Give me a fighter you thought could have been great but it just didn't pan out

For me it was Mike van Arsdale. This guy's athletic ability was freakish. I don't know if he just didn't dedicate himself to the sport, or didn't have the right training camps, but he had a lot of tools that never seemed to be used to their full potential.

Right now Mark Munoz is going down that road, the potential is not materializing like I thought it could. Big fan still though.

Aleksander Emelianenko. Big guy. Had pretty much the same skillset as his brother, with perhaps better strikingat one time. He had some physical attributes that Fedor didnt...but nowhere near the heart and dedication...also, out of the ring issues.

Sergei Kharitonov is another guy that morphed into a one dimensional striker when he started off as a well rounded talent. Still very good, but there was a time that you can put Sergei in any fight with any style fighter and he had a chance. Like for example. In the PRIDE days, Sergei vs. Barnett is an amazing matchup that Sergei can win..he didnt have a chance in Strikeforce. Same with Werdum, thats was a guy Sergei beat in PRIDE but not somebody he would touch nowadays and they are of the same era. Now in high level fights, i'll only give him a chance against other strikers.

Sokoudjou should have really been a lot better as well.

Guy I thought was going to be great and maybe will be still is mousasi. Haven't heard a lot from him lately although if he beats gaustafson that sky rockets him.

Welcome back Timmy.

Thanks freak.

Tyson Griffin
Brian Foster
DaMarques Johnson (never thought he'd be great, but he's 2-5 in his last 7)
+1 on Mousasi. Thought he was going to contend at MW and maybe beat Anderson.

Harold Howard

EOT

Steve Cantwell- Was a young WEC champion who looked like a killer, and just never seemed the same in UFC.

David Terrell- Should have been a long reigning champion if not for numerous injuries thatkilled his short career.

Arona- one of the best fighters at 205, just wasted his career away after Pride by surfing and laying on the beach.

Aleks - Maybe the biggest wasted talent of all time. Was superior to his brother physically. In his prime had amazing boxing and hands...by some accounts good enough to be contender at HW in Boxing. His career was derailed by alcohol and dirty needles.

Todd Duffee
Diego Sanchez
Joe Stevenson
Miguel Torres
Thiago Silva
Thiago Alves

I could go on all day.

jewzilla wrote:

Todd Duffee
Diego Sanchez
Joe Stevenson
Miguel Torres
Thiago Silva
Thiago Alves

I could go on all day.

I don't really think Stevenson and Torres fit here? Torres was the face of an entire division for years and Stevenson was a top 5 lightweight for a long while.

thiago alves looked like a killer for a while, rumble johnson if he wasn't such a rank amateur with his weight.

Yeah I thought Alves was going to beat gsp and be the champ for awhile but it never worked out.

Ludo wrote:

jewzilla wrote:

Todd Duffee
Diego Sanchez
Joe Stevenson
Miguel Torres
Thiago Silva
Thiago Alves

I could go on all day.

I don't really think Stevenson and Torres fit here? Torres was the face of an entire division for years and Stevenson was a top 5 lightweight for a long while.

I think Torres greatness in the WEC needed to be followed by a decent UFC stint to really seal the deal.

As for Stevenson, no. May have been too ranked but the question is who could have been great but didn't pan out. Dude definitely lost his way out of town. I really thought he would be able to win the championship at some point at a lower weight.

But, everyone I naming could come back on aims yet tear and achieve greatness ala UFC gold. Not likely, but not impossible.

Hoping Duff man storms the HW divison and gets a rematch with estrogreem.

I could also see where people could say Miggy was great but ran out of prime. Could be right but I see it more like he couldn't cut it in the big show and lost heart. Still a fan though.

Paulo Thiago, especially after decapitating troll head with that awesome upper cut, he really fell off

killerofchicken wrote:

Paulo Thiago, especially after decapitating troll head with that awesome upper cut, he really fell off

+1 Good call. I remember when Thiago was talked about as a potential title challenger.

Ali* wrote:

killerofchicken wrote:

Paulo Thiago, especially after decapitating troll head with that awesome upper cut, he really fell off

+1 Good call. I remember when Thiago was talked about as a potential title challenger.

that was a while ago now haha, can't believe it but he's lost 4/5

killerofchicken wrote:

Ali* wrote:

killerofchicken wrote:

Paulo Thiago, especially after decapitating troll head with that awesome upper cut, he really fell off

+1 Good call. I remember when Thiago was talked about as a potential title challenger.

that was a while ago now haha, can't believe it but he's lost 4/5

Damn looking at his record I am amazed the UFC haven't cut him yet.

Ali* wrote:

killerofchicken wrote:

Ali* wrote:

killerofchicken wrote:

Paulo Thiago, especially after decapitating troll head with that awesome upper cut, he really fell off

+1 Good call. I remember when Thiago was talked about as a potential title challenger.

that was a while ago now haha, can't believe it but he's lost 4/5

Damn looking at his record I am amazed the UFC haven't cut him yet.

yea thats what i was just thinking too.

Paulo Filho and Lee Murray are the first two that popped into my head. Filho was supposed to be the guy that would smoke Spider when he first started fighting and gaining a name for himself. Too bad he is an emotional train wreck. We all know what happened to Murray.