Snowman's Top 10 Martial Artists #9:BJ Penn

   Photo courtesy of Zuffa LLC

     Yes, yes, another MMA fighter, but this list wouldn't be complete for me without "the Prodigy".  He is a champion in every sense of the word.  A lightweight who was fearless enough to compete in an openweight bout against a 220 pound future UFC Champion in Lyoto Machida, and a man skilled enough to recieve his BJJ black belt in only 3 years.  Even more astounding is the fact that he didn't start training in martial arts until the age of 17, when most of his opponnents have spent their entire lives training.  Even Anderson Silva regards Penn as the greatest MMA fighter of all time (we're still not sure if he has a rule against choosing himself).  Although he has recently been struggling in the octagon, at a higher weight class again, his legacy can never be besmirched.

     Penn's journey started right next door...  No really his neighbor was the first person to show him Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.  Not too long after this Penn went to AKA to train, straight from his neighbor's house to one of the worlds premier camps.  It didn't take anybody long to realize the talent that Penn possessed, and in 2000 he became the first American to win gold at the BJJ World Championships.  This accomplishment caught the attention of the UFC brass, and in 2001 he made his MMA debut at UFC 31.  In only his 4th fight Penn challenged for the UFC Lightweight Championship against Jens Pulver, and althought he lost a decision he proved that he belonged at the top.  Soon after Penn would draw Caol Uno for the vacant championship, a fight that led to the removal of the lightweight from the UFC. 

     After the Uno fight things started to look up for Penn, in his next 2 fights he defeated Takanori Gomi for the Rumble on the Rock Lightweight Championship and Matt Hughes for the UFC Welterweight Championship.  In Penn's next 4 fights he fought 2 at middleweight and 1 as an openweight bout against Machida.  After this he returned to the UFC at welterweight where he lost to GSP and Hughes before returning to lightweight to rematch Jens Pulver.  After defeating Pulver, Penn went on to win the lightweight strap defending it 3 times before dropping a decision to Frankie Edgar.  During his tenure as the champion he attempted to become the first man in the UFC to hold 2 titles in 2 different weight classes by rematching St. Pierre, this time for the UFC Welterweight Championship.  Unfortunately for Penn St. Pierre controlled the fight, but Penn is still the only man in UFC history to attempt to hold 2 titles simultaneously.  After losing the title Penn has had a run of bad luck at welterweight, the only silver lining being his 21 second KO of his longtime rival and idol Matt Hughes.  After his most recent defeat Penn has expressed his desire to return to lightweight despite many people calling for him to retire, whatever decision he makes Penn will always be respected in the martial arts communnity for his raw talent, fearlessness, and setting the example for what it means to be a champion.

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Rhino's Top 10 Martial Artists #10:Kurt Angle

Photo by Bob Daemmrich, courtesy of Fox Sports

     Though he will undoubtedly be remembered for his long career in professional wrestling, Kurt Angle was one of the greatest folkstyle and freestyle wrestlers that has ever come along.  Angle was a 2 time NCAA All American and a 2 time NCAA National Champion in folkstyle wrestling, a FILA World Champion in freestyle, and a gold medalist at the 1996 Summer Olympics in freestyle.  Unfortunately for Angle his switch to professional wrestling caused him to lose a lot of respect in the wrestling community, however many people still regard him as one of the geatest ameteur wrestlers to ever step onto a mat.  In many ways he left the sport at the perfect time, when he was on top.

     Many people involved in martial arts do not respect professional wrestling because it is staged, but it is hard to deny that the men who perform are great athletes.  Many men who find their way into the ring have had roots in martial arts or combat sports (Brock Lesnar, Josh Barnett, Ken Shamrock, RVD), but Angle's abilities in this environment still trumped those of his peers.  His list of accomplishments and records in pro wrestling are only matched by his accomplishments as an ameteur wrestler.  He is the only man to have the honor of being a hall of famer in both arenas, and he is still wrestling for TNA today with hardly any signs of wear.  Many people might disagree with the decision to bring Angle into the top 10, but thats why there's two countdowns, to keep everybody happy.  Now I will leave everbody with something to think about, how different would things be if Angle got into MMA instead of pro wrestling?

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Snowman's Top 10 Martial Artists #10:Kazushi Sakuraba

Photo courtesy of sherdog.com

     

     I am going to start this countdown with a very bold statement.  Without Sakuraba MMA might not exist.  He was arguably the first MMA superstar, he was beloved by the Japanese fans, and always put on a great show with his highly unorthodox style.  The jumping stomps and cartwheel passes he could perform were like nothing seen before and nothing seen since.  As far as entertainment value is concerned his only true competition might be Jon Jones or Anderson Silva, but I still put Sakuraba at the top in that category.

     The most important thing he did for martial arts wasn't entertaining the Japanese people, it was proving to the world that Gracie Jiu-Jitsu and the Gracie family were in fact beatable.  Since UFC 1 the Gracie family had staked their claim at the top of the martial arts community, and nobody had challenged this new way until Kazushi Sakuraba stepped into the ring at Pride 8 and defeated Royler Gracie by kimura.  After suffering their first loss, since Helio's loss to Kimura decades prior, The Gracie family needed to rebound and placed Royler's brother and former UFC Tournament Champion Royce into the Pride  2000 Openweight Grand Prix.  After both fighters won in the opening round the showdown that changed MMA was set to occur.  Special rules were requested by the Gracie family; unlimited 15 minute rounds, no referee stoppages, and the fight could only be won by KO, submission, or corner stoppage.  The bout lasted for 90 minutes at which point Royce could not continue due to the vicious leg kicks Sakuraba had landed throughout the fight.  It was at this point that a legend was born and Sakuraba was christened with his new title, the Gracie Hunter.

     In a little less than a year Sakuraba would suffer a devastating loss to Wanderlei Silva that would again change the landscape of the MMA world.  His record after the loss was spotty, and he is currently on a 4 fight losing streak.  Although no announcements have been made we can only assume that retirement is on the horizon for Sakuraba, however with a solid record of 26-16-1 with 2 no contests, a UFC Tournament Championship, national level wrestling experience, and victories over undefeated Gracies, Sakuraba go down in history as one of the legends of early MMA.

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Bruce Lee's Legacy 40 Years Later

  

Photo Courtesy of  Warner Bros.

    On this day 40 years ago one of the greatest martial artists to ever live had his life cut short, however the same can never be said of the legacy he left behind.  For as long as I can remember I have looked up to Bruce Lee as one of the greatest men who ever lived.  At first it was his philosophy on fighting that captivated me.  I used the Bruce Lee mindset through much of my time as a wrestler, and it helped me to achieve an immense amount of success.  Later in life I began training in Jeet Kune Do and it was at this point that I realized the true genius that was Bruce Lee.  Jeet Kune Do, as amazing as it is, is not the best thing that Bruce Lee left behind.  His philosophies still interest people to this day, and if you haven't already read any of his work I urge you to go to Google right now and look it up.  I know that his life truly helped to shape my own and that of many others.  On this day let's remember the legend and icon Bruce Lee.

    On a lighter note Adams Athletics has signed on to its first affiliate program with none other than legendary fight gear company Bad Boy.  Click on the link below to view their products, and train hard everyone.

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-Snowman

Adams Athletics is Here

      The first step in our journey has been completed.  Adams Athletics is here to cover all things combat sports all the time product reviews, technique videos, event predictions and results will all be in one place on this blog.  Everything combat will be here wrestling, mma, judo, sambo, boxing, bjj it will all be covered.  This is Snowman and Rhino Adams the authors and moderators, we'll be getting back to work on this beast now, train hard everyone.