MMA fighters have similar age to pro golfers, similar athletes?

[monster zero]

Yeah whatever. You can try to degrade the sport of mma all you want but there is NOTHING more prestigious than being the best fighter in the world. That is the pinnacle of alpha male shit. It would make them legends and gods of gods but they want none of it. Because they know theyd be mere peasants and mortals in the ufc. Theyd rather stick to a lesser expression of alpha male shit and stay the gods of those lesser worlds. As I said, money is the excuse of pussies.

Being a UFC champ is the stuff of legends and gods.

Go ask anyone on the street if they have heard of Demetrious Johnson (most title defenses in UFC history and P4P #1), now go ask if they have heard of Tiger Woods. All that prestige it should be a no brainer.. "Legends of the gods of gods" is a bit of hyperbole, don't you think?

 

[monster zero]

Man you talk way too much. And yes you are degrading mma. Youre saying the nba and golf are A level sports with so called A level athletes that could come into the ufc with little training and dominate the so called c level ufc athletes. You have no respect for the skill, technique and everything else involved to be a high level mma fighter. You say mma is comparatively easy and takes less nerve and concentration than golf. You say mma is for neanderthals that isnt worthy enough to be graced by a sophisticated A level athlete such as Tiger Woods. Yet youre not degrading the sport, yeah ok.

Literally did not even once use "A level" vs "C level" or anything of the sort. Simply comparing the level of athleticism between Forest Griffin and Phil Mickelson, who are both at least from a physical stand point similar.

Why would I ever consider a golfer an A level athlete? There are people in their late 40s who can win on any given day and they look like office workers.. Roy Jones Jr is light years ahead in terms of athleticism from Rory McIlroy LMAO.

Hell, even the likes of Romero is a physical beast compared to Forest Griffin and Phil and he has been a contender/gate keeper mostly.

 

[Deleted member 501827]

Being a UFC champ is the stuff of legends and gods.

Go ask anyone on the street if they have heard of Demetrious Johnson (most title defenses in UFC history and P4P #1), now go ask if they have heard of Tiger Woods. All that prestige it should be a no brainer.. "Legends of the gods of gods" is a bit of hyperbole, don't you think?

That isnt even an accurate comparison. DJ isnt the Tiger Woods of mma. Ask anyone on the street if theyve heard of any golfer other than Tiger Woods lmfao

 

[monster zero]

That isnt even an accurate comparison. DJ isnt the Tiger Woods of mma. Ask anyone on the street if theyve heard of any golfer other than Tiger Woods lmfao

Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer.. The guy has a drink named after him, I'm sure you as a non golfer have even probably drank one at one point.

If you want to compare golf numbers to UFC numbers I'm pretty convinced that golf has more hobbyists than MMA has fans altogether, and many of these guys can spit out a few names of the top 5 on any given year..

Again I'm discussing athleticism, you're going off on all these dumb tangents and you aren't even correct in your own assertions. You're the one degrading the sport, as well as yourself.

 

[DanMMAleague]

What's the difference athletically from Phil, keep in mind he's old and not training to fight in this pic and former UFC LHW champ Forest Griffin

You think if Phil was maybe 10 or 15 years younger and took some designer drugs similar to what Yoel Romero is on that he couldn't at least make TUF or an undercard or two? Please tell me what Forest Griffin possessed other than a will to get punched in the face. Phil spent a life time learning a frustrating craft and dedicated himself to making it at the highest level, you think that's easy how come you aren't a multi millionaire golfer yourself?

It's almost like the 10 years of sparring, clashing shins, getting beat over the head and raped by hairy, sweaty guys that it takes to get the required skill level - is not hard work or a challenge.

 

[Deleted member 501827]

Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer.. The guy has a drink named after him, I'm sure you as a non golfer have even probably drank one at one point.

If you want to compare golf numbers to UFC numbers I'm pretty convinced that golf has more hobbyists than MMA has fans altogether, and many of these guys can spit out a few names of the top 5 on any given year..

Again I'm discussing athleticism, you're going off on all these dumb tangents and you aren't even correct in your own assertions. You're the one degrading the sport, as well as yourself.

Literally have never heard of any golfer other than Tiger Woods. Same as everyone Ive ever met. Even comparing pure athleticism, no they are in no way similar. Golfers I would not even consider athletes. They are more like competition shooters or nascar drivers. Yes they have skill but their skill is based less in their athletic/physical prowess and more in their mental prowess by extension of the instruments they use. A running back is an example of almost pure athleticism. Golf is an example of almost pure mental skill. Mma is in the middle of those polarities.

 

[monster zero]

It's almost like the 10 years of sparring, clashing shins, getting beat over the head and raped by hairy, sweaty guys that it takes to get the required skill level - is not hard work or a challenge.

Off topic, but I'll indulge your ideas anyways:

How long did Ngannou train for before he went on to challenge for the pinnacle (HW belt?)? Did he train a decade before Joe Rogan announced him as the greatest thing as sliced bread, and practically handed his wife over to be ravaged by the guy? Again though, this is someone confusing mental toughness with athleticism. Is someone who can endure physical pain like child birth, or even Chinese water torture a better athlete than Michael Jordan? They may be mentally stronger and able to endure hardship better.. But I got some bad news for ya. Your mom isn't going to beat a prime Mike in any athletic competition given equal training no matter how mentally tough she is.

I don't get why it's so hard for you guys to pick up what I'm laying down.

 

[monster zero]

Literally have never heard of any golfer other than Tiger Woods. Same as everyone Ive ever met. Even comparing pure athleticism, no they are in no way similar. Golfers I would not even consider athletes. They are more like competition shooters or nascar drivers. Yes they have skill but their skill is based less in their athletic/physical prowess and more in their mental prowess by extension of the instruments they use. A running back is an example of almost pure athleticism. Golf is an example of almost pure mental skill. Mma is in the middle of those polarities.

How is the execution of a wrote physical motion based on timing, precision and repetition not athleticism? The same motions and concepts apply to both golf and hockey? Is hockey not a sport either? Are we just hating on sports with sticks? Is using one half of your body primarily what defines a sport (because in boxing they don't kick or knee), and I assure you stance and lower body plays as much of a role in hitting a ball 300 yards as it does in delivering power (aka non arm punches) in boxing.

 

[DanMMAleague]

Off topic, but I'll indulge your ideas anyways:

How long did Ngannou train for before he went on to challenge for the pinnacle (HW belt?)? Did he train a decade before Joe Rogan announced him as the greatest thing as sliced bread, and practically handed his wife over to be ravaged by the guy? Again though, this is someone confusing mental toughness with athleticism. Is someone who can endure physical pain like child birth, or even Chinese water torture a better athlete than Michael Jordan? They may be mentally stronger and able to endure hardship better.. But I got some bad news for ya. Your mom isn't going to beat a prime Mike in any athletic competition given equal training no matter how mentally tough she is.

I don't get why it's so hard for you guys to pick up what I'm laying down.

Completing ignoring the technique argument again.

It's possible to reach the top at HW with about 5 years full time skill training, it takes about 8-10 in other divisions especially for a GOAT contender.

 

[monster zero]

Completing ignoring the technique argument again.

It's possible to reach the top at HW with about 5 years full time skill training, it takes about 8-10 in other divisions especially for a GOAT contender.

It does until it doesn't. Prodigies come onto the scene all the time, BJ tore it up, Georges tore it up, Ngannou tore it up. It also doesn't always take a decade of gym wars to obtain technique, you'll find most normal people aren't going Chute Box in the gym to learn how to throw a jab, learn foot work and combinations.

Look at all the hard sparring and where it got Wandy. He sparred hard as hell and all he did was literally chin down and throw hay maker looping rights and lefts and he was considered one of the best of all time at LHW and I'm sure many people would have him top 10 if they know their MMA. Wrestling skills not even once. Jits game? More like spooning Shogun after a hard night getting concussed.

Look at the Jits specialists that challenged for titles, can't tell me they were working hands all the time getting punched in the face.

Donald Cerrone doesn't even spar in preparation for his fights.

 

[DanMMAleague]

It does until it doesn't. Prodigies come onto the scene all the time, BJ tore it up, Georges tore it up, Ngannou tore it up. It also doesn't always take a decade of gym wars to obtain technique, you'll find most normal people aren't going Chute Box in the gym to learn how to throw a jab, learn foot work and combinations.

Look at all the hard sparring and where it got Wandy. He sparred hard as hell and all he did was literally chin down and throw hay maker looping rights and lefts and he was considered one of the best of all time at LHW and I'm sure many people would have him top 10 if they know their MMA. Wrestling skills not even once. Jits game? More like spooning Shogun after a hard night getting concussed.

Look at the Jits specialists that challenged for titles, can't tell me they were working hands all the time getting punched in the face.

Donald Cerrone doesn't even spar in preparation for his fights.

Cerrone sparred for years.

Most guys need technique and sparring, if they are going to pull the moves off in a cage fight. Wand is an outlier who just did sparring, no technique, of course there would be one.

Do you know how hard it is to go through even one five hour training day? Mentally most guys can't keep that up for months or years on end.

A guy like Ngannou wasn't training Mondays and Thursdays an hour in the evening after work, he was training five hours a day like it was his one shot at athletic glory.

 

[rpn453]

As stated in the title, it's not uncommon for many champs in MMA to be competitive in their late 30s, even mid to late 40s similar to professional golfers and bowlers.

Is this because each sport requires similar levels of athleticism, or because the talent pool for each has middling at best average levels of athleticism where they can get away with it.

For instance, if LeBron James played golf from a young age we know his drives would be > than Phil Mickelson's in terms of distance (although Phil would still likely often be #1 in scrambles). Similarly we know he would mop up the Ngannou's (who last 3 minutes at best) and Mark Hunts of the world.

Both sports certainly require a similar level of physical talent and mental toughness to excel at. But that's true of almost all sports.

You say it's common for MMA champs to be competitive in their mid to late forties. Do you have any examples other than Couture, whose last fight as a champion was at the age of 45?

Of course the talent pool has average levels of athleticism. So does every other sport's talent pool. The difference is that the talent pools for most sports are much larger because there are so many children doing it. The fact that fighters aren't normal, cookie-cutter athletes selected and trained for their sports from the age of five is one of the things that makes MMA interesting. The fact that the sport is too intense for children to be participating in any serious way is another.

As for Lebron's theoretical golfing ability, we know nothing about that. It's ridiculous to say that you know he'd be a better golfer than Hunt or Ngannou, given similar training. What proof do you have that the athletic skills of an NBA player transfer to golf better than that of a kickboxer? Why aren't PGA golfers taller if that physical build is an advantage in golf?

 

[Franklin U.]

Lol... Jesus, I'm still laughing and I know what op is trying to say - hell, I dont even consider golfers athletes- period so it doesn't matter in what way he's trying to reference this.

 

[Sakuraba7]

It depends on the weight class as well. Its imposible to do well in your 40s at LW or below.

 

[monster zero]

Both sports certainly require a similar level of physical talent and mental toughness to excel at. But that's true of almost all sports.

You say it's common for MMA champs to be competitive in their mid to late forties. Do you have any examples other than Couture, whose last fight as a champion was at the age of 45?

Of course the talent pool has average levels of athleticism. So does every other sport's talent pool. The difference is that the talent pools for most sports are much larger because there are so many children doing it. The fact that fighters aren't normal, cookie-cutter athletes selected and trained for their sports from the age of five is one of the things that makes MMA interesting. The fact that the sport is too intense for children to be participating in any serious way is another.

As for Lebron's theoretical golfing ability, we know nothing about that. It's ridiculous to say that you know he'd be a better golfer than Hunt or Ngannou, given similar training. What proof do you have that the athletic skills of an NBA player transfer to golf better than that of a kickboxer? Why aren't PGA golfers taller if that physical build is an advantage in golf?

Finally someone who has a legitimate point. Charles Barkley, a top 5 SF all time did prove to have a horrendous golf swing, not all athletes can cross over. This however was a fat Charles and I know little about when he began his acquisition of the beautiful game. We can only infer that Phil would likely have a shot at LHW.

As for evidence of contenders in their later years we can look at Romero, who is 40 and is head and tails above anyone in the division from a physical stand point, or TRT Vitor who was kicking young guys heads off as if he were that old dude with the wispy beard in Kill Bill with the crazy eye brows.

I think with the gradual nancification of modern day society, moving more towards more SJW and soy boy style fear of competition, combining with CTE study coming to the forefront.. The talent pool for MMA is only going to become increasingly shallow. I feel that the amount of contenders in some of the upper weight divisions is already petering out.

We are almost going to have to PRAY some of these athletes start making their way over from the PGA.

 

[DanMMAleague]

Finally someone who has a legitimate point. Charles Barkley, a top 5 SF all time did prove to have a horrendous golf swing, not all athletes can cross over. This however was a fat Charles and I know little about when he began his acquisition of the beautiful game. We can only infer that Phil would likely have a shot..

Hahaha, so being fat means he can't instantly get the golf swing down.

 

[monster zero]

Cerrone sparred for years.

Most guys need technique and sparring, if they are going to pull the moves off in a cage fight. Wand is an outlier who just did sparring, no technique, of course there would be one.

Do you know how hard it is to go through even one five hour training day? Mentally most guys can't keep that up for months or years on end.

A guy like Ngannou wasn't training Mondays and Thursdays an hour in the evening after work, he was training five hours a day like it was his one shot at athletic glory.

For someone training 5 hours a day he must have taken a full 24 hours to complete it.. Considering he gassed in a mere 3 minutes in a single round. In order for him to spar 20 rounds like a boxer it must have taken him 12-14 hours of gym time NEVERMIND the lifting required for his comic book style physique. The truth is we don't know the break down of road work, sparring, light technique and lifting for most fighters in MMA.

Conor has said he never does road work and openly showed off his "movement" training, or as Nate Diaz called it "Grab ass in the park". Phil Mickelson wouldn't have any problems rolling jits, training movement, hitting pads.

Brock was even a world champ and apparently had rules during his camp of no touching the face and he shot right up into a championship title with a few years of training. To say Phil is incapable of training MMA is crass, he would probably train harder than Cock Chesnar.

 

[monster zero]

Hahaha, so being fat means he can't instantly get the golf swing down.

The gut getting in the way. If you have ever seen an old retired fat guy on the course, their swings look FAR different from an Adonis-esque professional swing. They look more akin to a mentally disabled persons putting together a 500 piece jigsaw. I'm not saying it won't fit together in some shape or form, but it won't be pleasing to look at.

The difference between a broken down Barkley and a prime Rory on the links. A far cry from his prime:

 

[monster zero]

I've tried to stay away from any NBA-MMA talk because I find that discussion to be unimaginative and divisive. Trying to avoid any such comparisons in order to keep this thread civil and an actual debate, and we have stayed away from the classification of athletes.. Sorry not sorry for the Barkley gif, that cat played with some intensity. The Phil Mickelson of the BBall world, or the Jon Jones of the MMA world.

 

[BigMuffler]

What's the difference athletically from Phil, keep in mind he's old and not training to fight in this pic and former UFC LHW champ Forest Griffin

You think if Phil was maybe 10 or 15 years younger and took some designer drugs similar to what Yoel Romero is on that he couldn't at least make TUF or an undercard or two? Please tell me what Forest Griffin possessed other than a will to get punched in the face. Phil spent a life time learning a frustrating craft and dedicated himself to making it at the highest level, you think that's easy how come you aren't a multi millionaire golfer yourself?

So this guy from an "A-level" sport looks like a much better caliber of athlete?