Joe Soto
Joe Soto

Joe Soto stepped in on short notice this past Saturday and impressed everyone who watched. He is the most recent example of fighters from other promotions proving to be the real deal. There is automatically a stigma attached to fighters who are successful outside of the UFC. UFC fans and casual fans alike think that because it didn’t happen in the UFC, it didn’t happen at all. This assumption has been proven false many times, the WEC is a prime example, but many people still fall victim to this way of thinking.

Joe Soto stepped into an impossible situation Saturday night and gave it his all. He survived four and a half rounds and looked better than Barao did against Dillashaw. Soto isn’t the only example however. Eddie Alvarez is making is much anticipated debut against Donald Cerrone. Zack Makovsky is another prime example of a successful fighter from the Bellator promotion. People also seem to forget that both Anthony Pettis and Benson Henderson came from the WEC. Urijah Faber is another ultra-popular fighter from the WEC. Daniel Cormier hails from Strikeforce and so does Gegard Mousasi.

The list goes on and on of fighters from other promotions who come to the UFC and are still successful. When a fighter fails to live up to expectations people call them a “chump” or a “nobody”. Fans are especially quick to write off champions of other promotions. To the die-hard UFC fan being a champion of another promotion is the greatest sin you can commit. No matter how dominant you may be, these fans will continually say you fight “nobodies”. Sometimes that’s true and other times it’s just an excuse to dog on a fighter.

Ben Askren is a prime example of a UFC fan’s worst nightmare. Askren has dominated almost everyone he has fought yet gets no respect. With a perfect 14-0 record, and his shiny new One FC belt, Askren makes Dana White and the UFC fans cringe. His wrestling heavy style is one that Dana White and the “Just Bleed” fans detest. I for one believe Askren would dominate a lot of fighters in the UFC, but he may never get the chance to show his skills inside the octagon

Even though there is sufficient proof of talent outside the UFC, some fans just don’t want to believe it. They refuse to believe that some of the best fighters could still be competing outside the octagon. All you have to do is look at some of the UFC’s fighters to find out that other promotions are capable of growing their own talent.

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