Based on skills & attributes, is Leon the *best* WW of all time?

Is Leon Edwards the *best* WW of all time?

  • Yes he is

    Votes: 4 2.1%

  • No, but he's top 2

    Votes: 7 3.7%

  • No, but he's top 3

    Votes: 19 9.9%

  • No, but he's top 5

    Votes: 48 25.1%

  • No, but he's top 10

    Votes: 62 32.5%

  • No, he's not even in the conversation

    Votes: 51 26.7%
  • Total voters
    191
Question said:
I mean I'm not denying Leon could put up a solid fight against Georges, but Hendricks doesn't fight anything like Leon.
And while that fight was close, I wouldn't say Hendricks got robbed. It all depended on a very competitive first round for who won the decision.
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I wouldn't say gsp won too
 
blackheart said:
Not really. I watched every fight of his entire reign, live. He was extremely dominant and faced higher level competition than all of his championship peers from other divisions.

That being said, he never fought someone that was elite everywhere - standing and on the ground. He faced some really exceptional grapplers from his day, like Shields and Fitch, but those exceptional grapplers always had a mediocre to bad standup game. The good to elite strikers he faced had mediocre to bad grappling. He never fought anyone that had elite striking and a very very high-level ground game. When he fought someone that roughly fit that bill, Hendricks, he lost.
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BJ Penn and Nick Diaz were pretty damn good on the ground and standing. They weren't the wrestler that GSP became, but they were a constant submission threat.
 
blackheart said:
How does this make ANY sense when Leon beat Usman twice? Prime Usman is above Leon even though Leon beat him in his prime twice? What?
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Leon was not in his prime in the second two fights - he had wonky knees.

Prime Usman already beat Leon (although one that had yet to enter his prime). The second fight, Leon also got big brothered until the hail mary knockout. The third fight, Leon clearly won, but he was facing a shell of Usman that could no longer shoot because of his knees.

With that being said, I think Leon possesses the skill set that would give any WW fighter of any generation a hard time. Extremely well rounded, and I don't see someone beating him for a long time.
 
he's not even the top WW now. he's holding on to the belt as the past their prime Usman and Colby move over. Time to fight the new order and lose.
 
If Leon retains against the current hyped guys in the division he can jump above Usman at the very least

To reach GSP he needs a way stronger resume
 
blackheart said:
Not really. I watched every fight of his entire reign, live. He was extremely dominant and faced higher level competition than all of his championship peers from other divisions.

That being said, he never fought someone that was elite everywhere - standing and on the ground. He faced some really exceptional grapplers from his day, like Shields and Fitch, but those exceptional grapplers always had a mediocre to bad standup game. The good to elite strikers he faced had mediocre to bad grappling. He never fought anyone that had elite striking and a very very high-level ground game. When he fought someone that roughly fit that bill, Hendricks, he lost.
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That being said you heard it here first!!!


Woo 420 blaze it up11!!1!1!
 
Leon is great and I like him, but it’s just too soon. 2-3 more wins and we can talk about all that stuff.
 
This is a joke in almost an immeasurable amount of ways

blackheart said:
How does this make ANY sense when Leon beat Usman twice? Prime Usman is above Leon even though Leon beat him in his prime twice? What?
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Usman didn't have knees anymore, my guy. Kamaru excelled at a thing for over a decade that people can't excel at for long. Only GSP had dominant wrestling with longevity.

Do you really think that Usman being unable to take Leon down but Leon taking him down is proof that this English kickboxer is a higher levering wrestler than a division II champion? Or is there maybe another reason Usman couldn't get it done.

And that's not even mentioning how Leon was about to lose that fight. Now winning it anyway is great, but skills and attributes are THROUGHOUT a performance, otherwise it's a weakness. Leon was losing rounds. GSP didn't lose rounds. Because GSP was the best
 
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Both decison machines but I rather watch Leon fight. GSP bored the hell out of me
 
blackheart said:
So I'm just curious about people's opinions on this.

Not looking at title defenses, not looking at "big fights", or star power or any of that.

I'm not talking about "greatest" ever. I'm talking about "best" ever.

Just going off of skillset, and physical attributes (speed, power, reach, endurance, etc), do you think Leon Edwards is the best welterweight of all time?

The dude hasn't lost a fight in 8 years (2016).

In that time, he's beaten a who's who of WW greats. Welterweights that would be or are considered all time greats in their own right: Colby, Usman 2x, Luque, RDA, Gunnar Nelson, Diaz and Cerrone (both LWs I know but they've had success at 170).

Would GSP have been able to beat Usman? I don't think so honestly. Usman's size advantage and wrestling would have neutralized GSP's wrestling and then GSP would have been sniped by jabs and crosses for 5 rounds.

Colby vs GSP is honestly a toss up for me, although I'd favor GSP.

Leon's skillset is elite everywhere. He is one of the top 3 strikers in all of MMA, and his wrestling was good enough to completely shut down Colby and Usman's wrestling - two of the best wrestlers in the history of the division. Not only did he shut down Colby's grappling, he actually took Colby down.

Leon is also one of the biggest WW champs in the division's history and seems to have near infinite stamina.

Anyways, is Leon the best WW of all time? Why or why not? Do you think he's top 3? top 5?

How does prime GSP vs Leon go? I just do not see GSP taking down Leon and holding him there for 5 rounds. I see GSP getting neutralized and sniped in the 4th or the 5th.

How does Leon do against Lawler, Hendricks, Matt Hughes, BJ Penn, Matt Serra?

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Did you really just say Colby vs GSP is a tossup?

ROFL no, it would be a one-sided destruction. See Jon Fitch vs GSP. It would be the same. Colby would get 0 and I mean 0 takedowns and GSP would take him down at will.

Colby isn't even close to GSP's level. He's tailor made for GSP to embarrass.

GSP is the best WW of all time in every way. Leon is getting taken down in every round against GSP. GSP is a much better wrestler than anyone Leon has fought.
 
Hes a big rangey WW and well rounded but he lacks power. I think plenty of guys of the past would have beaten him, and even now I think Shavkat and a WW Khamzat would win.
 
Top 10 right now but i can see Kosheck grapplefucking him to a ud.
 
The 30 people voting that he's not even top 10 and not in the conversation are completely unserious casuals
 
If he beats Belal and Shavkat, top 10 all time. Probably even top 5.
I will bet on Shavkat though.
 
Skarsgard said:
There's no one in the top 15 I'd bet on to beat GSP.

Even during his best run, we saw how complacent Usman would get if a clean counter didn't present itself and his jab wasn't that good. It just improved a lot in a short time.

Colby? Fucking Colby? Colby's whole fighting style is built around smothering an older opponent and hoping they can't pull the trigger anymore. I don't think he manages to get inside GSP's range long enough to do much.

Leon's great and I've been a supporter of his for a long time, but there's just nothing he has for him. Like Usman, he gets far too complacent and willing to just let the fight happen.
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Leon has “cleaner” striking than GSP, seems more polished and precise.

Leon has seemingly better kicks. But.. I say that while acknowledging GPS’s great head kicks. GSP sort of scaled down and used less tools as he progressed. Earlier in his career, he would headlock KO people, he would Superman punch people, drop people and finish. He was called RUSH.

GSP then went very conservative and used a wresting based approach where we did not see his striking as much.


Leon on the other hand seems to have started showing more of his arsenal of late.
I Don’t know how Leon would fare vs GSP’s wrestling and grappling l
 
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