Maurice Smith the first striking specialist to win a UFC title, named to 2017 Hall of Fam

MMA, BJJ, & The Martial Arts
User avatar
Edge Guerrero
Posts: 8287
Joined: Tue Oct 22, 2013 7:14 am
Reputation: 3064
Location: Smackdown Hotel at "the corner of Know Your Role Blvd

Maurice Smith the first striking specialist to win a UFC title, named to 2017 Hall of Fam

Postby Edge Guerrero » Mon Apr 24, 2017 11:55 am

Maurice Smith's listed record of 14-14 hardly looks Hall of Fame-worthy. But it's impossible to argue he’s anything but an overall combat sports Hall of Famer and a significant historical MMA figure.

The UFC on Saturday night announced Smith as the second member of its 2017 Hall of Fame class, following the announcement of Urijah Faber. The two, along with a couple of others to be named over the next few weeks, will be inducted on July 6 during International Fight Week in Las Vegas.

Smith was 35 years old, and had what today is listed as a 5-7 MMA record, although nobody looked at win-loss records back on July 27, 1997, when he debuted in the UFC in a championship match in Birmingham, Ala. He was a heavy underdog, although in those days there were no listed odds or widespread gambling on fights, when he faced UFC heavyweight champion Mark Coleman. Coleman was 6-0 at the time and had destroyed everyone he had faced.

It should be noted at least one, if not more of Smith's so-called MMA losses at the time were actually pro wrestling matches with the RINGS promotion, which did mostly pro wrestling matches and some real matches, on the same shows, for most of its existence until it turned into a totally legitimate competitive group years later. For reasons unclear, many pro wrestling matches of that era are listed as part of older fighters' MMA records.

http://www.mmafighting.com/2017/4/23/15398116/maurice-smith-the-first-striking-specialist-to-win-a-ufc-title-named-to-2017-hall-of-fame-class
- I rent this space for advertising

Don't be selfish, preserve this world for the next generations.

I'll never long for what might have been
Regret won't waste my life again
I won't look back I'll fight to remain

User avatar
Masato
Site Admin
Posts: 18301
Joined: Mon Jun 25, 2012 3:16 pm
Reputation: 8227

Postby Masato » Tue Apr 25, 2017 3:03 pm

I remember Maurice Smith vs Mark Coleman... HUGE turning point for the sport, it opened everyone's eyes.

Coleman was maybe the most feared fighter at the time, but Smith handled him EASILY without even breaking a sweat.

I thought it was funny because he looked like Gordon from Sesame Street:

Image

User avatar
Edge Guerrero
Posts: 8287
Joined: Tue Oct 22, 2013 7:14 am
Reputation: 3064
Location: Smackdown Hotel at "the corner of Know Your Role Blvd

Postby Edge Guerrero » Tue Apr 25, 2017 3:19 pm

Masato wrote:I remember Maurice Smith vs Mark Coleman... HUGE turning point for the sport, it opened everyone's eyes.

Coleman was maybe the most feared fighter at the time, but Smith handled him EASILY without even breaking a sweat.

I thought it was funny because he looked like Gordon from Sesame Street:

Image


- Smith opened the door to the others strikers that where stuck playing villains in martial art movies with bad choreografy.
- I rent this space for advertising

Don't be selfish, preserve this world for the next generations.

I'll never long for what might have been
Regret won't waste my life again
I won't look back I'll fight to remain

User avatar
Winnson
Posts: 2373
Joined: Tue Dec 03, 2013 7:57 am
Reputation: 1284

Postby Winnson » Tue Apr 25, 2017 8:50 pm

Nice. Mad respect.

Image


Return to “Super Dojo”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 102 guests