Are fighters actually imrpoving?

and don't disrespect RJJ, that guy in your AV loves getting slept by bums.

Conor would give him a red panty night then send his bum ass to Bellator with one left hand
Bruh Prime Shogun would sleep RJJ worse than Glen Johnson did.
 

A look at the MW rankings of old. Notice how every given fighter in the top 10 is relatively around the same skill level?
View attachment 823475

Compare to today's MW rankings:
View attachment 823476
Outside the top 5, no one has a chance against the champ. Are fighters actually improving, or in reality are divisions becoming more fragmented/more watered down?

man. back then the whole card was worth seeing. damnit.
 
Bruh Prime Shogun would sleep RJJ worse than Glen Johnson did.

It's really a shame how hard Shogun fell off, those chute box wars paired with his knee surgeries killed all his mobility and movement.

I still think Prime Shogun would be up there with DC and Jones prime 4 prime
 
let's put it like this: if you match the guys from the first list against the guys from the second, most of the time guys from the second win.
 
Personally I think the striking and TDD is better and these rankings reflect that.

Maia, Sonnen, and Okami were almost entirely grapplers. Picture them in a kickboxing match. There are not as many guys like that today.

Because TDD is better you have to have striking.

But I don't think the new MWs are better athletes or drastically better, just a bit different.

A very good striker in the past who would get murked by Sonnen or Okami via wrestling would do better today as they could learn TDD/BJJ easier.

Someone like Bisping who was reasonably well rounded with a great gas tank is about the same in either era. He beats 3-4/10 guys in the top 10 in either era.
 

A look at the MW rankings of old. Notice how every given fighter in the top 10 is relatively around the same skill level?
View attachment 823475

Compare to today's MW rankings:
View attachment 823476
Outside the top 5, no one has a chance against the champ. Are fighters actually improving, or in reality are divisions becoming more fragmented/more watered down?

Todays Uriah hall would be champ. So yes they are
 
Of course they are. Look at how easily guys are beating Anderson Silva these days. He is a complete bum in the current era. Even GSP would get destroyed easily by anyone in the top 10 of this era.
 
What I do think is getting better is everything else that surrounds mma. No more caveman gyms where you're fighting for your life in practice. Guys train on cycles now where they are trying to peak around performance time so there's actually more downtime for fighters then ever before. Nutrition is better then ever. Guys have game plans now and usually try and fight as smart as possible versus just playing rock em sock em robots everytime they fight. The game of mma is getting smarter.
Fighters were already doing those things by 2012.

Personally I think the striking and TDD is better and these rankings reflect that.

Maia, Sonnen, and Okami were almost entirely grapplers. Picture them in a kickboxing match. There are not as many guys like that today.

Because TDD is better you have to have striking.

But I don't think the new MWs are better athletes or drastically better, just a bit different.

A very good striker in the past who would get murked by Sonnen or Okami via wrestling would do better today as they could learn TDD/BJJ easier.

Someone like Bisping who was reasonably well rounded with a great gas tank is about the same in either era. He beats 3-4/10 guys in the top 10 in either era.
Prime Sonnen takes Adesanya down at will and Maia fought for a title as recently as 2017.
 
100% ded srs I don't think anyone now could handle a fully roided Coleman with legal headbutts.
 

A look at the MW rankings of old. Notice how every given fighter in the top 10 is relatively around the same skill level?
View attachment 823475

Compare to today's MW rankings:
View attachment 823476
Outside the top 5, no one has a chance against the champ. Are fighters actually improving, or in reality are divisions becoming more fragmented/more watered down?


Right cause Mark Munoz, Palhares, Okami, Maia and Brian Stann had a great shot at beating Anderson.

Nostalgia making poster look dumb as fuck since the beginning of all time.
 
Of course. A decade ago triangle sub finishes were way higher, and full mount was often a death sentence.

Overall fighters are much more well rounded
 
It all looks different in retrospect.

Back when those rankings were out no one would believe that Weidman would KO Andy twice and Bisping (!!!) would be champ.

Once Izzy loses a step he could easily start losing to the Hollands and Vettoris of the world. Is normal.
 
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