Checking The Life Meter On Takanori Gomi's Career

After watching Takanori Gomi get outclassed by Kenny Florian last night, I pretty said to myself that it's a wrap for Takanori Gomi.  I already knew that, but there is always something inside you that wishes and hopes that a fighter you like can beat the odds and re-gain the dominance they had once that dominance is no longer. 

It's REALLY rare, but it is possible for athletes to make comeback.  For instance North Carolina's very own Josh Hamilton is a shining example of that possibility.  Hamilton was the #1 draft pick overall in the 1999 MLB baseball draft out of high school.  He was touted as one of the best 5 tooled players scouts had ever seen.  His potential was out of this world.  The hype surrounding him was justified in 2000 as he made a successful pro debut and his parents quit their jobs so they could travel with him(as he had signed a 4 million dollar signing bonus).  Then he was involved in a car accident that signaled the beginning of the end on his promising career.  I'm sure you've read the stories about his drug abuse, coupled with is inability to stay healthy which further fueled that same drug abuse. 

By the end of 2004, Hamilton was completely out of baseball.  He was completely out of the game from that point until the end of 2006.  So Hamilton basically squandered 6 years of baseball, was broke, still had a drug problem, and hadn't even sniffed the major leagues yet at 26 years old.  That's really old for a former #1 draft pick.

However, Hamilton still possessed the natural talent that GOD had given him.  He was about to entire his physical prime as an athlete, and at some point he figured out that he wanted to give it one more shot.  The three ingredients he needed to make this rare occasion a reality.

That's not the case with Takanori Gomi.  While in the tail end of his physical prime, Gomi does still maintain most of the natural talent that GOD has given him.  He still has power, as one of few punches he landed on Florian did seem to hurt him.  He didn't seem to gas as bad, but he wasn't overly attack against Florian either for the most part. 

The main problem with Takanori Gomi is that he doesn't have the desire to climb that mountain that he used to be on top of anymore.  I've been reading the comments stating that all Gomi has to do is get with a good training camp and he can completely revamp his training to compete with the best lightweights out there.  I have news.  If Gomi couldn't get motivated to make his UFC debut against one of the best lightweight fighters on the planet in the main event, how can he motivate himself to go to a new training camp and completely unlearn all of his bad habits?  It' not going to happen.

Fighters say it all the time.  I'm training harder than ever now.  I've completely revamped my training as start to reach the light at the end of the tunnel on their respective careers.  Chuck Liddell went to train with Howard Davis and we all see how that turned out, same old Chuck with looping punches.  Mirko Cro Cop has been stringing his fans along for years talking about how he's revamped his training, hoping to reach the glory land one more time.  Now the same thing will happen with Takanori Gomi. 

He might be able to beat some of the lower tier lightweights in the UFC. I have some doubts on that after seeing his fight with Florian last night.  I do know that his days of beating elite talent are over and have been over for quite some time.  Some people think he was competitive with Florian, but I beg to differ.  Besides, the one punch that got Florian's attention, Gomi offered nothing.  He couldn't take Florian down, he couldn't land anything consistently, and he had terrible defense with a depleted gas tank on top of all of that.

I think Gomi should be matched up with Melvin Guillard next.  They fit the same mold.  Wild striking coupled with good power.  A loss to Guillard would end all the talk of a Gomi comeback. 

SBN coverage of UFC Fight Night 21: Florian vs. Gomi