Best MMA Fighter...

[Gotch]

I have a friend who trained with Rickson for many years, earned his brown belt under him. He then went on to earn his black belt elsewhere. So obviously I've heard all of the Rickson mythology, but if you watch his old fights he was not overwhelming by any means. He had terrible takedowns and a very weak striker on the feet. Those two things alone will get you beat these days. He was very good on the ground, but in a more technical sense, not overpowering or freakish with his submissions like an Eddie Bravo. IMO Rickson is just what many say he was...a myth.

Today MMA has grown into what I hoped it would from the beginning, with guys who are no longer wrestlers, or Jiu-Jitsu, or Muay Thai, but true mixed martial artists.

There is no single best fighter today. Anderson Silva is getting alot of attention in that area, and he is very good, but he has weaknesses that have been and can be exploited by the right fighter.

One example would be a fight a few years ago in Japan when he got heelhooked and seemed totally lost as to how to avoid it and how to defend it. There aren't many good leg-lockers in the UFC, so he might be in the right place at the right time. Leg-locks are dangerous at higher levels of competition, but he is vulnerable to them.

I could also see him struggling with a guy who has world class shots and a very strong ground and pound.

B.J. Penn is very good but again has weaknesses that can be and have been exploited.

That's what makes the old adage of "styles make fights" even more true in MMA than any other combat sport. There are so many variables and so many facets to MMA that any weakness can be and eventually will be found out by someone.

Let's take Chuck Liddell, he has a strong takedown defense, and a powerful striking game. For years people thought that submission or ground and pound would be the way to beat him. But what actually did? Technical boxing. Jackson used a tight boxing defense and perfect counter punching to beat him for his UFC title.

To the above question: (NO) absolutley not Royce nor Ken was close to the complete fighter that you see winning today.

They also probably weren't as good as some of the the guys from the early part of the 20th century who cross trained in catch-as-catch-can, boxing and Jiu-Jitsu either, but that's another thread.

[UTVols2]

Urijah "The California Kid" Faber is one I enjoy watching yhe most