Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) is a sport that brings together martial artists from different parts of the world, giving them the opportunity to test their skills against one another. However, MMA is also a multi-billion dollar industry- a ruthless one at that.
The business aspect of MMA involves constant promotion of fighters from different organisations, which in turn involves hyping up these fighters to the sky and beyond. Now although our beloved fighters deserve the hype and adulation, anything in excess is bad.
The UFC, the world’s premier MMA organisation has hyped its fighters time-and-again, at times, force-feeding their most marketable stars to fans. However, once the Octagon door slams shut, merit outshines hype. And nothing makes a true MMA fan happier than a skilful and hard-working fighter exposing the truth and the difference between media-driven hype machines and true fighters.
Five such instances of media-built hype machines being destroyed by blue-collared MMA stars have been listed below:
#5 Cain Velasquez proves that skill trumps size
Cain Velasquez (14-2) is a former two-time UFC Heavyweight champion with an MMA base of wrestling and kickboxing. Brock Lesnar (5-3-1) is a current WWE star, former UFC Heavyweight (HW) champion and NCAA-Div 1 Heavyweight wrestling Champion.
Lesnar has been criticised for being a one-dimensional fighter, with rudimentary striking throughout his career.
Velasquez faced Lesnar at UFC 121 in October of 2010, for Lesnar’s UFC HW strap. Now Lesnar was considered an anomaly in the sport of MMA, and rightly so, holding wins over the likes of Frank Mir, Randy Couture and Shane Carwin. However, Lesnar was and is an out-and-out wrestler, with negligible striking.
The UFC on its part, however, promoted Lesnar as an unstoppable monster, which left the promotion and Lesnar red-faced after Velasquez’s one-round shellacking of ‘The Beast Incarnate’.
Lesnar lunged at Velasquez and muscled him to the mat, however, he failed to control him due to Velasquez’s own excellent wrestling pedigree. They resumed the fight on the feet and Lesnar panicked when he realised that taking down the fellow All-American wasn’t as easy as he’d expected.
Velasquez used his crisp kickboxing and chopped down the global pro-wrestling and MMA Superstar. He secured a brutal ground-and-pound finish, won the UFC HW strap and with it, the hearts of several hardcore MMA fans.
At UFC 121, Cain Velasquez proved that skill trumps size and hard work trumps hype.
#4 Holly Holm shuts down the Ronda Rousey boxing saga
Holly ‘The Preacher’s Daughter’ Holm (10-3) is a former multiple-time boxing world champion and former UFC Women’s Bantamweight (BW) champion, with an MMA base of boxing and kick-boxing. ‘Rowdy’ Ronda Rousey (12-2) is also a former UFC BW champion and an Olympic bronze medalist in Judo, with an MMA base of Judo and submission-grappling.
Rousey was and is a global Superstar and Women’s MMA (WMMA) pioneer, however, the UFC hyped up the Judoka beyond reasonable limits.
From UFC President Dana White insulting and downgrading female pro boxers and female fighters from other combat sports to Rousey’s coach Edmond Tarverdyan calling her the best striker on the planet; the Rousey hype train was charging forwards relentlessly.
However, when the Octagon door closed in Melbourne, Australia, it was a whole different scenario. Holm dominated Rousey and beat her from pillar-to-post. Meanwhile, Rousey was egged on by the delusional Tarverdyan to strike with the former boxing champion.
Rousey obliged and even though she tried to initiate a few grappling exchanges with Holm, her opponent held her own against Rousey on the mat. Holm went on to knock Rousey out with a head kick in round 2, and with it put an end, once and for all, to the Rousey-striking saga.
Holly Holm proved that Ronda Rousey wasn’t the ‘Once Ever!!!’ fighter that Joe Rogan, Dana White and the UFC PR team marketed her as.
#3 ‘Bigfoot’ Silva humbles ‘Ubereem’
Antonio ‘Bigfoot’ Silva (19-11-1) is a Brazilian HW slugger with an MMA base of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ), karate and judo. Alistair ‘The Reem’ Overeem (41-15-1) is a Dutch kickboxer and MMA fighter who has held world titles across notable combat sports organisations such as K-1, Strikeforce and DREAM. His MMA base is kickboxing and BJJ.
After making short work of Brock Lesnar at UFC 141 in 2011, Overeem failed a pre-fight drug test before his cancelled UFC title matchup against then-HW champion Junior Dos Santos. Overeem returned from his suspension at UFC 156 in 2013, to face BJJ specialist ‘Bigfoot’ Silva.
‘Ubereem’ came into the Bigfoot fight with a lot of hype behind him, disrespecting his opponent throughout the buildup to their three-round showdown.
A heavily muscled Overeem toyed around with Silva for the better part of three rounds, taunting him with his hands down. Overeem showed Silva no respect inside the cage, which turned around on the Dutch HW when Silva caught him with a series of brutal uppercuts against the fence.
Silva unleashed a series of heavy combinations on Overeem, knocking him out cold in round 3.
Bigfoot electrified the Vegas crowd by serving Alistair Overeem a slice of humble pie.
#2 Chris Weidman punishes post-TRT Vitor
Belfort was riding a three-fight KO win streak over elite MWs namely Michael Bisping, Luke Rockhold and Dan Henderson. However, all those victories came while Belfort was on the Testosterone Replacement Therapy (TRT) regime.
TRT was eventually banned in 2013 due to many fighters abusing (overusing the drugs), and Belfort faced Weidman at UFC 187 in 2015. Belfort and his team hyped him up as a monster but without the TRT, he proved to be no match for the All-American.
After landing a brief flurry against the cage, Belfort backed up and Weidman took him down with ease, proceeding to ground-and-pound the ‘Phenom’ into oblivion.
Chris Weidman’s dominant performance against Vitor Belfort served to further accentuate the understanding that TRT and other illegal-PEDs have a huge influence on the outcomes in MMA.
#1 Nate Marquardt punishes Palhares
Nate ‘The Great’ Marquardt (35-17-2) is a former Strikeforce Welterweight (WW) champion with an MMA base of Kenpo Karate and BJJ. Rousimar ‘Toquinho’ Palhares (18-8) is a former World Series Of Fighting (WSOF) WW champion with an MMA base of BJJ.
Palhares is infamous as one of the dirtiest fighters in MMA history due to his habit of holding on longer than necessary to submissions.
Marquardt faced Palhares in September of 2010, in one of the most bizarre fights in the UFC, Palhares got absolutely demolished by Marquardt. Palhares tried to secure his trademark leglock on his opponent, and after failing to do so, started complaining about the grease on Marquardt’s leg to the referee.
Marquardt caught Palhares with a few ground-and-pound shots and knocked him out cold.
Nate Marquardt did the MMA community a huge favour by being the first fighter to finish Mr Paul Harris in MMA.
From one-dimensional athletes getting exposed to steroid-abusing freaks getting stomped, Marquardt's demolition of Paul Harris is merely the icing on the cake. As always, keep up with our combat tradition and comment with your own favourite examples of your least favourite fighters getting schooled by superior ones.
Till then, keep training and stay humble.
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