Given that we're now in the twilight of his career, with nothing but toughness keeping him going, I think its worth asking the question of how much better Roy could have been.
It's easy to forget just how talented the guy is.
He never bothered to elevate his striking beyond a big right hand, yet his power and timing allowed him to scrape by on it alone.
However, at the elite level, the basic nature of his striking meant he was little more than a punching bag.
Roy is a high level black belt, yet prefers to stand and bang, and will do so to the detriment of his chances of winning.
Shown here outgrappling
Frank Mir in his prime. Yet, how often do we see Roy going for submissions?
His greatest talent, however, is the fact that he possesses arguably the best chin in the history of the sport. He's gone entire fights with his face being used as a heavy bag and ended the match still swinging. He's been kneed in the face, kicked in the head, caught by completely flush haymakers, and hammered over and over in the chin, yet he just keeps slogging forward.
He's absorbed more significant strikes than any fighter in UFC heavyweight history (most to the head), yet he just keeps on trucking, seeming to still be freakishly tough at age 41. Last night he ate frontkicks and knees to the chin from a huge HW like they were nothing.
Its patently obvious Roy never should have been a heavyweight. He's a natural small middleweight who happens to be obese. Yet, lack of discipline meant he never made the cut. It's also clear he needed better gameplans, and should have tried to improve his striking technique.
I think he's an easily championship level talent who never got his act together. What say you?
