TMA in early UFC

juszczec · December 22, 2004, 2:40pm

Hi folks

Another thread got me thinking about something.

Does anyone know who the TMA guys were that competed in the early UFCs? Were they "Joe Average non-contact-point-tournament champs" or the TMA equivalent of the Gracie that competed?

Mark

Cookie_Monster · December 22, 2004, 2:58pm

Keith Hackney

Some noted TKD guy who is a legend - Takahashi or something like that

jacktripper · December 22, 2004, 2:59pm

looked like regular TMA dudes for the most part

Scythrop · December 22, 2004, 3:21pm

I think Minoki Ichihara from UFC 2 was some kind of full-contact karate champ who practiced a Kyokushin offshoot style. Definitely not a push-over.

MuaySteve · December 22, 2004, 3:42pm

Keith Hackney was my favorite back in the early days.

max_power · December 22, 2004, 3:55pm

scott norris 1st fight vs a 18 year old tkd kid was killer. scott guillotined him and did a revers somersault takedown into a mounted guliiotine for the tap.

Cookie_Monster · December 22, 2004, 4:13pm

"Ichihara" that is who I meant... I'm stupid.

Adam_LaClair · December 24, 2004, 3:45am

Most of them were really unknowns that had mostly point-sparring experience. While there were a few full-contact experienced fighters, they had NO awareness of the ground game, so they were still easy prey.

You didn't see any GOOD standup fighters until the early Don Frye and Gary Goodrich era, and you didn't see any ELITE strikers until Bas stepped into the octagon, if memory serves.