All the talk in recent years about how tough the early comp should be for Pico, Nickal etc…
I remembered DC beat a legit HW, Tony Johnson early in his career so I went and looked at his record and notice DC also beat Lucas Browne in his 3rd pro fight before fighting Johnson in his 4th fight.
Browne was 5-0 in MMA at the time and 2-0 in boxing. Just found it interesting he is now 31-3 in boxing and has wins of James Toney, Ruslan Chagaev etc…Dillian Whyte stopped him in the 6th.
By his 10th pro fight DC had beat Monson, Bigfoot and Barnatt and won the Strikeforce GP as an alternate.
Of course, we all know its an issue of punchers chance but I just never knew DC fought Browne as the fight happened on a small show in between his Strikeforce Challenger fights.
I’d never seen any of DC’s first five fights besides the Johnson fight.
Lucas Browne is also a WBA heavyweight champ. DCs jumped right into the lions den from early on in his career and still never lost outside a title fight against the GOATs of LHW and HW.
Your statement does not make all that much sense. Jones and Stipe had a lifetime of wrestling and Gustaffson had well over a decade of wrestling at the time he fought DC.