Fallen Heroes of MMA

**265lbsfist** · Posted On: 4/11/2009 5:04pm

Couldn't find anything on this topic with the search function but pardon me if this is rehashing old subjects.

I was just thinking that our sport which is the pinnacle of unarmed martial proving grounds in all its glory has a huge cast of fallen warriors who have succumbed to the injuries and tribulations the sport entails.

As we excite ourselves thinking and speculating on the next super matchup or GP we should offer these casualties of our favourite past-time a thought of gratitude and respect for their contributions however obscure to making the sport what it is today.

A Hall of Fame for the ones who had to bow out of the ring or cage for good.

First on the list come the three men who experienced the ultimate tragedy in any full contact sport:

Douglas Dedge

http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Douglas-Dedge-5483

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_Dedge

Sam Vasquez

http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Sam-Vasquez-15505

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sam_Vasquez

Alfredo Castro Herrera ( need more sources )

http://mma-underground.blogspot.com/...th-by-mma.html

Second comes the men who suffered such injuries as to exclude them from further contests:

Guy Mezger ( Suffered a stroke in training )
Igor Borisov ( Got canopener'd quite badly and never fought again )
Igor Zinoviev ( Got slammed out cold and never fought again )
Bas Rutten ( Suffered chronic knee troubles )
Tra Telligham ( Was brutally KO'd and never fought again )

Third comes the men who deserves honourable mention for receiving extreme amounts of punishment but keep coming back to compete:

Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira ( Fedorx2, Sapp, CC nuff said )
Enson Inoue ( Igor. One of the worst beatdowns in the sport )
Jorge Gurgel ( Having his knee ripped off by Imanari )
Sakuraba ( The victim of several of the sport's worst TKO's )
Joe Riggs ( A mass of injuries )
Rumina Sato ( Old legend who keeps on fighting the top guys )
Zane Frazier ( For getting stopped 11 times in 15 fights )

Any corrections or additions?

**The Fake Macoy** · Posted On: 4/11/2009 6:11pm

Genki Sudo retired due to injuries for one.

**i11umin8ted** · Posted On: 4/11/2009 6:27pm

Igor Vovchanchyn retired due to cumulative injuries.

**265lbsfist** · Posted On: 4/11/2009 8:30pm

Maybe we should add a category for MMA fighters who fell into substance abuse too?

Kerr, Ricco, etc?

**Diesel_tke** · Posted On: 4/11/2009 9:11pm

I would say no to substance abuse. It is one thing to go out because your body won't allow you to stay in. It is another because you fucked around too much with drugs.

***Omega Supreme*** · Posted On: 4/11/2009 10:19pm

Brian Johnston. -Stroke.

**Matt Phillips** · Posted On: 4/11/2009 10:50pm

Yuki - Blinded
Tanner - Misadventure

not MMA but... Andy Hug - Leukemia

Props to Jason Delucia for coming back to fight after the liver break, the arm break, and the incredible folding leg.