Patrick Smith - UFC's first great striker?

[polychronopolous]

In an age where submission guys like Gracie, Shamrock and Severn ruled, let's not forget about Patrick Smith. 

This was the guy who got me watching MMA for the first time. He had great size and strength. Very, very athletic. Remember his opening kick versus Rudyard Moncayo? still one of the greatest kicks in UFC history.
Or his total beat down of Scott Morris (which, btw, showed how horrible the officiating was back in those days! The ref never even stepped in to stop the elbows to Morris' head!)

I still to this day believe that he could have beaten both Tank Abbott and Oleg Taktarov to win UFC 6 if not for his injury problem. The argument against this would be "Yeah but he couldn't hang with Olegs ground skills". My reply would be, since when did Tank ever have ground skills? And that was a long ass fight between Tank and Oleg!!
Tank vs. Pat would have been one hell of a brawl!

Unfortunately he will always be remembered as being painfully exposed with submission fighters (Shamrock and Gracie are his only two losses in UFC and they both schooled him plain and simple.) He was also known as a prima donna asshole, and that hurts his legacy as well.

Check out this terrible officiating!!

                         

[coltrane]

smith was a bad ass...   what about that one fight where he came out and straight leg kicked that one dude.....    i can't remember which ufc it was...awesome though

[polychronopolous]

smith was a bad ass...   what about that one fight where he came out and straight leg kicked that one dude.....    i can't remember which ufc it was...awesome though

Yeah that was Rudyard Moncayo in UFC 6, I expected the poor bastard go thru the cage!

[Dball]

He was also the first guy I ever saw tap because of strikes, which I thought was pretty much a hatchet wound move.  But in his defense, the officiating was not the same back then.  The refs would let you get ground into paste before stepping in to stop the fight.  But he did tap from getting punched too much...

[polychronopolous]

He was also the first guy I ever saw tap because of strikes, which I thought was pretty much a hatchet wound move.  But in his defense, the officiating was not the same back then.  The refs would let you get ground into paste before stepping in to stop the fight.  But he did tap from getting punched too much...

True, but Gracie did have him in a position where he was just gonna keep punching him over and over.

[Dball]

True, but Gracie did have him in a position where he was just gonna keep punching him over and over.

Like I said, it could probably be attributed to the officiating and the lack of fight stoppages back then.  Back in the day it was just damn brutal. I have all the volums of UFC greatest kncokouts, and in the first two everyone is jacked and juiced up and they are just literally beating each other into mush. The sport has certainly evolved.

[polychronopolous]

Like I said, it could probably be attributed to the officiating and the lack of fight stoppages back then.  Back in the day it was just damn brutal. I have all the volums of UFC greatest kncokouts, and in the first two everyone is jacked and juiced up and they are just literally beating each other into mush. The sport has certainly evolved.

I think I remember seeing that in one of the UFCs only the corner could stop the fight!!! If you will notice in that clip the ref is looking at the corner instead of the 225lb. elite level kickboxer who is elbowing the fuck out of an unconcious man. I really think the UFC is lucky someone didn't die in those early shows.

[*ChuteBoxe*]

He was supposed to be Frank Mir's comeback fight after the motorcycle accident but he (Smith) had problems getting medical clearance for some reason.

[americanbulldog]

First great stiker was Mo Smith.  End of story. 

[polychronopolous]

First great stiker was Mo Smith.  End of story. 

Maurice Smith was a great striker no doubt but you got to give Pat Smith some credit as a great striker, he was one of the top ranked kickboxers when UFC started, and was even more successful in the late 80's.

[americanbulldog]

Maurice Smith was a great striker no doubt but you got to give Pat Smith some credit as a great striker, he was one of the top ranked kickboxers when UFC started, and was even more successful in the late 80's.

Sabaki challenge<K1

[SinCitysmallGUY]

First great stiker was Mo Smith.  End of story. 

Dead on. Mo was a bad MOFO... I love the old UFC's.

[americanbulldog]

Dead on. Mo was a bad MOFO... I love the old UFC's.

The thread said first great striker.  Pat Smith, although a bad man, is hardly a "GREAT" striker. 

[Ruffneck]

Heres Pat Smith tapping like Micheal J Foxs foot on a bad day.

[polychronopolous]

Although Pat could be pretty gutless at times, he was also capable of bringing the crowd to their feet.
Here's an older clip most of y'all have probably seen, pretty awesome.