Favorite career journeymen?

**Holy Moment** · Posted On: 11/25/2011 9:27pm

I just finished reading this list from Bleacher Report:

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j...B75VxAkvX12Idw

I found it weird how the author included so many former champions. It's true that journeyman is kind of a vague term, and fighters can be appropriately labeled journeymen even if they were once champions or contenders. Leon Spinks, for example, went from defeating Muhammad Ali to getting beat by fighters with huge losing records.

But anway, the list got me thinking of my favorite lower-tier fighters, so I thought I'd create a thread to see who everyone else likes too. I'll get things started:

Ryushi Yanagisawa- An oldschool Pancrase fighter who's fought just about everyone in the world in MMA and kickboxing, including Vitali Klitschko, Fedor Emelianenko, Randy Couture, Cro Cop, Bas Rutten, Masa Funaki, Ken Shamrock, Frank Shamrock, Guy Mezger, Oleg Taktarov, Evan Tanner, and Semmy Schilt.

James Thompson- He's actually having a rematch with Mariuz Pudzianowski tomorrow.

Travis Fulton- This man's living the dream. He's kicking ass every second of every day.

Jonathan Ivey-

Mike Bourke- Fat dude who got double armbarred by Otsuka in Pride and beat Ken Shamrock in KOTC.

Nobuaki Kakuda- Karate man who's well known for losing to Akebono. Despite that, he did beat freakshows Joe Son, Bart Vale, and some Wing Chun nut named Joe Sayah:

He's also a K-1 referee and acted as Bob Sapp's protector in many of his fights (Including the second Hoost fight).

**kenny_free** · Posted On: 11/25/2011 10:13pm

Surprised Bas wasn't on that list. Pancrase, Pride, he had a UFC fight or two. Not to mention all the thai boxing he did beforehand...

**Nefron** · Posted On: 11/25/2011 11:13pm

I would't call Bas a lower tier fighter. If I recall correctly he was ranked #1 at one point.

**Holy Moment** · Posted On: 11/25/2011 11:18pm

Originally Posted by kenny_free

Surprised Bas wasn't on that list. Pancrase, Pride, he had a UFC fight or two. Not to mention all the thai boxing he did beforehand...

Like I said, journeyman is kind of a vague term. Some people use it to define fighters who've competed in multiple organizations. I use it to define the pool of fighters who wade in between the elite and the novice. Bas, being a champion for much of his career, does not fit the description.

Perhaps I should've used the term tomato can instead of journeyman. On one hand it's a bit more cut-and-dry, but on the other it has a pretty distinct negative connotation. Gatekeeper, ham-n-egger, palooka, and jobber are also terms that could be considered interchangeable with the two.

***Tranquil Suit*** · Posted On: 11/26/2011 11:34am

Originally Posted by kenny_free

Surprised Bas wasn't on that list. Pancrase, Pride, he had a UFC fight or two. Not to mention all the thai boxing he did beforehand...

Oh my god, you've so fucked up now.

**ReadyEddy** · Posted On: 11/26/2011 2:47pm

I usually think of journeymen as guys who go to a lot of places, have some good showings, but never amount to REAL success like Rutten did. Hmmm...favorites...

Phil Baroni maybe?

**Holy Moment** · Posted On: 11/26/2011 5:01pm

I thought of some more.

Laverne Clark- A welterweight who received some attention back in the day because he crossed over to MMA from a boxing background. He knocked out Shonie Carter in his debut:

Now that we're on the subject, Shonie Carter is a pretty excellent journeyman as well.

Daiju Takase- Japanese fighter with a losing record who beat Anderson Silva. He also beat Emmanuel Yarbrough in his debut:

Gary Goodridge- He earned a second name as the "Gatekeeper" back when he was fighting in Pride. I like him because he's experienced just about every era of MMA. He got his start in the early UFC events, was a cock-grabbing champion in Brazilian Vale Tudo, acted as a gatekeeper during the hayday of Pride and K-1, and has continues to fight in America following the sport's explosion of popularity (Including on an Affliction card).

Unfortunately, he's suffering from brain damage nowadays, something we'll probably see more of in future generations of MMA fighters. Especially from fighters who keep plying their trade despite getting knocked out 34 times.

**driver** · Posted On: 11/26/2011 5:21pm

Originally Posted by Holy Moment

Gary Goodridge- He earned a second name as the "Gatekeeper" back when he was fighting in Pride. I like him because he's experienced just about every era of MMA. He got his start in the early UFC events, was a cock-grabbing champion in Brazilian Vale Tudo, acted as a gatekeeper during the hayday of Pride and K-1, and has continues to fight in America following the sport's explosion of popularity (Including on an Affliction card).

Unfortunately, he's suffering from brain damage nowadays, something we'll probably see more of in future generations of MMA fighters. Especially from fighters who keep plying their trade despite getting knocked out 34 times.

I'm sad to hear Gary's not well.
He didn't make it to the top in MMA, but he once was a real FORCE in armwrestling, a world champion.

***Tranquil Suit*** · Posted On: 11/26/2011 5:40pm

Originally Posted by Holy Moment

Unfortunately, he's suffering from brain damage nowadays, something we'll probably see more of in future generations of MMA fighters. Especially from fighters who keep plying their trade despite getting knocked out 34 times.

Really? Source?