Media Aspinall: "Renan Fereira is not elite"

[RockyLockridge]

Sure, but Tom didn't say Francis isn't elite. Only Ferreira.

Tom was just saying he doesn't think you can claim to be the world's best HW if you aren't regularly fighting the best. I think that's fair.

Ariel asked both Francis and Tom if they thought of themself as the best HW and both said they did. It isn't like he was just shitting on Francis out of the blue. Ariel kind of instigated by saying "Francis thinks he is" after Tom answered.

He said it's difficult to call him the best in the world, But who is the best in the world? Jones? Who is fighting stipe that francis already beat? Or tom? Who beat blaydes who francis has already KO'd twice?

It's difficult to call him the best in the world because of who is he is fighting, meanwhile the 2 HW champs the UFC has are fighting Francis's Leftovers.


A sorrow lack of selfawareness from Tom, Imo.

 

[ChangeIsComing]

Pre-Stipe fight Ngannou sure, but he did improve on something that Renan still hasn't, his wrestling.

Pfff yeah right, his wrestling still sucks. Just because he took Gane down and held him there to get a W doesn't say much, especially seeing as Jones defeated Gane in one round with grappling.

 

[Hellowhosthat]

but he's already

- Won the UFC HW title, Did not lose it
- has KO'd the only person in the UFC Tom has lost to; Curtis Blaydes (twice)
- Ko'd the UFC HW Goat (stipe)
- Holds a win over Gane, The highest ranked person in the division with out a belt
- Fought Tyson fury in a boxing match and arguably won


Seems kinda like bullshit to me. Could totally call him the Best HW in the world. Tom shouldn't be called that if anyone. Beating blaydes is SO 3 years ago if you're francis Sounds like the shit fedor detractors would say, Despite him having like 7 wins over UFC title holders.

And I don't even care for francis btw.

It's just what Tom thinks.

For me I don't know he left as the best heavyweight in the world, but he's been primarily training boxing for a couple of years and some fighters haven't looked the same when they came back to MMA after doing that so I'll see what he looks like.

 

[NoSmilez]

To be fair. People were saying the same thing about Francis before he captured his UFC belt.

 

[RockyLockridge]

It's just what Tom thinks.

For me I don't know he left as the best heavyweight in the world, but he's been primarily training boxing for a couple of years and some fighters haven't looked the same when they came back to MMA after doing that so I'll see what he looks like.

I dont think that matters, and it's a huge movement of the goalpost if you ask me.


Francis can easily claim being the best in the world. It's not difficult at all, the fact stipe is fighting for a title and blaydes just fought for one against tom himself in july proves it.

Tom is just shamelessly self promoting here, good on him for saying the right things, Im sure dana would approve of his delusion, but it's simply laughable.

 

[Hellowhosthat]

I dont think that matters, and it's a huge movement of the goalpost if you ask me.


Francis can easily claim being the best in the world. It's not difficult at all, the fact stipe is fighting for a title and blaydes just fought for one against tom himself in july proves it.

Tom is just shamelessly self promoting here.

Tbf if you ask any of the top 20 heavyweights in the world who's the best they'll all probably say it's them

 

[RockyLockridge]

Tbf if you ask any of the top 20 heavyweights in the world who's the best they'll all probably say it's them

lol I suppose I can agree with that.

 

[Thesnake101]

Pfff yeah right, his wrestling still sucks. Just because he took Gane down and held him there to get a W doesn't say much, especially seeing as Jones defeated Gane in one round with grappling.

He shut down Stipe in their rematch dude. That's more progression shown compared to Renan who got taken down with ease by Goltsov when they fought.

 

[OldBoy91]

He said it's difficult to call him the best in the world, But who is the best in the world? Jones? Who is fighting stipe that francis already beat? Or tom? Who beat blaydes who francis has already KO'd twice?

It's difficult to call him the best in the world because of who is he is fighting, meanwhile the 2 HW champs the UFC has are fighting Francis's Leftovers.


A sorrow lack of selfawareness from Tom, Imo.

He said himself. He is the only guy at HW doing big things right now.

He's the only HW that has beaten 5 of the current top 10, in 9 minutes combined. "Francis's leftovers" okay lol. Pavlovich, Volkov, Spivak are all top 7 HWs that Francis never fought. In fact Blaydes is the only ranked guy that is a common opponent between the pair of them, but you already knew that, which is why you only mentioned him because your whole argument falls apart when you add context.

It's simple, Francis WAS the best HW when he left the UFC. 3 years ago. Since then he hasn't fought in MMA and was brutally KOed in another sport by AJ who is borderline washed. Now he's coming back to fight a guy with recent stoppage losses to top 40 HWs and guys from the division below.

3 years is a lifetime in MMA. It's like saying Stipe is still the #2 HW in the world because he only lost to Francis.

 

[OldBoy91]

To be fair. People were saying the same thing about Francis before he captured his UFC belt.

Ngannou wasn't getting finished by washed 40 year old fighters and light heavyweights though. Ferreira has some bad losses, and fairly recently too. Not like they were an early career blip.

 

[CinemaKingdom]

Who is elite? Stipe? Who hasn't fought in nearly 4 years and is 2-2 in the last 6 years, getting KO'd in 2 of them? Because he's fighting for a title somehow in this elite ufc I'm hearing about. And he's fighting a guy who only had 1 fight at HW, and that's the only fight he's had in almost 5 years, against a mid kickboxer with no ground game. The ufc HW isn't sounding so elite when you look at who's at the top.

 

[spinup]

Tom is right that Fereira is not elite, but IMO wrong when he says he is not top 10. The UFC top 10 is very thin
Right now, you got Tybura, Rozenstruik and Spivak in it. That's pretty weak.

 

[jx820]

A lot of misconception I have read here is that Renan is a dangerous fight for Francis.

I don't think that's a misconception. Frank is 38, he hasn't had an MMA fight in 3 years, he's coming off a brutal KO loss in boxing, and he's very recently suffered a horrible personal tragedy.

Even if Renan isn't elite, he's a big, powerful, capable opponent, and it seems likely that Frank is not in a good place right now.

 

[RockyLockridge]

He said himself. He is the only guy at HW doing big things right now.

He's the only HW that has beaten 5 of the current top 10, in 9 minutes combined. "Francis's leftovers" okay lol. Pavlovich, Volkov, Spivak are all top 7 HWs that Francis never fought. In fact Blaydes is the only ranked guy that is a common opponent between the pair of them, but you already knew that, which is why you only mentioned him because your whole argument falls apart when you add context.

It's simple, Francis WAS the best HW when he left the UFC. 3 years ago. Since then he hasn't fought in MMA and was brutally KOed in another sport by AJ who is borderline washed. Now he's coming back to fight a guy with recent stoppage losses to top 40 HWs and guys from the division below.

3 years is a lifetime in MMA. It's like saying Stipe is still the #2 HW in the world because he only lost to Francis.

Hope you stretched this morning, you'll pull something reaching that far.


now I know you're trying really hard to boost tommy like he needs it, but Francis not fighting volkov was a matter of volkov not making it to francis for having to go through Gane, Who francis has beaten, And is a better fighter than anyone tom has beaten. Spivak is a poor mans almedia, and at the time had no relevence in the division. Francis worst match up would probably be curtis blaydes due to the wrestling pedigree, but Francis settled that twice. When francis left he had wins over Gane, Stipe, Overeem, Blaydes x2, JDS and Rozenstriuke (rozenstriuke was undefeated, Btw) who were all ranked in the top 10 when francis beat them.

3 years passing at HW still has Stipe and curtis blaydes in title fights. That divisions landscape has barely changed, number 1 when francis left was gane, it is still gane. (if we don't rank Interim and lineal champs as per usual)


Not much has changed at HW. It's still the same names and faces just shuffled around a bit. you say he was the best 3 years ago but people he's already beaten 3+ years ago are still on top. Since francis has left there has been exactly 1 Lineal HW title fight, and 2 interim title fights.

 

[JBJisGOAT14]

For beating absolutely nobody and losing to Blaydes, Lil Tommy sure talks a lot of shit.

 

[TheTribalQueef]

Aspinall is right. A lot of misconception I have read here is that Renan is a dangerous fight for Francis. On paper, Francis should win pretty handily. A year ago, Renan Fereira got beat up by Rizvan Kuniev, a guy who just got into UFC via Contender Series a month ago.

Renan also got beat up by and old and out of prime Werdum before he faked a tap.

Francis leaving UFC and most likely never fighting Jon and Aspinall is a tragedy for MMA fans.

laughing at francis ngannou being 1 and 1 against two of the three best boxers in modern heavyweight boxing history and making millions

what kind of cope gif image is this

 

[CatchtheseHands]

I don't see what Tom's point is here. Francis beat Gane, he KO'ed Blaydes twice and flatlined Stipe. He's already beat 2 of the best guy's in the entire division and arguably the HW GOAT. Yes he did not fight Volkov or Pav, but let's be honest here.. Francis would have sent Pav to space and sent Volkov packing as well. I like Tom but for Tom to be talking as if he's fighting nothing but elite guy's in the UFC is just laughable lol. Renan is most definitely an elite guy and I could see him running through most of the top 10 aside from Gane, Blaydes, Tom, Stipe, Almeida and Volkov.

 

[TITS]

Renan is most definitely an elite guy and I could see him running through most of the top 10 aside from Gane, Blaydes, Tom, Stipe, Almeida and Volkov.

So you see him beating most of the top 10 except for the top 6?

 

[filthynumber1]

That is exactly the reason why this is a dangerous fight for Francis. He should walk through a guy such as Renan. He is big and strong and has a puncher’s chance. Francis comes from a bad ko and if he gets ko’d again, he is done as a fighter, not just as an mma fighter.

It's true once that chin gets cracked, especially the way Francis' did. One more of that severity and that'll be all she wrote.
Plus he's 40 and has a shit ton of cash
No need to carry on

 

[CatchtheseHands]

So you see him beating most of the top 10 except for the top 6?

Tom said there are only elite guy's in the UFC, not PFL. Mean while the reality is Renan would easily be a fringe top 5 guy if he were in the UFC cause the top 10 isn't as elite as Tom is claiming it to be, specifically the lower end of the top 10.