10 Pro Wrestlers Who Would Have Made Intriguing MMA Fighters
Bruiser Brody
Bruiser Brody
Few pro wrestlers have ever projected an aura of wildness and violence like the late Bruiser Brody. Perhaps pro wrestling’s best-ever brawler, Brody created an iconic persona before being murdered in Puerto Rico at the age of 42. Brody was tall and built powerfully like the biggest MMA heavyweights, but he also possessed an athleticism and agility of a smaller heavyweight. That combination is difficult to come by and would have suited him well if he could have adapted it to MMA.
Brody’s in-ring style suggested additional gifts that could have helped him in MMA. Brody worked a fast-paced style that was built on excellent cardiovascular conditioning for a man his size. Above all, he was a brutal, tough force who was not afraid to lay in hard offense and receive it in return. It is unlikely he would have shied away from getting hit full force.
If there was a potential downside for Brody in MMA, it was that he was something of a loner. He clashed with promoters and moved around from territory to territory on his own. That mentality helped him build a unique cache in the world of pro wrestling, but it might have been a problem in MMA, where the best fighters by and large train in structured camps with elite training partners. Brody might have been more apt to train on his own with a few friends, an attitude that has hurt many an MMA fighter over the years. Regardless of how Brody would have fared in MMA, it would have been an exciting ride to see him try.
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