VENDO
02-25-2007, 12:43 AM
1-Lloyd Van Dams- Two things make Van Dams a terror in the ring. His blistering low kicks and his resilience to any form of punishment. Better fighters have been able to out-score him thanks mostly to reach, combinations and above all stamina. No one has been able to even score a knockdown against Lloyd. He does carry one TKO loss on his record from primarily exhaustion. He was fighting while sick and couldn't continue.
2-Mark Hunt- Mark has been sent to the canvas on a few occasions. The respect comes from his ability to get up from hits that would put any elite fighter in a hospital. One good example is when he got hit cleanly by Mirko Filipovic’s high kick. Mark got up and fought two more rounds showing no effects of the kick to the head. He is also baited Ray Sefo into a game of no-guard punching that cost him the fight but won him the tournament.
3-Ray Sefo- Sefo has been loopy twice in his career from hits to the head. Once was in boxing and the other was against Andy Hug. Most fans recognize that Sefo can (and does) take heavy hits. Most opponents opt to work low kicks from the opening bell.
4-Alexei Ignashov- Even the 8-count against Skelton in 2000 could be attributed to exhaustion more than impact. Since then, Ignashov has been rocked a few times but never took a down and recovered very quickly each time to return to the melee.
5-Sem Schilt- Reigning K-1 Champ Schilt hasn’t had his chin tested as much as some of the fighters above, but he has taken big hits in stride. His KO loss to Ignashov and knockdown to Nortje are recognized as events in the past. Few would expect similar happenings since his decisive victory over power puncher LeBanner.
6-Hong Man Choi- Few fighters can get close enough to score hits to Choi's head. Those who have managed to break through to score a hit have had little success of putting him down.
7-Remy Bonjasky- Bonjasky is credited for superior defense. That said, he has had his chin tested by Filipovic, Siliga and Filho. In each case, he has shaken off the damage and returned to the fray.
8-Mirko Filipovic- Mirko has been stopped twice from blows to the head. Once against Michael McDonald in K-1 and the other to Kevin Randleman (Strangely, both are blond-haired black men.) in MMA. No matter, few would ever bet against Mirko by KO. The odds are that he will soak up the damage and make it to the end of the fight.
9-Frans Botha- Botha has been blind sided several times and no matter how many times he has gone crashing to the canvas, he has always picked himself up to continue. Strange but true, he has said that the tiny Khattou hits harder than Tyson, Lewis or LeBanner.
10-Francisco Filho- Mike Bernardo and Jerome LeBanner (two of the best sluggers in kickboxing history) are the only fighters to stop Filho. Everyone else had to accept that the fight would continue as long as Filho could endure the punishment. In other words, to the ending bell. On a side note, Filho completed the 100-man kumite in karate. It isn’t directly related to having a hard head, but it does suggest Filho was a tough guy in general.
2-Mark Hunt- Mark has been sent to the canvas on a few occasions. The respect comes from his ability to get up from hits that would put any elite fighter in a hospital. One good example is when he got hit cleanly by Mirko Filipovic’s high kick. Mark got up and fought two more rounds showing no effects of the kick to the head. He is also baited Ray Sefo into a game of no-guard punching that cost him the fight but won him the tournament.
3-Ray Sefo- Sefo has been loopy twice in his career from hits to the head. Once was in boxing and the other was against Andy Hug. Most fans recognize that Sefo can (and does) take heavy hits. Most opponents opt to work low kicks from the opening bell.
4-Alexei Ignashov- Even the 8-count against Skelton in 2000 could be attributed to exhaustion more than impact. Since then, Ignashov has been rocked a few times but never took a down and recovered very quickly each time to return to the melee.
5-Sem Schilt- Reigning K-1 Champ Schilt hasn’t had his chin tested as much as some of the fighters above, but he has taken big hits in stride. His KO loss to Ignashov and knockdown to Nortje are recognized as events in the past. Few would expect similar happenings since his decisive victory over power puncher LeBanner.
6-Hong Man Choi- Few fighters can get close enough to score hits to Choi's head. Those who have managed to break through to score a hit have had little success of putting him down.
7-Remy Bonjasky- Bonjasky is credited for superior defense. That said, he has had his chin tested by Filipovic, Siliga and Filho. In each case, he has shaken off the damage and returned to the fray.
8-Mirko Filipovic- Mirko has been stopped twice from blows to the head. Once against Michael McDonald in K-1 and the other to Kevin Randleman (Strangely, both are blond-haired black men.) in MMA. No matter, few would ever bet against Mirko by KO. The odds are that he will soak up the damage and make it to the end of the fight.
9-Frans Botha- Botha has been blind sided several times and no matter how many times he has gone crashing to the canvas, he has always picked himself up to continue. Strange but true, he has said that the tiny Khattou hits harder than Tyson, Lewis or LeBanner.
10-Francisco Filho- Mike Bernardo and Jerome LeBanner (two of the best sluggers in kickboxing history) are the only fighters to stop Filho. Everyone else had to accept that the fight would continue as long as Filho could endure the punishment. In other words, to the ending bell. On a side note, Filho completed the 100-man kumite in karate. It isn’t directly related to having a hard head, but it does suggest Filho was a tough guy in general.
