- Joined
- Aug 9, 2013
- Messages
- 22,229
- Reaction score
- 12,142
Outside of analyzing a division based on objective stats such as average age, depth, and turnovers within the top ten ranks (which I've already done here for LW to HW), anything else is purely subjective.
It also discredits title defenses with undeserving challengers; accounting for both of those variables makes divisional GOAT debates a lot more accurate.
That's nothing more than an assumption on your part. As someone who actually went through every champions' resumes it's not an exception, but a frequent occurrence.
For example, 40% of Anderson Silva's title defenses were against opponents not ranked in the top ten (that percent increases to 45.45% if you include Lutter).
Another assumption and opinion on your part.
By that logic, the stat of title defenses doesn't discern the quality of a division either, so the fact that you're using that as a point in your argument is contradictory.
1)Well subjective doesn't mean wrong.
2)No it doesn't because weak contenders are almost always in the top 10.
3)Its a very fair assumption. Title fights in theory are supposed to be matching the top 2 fighters in the divisions. That will almost always result in a fighter being top 10 unless they coming from a different division are coming out of retirement or something. If a division(in a single promotion) has relevant fighters outside the top 10 that division is stacked.
4)Looking it over and I'm going to call BS on the "40% of AS defenses weren't top 10" You've got to be including AS fighting unranked LHWs in non title bouts or counting Hendo as unranked because he was coming from Pride.
I think ASs competition was lacking but pretty much all of his title opponents were top 10 guys. Same goes for Izzy same goes for every champ. The weak links of AS title defenses were Cote and Leites and they were both on 5 fight win streaks. I find it very unlikely they weren't top 10. Your stat is more likely to filter out elite fighters coming off layoffs than it is bad opponents.
Lutter won his title shot on a reality show where the whole point was to give the title shot to a normally undeserving journeyman. It was a intentional gimmick.
5)It doesn't matter if my opinion of a division is right or wrong we're not going to get the correct answer by counting top 10 wins. The distinction between top 10 and top 15 is completley and totally irelevant for title bouts.