DT MMA?

[James Toney]

You may be right but you are still just speculating and really have no idea.

What proof do you have that David Taylor will not be a great fighter? He has tremendous heart and a gas tank that few, if any, can match. What proof do you have that his striking / chin will be on the same (low) level of Askren? David Taylor will be starting out as the most decorated wrestler ever to enter MMA. Once he learns jiu jitsu (which I assume will come easily to him), he will dominate almost anyone once they get to the mat. Merely serviceable standup and a decent chin will put him in contention for the title. I understand that he probably has never trained in boxing but he is an elite athlete and he may be able to pick it up quite easily.

Just curious, do you speculate that Bo will have the same issues?

I boxed/competed for a very long time, and also spent a good amount of time training kids at my home gym. I also have a bit of experience in an MMA gym helping kids with their striking and boxing skills. I have a pretty good eye of judging talent with this sport. I see enough of DT to know he will NOT be successful in MMA. Sure throw him in there with some scrubs off the street in some amateur bouts and DT can probably submit some tomato cans. But put him in with a serious fighter and DT will get KTFO. You don't play boxing or MMA. Also DT is getting up there in age and has ZERO fighting experience.

Bo Nickal you ask? First off time will tell how his career pans out. At first when I saw footage of BO striking i laughed and was like my old a$$ would knock out that NCAA Champ. lol. But with some time and dedication he has improved greatly. But IMO BO is much younger, much tougher, and trains with conviction in MMA. You can clearly see his passion for being an MMA star. Now that does not mean it will happen, but I think he is on the right path and I can see him having a great career. But some one like PICO who was an elite wrestler and and elite boxer/striker had a very shaky start to his career. Now I do not follow MMA too closely, more of a boxing fan, but even with Picos attributes he was defeated a few times. It does not matter how good or tough you are, one punch or kick can end things just like that. That said I just truly think guys like DT are not built for fighting period. I highly suggest the regular guy who speaks on this subject go down to your local MMA gym or boxing gym and spar a real match with a good fighter. Let me know how getting kicked in the leg feels or punched in the ribs or face goes, it is not for most people. DT would not make it out of a round with me(Boxing), he isn't going to learn how to fight this late in life. Yeah I know its MMA and not boxing, but eventually you going to get punched or kicked. What would happen against a young elite fighter? Guys like Caldwell, Ruth, Jenkins and others, where are they with their MMA careers? How far did they get? Seriously just wondering how they did? Those guys spent many years training in MMA too.

Just my worthless opinion. I would just rather see these men save their brains and use them to help grow wrestling. David has a beautiful wife, daughters and family at PSU, no one wants to see him get hurt. Unless you are 100% all in, skip MMA.

 

[James Toney]

Obligatory post pointing out that Askren had a VERY successful MMA career, going 19-0 until his mid-30s with titles (and many title defenses) in both Bellator and ONE Championship. His 19th win was a 1st round submission of Robbie Lawler in the UFC.

Askren a tough SOB. Very limited striking but all heart with some of the few fights i saw. Could not punch out of a wet paper bag though. Haha. He took MMA seriously and trained a long time for it after wrestling and had a great mindset. I saw the fight with Lawler, lucky he got that win, that was brutal.

 

[GogglesPaizano]

Askren a tough SOB. Very limited striking but all heart with some of the few fights i saw. Could not punch out of a wet paper bag though. Haha. He took MMA seriously and trained a long time for it after wrestling and had a great mindset. I saw the fight with Lawler, lucky he got that win, that was brutal.

 

[mcpat]

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Crazy

 

[kjb32812]

I don’t like it. David was everything that world champions are made of. Sincere, focused, dedicated, a teacher, a role model and mentor and most importantly humane. We all saw these elements since day one. He’s simply a winner. We’d all give our left nut to have a son like him. Bravo, Mr. and Mrs. Taylor. Why trade that legacy for anything in this world? The great ones stay true to their mission. They understand a Trojan Horse that money can be. See it through to the conclusion.


Why trade that all for a couple of dollars more? Especially for cage fighting. I can’t think of a sport more inhumane. Kick, punch, scratch, bite and tear…. For what? The Romans already proved this sport of gladiators was part of their cultural rot. . Et too?

Heroes are hard to find in these times. David is a hero to many, many of us. Why dive into the gutters of street fighting?

Some will disagree and say “Do do you feel the same way about Bo?” Two entirely different scenarios. With David in place, Bo has no clear path to the same destination. He is fending for himself. He’s a survivor. But I’ll bet you dollars to donuts that if David could help his buddy in some way, he’d do anything. And, I’d suspect Bo is doing somethings to protect his very good friend, David.

So let me get off my soapbox. These two are the epitome of friendship and teammates. Could Grant have been Grant without Sheridan? Could Maris have been Maris without Mantle? Tracy and Hepburn! Or Rogers and Astaire? And where would we all be without the love and support of others? Everyone of us needs a teammate. I only wish these two the best through the rest of their long lives.

Written by someone who has ridden the earth 70+ times around the sun and still doesn’t understand any of this.

You lost me at bite and scratch.

That being said, he'd have a very, very small window and there's a good chance Bo has the belt by then. He's also late to the party for an ATT deal. Only reason I could see it is the competition.

 

[kjb32812]

You may be right but you are still just speculating and really have no idea.

What proof do you have that David Taylor will not be a great fighter? He has tremendous heart and a gas tank that few, if any, can match. What proof do you have that his striking / chin will be on the same (low) level of Askren? David Taylor will be starting out as the most decorated wrestler ever to enter MMA. Once he learns jiu jitsu (which I assume will come easily to him), he will dominate almost anyone once they get to the mat. Merely serviceable standup and a decent chin will put him in contention for the title. I understand that he probably has never trained in boxing but he is an elite athlete and he may be able to pick it up quite easily.

Just curious, do you speculate that Bo will have the same issues?

While BJJ would be a simple extension of grappling, he'd still have to learn the intricacies of BJJ. You don't just show up and become a blue belt. While I love Bo, I think he has greatly exaggerated his BJJ skills.

 

[WPB_lion]

While BJJ would be a simple extension of grappling, he'd still have to learn the intricacies of BJJ. You don't just show up and become a blue belt. While I love Bo, I think he has greatly exaggerated his BJJ skills.

There is no doubt there is a learning curve. However, IMO the natural skills of an elite wrestler translate well to BJJ.

 

[kjb32812]

There is no doubt there is a learning curve. However, IMO the natural skills of an elite wrestler translate well to BJJ.

Grappling is grappling but you still have to learn the submissions as well as submission defenses. He's rolling with elite guys and I'm sure he's a quick study.