5 most memorable short notice wins in MMA history
In the sport of MMA, athletes are given a specific amount of time to prepare for a fight. They need to establish a good gameplan and get in the best shape to win a contest. In an ideal world, an MMA camp should last months before a fighter is ready to perform inside the cage. There are times, however, when athletes choose to take fights on short notice and cut their preparation time extremely short.
Short notice fights in MMA are high-risk, high-rewards situations that some fighters take advantage of for a myriad of reasons. There's an obvious risk of a higher possibility of loss because preparation time is shortened. The rewards, however, could skyrocket an athlete to superstardom, not to mention the fact that short notice fights tend to have higher purses.
At UFC Fight Night 202, UFC lightweight 'King' Bobby Green is finally doing his first-ever main event after nearly a decade in the company. How did he do it? He stepped in on two-weeks' notice to replace Beneil Dariush against rising star Islam Makhachev. The likelihood of losing this fight is through the roof as Makachev is heralded by many as a future lightweight champion.
If Green beats him, however, it would most likely be one of the biggest upsets in the history of the UFC lightweight division. Green isn't even in the top 15 and he's facing an heir apparent to the throne. People are already talking about 'King' more than any of his fights in the past.
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Bobby Green steps in on short notice to face @MakhachevMMA next Saturday!
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This is what we were talking about when we mentioned the "high-reward" nature of short notice fights. Even just taking one can put you into relevancy. Today, we look back at 5 of the most memorable short-notice fights that paid off big time and sent fighters to legendary MMA status.
#5. Daniel Cormier propelled himself into MMA stardom on a short notice fight
Former UFC double champ and future Hall of Famer Daniel 'DC' Cormier was an undefeated heavyweight in Strikeforce back in 2011. As a former Olympic wrestling team member, 'DC' was pegged as another wrestling heavyweight trying his luck in MMA. No one saw his true potential for greatness until he took a short-notice fight against Antonio 'Bigfoot' Silva.
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Cormier was not chosen to partake in 2011's Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix due to inexperience. After Alistair Overeem was forced out of the tournament, 'DC' stepped in on just 5 weeks' notice to face 'Bigfoot'.
Silva was piping hot at the time after finishing the legend himself, 'The Last Emperor' Fedor Emelianenko. Pundits were predicting that Cormier, the wrestling champion, would utilize his grappling to win. Instead, 'DC' attacked Silva in the striking department, showing amazing kickboxing that became his calling card throughout his career.
The UFC great eventually knocked out Silva with just a minute left in the first round, launching one of the greatest career runs the sport has ever seen.