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<h3><a href="/go=news.detail&gid=453973" target="_blank">
Griffin: I could make NBA players pros at MMA
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<p>UFC Hall of Fame member Forrest Griffin recently had the opportunity to train some NBA Players on the Detroit Pistons and couldn't speak more highly of their ability to train in MMA:</p>
“I’m so good I can make professionals out of these guys – if I had seven days,” he said. “I only got five days. If I had a full seven days, you’d see UFC pros.
“These guys are athletic, and it’s understanding how your body moves, moving your body. If I had more time with them – these guys can all pick it up and be professional fighters, almost all of them, seriously. They’re all athletes, but they make a lot more money playing basketball, so they should keep doing it.”
There's a lot more to being a fighter than just being a great athlete or being big and strong. How are these guys going to react when another similarly sized trained dude kicks them in the head? Or knees them in the face in the midst of a scramble?
It's not always about the money - some people just don't being punched in the face for a living. And in the case of MMA, being punched in the face, or having some trained dude attempt to violently dislocate your shoulder.
TheKidAintMine - There's a lot more to being a fighter than just being a great athlete or being big and strong. How are these guys going to react when another similarly sized trained dude kicks them in the head? Or knees them in the face in the midst of a scramble?
It's not always about the money - some people just don't being punched in the face for a living. And in the case of MMA, being punched in the face, or having some trained dude attempt to violently dislocate your shoulder.
Not to mention there's nothing in it for these guys. Why get into a sport that's more dangerous, for less money?
TheKidAintMine - There's a lot more to being a fighter than just being a great athlete or being big and strong. How are these guys going to react when another similarly sized trained dude kicks them in the head? Or knees them in the face in the midst of a scramble?
It's not always about the money - some people just don't being punched in the face for a living. And in the case of MMA, being punched in the face, or having some trained dude attempt to violently dislocate your shoulder.
"Not to mention there's nothing in it for these guys. Why get into a sport that's more dangerous, for less money? "
If you're a big stiff in the NBA who rides the bench all year you make at a minimum $1 million a year after being in the league for just 3 years. NBA players have the best deal in all of sports.
There are a lot of NBA washouts that could be amazing fighters. I was just tweeting with a basketball player who went undrafted the year Nate Robinson, Dwight Howard, Josh Smith, etc came out. He was more athletic than all of them... had better numbers across the board at the draft combine. 6'2, coordinated, long, stamina for days, and could've made 185 possibly.
These are the types of guys that gyms should be scouting. If I had the time I'd open up my own gym and do it myself. Anyone who's big on football or basketball can rattle off at least 5 names of super athletes that didn't make it for one reason or another. My guy Thunder Collins was an incredible athlete at UNL and MMA could've saved his life if he got into it.
You have an aptitude for fighting or you don't. There's no way of knowing what percent of highly athletic individuals can know how to react t getting punched in the face. But hopefully we see more and more athletic prodigies make their way to MMA in time.
This is true. Bruce Lee knew it when he reached Kareem abdoul Jabar on the third level of the pagoda in game of death. Kareem was using the unknown style of jkd. Bruce had to use light to blind him and choke him out cause that was his only weakness
Yun - Yea but for most of em, their athleticism goes out the window as soon as hard punch to the face or kick to the head
Newsflash: not every MMA fighter was able to sit in the pocket when they first got into the game but they were conditioned to be comfortable there. I think more than a handful of NBA guys could get there as well (though not Carmelo, he's a notorious bitch slap and run guy)
Yun - Yea but for most of em, their athleticism goes out the window as soon as hard punch to the face or kick to the head
Newsflash: not every MMA fighter was able to sit in the pocket when they first got into the game but they were conditioned to be comfortable there. I think more than a handful of NBA guys could get there as well (though not Carmelo, he's a notorious bitch slap and run guy)
Yea but they still had the base as a combat sport like wrestling and grappling. Name one person who was successful that crossed over from something irrelevant to MMa. Name one.
FortyKoatz - Those guys sure have the right build too. That lanky, long reach athletic body type works very well for mma. ie jon jones.
Jones can't dunk bruh.
Yes he can you moron. Just because Jones says he can't dunk, doesn't mean it's the truth. Jones also said that the UFC doesn't have to worry about him getting a DUI or something like that when they became his clothing sponsor. Look how that turned out.
Jones is 6'4 and has the longest reach in the UFC, he can probably almost touch the rim standing underneath it, he can absolutely dunk.
He's been around white people his entire life and he is incredibly perceptive. He knows that no matter how much they tell themselves they aren't racist almost all whites would just subconsciously look at his athletic gifts and deem him to be somewhere between a primate and a human. Jones is no idiot, everything he says has does has a purpose.
Yun - Yea but for most of em, their athleticism goes out the window as soon as hard punch to the face or kick to the head
Newsflash: not every MMA fighter was able to sit in the pocket when they first got into the game but they were conditioned to be comfortable there. I think more than a handful of NBA guys could get there as well (though not Carmelo, he's a notorious bitch slap and run guy)
I do agree with your Carmelo's bitch ass who sucker slapped Nate Robinson (who's like 5'7) and ran away. I do think though Early 90's pistons roster would have the greatest chance at being successful in MMA.
FortyKoatz - Those guys sure have the right build too. That lanky, long reach athletic body type works very well for mma. ie jon jones.
Jones can't dunk bruh.
Yes he can you moron. Just because Jones says he can't dunk, doesn't mean it's the truth. Jones also said that the UFC doesn't have to worry about him getting a DUI or something like that when they became his clothing sponsor. Look how that turned out.
Jones is 6'4 and has the longest reach in the UFC, he can probably almost touch the rim standing underneath it, he can absolutely dunk.
He's been around white people his entire life and he is incredibly perceptive. He knows that no matter how much they tell themselves they aren't racist almost all whites would just subconsciously look at his athletic gifts and deem him to be somewhere between a primate and a human. Jones is no idiot, everything he says has does has a purpose.
I don't know if jones can or cannot dunk, but you are an idiot
Meh most likely they would just get KO'd more athletically. I mean B Schaub smokes Werdums athleticism but as a fighter oh hell no. Lebron James gets destroyed by a guy like Rob Lawler. But cool story Forest.
