In your opinion, what does Stipe have to do to surpass Fedor as the HW GOAT?

[ButterStoch]

IMO beating DC is a good step towards there but he would still need 3 or 4 more years of dominant title defenses

He would have to continue winning in an exciting, dominant and innovative fashion for a very long time, while not testing positive for banned PEDs & then lying about it, bending rules(fence grabs, eye pokes, Romero-ing on the stool).

Also not letting the success inflate their ego into serious legal trouble from which they are rescued by promoter etc. All while simultaneously not attempting to handpick opponents/style matchups.

Getting to the point where every fighter in the world is intimidated by you(not a divison, the entire game), & the idea of winning against you would be hard for them to piece together in their heads.

Is this fair? I don't know, but that's how I see it.

 

[g*r*b]

i rarely say it, but in this case i think its fair to consider:

- at the ime they were probably the 2 most surging HWs- both were in great streaks and seemed destined to meet for title shot
- Stipe withdrew for an injury that im pretty sure was never explained
- after, Rothwell was vocal in disappointment and wanted to reschedule, i dont recall Stipe EVER saying he wanted to remake the fight
- yes, hes been cooperative in title defenses, but he no longer can fly below he radar when he pulls out of a fight..


if you found Stipe's KO over Overeem impressive, how was Ben's not moreso, when Ben did it 2 years earlier in half the time Stipe did without being in any danger?

It was explained: a flareup of back problems. And he did offer to rebook with Rothwell.
https://mmajunkie.com/2015/10/stipe...ll-or-andrei-arlovski-he-was-given-the-latter
He hasn't offered to match with him since then, granted, but he's the king of "I'll fight whoever the UFC tells me to fight" so it's silly to read something underhanded in that.

And actually the thing I find most impressive about Stipe's KO of Overeem IS the bit about being in danger. We already knew he could lay people out. Bounding back from the brink of defeat like that, though, was valuable testimony as to his heart and ability to recover.

 

[Relentless chase]

IMO beating DC is a good step towards there but he would still need 3 or 4 more years of dominant title defenses

When you get TKO'd by Stefan Struve, there is no comparison. Fedor is the GOAT HW and he will always be the GOAT of HW's. no matter what, he built a legacy that would be hard to even come close to, let alone surpass it. when you can go unbeaten for a span of 10 years at HW and beat guys like Prime Big Nog, Prime Cro Cop, Heath Herring, Mark Coleman, etc. you're a legit badass. yea it's comparing apples to oranges, because, it's two different eras of fighters, but still, Fedor has a far more impressive rèsumè of guys than Stipe, Stipe only beats guys with no chins, that are past their prime, and have been hit by USADA.

 

[Katsumi Yamada]

You do realize that stipe got more title defense than fedor right?
And beating dc would make him above fedor in a lot of people eyes.hell even a lot of people in current mma community outside of sherdog fedor cults think stipe is the hw goat
And let’s be honest,no matter who stipe beat. Insecure fedor fans would always nitpick on every stipe wins.

Fedor successfully defended his #1 ranking 18 times in a row.

He also defended physical belts against Nogueira, Crocop, Hunt, Arlovski and Rogers

 

[Cooliox]

Beats DC, then beats Cain...

And Stipe is HW GOAT

 

[gono btw]

Beats DC, then beats Cain...

And Stipe is HW GOAT

A realistically past-his-physical-prime Cain?

 

[leatherneck]

It was explained: a flareup of back problems. And he did offer to rebook with Rothwell.
https://mmajunkie.com/2015/10/stipe...ll-or-andrei-arlovski-he-was-given-the-latter
He hasn't offered to match with him since then, granted, but he's the king of "I'll fight whoever the UFC tells me to fight" so it's silly to read something underhanded in that.

And actually the thing I find most impressive about Stipe's KO of Overeem IS the bit about being in danger. We already knew he could lay people out. Bounding back from the brink of defeat like that, though, was valuable testimony as to his heart and ability to recover.

1. Youve logically and politely corrected a few of my impressions- Im not too dogmatic or proud to adjust perspective or admit I was mistaken:

- i never knew injury was disclosed, i see i was mistaken
- also missed his offer to reschedule, so I was wrong there...

im still PISSED it didnt happen (had no favorite, but i was sure winner would be HW champ),
BUT I will no longer refer to Stipe as a "ducker"..
So, in summary, thanks.

2. to clarify points i dont think i was clear on:

- not saying Rothwell's the best HW, or beating him transforms Stipe's career (a career i am super impressed with), but I used the word "help", and i think it would help.

i DO think Rothwell's underrated, and maybe better than everyone ranked over him including greats who TODAY arent the same-(Werdum, Overeem, JDS (maybe my fave HW)

defeating a significant threat is a big deal, i just dont think Stipe has many threats (especially in the UFC) except Rothwell

- Stipe's win was impressive, not because it was Overeem, but because it showed good recovery and durability.
Rothwell's KO happened when Overeem far less mileage, Rothwell totally dominated him, so to me it was more impressive.

not "picking" Rothwell or even rooting for him, BUT I AM ROOTING TO SEE IT.

Prob the 2 best in UFC til Cain returns, fights between the 3 are the most interesting in HW (except Werdum vs Barnett)

 

[HomeRun916]

Keep winning.

 

[Roop Holstry]

Stipe could win 100 more fights in a row and Fedor would still be the GOAT

 

[bloodyknuck]

I would put Stipe above Fedor based on his wins in the UFC, Fedor has some alltime legendary KO power though

 

[LockardTheGOAT]

Fedor fanboys will never bring themselves to admit someone is a better fighter than him

Stipe could use a time machine to travel back and defeat every great HW of the past when they were in their prime, and fanboys would still be in denial of his obvious superiority over Fedor

 

[kenetics]

You do realize that stipe got more title defense than fedor right?
And beating dc would make him above fedor in a lot of people eyes.hell even a lot of people in current mma community outside of sherdog fedor cults think stipe is the hw goat
And let’s be honest,no matter who stipe beat. Insecure fedor fans would always nitpick on every stipe wins.

Stipe beat alot of HW past their primes first of all. Second, he got tko by struve of all people. SMH.

 

[Bacco]

I like Stipe, but he's so far

His "cool names" record crumble as soon you see when he fought them

Of course all these wins got some significance, but nowhere near as if he fought them at theyr peak

Not only i don't rank him higher than Fedor, but i think both Cain and JDS will crush any version of him

This guy

used to be the #1 badass too at some point after dinos were gone

Let's be real, the only guy in his prime he fought is Ngannou lol

 

[blaseblah]

He needs to fight good fighters, not old "names" or new prospects that aren't ready...and unfortunately, UFC does not have anyone to offer but DC...
Maybe get out of the UFC and fight top HW's from other organizations?

Lol like who? His win over JDS is better than anyone he could fight outside of the UFC.

 

[YOLOGOGOPLATA]

He would need like 5 more title defenses IMO (to get to 8 defenses total) in order to challenge the way people feel about Fedor. Highly unlikely that he can accomplish that, but I think 2 more title defenses will get him past Big Nog in the eyes of many (and if he beats DC that should be enough for even Cain fanboys to concede he is the best UFC HW of all time, although I believe he is already there). With the way HW's age, Stipe has 3 more years of near-peak ability, and if he has the will to continue fighting through age 38, then many will consider him the GOAT HW.. but I'm not sure he wants to keep fighting at this level for that long. He seems extremely content as a fire fighter, serving his community. One of the rare all time greats who isn't psychotic about fighting and causing violence to other human beings.

 

[Bacco]

Fedor fanboys will never bring themselves to admit someone is a better fighter than him

As "Fedor fanboy" i thought either Cain or JDS were going to pass him and i was ready to it (i'm not Fedor's son, manager or whatever lol), then they declined so fast

Cain and JDS looked special, Stipe not as much tbh
Good fighter, solid fighter. But mostly having his peak at the right historic moment.

 

[g*r*b]

1. Youve logically and politely corrected a few of my impressions- Im not too dogmatic or proud to adjust perspective or admit I was mistaken:

- i never knew injury was disclosed, i see i was mistaken
- also missed his offer to reschedule, so I was wrong there...

im still PISSED it didnt happen (had no favorite, but i was sure winner would be HW champ),
BUT I will no longer refer to Stipe as a "ducker"..
So, in summary, thanks.

2. to clarify points i dont think i was clear on:

- not saying Rothwell's the best HW, or beating him transforms Stipe's career (a career i am super impressed with), but I used the word "help", and i think it would help.

i DO think Rothwell's underrated, and maybe better than everyone ranked over him including greats who TODAY arent the same-(Werdum, Overeem, JDS (maybe my fave HW)

defeating a significant threat is a big deal, i just dont think Stipe has many threats (especially in the UFC) except Rothwell

- Stipe's win was impressive, not because it was Overeem, but because it showed good recovery and durability.
Rothwell's KO happened when Overeem far less mileage, Rothwell totally dominated him, so to me it was more impressive.

not "picking" Rothwell or even rooting for him, BUT I AM ROOTING TO SEE IT.

Prob the 2 best in UFC til Cain returns, fights between the 3 are the most interesting in HW (except Werdum vs Barnett)

In your turn, you've admitted a change of opinion in a very gracious manner. A rare thing to see, especially on an internet forum! Thank you for that. A refreshing change from the usual poster's reply of restating their original point in an even cruder form and adding "lol."

I also think Rothwell underrated; he is prey to Sylviatitis, the disease of MMA fans that causes them to undervalue big, somewhat doofusy-looking galoots. It would have been a very interesting matchup. Would Stipe have been able to deal with Ben's height, and silence those who (considering his fight with Struve) think that's his Achilles' heel? Durable as Ben is, he wouldn't be a likely candidate for a quick KO, and his grappling chops should protect him from the wrestlefuck. That's the two ways Stipe has built his current winning streak; what would he do instead?

Ah well, let's see what happens when/if he comes back from his USADA-enforced sabbatical.

 

[Shaddows]

Lol like who? His win over JDS is better than anyone he could fight outside of the UFC.

Sorry, but Junior post-Cain is not the same world beater he was prior to that. (And I love Junior)!

But claiming he is better than anyone out there.... heck, even if true, it just shows how terrible HW is right now, and fair or not, almost impossible for Miocic to surpass Fedor by beating those guys that are there right now.

 

[Kinger85]

I would still think he needs 2-3 more wins to pass Fedor after beating Cormier, but I would have no problem what so ever with anyone who puts him above Fedor after beating Cormier. I'd just put it down as a difference of opinion.

 

[HHJ]

He cant. The oppurtunity isnt there for him to do it. Its not like he walked into the UFC in 2012 and destroyed cain and jds,and all those other guys. He is excelling at what is there in front of him,but the Glory of surpassing Fedor is not available at this time.