Imagining an MMA Hall of Fame: Borderline Candidates, Part 1

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Murilo Bustamante Desafio (1991); Universal Vale Tudo Fighting (1996); Martial Arts Reality Superfighting (1996); Pentagon Combat (1997); Ultimate Fighting Championship (2000, 2001-02); Pancrase (2000); Pride Fighting championships (2003-06); Deep (2007); Yarennoka (2007); Impact Fighting Championship (2010); Amazon Forest Combat (2012)
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CASE FOR: Bustamante is one of the most underappreciated fighters in MMA history. A highly respected co-founder of the elite Brazilian Top Team, Bustamante was a key formative force in many of the sport’s best fighters. Inside the cage, he was a tough challenge for any opponent. His battle with the massive Tom Erikson in Martial Arts Reality Superfighting was one of the most epic jiu-jitsu-versus-wrestling showdowns in early MMA. He captured the Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight title and tapped Matt Lindland twice in the same fight. In Pride Fighting Championships, he gave Quinton Jackson and Dan Henderson difficult tests. CASE AGAINST: However, he was already in his mid-30s by the time he reached the top of the middleweight division, and because of that, his prime was relatively short-lived. Most of his biggest fights were losses, and he was never a star fighter in the United States or Japan. VERDICT: Should he go in? Probably not.

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