stevosmith - he fought tank too and that says a lot
Yes he did…Tank fought Mo on short notice actually…I believe Couture got hurt and bowed out.
Severn hurt his hand in Pride and the UFC wouldn’t let him fight. Couture “shocked the NHB world” by defeating Vitor Belfort that night.
That’s right, Severn busted his hand when he “fought” Kimo…anyone remember that spectacle?
Severn vs Mo would have been interesting…Severn wasn’t exactky an explosive wrestler but had cardio for days…Mo was known for being tentative on the feet so I tinkSevern would have beat him. Via boring decision
I remember Peretti’s commentary when Smith fought Hoffman. He said he was too old to pull the trigger, a younger Smith would have crushed him. Typical Peretti. harsh, borderline disrespectful, but accurate.
I think he started too late. Hard to learn wresting at a very late age when your primary skills are declining.
How good he was is a testament to how great he could have been.
Really cool guy. I got a chance to speak to him a bit after his UFC stint was over. I don’t think his heart was in it much longer after the Coleman fight. That was for the title and it was to prove a point. At that point he had been fighting in one form or another for something like 15 years.
Other than maybe Williams/Coleman and Serra/GSP, Mo’s upsets vs. Coleman and even Conan were as big as they come.
I remember Peretti’s commentary when Smith fought Hoffman. He said he was too old to pull the trigger, a younger Smith would have crushed him. Typical Peretti. harsh, borderline disrespectful, but accurate.
I think he started too late. Hard to learn wresting at a very late age when your primary skills are declining.
How good he was is a testament to how great he could have been.
Ha ha good old Jon Peretti…I loved his commentary btw…he was fight smart and brutally honest and usually right on the money! That said, Maurice was never an aggressive striker in mma…look at his fights in Ufc, very tentative and was taken down a lot…probably his age and afraid of the takedown
Maurice was a great striker but his style wasn’t the best for mma…an aggressive style like Crocop had was best for mma
I met him very briefly during weigh-ins of another fight in Vegas in 2013, I believe. Shook his hand and told him it was an honour and a pleasure to meet him. Seemed extremely nice and humble.
Strandman - I met him at a HnS event and he couldn't have been cooler. If memory serves, he even got on the mat and rolled a little with Jason Walls.
Came here to say this.
I was in New Orleans for UFC 18. Had a couple of beers with him the night before the fights.
One of the coolest cats out there.
Definitely one of my favorite fighters of all time. His victory over Silviera was one of my favorite fights. I don’t think one person favored a striker over a BJJ black belt. Just wasn’t happening at that time.
I cornered a guy named Greg Wikan against Tsuyoshi Kohsaka at Rings USA: Rising Stars Block A. Smith cornered for TK.
I was there to corner for Trent Jenkins. Wikan was in the same locker room and didn’t have anyone to corner for him so I helped him out.
Wikan was a brawler and couldn’t “speak” groundwork, let alone do it. I had to give really detailed instructions to him during the fight, and every time, he’d start looking around. I think Mo figured out that he didn’t know me or my voice, because he started yelling other stuff to Wikan.
I heard him, we made eye contact and both laughed. Funny character.
Mo trolled everyone on that fight with Coleman. Said in interviews that he wouldn’t get taken down and didn’t need to learn the ground game and that Coleman punched like a bitch. After the fight he said in his interview that he trained a ton of ground game for the match, and that Coleman’s punches hurt like s bitch!
noshame - I cornered a guy named Greg Wikan against Tsuyoshi Kohsaka at Rings USA: Rising Stars Block A. Smith cornered for TK.
I was there to corner for Trent Jenkins. Wikan was in the same locker room and didn’t have anyone to corner for him so I helped him out.
Wikan was a brawler and couldn’t “speak” groundwork, let alone do it. I had to give really detailed instructions to him during the fight, and every time, he’d start looking around. I think Mo figured out that he didn’t know me or my voice, because he started yelling other stuff to Wikan.
I heard him, we made eye contact and both laughed. Funny character.
I was there when he beat Coleman, too. I was 16. It was my first MMA event, and I was losing my mind during that fight. I was a huge fan after seeing him in Extreme Fighting and no one gave him a chance against Coleman. Honestly, I think it's still my favorite moment in my long history of being an MMA fan. I can't believe it's been over twenty years since then.
Me 3.
Pretty funny at least 3 people at the event have already popped up on this thread.
Amazing fight, amazing evening.
Was that the night that Mo thanked Helio Gracie for making us all better fighters ?
Then told Royce he was not ready when Royce first challenged him but he is now ready ?
Everyone thought Coleman was going to crush him.
No joke I told a friend I thought Mo was going to win, he made a bet with some of the guys hanging around Hammer House crew. A bunch of young guys selling Colelman t shirts etc.
I remember walking into the dressing room/area that night they had ice bags all over Coleman’s legs after all of those leg kicks from MO.
All 3 of you was there and seen Coleman get knocked out
A pioneer. The first successful kickboxer to cross over in the United States. Great striker that transitioned very well to mma. Would be interesting if his time was right now, instead of in the 90's. Think of the matchups: cain, lesnar, Naganou (Sp?) etc.
Mo is a legend. I’ve talked with him several times. He’s one of the nicest, friendliest fighters I’ve ever met. Always has time for his fans and treats them well.
Maybe the most amazing thing about his MMA career to me is that he started in MMA in his mid 30’s, well past his prime and with a beat up body. All he does is go out and beat the biggest, baddest, most unbeatable monster MMA had ever seen to that point. All while being a huge,huge underdog that NOBODY thought had even a remote chance of winning and he did it convincingly with limited grappling skills.
Mo fought against Don Wilson, in an American Kickboxing match, thats how far back he goes...
He did his time, and did it well across many organizations in many different styles as is even a UFC hall of famer although his stint was much shorter in the UFC...
Great post, and good to know how respected he still is!