Not sure if you're trying to sound ironic or not but both these guys were pretty solid.
Heath was 9-0 coming in vs Machida. Finished his career 18-7, which really isn't bad.
Hoger was 5-2, coming off a split dec loss to champ Evans. Finished 10-4, with last 4 being wins.
How about Thiago Silva? Was 13-0 and juiced to the gills when he got KTFO by Lyoto. Beat Jardine, Cavalcante, Soko and Hamill after the Machida loss. Current ACB LHW champ. Still overrated?
Bonnar? Franklin? Greco? Nak? Tito? 13-0 champ Evans? All overrated?
Did some extra research out of curiosity and looks like Machida was fighting champions all his life! Machida has faced 28 opponents:
- 25 of them champions of some sort
- 19 MMA champions
- 11 UFC champions
- 3 nobodies
Yoel Romero - FILA champ, Olympian
Luke Rockhold - UFC MW champ, Strikeforce MW champ
C.B. Dollaway - State wrestling champ
Chris Weidman - UFC MW champ
Gegard Mousasi - DREAM LHW and MW champ, Cage Warriors MW champ, Strikeforce LHW champ
Mark Munoz - NCAA champ, FILA champ
Phil Davis - Bellator LHW champ
Dan Henderson - UFC MW champ, PRIDE MW and WW champ, Strikeforce LHW champ
Ryan Bader - TUF champ, NCAA champ
Jon Jones - UFC LHW champ, USKBA LHW champ
Randy Couture - UFC HW and LHW champ, FILA champ, NCAA champ
Quinton Jackson - UFC LHW champ, PRIDE MW champ
Mauricio Rua - UFC LHW champ, PRIDE MW champ
Rashad Evans - UFC LHW champ
Thiago Silva - ACB LHW champ
Tito Ortiz - UFC LHW champ
Rameau Sokoudjou - KSW LHW champ
Kazuhiro Nakamura - DEEP MW champ
David Heath -
Sam Hoger - URC HW champ
Vernon White - KotC LHW champ
Dimitri Wanderley -
B.J. Penn - UFC LW and WW champ
Sam Greco - WAKO champ, WKA champ
Michael McDonald - K-1 champ
Rich Franklin - UFC MW champ
Stephan Bonnar - Golden Gloves champ
Kengo Watanabe -
Talk about "level of competition"!