I was a huge fan of "Trauma" back in the day and always wondered to what degree his "injury" affected his performance if at all.
Backstory-Tra was injured in a car accident when he was one year one old and lost his right pectoral and right lung. It never looked to affect his performance but you would have to assume that it did especially his cardio with only lung.
Does anyone think that someone with a significant physical obstacle such as Tra's could be competitive at the highest level in 2014.
Anyone not familiar with Tra should check out his fights. He was a stud and trained at the famed Lions Den with Metzger and Shamrock. He fought Igor Vovchanchyn on two weeks notice after Shamrock had to pull out with a neck injury. Tra won the fight.
Nothing but respect for Tra.
Blue please!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fAOe-ozR2m0
His win over Igor is one of the most under looked upsets ever, I remember watching that live thinking he is going to get killed. Igor was so scary back then.
bdog7 - His win over Igor is one of the most under looked upsets ever, I remember watching that live thinking he is going to get killed. Igor was so scary back then.No one gave him a chance in that fight especially with the short notice. I thought he was get ripped too but he used his boxing and foot work to really disrupt Igor's game plan.
bdog7 - His win over Igor is one of the most under looked upsets ever, I remember watching that live thinking he is going to get killed. Igor was so scary back then.Awesome, gonna watch this in the am. VU
I always wondered why nobody tried punching him in his void. I also always cringed at the thought of seeing it happen.
He's the OG of crippled people fighting in MMA.
Tra Telligman would have been the best fighter of all time if he had that other pectoral muscle.
amazing that he lost 4 of his last 5 with the win being igor fucking vovchanchyn!
always had a lot of respect for the guy.
I never knew he only had one lung too, that's crazy
Tra was a Beast
Tough guy. Always cool to watch someone refuse to let a disadvantage hinder them.
Both his fights with Pedro Rizzo are great.
What does Tank Abbott have to say about Telligman?
His fights against Rizzo were the shit!
Could a blue please link the video. Thanks boys!
Ghost of Retard - Tra was a Beast
He was not so beastly vs Victor Gracie.
I remember watching him and going What. The. Fuck.
True Gangster.
VU
Great dude, good career, great life and stunning wife he has. True bad ass mother fucker.
Dude really was a pioneer with a well rounded skill set. Karate, boxing and jits.
How could his injury not affect him especially when it can to the ground game and clinch work. Even throwing power shots considering he was right handed.
Crazy what he overcame and what he accomplished. Guy's a lion.
Tra Telligman
From Kakutogi Tsushin No. 276
May 8, 2001
Q: At first Ken Shamrock was supposed to fight with Vovchanchyn, but an acute pain ran into his both arms on March 7. He had to pull out the fight for the medical reason. When did Ken pick you to take his place?
Telligman: Maybe it was on Thursday (March 15). There are many good fighters in Lions Den, but I think he picked me as his substitute in view on my boxing technique. According to betting in America, odds seemed that I would lose the fight 800 to 1(laughing). People who bet on me might have made a lot of money.
Q: Frankly speaking, what was the cause of your victory?
Telligman: Difference in technique of punching brought me the victory. His punches were so heavy, just like a train crashing into me.
Q: Didn't you feel any anxiety about the fight that was decided so suddenly? [without enough time to prepare properly]
Telligman: I had a mixed feeling, like one that a chance has come, or nervous, or excited. But I wanted to prove my power by defeating Vovchanchyn. In fact, I have been training only boxing for the last six month, but not ground work at all. I got injured my left leg one year ago, and did it the same place again one month ago.
Q: So you had some disadvantages, didn't you?
Telligman: But except for that, my condition was pretty good. I've never been happy with my condition at fights so far. For example, I had a cold at a fight with a strong opponent. It made me feel that I was cursed or something. But this time, my condition was so good differently from usual, so I was expecting that something bad was going to happen here too. Anyway, I finally got over the bad jinx (laughing).
Q: Why have you focused on boxing training?
Telligman: I started boxing training for NHB six months ago. But in the process of the training with fighters who had done sparring with Evander Holyfield or Mike Tyson, my technique was improved, and a promoter asked me to fight as a boxer. I decided to try it. I am going to make my debut on March 30 in Texas under the group named "Top Ranking" broadcasted in ESPN, and the next one will be on April 13 in Kansas City. I'm going to fight in eight or ten boxing matches this year. And one year, I want to be on a high enough level to fight with Tyson or Holyfield. When I fight in a boxing match, I'm going to wear the pants for NHB, not the boxing pants.
Q: When Tito Ortiz brought a bouquet to you in the ring before the fight, you didn't get it smoothly. So I thought Lions Den still didn't like Tito.
Telligman: No, nothing like that. I just didn't notice him because I didn't expect him to do it, and I concentrated on the fight. I like Tito.
Q: By the way, I heard that in America you gave yourself a nickname "Trauma".
Telligman: I got my right lung and muscles crushed in a traffic accident when I was one and half years old. But now there is no problem at all.
Q: Your left lung was built up strongly to compensate for a loss of the right lung?
Telligman: Of course! I am not good at bench press, but there is no problem with muscles in my right arm. And punches are delivered by using the shoulder, so no problem. Every fighter has strengths and weaknesses. I am taking it as one of them, so nothing concerns me. To be sure, it might be difficult for me to be a model (laughing). When I stand up naked in front of the mirror, I feel I don't look good. I was always told, "you can't do it" because of my handicap, but I have been doing it anyway, confident that I can do it. Everybody is different, big guys, small guys, fat guys skinny guys. It happens that I have no right lung. But I am doing my best positively.
Q: When did you start kakutogi?
Telligman: From six years old. No, it was just a fight. (smiling bitterly) I did Karate from eight to 13 years old, and did boxing from 13 to 15 years old. I learned jiu-jitsu a little bit and I played in a full-contact Karate contest when I was in a high school. When I watched a video of NHB in Brazil in l992, I wondered if I could do it. I played in small contests of NHB from 1992 to 1995. It was 1995 when I started training with Guy[Mezger].
Q: Are you going to give priority to pro-boxing fights from now on?
Telligman: Fortunately, I could meet a good promoter, so I want to focus on boxing aiming at the major title within one and half years. Moreover I made a contract already. But if there is a chance, I will participate in fights in MMA like this time.
Q: Many members of the Lions Den are rough so it looks like a violent gang group. But it is a happy team usually with a lot of jokes, isn't it?
Telligman: Even in Dallas, we always go on a spree, so people wonder if we are really strong. Sometimes they pick a fight with us. In that case..... we do it (laughing)