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Credentials-wise, maybe not, but stylistically, in the context of an MMA match-up, they both present Tim with identical threats, namely takedowns. Neither one poses any threat to Tim on the feet, and on the ground, Monson is actually the more dangerous opponent due to his submission pedigree. Hell, with Tim's guard and his reach/length, even if Brock did manage to put Tim on his back, Tim could've very well ended up triangling or ambarring him, as his submission game was solid and his guard work, both offensive and defensive, was always on point.
Even talking about a fight where he was almost completely dominated, when Tim had Randy in his guard, he not only reduced Randy's offense to virtually nothing with his reach and his grip, he also landed a number of good punches and elbows from off his back and threatened Randy on more than one occasion with submissions.
In short, Tim Sylvia is not Mark Hunt. Even assuming that Brock would've been able to get Tim to the ground - which is a hell of an assumption - his troubles wouldn't have been over by any means.
True, which is why, if we're talking about Brock/Tim in say 2008, then I have a much easier time seeing Brock's speed and explosiveness potentially allowing him to get in on Tim and put him on his back. But even in decline Tim still would've presented a significant physical and stylistic challenge for Brock, and, though I wouldn't have been surprised to see Brock win, I still would've given Tim the advantage and picked him to win.
If, on the other hand, we're going full fantasy match-up and we're talking about Brock stepping into the cage against prime Tim, the Tim that used Cabbage's head as a speed bag and made Ricco look like he never wrestled a day in his life, then not only does Brock not land a single TD, he probably doesn't even survive to the cards.
You honestly think Brock would've - could've - followed that blueprint? The guy who'd flinch and tuck tail every time someone would flick a jab at him? If you think Brock's going to step in and outstrike Tim Sylvia, then you're either failing to give Randy's striking ability the credit it deserves or you're vastly overrating Brock's striking ability. Either way, this blueprint argument is irrelevant in Brock's case because at no point in his MMA career did he ever have the skill set needed to put a plan like that into action.
@acannxr already explained the problem with your Carwin point. As for Hunt, you think because Brock was able to take down and control a guy with nonexistent TDD who's half a foot shorter than him that he would've been able to take down and control a guy with fantastic TDD who's half a foot taller than him?
And what bias would that be? Pro-Tim bias, anti-Brock bias, or both? I'm just curious in what direction you think I'm biased.
In all honesty, I don't have a dog in this fight. It's true that I give Tim more credit than most on here (which means: I give him the credit that he deserves), but there's only one person who's ever posted on Sherdog who you could accurately level a pro-Tim bias accusation against and be justified, and I'm not that person. As for Brock, I'm far from a Brock hater. I wanted Randy to pull off the win, but I rooted for Brock against every other opponent he faced. I was supremely impressed by his obliteration of Frank Mir in their rematch, was thrilled to see him stage the comeback against Carwin, and hated seeing him fall to Cain and Overeem the way he did.
No matter the angle, there's no bias. I just genuinely believe that Tim's physical attributes and his brand of sprawl-and-brawl would've presented Brock with a huge - and, IMHO, insurmountable - challenge.
The bottom line: I think you're vastly overrating Tim's TDD and overrating the striking game of a 40+ year old Randy. As for Randy catching Tim at the beginning of the fight and knocking him down, Brock did the same thing to Mir and Heath Herring. Brock just did it more explosively. It threw off Herring, as I suspect it would Sylvia. And Brock and Randy actually fought and traded punches..remind me how that ended?
Hunt's TDD isn't "non existent" either. It was when he first started MMA and had a major losing streak, but improved over time with the rest of his game. He was also very powerful with a low center of gravity...if you know basic physics, you'll realize that alone makes him much harder to take down than a tall, lanky, skinny-fat guy like Tim.
That's all I got....more important things to do. If you want the last word, have at it, dude.