn’t enter the sport for the quick payday. While I generally yawn at rematches, this is one that would likely provide contrast between first-fight jitters and the cage calm that comes with experience.
For comments, e-mail [email protected]
Note: This article was revised on Dec. 15 to correct the Lesnar-Mir finish, which was a kneebar by Mir and not a heel hook.
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