Randy Couture’s predictable domination of James Toney at UFC 118 simply emphasized what most all of us already knew: the boxing versus MMA debate died long ago.
They are, as we all know, separate sports. Early pioneers like Frank Shamrock paved the way for the multi-dimensional, cross-training approach that has been the norm for some time.
However, the James Toney debacle aside, there are a few stubborn souls out there that have still managed to make their mark in MMA despite severe deficiencies in several fighting disciplines. Without further ado, here are some of the best active fighters that take the “mixed” out of mixed martial arts.
1) Shinya Aoki (24-5, 15 wins by submission)
Qualifications: A top-ranked lightweight fighter and DREAM champion, Aoki is clearly one of the better 155-pounders in the world, with wins over Tatsuya Kawajiri, Eddie Alvarez, Joachim Hansen, and Gesias Cavalcante on his resume.
Evidence of one-dimensionality: Submission wizardry aside (accounting for 15 of his 16 stoppage wins), Aoki is pretty useless. His takedown game consists of well-timed trips and enticement to the ground via butt-scooting. Royce Gracie laughs at his striking acumen.
2) Antonio McKee (24-3-2, 18 wins by decision)
Qualifications: McKee’s record speaks for itself, and he remains one of the most accomplished lightweights outside of the UFC, dominating the International Fight League circuit and holding notable wins over Marcus Aurelio, Delson Heleno, and Derrick Noble.
Evidence of one-dimensionality: So why, with all of his success, has McKee missed out on getting an opportunity to enter the Octagon? It might have something to do with the fact that he is one of the most boring fighters on the planet. And not the regular, run-of-the-mill type of boring. I’m talking about the kind of guy who is so boring, even major MMA dorks often shy away from watching him fight. Instead of calling a boring wrestler a “blanket,” you could use the term “Antonio McKee” interchangeably and get your point across. If you haven’t seen McKee in the cage, here’s how it works: takedown, light ground-and-pound from his opponent’s guard, stand up by the referee for lack of action, back to the takedown. It’s now at the point where McKee is claiming he will retire if he doesn’t finish his next opponent, Luiz Azeredo. In case you are wondering, McKee actually did stop his last opponent (Rodrigo Ruiz) inside the distance with a submission. But if it makes you feel any better, that is how Ruiz has lost most of his fights.
3) Masakazu Imanari (20-7-2, with 13 wins by submission)
Qualificiations: Before the WEC’s bantamweight class really started to develop, Imanari was recognized as one of the best 135-pound fighters on the planet. Arguably the best leg-lock master in the sport, Imanari has submitted Mike Brown and Yoshihiro Maeda, among others.
Evidence of one-dimensionality: MMA requires knowledge of disciplines that incorporate striking, wrestling, and submissions into one art form. Unfortunately for Imanari, he only has one of those areas covered. On the upside, it’s always fun to watch him do a forward roll looking for a heel hook.
4) Melvin Manhoef (24-8-1, with 23 wins by KO or TKO)
Qualifications: In the striking game, Manhoef is capable of beating any middleweight – and maybe any light heavyweight or heavyweight, for that matter – in the world, possibly even Anderson Silva. I’d say he hits like a truck, but that’s giving trucks too much credit. Manhoef is one of only two men to ever score a KO or TKO of Mark Hunt in Hunt’s kickboxing and MMA career (I’m going off of wikipedia here, so cut me some slack), which is a monumental achievement on its own. Manhoef also has a recent TKO win over middleweight contender Kazuo Misaki.
Evidence of one-dimensionality: Three of his eight losses have come by knockout, but the other five came courtesy of submissions. On the feet, he’s a freak of nature. On the ground, Manhoef looks about as comfortable as a dead fish flopping around for air.
5) Cheick Kongo (15-6-1, 9 wins by KO or TKO)
Qualifications: Thanks in part to a lack of depth in the heavyweight division, Kongo has spent a lot of time in and around the top ten in most rankings over the past couple of years, mainly feasting on the lower-tier of the UFC’s roster. Although he has faltered against higher-level competition, the UFC has given him plenty of chances to move into title contention, thanks to his fan-friendly kickboxing prowess and snazzy physique.
Evidence of one-dimensionality: In his third UFC bout, Kongo faced an undersized Carmelo Marrero, who has since moved to light heavyweight with mixed success. Even with a considerable size and striking advantage, Marrero, an accomplished collegiate wrestler, took Kongo down with ease en route to a decision win. Simply put, Kongo has no ground game. Occasionally he’ll dive down for an awkward, ugly looking double leg takedown, but only against fighters with less wrestling than him whom he can also physically overpower (examples: Paul Buentello and Heath Herring). Not counting his repeated elbows to the gut that forced Buentello to give in, Kongo does have submission wins over Andre Tete and Hans Nijman from his early days on the European MMA circuit. I can’t help but assume that Tete and Nijman must really suck.
Honorable mentions:
Pete Spratt (21-17, 11 wins by KO or TKO, 14 losses by submission): A poor man’s Manhoef, Spratt can strike with the best of them but holds the unofficial record of 9 losses via rear naked choke
Rani Yahya (15-6, 14 wins by submission): A highly rated bantamweight on the WEC roster, Yahya is one of the best submission artists on the planet, but don’t look for him to out-strike anyone in the near future
Paul Daley (24-9-2, 18 wins by KO or TKO): A vicious striker with a great sprawl; unfortunately his wrestling defense wasn’t good enough for the likes of Josh Koscheck, Jake Shields, or Nick Thompson
Gilbert Yvel (36-15-1, 31 wins by KO or TKO): You could make the case that Yvel belongs on the list ahead of Kongo, but Yvel hasn’t had a high profile win in some time; however, his striking dominance against Ben Rothwell at UFC 115, coupled with his complete lack of a ground game, makes Yvel a strong candidate nonetheless
Fight records come courtesy of the Sherdog.com fighter database.
I could not agree more. I even wrote a column called “A Well-Rounded Myth” a few years ago.
And ¿Werdum?
haha Hey! He worked over Gonzaga on the feet in their second fight.
Is it me or does it look like Manhoef’s power has faded. He landed a lot of flush shots against Tatsuya Mizuno, Paulo Filho, and Lawler with none of those guys being KO’d. Even his TKO of Misaki was pretty early. While also being KOd a bunch recently I think Melvin is on the downslide of a great career.
I really don’t wanna see him keep getting KOd. It even looked like Mizuno hurt him while standing up and he’s got $h!t for striking.
Also, great article. I’m trying to think of anyone you left out, but I think you got everyone. Maybe Joe Doerksen?
Pat Barry!
Thanks for the comments. I did think of Pat Barry, but he missed the cut. Hasn’t managed to get high enough up the heavyweight ladder, not to mention he hasn’t been training that long. As for Doerksen, he’s not incredible on the feet, but his striking is serviceable, especially compared to the likes of Aoki and Imanari.
Ah, very true, just remembered Doerksen’s Tom Lawlor fight when he actually did some damage on the feet.
“Instead of calling a boring wrestler a “blanket,” you could use the term “Antonio McKee” interchangeably and get your point across.”
Great point. I’s awesome when Bas Rutten talks about Mckee because u can feel the disgust coming across when it comes to Anotnio’s fighting style.
Well Doerksen really isn’t that great at one particular thing. He is just worse on the feet. Also, Aoki has really underrated kicks and knees from the clinch.