Imagining an MMA Hall of Fame: Borderline Candidates, Part 1

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Ricardo Arona
“The Brazilian Tiger” Rings (2000-01); Pride Fighting Championships (2001-07); Bitetti Combat (2009)
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CASE FOR: At his peak, few fighters could deal with this crafty submission grappler. Dan Henderson, Kazushi Sakuraba, Wanderlei Silva, Guy Mezger and a prime Murilo Rua were some of his most notable wins. People forget just how good he was. CASE AGAINST: Unfortunately, people forgot just how good he was. He practically fell off the earth after Pride Fighting Championships dissolved. He only fought once more despite being a young man, and his resume ended while all his Pride contemporaries continued to build their legacies. He also was not the most exciting or marketable fighter, often preferring to neutralize opponents rather than attempting to finish. VERDICT: Should he go in? No.

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