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Stipe Miocic was a dominant HW champion. - After losing to Stefan Struve and struggling mightily with Shane Del Rosario(RIP) and Joey Beltran, I would have been shocked
Michael Bisping would be MW Champion. Bisping was a good fighter, but it seemed clear as day he was nowhere near championship caliber(UFC 100 Hendo loss was as thorough an outclassing as you will see. He also lost to old Wand and had some tooth and nail struggles with mid-level guys like Thales Leites and CB Dolloway). Even the Rockhold 1 fight seemed pretty clear that Bisping was nowhere near the top of the division, and that wasn't very long ago.
Derek Brunson would KO Lyoto Machida. I still remember Brunson fighting Jacare in Strikeforce and being Jacare's showcase of his newfound striking skills, as Brunson was KO'd almost instantly. Then Brunson kind of had to run away from Chris Leben and pepper to win a close decision in his UFC debut. It seemed he was a very limited fighter. But he has become a legit guy.
I guess the lesson is, people improve and decline, humans make mistakes, fights can vary from one to the next, and there's some serious power in never quitting and believing in yourself.
Michael Bisping would be MW Champion. Bisping was a good fighter, but it seemed clear as day he was nowhere near championship caliber(UFC 100 Hendo loss was as thorough an outclassing as you will see. He also lost to old Wand and had some tooth and nail struggles with mid-level guys like Thales Leites and CB Dolloway). Even the Rockhold 1 fight seemed pretty clear that Bisping was nowhere near the top of the division, and that wasn't very long ago.
Derek Brunson would KO Lyoto Machida. I still remember Brunson fighting Jacare in Strikeforce and being Jacare's showcase of his newfound striking skills, as Brunson was KO'd almost instantly. Then Brunson kind of had to run away from Chris Leben and pepper to win a close decision in his UFC debut. It seemed he was a very limited fighter. But he has become a legit guy.
I guess the lesson is, people improve and decline, humans make mistakes, fights can vary from one to the next, and there's some serious power in never quitting and believing in yourself.