 Brock Lesnar is hardly the first pro wrestler to break into MMA. But you wouldn’t know that from watching the UFC vs. WWE buildup in the UFC 81 commercials. Brock isn’t even the first WWE Superstar to try MMA. UFC Hall of Famer Ken Shamrock leads that pack which includes Sylvester Terkay, Giant Silva, Ludvig Borga, Sean 'O Haire, and Bart Gunn.
So who are the top pro wrestlers turned MMA fighters? And where does Brock Lesnar fit in the all-time list? Here's my take: Top 20 Pro Wrestlers Turned MMA Fighters*
(Source: LarryWeaver.com) - Kazushi "The Gracie Hunter" Sakuraba (UWFI) 23 - 10 - 1
- Dan "The Beast" Severn (NWA) 81 - 15 - 7
- Ken "The World's Most Dangerous Man" Shamrock (WWE) 26 - 12 - 2
- Don "The Predator" Frye (New Japan) 17 - 6 - 1
- Kazuyuki Fujita (New Japan) 14 - 6 - 0
- Kiyoshi Tamura (UWFI) 27 - 12 - 0
- Volk Han (Rings) 19 - 6 - 0
- Brock Lesnar "The Next Big Thing" (WWE) 1 - 0 - 0
- Bob "The Beast" Sapp (WCW) 9 - 2 - 1
- Justin McCully (UPW/New Japan) 8 - 3 - 2
- Sylvester "The Predator" Terkay (WWE) 3 - 1 - 0
- Ron "H2O" Waterman (OVW) 15 - 5 - 2
- Dos Caras Jr. (AAA) 6 - 4 - 0
- Tokimitsu "Kendo Kashin" Ishizawa (New Japan) 1 - 4 - 1
- Paulo Cesar "Giant" Silva (WWE) 2 - 6 - 0
- Tony Halme aka "Ludvig Borga" (WWE) 1 - 2 - 0
- Sean 'O Haire (WCW) 1 - 2 - 0
- Mike "Bart Gunn" Plotcheck aka "Mike Barton" (WWE) 1 - 1 - 0
- Craig "The Pitbull" Pittman (WCW) 1 - 1 - 0
- El Canek (CMLL) 1 - 0 - 0
Honorable Mention: Yoshihiro Takayama (All Japan) 0 - 4 - 0; Tom "KGB" Howard (AAA) 0 - 6 - 0; Anthony "Pitt Bull #2" Durante (ECW) 0 - 2 - 0; Bam Bam Bigelow (WWE) 0 - 1 - 0; Taka Michinoku (WWE) 0 - 1 - 0 ; Jushin "Thunder" Liger (New Japan/WCW) 0 - 1 - 0; Michiyoshi Ohara (New Japan) 0 - 2 - 0; "Lightning Foot" Jerry Flynn (WCW) 0 - 1 - 0 Note: (Parentheses) denotes wrestling organization when they gained most fame. *Eligibility Rules: - The athlete must have had their first professional wrestling match prior to their first professional mixed martial arts match.
- Professional wrestling is defined as having “worked” (predetermined) finishes.
- Professional MMA is defined as a paid MMA match (not amateur or exhibition). For clarity, the fighter must have their record listed on Sherdog.com (listed above as win - loss - draw).
- Top 20 takes into account an entire MMA career as well as potential for future MMA success.
Not eligible for this list are Josh Barnett, Tank Abbott, and Daniel Puder. They all had success in both pro wrestling and MMA, but all had their professional MMA debut before their pro wrestling debut. To be very clear, I don’t expect to get this list right the first time. I encourage your intelligent, articulate input below in the comments section. Update: Here are some additional candidates for the list: - Akira Maeda 10 - 5 - 0
- Nobuhiko Takada 2 - 6 - 2
- Masakatsu Funaki 38 - 12 - 1
- Naoya Ogawa 7 - 2 - 0
- Wataru Sakata 6 - 11 - 0
- Serjbudee "Blue Wolf" Dolgorsuren 1 - 0 - 0
- Jadamba Narantungalag 1 - 2 - 0
- Kensuke Sasaki 2 - 0 - 0
- Genki "Neo-Samurai" Sudo 15 - 5 - 1
- Yoji "Mr. 200%" Anjo 0 - 5 - 1
- Geza Kalman 4 - 7 - 0
I guess the point is that there are nearly 50 professional wrestlers who competed in MMA. Many of those competed in both the WWE and the UFC. All of this makes a quote from the Feb. 2 edition of the Washington Post some troublesome: Lesnar "is the first professional wrestler to make the leap to the UFC." That's an unforgivable error in the age of Google. If you don't already, question everything you read. References:
http://www.sherdog.com
http://www.wrestlingobserver.com
http://www.mmafighting.com/faq/prowrestling.html Labels: mma, wrestling
 I’ll be returning to the Los Angeles area on Feb. 6, 2008 to deliver search engine optimization training in Ventura, CA. I’ll be speaking on Pay-Per-Click Best Practices at a private event for a major corporate client.
The Search Engine Marketing (SEM) training will include: - Creating and Monitoring PPC Campaigns
- The Role of Landing Pages
- The Importance of Keyword Research
As usual, the focus will be on Google AdWords and Yahoo Search Marketing. For those who may not know, I am a recognized SEO expert with over 10 years experience designing web sites that achieve high organic search engine rankings. I teach SEO classes around the country, and have been quoted in publications such as the Wall Street Journal and Inc. Magazine. If you're in need of SEO training in Los Angeles, please feel free to contact me using the information on my SEO Speaker page. I'd love to offer some additional training while I'm in the area. Labels: seo
 I'm pleased to announce the release of another funny awards collection, Funny Employee of the Month Awards.
Sample Certificates: - Employee of the Month: Congratulations. Now get back to work!
- Employee of the Month: If it makes you feel better, a raise can't be framed and hung on the wall like this can.
- Employee of the Month: You showed up for work every day. And around here, sometimes that's the best we can hope for.
The PDF includes 12 printable award certificates with various designs packaged in a downloadable PDF file that works on a PC or Mac. You can add what you need — by typing directly into the PDF, by using your word processing application, e.g. Microsoft Word, or by handwriting — to make the certificate work for you. Print as many as you like on the paper of your choice. Certificates are set to work on standard 8.5” x 11” paper. It’s simple and easy to do. Bonus Templates!
As a bonus, you'll get 5 blank certificate awards templates for creating your own custom funny awards. Download a sample FREE Employee of the Month Certificate I'd once again like to thank my long-time friend Reed Tucker from the New York Post for his invaluable contributions, as well as long-time graphic designer partner Ted Hobgood for his design work. My first book, Funny Employee Awards, has enjoyed success Worldwide in countries like the United States, Hong Kong, Ireland, India, Canada, Australia, The United Kingdom, and South Africa. These Employee of the Month Certificates are a great new addition to the funny awards collection. Buy it Today!
Purchase the book 100% securely online at www.FunnyEmployeeAwards.com Labels: funny-awards
There’s little argument that Randy Couture, Andrei Arlovski, Gabriel Gonzaga, and Fabricio Werdum are Top 10 heavyweights. So when either Gonzaga or Verdum rack up two consecutive losses after UFC 80, there is nothing to be ashamed of. In fact, both men should be lauded for taking such a highly competitive fight at this point in their careers. As I blogged about in the post Meet your new UFC Heavyweight Champion, Gabriel Gonzaga!, Gabe has all of the tools to be UFC Heavyweight champion. The same could also be said for Werdum. The deciding factor in this contest might just be the training camps. While Werdum has traveled back to Brazil to train with the World-renown Chute Boxe Academy, Gonzaga has chosen to stay put and train with Team Link in the lesser known MMA not-hotbed of Ludlow, Massachusetts. While World-class athletes can certainly emerge from modest surroundings, the question is whether or not Gonzaga has surround himself with enough quality training partners to further his growth. If he’s the top guy in his camp, how will he grow as a fighter? Nothing against Werdum, but I’m rooting for Gonzaga in this one. He’s most definitely a monster, but has a “likability” factor that is hard to define. That is a highly marketable combination. He’s also working on his English, which all International MMA fighters should make a top priority. (Hey, don’t get mad at me – former Pride President Nobuyuki Sakakibara felt the same way). See Gonzaga Decapitate Mirko Cro Cop Look for an exciting contest as Gonzaga looks to return to Heavyweight contention and Werdum looks to exercise the specter of the Arlovski snoozefest. Whoever the winner, they're surely deserving of a shot against Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (or Tim Sylvia, should he decide to let his fists fly). And don't forget my man Heath Herring. He's coming back! Now, on to predictions... UFC 80 Predictions B.J. PENN VS. JOE STEVENSON
MMA Weekly: Penn by submission in the third round
Sherdog: Penn by rear-naked choke early in the second round
GABRIEL GONZAGA VS. FABRICIO WERDUM
MMA Weekly: Gabriel Gonzaga by decision
Sherdog: Gonzaga by TKO late in the second round
MARCUS DAVIS VS. JESS LIAUDIN
MMA Weekly: Davis by TKO in the third round
Sherdog: Davis by TKO early in the second round
JASON LAMBERT VS. WILSON GOUVEIA
MMA Weekly: Gouveia by decision
Sherdog: Gouveia by guillotine choke late in the first round
KENDALL GROVE VS. JORGE RIVERA
MMA Weekly: Grove by submission in the first round
Sherdog: Grove by TKO stoppage in the second round
ALESSIO SAKARA VS. JAMES LEE
MMA Weekly: Alessio Sakara by TKO in the first round
Sherdog: Lee by submission
SAM STOUT VS. PER EKLUND
MMA Weekly: Stout by decision
Sherdog: Eklund by first round strangulation
PAUL TAYLOR VS. PAUL KELLY
MMA Weekly: Taylor by KO in the first round
Sherdog: Taylor by second round KO
ANTONI HARDONK VS. COLIN ROBINSON
MMA Weekly: Hardonk by KO in the first round
Sherdog: Hardonk by first round knockout Labels: mma, ufc-predictions
Kristy Lee Cook pulled our heart strings on American Idol with her story of plucky log-cabin dwelling small town horse trainer who sells her horse to travel to the audition. Aww... And the judges seemed so sincere when they "discovered" this amazing new talent. I mean, what's not to love? Everyone knows the game is rigged, right? We don't care if some of the people are actors, or if the plucky small town girl was signed to Britney Spear's management team, do we? Here's a news post from 2001: Kristy Lee Signs In Triplicate with Arista, Britney, and BMI Brand-new Arista Nashville artist Kristy Lee continued to establish her roots in Music City by signing a songwriter affiliation deal with BMI at their Nashville offices. In addition to her label contract, Lee recently inked a deal with Britney Spears' newly-formed production company as its debut artist. Superstar Spears, a BMI affiliate, has already agreed to make a cameo appearance in Lee's first video. The 17-year-old singer claims Selma, Oregon as her home, although recent months have been spent attending to business matters in Nashville and performing live in various venues in the Dallas-Ft. Worth area. Lee adds horses and softball to her passions beyond music. She is managed by Marty Rendleman, who formerly managed LeAnn Rimes. - BMI.com 
It gets better. Watch her in bed, in a wet t-shirt, in lingerie, and singing in front of the Confederate flag in her debut music video: I'll ask again, does anyone care that the game is rigged? The whole thing makes the ending rant from contestant Christina Tolisano that much more ironic... Kristy Lee Cook Downloads - Only $.99 Related searches: kristi lee cook, christie lee cook, christy lee cook, kristy lee cook oregon, christy lee cook american idol Labels: american idol scandal, kristy lee cook, pop-culture
 For years I’ve read how HBO’s The Wire is the best show on television. Last year I began watching with Season 4, and I have to concur. Season 4 of The Wire is easily one of the greatest achievements in television or film ever. Using Baltimore as a backdrop, The Wire reveals an ugly side of America that few of us ever see - or care to see. Although not filmed in documentary style, the show is so well written, produced, and edited that it seems as if you are peering in on the lives of very real people. Here’s the catch – it’s not easy to watch. After nearly every episode I have to consult the HBO website, discussion boards, and Google just to figure out all of the characters and their relationships. Never has a show been so challenging... or rewarding. I encourage you to seek it out Season 4 on DVD and make the commitment to see it through. Season 5 begins with the disbanding of the major crimes unit investigating West-Side Baltimore drug kingpin Marlo Stanfield. After a year, the unit still has no evidence and no witnesses to the murders perpetrated by Stanfield. That is, until Episode 2. Episode 2 of season 5 ended so dramatically – with the alcohol-induced breakdown of Detective McNulty, that no one seemed to notice there may be a new witness in police custody. When Snoop and Chris gunned down Junebug at home for disrespecting Marlo, Michael had strict orders to drop anyone who came out the back door. But Michael, showing that perhaps he is not cut out for this game, let a young kid flee the scene. Did the child see Snoop and Chris? Could he identify them in a police lineup? Will Marlo be brought to justice before the series finale? Like any great work of art, you can read a lot into the details. Many saw episode 2 as a grave foreshadowing of things to come. Me? I saw a glimmer of hope. Perhaps there will be a new day in Baltimore after all. Labels: pop-culture
With inspiration from Search Engine Land and SEOMoz, I present to you the 2007 web stats for LarryWeaver.com. Enjoy!  Visits - January - 9,730
- February - 8,933
- March - 10,108
- April - 9,690
- May - 10,294
- June - 9,887
- July - 15,623
- August - 20,265
- September - 18,497
- October - 16,966
- November - 14,845
- December - 14,242
Page Views - January - 24,220
- February - 22,753
- March - 24,572
- April - 21,949
- May - 23,594
- June - 22,373
- July - 32,278
- August - 44,718
- September - 37,034
- October - 34,939
- November - 30,504
- December - 28,903
Most Popular Pages - http://www.larryweaver.com/hilarity/
- http://www.larryweaver.com/funnysongs/
- http://www.larryweaver.com/entertainment/christian-comedians.asp
- http://www.larryweaver.com/entertainment/artists/default.asp?artist=funny-awards
- http://www.larryweaver.com/blog/2006/11/funny-awards-post-your-funny-award.asp
- http://www.larryweaver.com/funnyvideos/
- http://www.larryweaver.com/funnysongs/lyrics/gangsta_grandpa.asp
- http://www.larryweaver.com/
- http://www.larryweaver.com/entertainment/
- http://www.larryweaver.com/blog/2007/09/ipod-nano-commercial-song-full-length.asp
Most Popular Blog Posts - http://www.larryweaver.com/blog/2006/11/funny-awards-post-your-funny-award.asp
- http://www.larryweaver.com/blog/2007/09/ipod-nano-commercial-song-full-length.asp
- http://www.larryweaver.com/blog/2007/10/how-to-make-transformers-costume.asp
- http://www.larryweaver.com/blog/2006/11/how-to-submit-your-xml-site-map-to.asp
- http://www.larryweaver.com/blog/2007/07/frustrated-video-dater-official-site.asp
- http://www.larryweaver.com/blog/2007/11/funny-certificates-printable-funny.asp
- http://www.larryweaver.com/blog/2007/04/larry-weaver-on-sirius-radio-blue.asp
- http://www.larryweaver.com/blog/2007/11/target-commercial-song.asp
- http://www.larryweaver.com/blog/2007/08/ufc-74-predictions-roundup-couture-v.asp
- http://www.larryweaver.com/blog/2007/10/randy-couture-vs-fedor-emelianenko.asp
Key Observations - My funny awards book was a big hit across the globe. The official book site, FunnyEmployeeAwards.com, has no blog, so I've been posting updates about the book on this site.
- 2007 was an unlikely year for a Selected Hilarity revival. But the Frustrated Video Dater video went viral in the Summer, leading to the increase in Selected Hilarity web searches during July and August. The video has been seen at least 2 million times on various sites and has had unbelievable legs.
- I was in heavy rotation on Sirius 103 Blue Collar Radio throughout the year, leading to increases in searches for my funny songs. Still waiting on that big royalty check from ASCAP...
- The iPod Nano Commercial Song post had 4,037 of its 5,898 page views in one day - enough to allow that page to crack the top 10 most popular pages for the year. "I Feel It All" has since replaced "1234" as my favorite Feist song.
- My MMA posts weren't as popular as I would have liked, but there does seem to be some interest in a potential Randy Couture vs. Fedor Emelianenko matchup.
- My homepage was only the 8th most popular page of my site in 2007. My advice to web designers: consider every page to be your home page and make sure there is a clear call to action on each page of your site.
Labels: misc
You've been asking for it, and I'm happy to announce that funny trophies are now on sale at FunnyEmployeeAwards.com. The trophies come on the success of my book Funny Employee Awards: Your Complete Guide to Organizing a Humorous, Entertaining and Rewarding Recognition Ceremony, which has sold copies in Scotland, Ireland, England, South Africa, Australia, Hong Kong, Mexico, and other countries around the World. Our initial offering features a 10-pack of Funny Trophies that make great funny awards to give employees. You'll get:  | Tiger Woods Award
For More Tee Time Than Work Time. See this funny golf trophy |  | Spammie Award
For Excellence in Forwarding Emails. See this funny trophy |  | Golden Turkey Award
For Worst Idea of the Year. See this funny company trophy |  | Old Yeller Award
For the Most Faithful Employee. See this employee trophy |  | Jeff Gordon Award
For Racing Out of the Office the Fastest. See this funny corporate trophy |  | Deer in the Headlights Award
For the Most Confused. See this gag award |  | Horse's Rear Award
For Always Showing Your Backside. See this gag trophy |  | Big Kahuna Award
For Excellence in Surfing the Web. See this office trophy |  | Matador Award
For Cutting Through All The Bull. See this fun trophy |  | Dorothy Hamill Award
For Skating Around Issues. See this funny trophy |
Head on over to FunnyEmployeeAwards.com to pick up these Funny Trophies! Labels: funny-awards
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Brock Lesnar is hardly the first pro wrestler to break into MMA. But you wouldn’t know that from watching the UFC vs. WWE buildup in the UFC 81 commercials. Brock isn’t even the first WWE Superstar to try MMA. UFC Hall of Famer Ken Shamrock leads that pack which includes Sylvester Terkay, Giant Silva, Ludvig Borga, Sean 'O Haire, and Bart Gunn. 
