Bellator champs in the UFC where would you rank them?

[NoBiasJustMMA]

I'll bite

How exactly does Bader have a 50% chance vs Stipe?

I wouldn't say 50% I think Stipe wins that 60-70% of the time but Bader has better wrestling than him, he has very good top control and better cardio, Stipe also isn't much bigger.

 

[Schoolboy Q]

Every single one of them unranked, Bellator is shit.

 

[BRASIL WAND]

I'll bite

How exactly does Bader have a 50% chance vs Stipe?

Stipe is inconsistent... sometimes he looks like a world beater, other times he’s getting KO’d by Struve and 5’8 grappler DC, rocked multiple times by Reem or getting taken down by shot JDS.

Bader on the other hand has a much better wrestling pedigree than Stipe, finally comfortable in the striking, and his confidence is really making him a complete fighter.

Baders only knock is that he never used striking to set up takedowns, he’d wing haymakers from outside or shoot from halfway across the cage. He now has a better presence in the pocket and knows how to manage distance. His KO power has also been better suited for HW

It would be an awesome fight.

 

[NoBiasJustMMA]

Yes those two divisions are the few in Bellator that does have some quality depth and the guys at the top have had a lot of tough competition.

UFC I think Lima has a tough time getting in top 5. Pitbull a much better shot.

I think Lima wouldn't do as well as Pitbull but only cause I think Pitbull would be the FW champion in the UFC. I think Lima would be top 5 in the UFC unless they matched him up with Maia who's the one lower ranked guy than him in the UFC that's a bad match up for him.

 

[Liverkick-king56]

I think both of you are way too high on Pitbull. But that being said I haven't watched a ton of Bellator recently, but I did watch a lot back when it was the Alvarez/Chandlers/Pitbulls/ then Benson, etc.

I think it's very reasonable to think every single one of these guys: Bader, Mousasi, Lima, Chandler, Pitbull - would all be top 5-10 in their divisions.

To say anything more is too speculative imo, we've seen guys come over from Pride, Strikeforce, Bellator, and ONE/WSOF (Askren) and have success but also seen a lot just fall flat.

LW is the division I rank lowest all around in Bellator and Eddie Alveraz was certainly a top 10 in the UFC.

MW and HW and lowest in terms of depth but they have established fighters who had success at the ufc's highest level as their #1 contender or champ

FW and WW are stacked Larkin and Rory probably thought it would be a easy path to a title and long reign.

 

[Negator402]

HW: Bader is not a top 5 HW imo. Sure the UFC division is shallow but he als rather small and i see Stipe, DC, Francis, Curtis, Jarzinho, Volkov and Overeem beating him with relative ease.

At LHW: that should def be his better weight class, but depending If Gus comes back and how, i still see Jones, Reyes, Santos, Smith (not sure), Corey and Jan beating him.

MW: Lovato is pretty tough but also rather one dimensional. He could be a top 10 fighter. But most contenters would beat him quite comfortably.

WW: Lima is a tough one, since im very high on him, but WW is pretty deep rn. I think he could def hang with the top 5 but to really tell if he could be champ, is too early rn imo.

LW: Pitbull gets demolished by Khabib and Tony and pretty easily besten by DP and Gaethje. Other than that he could propably bei competitive with a lot of guys even tho he might be undersized for the division.

FW: i dont think he beats Holloway, but Volk might actually be a pretty good matchup for him. FW is a shark tank rn with KZ, Zabit, Yair etc. But i believe he might be able to hang with most of them.

Correct. They also forget Moussasi isnt champion at MW in Bellator.

 

[No Skill Gap]

Bellator's FW and WW divisions are full of top talent comparable to the ufc
FW has Pitbull, Sanchez, Weichel, Mckee, Cadwell, Straus (at the time) would be top 15 while guys like Corrales, Carvhalo wouldn't be contenders but are certainly good enough to hang in the UFC
WW has contenders like Lima, Larkin, MVP (hate him but he looks good and looked good against Lima) Andrey and many WW like Daley who can hold their own and also crack top 15

Ehhh you're kind of naming a bunch of bums and a bunch of guys who may or may not even be good. Good as in top 10-12 caliber in the UFC whilst they are elite in Bellator (Strauss, Weichel, Curran).

Larkin and MVP suck. That's the problem they are top 3-5 fighters in Bellator, elite, but they probably wouldn't even crack the top 10 in the UFC, probably hover around 12-15 I'd bet or just wash out depending on match ups.

We've already seen Larkin in the UFC, he went 1-4 against pretty good but not great competition overall at MW. Then we went to WW and went 4-1 but it was against weak competition overall imo, he beat a lesser version of Masvidal to a split decision win (people thought Masvidal won I think) and his first 3 bouts were against John Howard, Ponzhibbio, and Tumenov. Not exactly killers, probably 3 unranked guys at the time.

 

[El Fernas]

Some people think UFC talent is the only legit fighters while others think Bellator holds a couple world champion level fighters. Where would you rank the champs?

HW - Bader: I'd place him at top 5 Kongo and Meathead are legit heavyweights with solid takedown defence and Bader destroyed them both on the feet and ground

LHW - Bader: Top 3, he's always been a top 5 talent but has seemed to get even better in Bellator and honestly I always thought he'd beat Gus, the biggest question mark is would he have the confidence to fight a rumble like guy again or would he break before the fight even started.

MW - Mousasi: (Not fan boying, just haven't seen the champ fight) but i'd think Mousasi is in or just outside the top 5, he's got the skills to compete with everybody but he's also got holes in his striking in grappling that can and have been exploited by top talents in the past

WW- Lima: Top 5, this one is based up on match ups though there's still a question mark against true wrestlers like Maia, Woodley, Colby and Usman but I think he can strike with anybody in the division with calculated strikers like Thompson and Edwards being his toughest stand up test.

LW - Chandler: (Pitbull would be a FW in the UFC) Honestly I think kind of low of Chandler and don't think he's that good. Maybe put him just a #15 because Hernadez is a winnable fight. I don't see him doing much unless he can out wrestle his opponent, his striking is quick but limited and basic.

FW - Pitbull: Easily top 5 and earning a title shot, Pitbull has fought legit fighters and beat them all. Straus in his prime was insane and as good as any grinder in the world. I think he matches up well with Volk but would get chewed up by Holloway and rangy strikers would give him fits. A fight with Jung would be crazy.

Mousasi isnt the champ any more, but he would be top 10 i guess, he probably was ranked that high back in his UFC run.

HW: Bader Top 5 easy
LHW: Bader Top 5 easy
MW: Lovato Top 10, im not sold on him, and has not defended the belt.
WW: Lima Top 5 easy
LW: Pitbull, Top 10-5, but he is undersized and probably would not even try LW.
FW: Pitbull Top 5

 

[Liverkick-king56]

Ehhh you're kind of naming a bunch of bums and a bunch of guys who may or may not even be good. Good as in top 10-12 caliber in the UFC whilst they are elite in Bellator (Strauss, Weichel, Curran).

Larkin and MVP suck. That's the problem they are top 3-5 fighters in Bellator, elite, but they probably wouldn't even crack the top 10 in the UFC, probably hover around 12-15 I'd bet or just wash out depending on match ups.

We've already seen Larkin in the UFC, he went 1-4 against pretty good but not great competition overall at MW. Then we went to WW and went 4-1 but it was against weak competition overall imo, he wrestled a lesser version of Masvidal to a split decision win and his first 3 bouts were against John Howard, Ponzhibbio, and Tumenov. Not exactly killers, probably 3 unranked guys at the time.

Tumenov was 100% legit at the time, he was the next big thing.
Ponz was dismantled
Howard is a solid guy to tko with stand up
Magny only loses to the best and he was coming off of wins over Gastelum, Silva and Lomard

Strauss, Weichel and Curran at the time of their peaks certainly hold the skills to contend in the UFC.
These guys are destroying guys the UFC rejected just as bad as the UFC was Sam Sicilia is a good measuring stick if some one is legit and Bellators fighters have been passing the test

 

[PicoPulse]

Numba 1

 

[george14]

Askren pretty much answered that question. Not at top 10.

That's a ridiculous comment. You use one guy?

Eddie Alvarez beat Gaethje then got snuffed in ONE by some dude no one has ever heard of.

 

[No Skill Gap]

LW is the division I rank lowest all around in Bellator and Eddie Alveraz was certainly a top 10 in the UFC.

MW and HW and lowest in terms of depth but they have established fighters who had success at the ufc's highest level as their #1 contender or champ

FW and WW are stacked Larkin and Rory probably thought it would be a easy path to a title and long reign.

LW was Bellator's best division by far, talking about a few years or so back.

I don't think FW or WW are stacked. Having the infusion of Rory McDonald was supposed to make it stacked but he moved up and got destroyed by Mousasi right?

I think Lima and McDonald are clearly top 5-10 caliber guys worldwide, they could go to the UFC and be top 5-10...exactly where depending on match-ups and their motivation.

But I don't think guys like Daley, Larkin, MVP are that good at all, and we've seen two of them in the UFC already and not really cut it. Neither being a top 10 caliber guy. Maybe Larkin improved, but it's just so tough to say because he's fighting inferior competition. The problem here is that they are top 5 guys in Bellator at WW so how is that division stacked? Those guys would probably be 11-15 or unranked respectively in the UFC.

Also let's talk steroids/PEDs here. I think that matters I really do, and obviously people are using in Bellator, at least more there than in the UFC with USADA testing.

 

[Pakman]

HW - Bader: top 5-7, his chin will make him lose some fights at HW but his wrestling is much better than almost everyone at HW and he has good cardio and good striking.

LHW - Bader: top 3, he left when he was in the top 5 and hasn't lost since and has improved.

MW - Mousasi: Top 4-7, he's still very good and hasn't taken much damage in his career or had many injury issues.

WW - Lima: Top 4, only guys I would favor over him are Usman, Colby and Maia. Woodley doesn't really wrestle anymore and is 36+.

LW - Chandler: Top 10 maybe top 7, he's not as good as he was a few years ago but he's still very good, has top lvl wrestling, big KO power and good striking.

FW - Pitbull: Number 1, I think he is the best fighter in Bellator would beat Volkanovski and Holloway.

Damien isn't explosive enough to get Lima to the mat anymore. And Douglas will pick him apart from the outside and finish him before he gets a chance to grapple.

Not sure how you'd put Maia as a guy to beat Lima, seems kind of absurd. Gilbert Burns has a better shot to beat Lima than Maia does.

 

[Pakman]

LW was Bellator's best division by far, talking about a few years or so back.

I don't think FW or WW are stacked. Having the infusion of Rory McDonald was supposed to make it stacked but he moved up and got destroyed by Mousasi right?

I think Lima and McDonald are clearly top 5-10 caliber guys worldwide, they could go to the UFC and be top 5-10...exactly where depending on match-ups and their motivation.

But I don't think guys like Daley, Larkin, MVP are that good at all, and we've seen two of them in the UFC already and not really cut it. Neither being a top 10 caliber guy. Maybe Larkin improved, but it's just so tough to say because he's fighting inferior competition. The problem here is that they are top 5 guys in Bellator at WW so how is that division stacked? Those guys would probably be 11-15 or unranked respectively in the UFC.

Also let's talk steroids/PEDs here. I think that matters I really do, and obviously people are using in Bellator, at least more there than in the UFC with USADA testing.

Larkin's best run was IN the UFC, vs UFC level fighters.

He's looked mediocre at best in Bellator.

 

[jjresq]

HW with the right matchup Bader can crack the top 10
LHW top 5 gatekeeper
MW Lovato wont even past Usada test
WW Lima top 5
LW Pitbull top 10 with the right matchups
FW top 5

 

[No Skill Gap]

Stipe is inconsistent... sometimes he looks like a world beater, other times he’s getting KO’d by Struve and 5’8 grappler DC, rocked multiple times by Reem or getting taken down by shot JDS.

Bader on the other hand has a much better wrestling pedigree than Stipe, finally comfortable in the striking, and his confidence is really making him a complete fighter.

Baders only knock is that he never used striking to set up takedowns, he’d wing haymakers from outside or shoot from halfway across the cage. He now has a better presence in the pocket and knows how to manage distance. His KO power has also been better suited for HW

It would be an awesome fight.

Come on now, DC is basically an all-time great.

I don't understand why everyone on this site shits on him constantly, yeah he's corny and I guess he eye poked Stipe, but he won the Strikeforce HW GP, is the best LHW besides Jones (the GOAT*), won two titles in two divisions at the same time, and has only lost to Stipe while being cocky with hubris and Jon Jones while on steroids. He's a top 2-3 HW and a top 2 LHW in the UFC. Probably 1 and 2 honestly.

His resume' cannot be denied.

*Steroids aside and GSP is the only person above him and it's razor close.

 

[TheRuthlessOne]

How has he gotten worse? His striking is better, and he's gotten better at using his striking to set up his grappling and vice versa.

I think the only thing Ryan has improved is his confidence. Other than that he is older and slower than he was in UFC.

Meanwhile, Stipe is fighting killers like Francis and DC

DC didn't really use wrestling effectively vs Stipe so I doubt Ryan uses wrestling effectively vs Stipe

I think Stipe has a shit ton more heart than Bader does. I think a lot of times Bader is a front runner

Stipe has shown his ability to overcome adversity while Ryan Bader never has done that in his career

Only way Bader wins this fight is a hail mary

 

[qw3rty]

Correct. They also forget Moussasi isnt champion at MW in Bellator.

Well Lovato is retiring and Moose was the previous champ so it's not that crazy to use him as the measure stick.

 

[Liverkick-king56]

But I don't think guys like Daley, Larkin, MVP are that good at all, and we've seen two of them in the UFC already and not really cut it. Neither being a top 10 caliber guy. Maybe Larkin improved, but it's just so tough to say because he's fighting inferior competition. The problem here is that they are top 5 guys in Bellator at WW so how is that division stacked? Those guys would probably be 11-15 or unranked respectively in the UFC.

Also let's talk steroids/PEDs here. I think that matters I really do, and obviously people are using in Bellator, at least more there than in the UFC with USADA testing.

Paul Daley was 3-1 in the UFC only losing to a prime Kos, If he stayed in the UFC I think he would've floated around the top 15 for years.
Larkin was literally ranked top 5 in the UFC
Jon Fitch got cut for being boring but has beaten big names
MVP was doing good against Lima proving his striking is legit and Daley was gunshy
Andrey is solid and the only guy he looks incapable of winning against is Lima
Rory wasn't really matched up with the top talent but Lima beat him and probably fueled his decision to leave

 

[No Skill Gap]

Paul Daley was 3-1 in the UFC only losing to a prime Kos, If he stayed in the UFC I think he would've floated around the top 15 for years.
Larkin was literally ranked top 5 in the UFC
Jon Fitch got cut for being boring but has beaten big names
MVP was doing good against Lima proving his striking is legit and Daley was gunshy
Andrey is solid and the only guy he looks incapable of winning against is Lima
Rory wasn't really matched up with the top talent but Lima beat him and probably fueled his decision to leave

When was Larkin ever ranked top 5 in the UFC? I'm not saying you are wrong because I don't know for sure...but I find that extremely hard to believe. He beat Tumenov, Masvidal, and Magny. Those were his best 3 wins out of 4 total, 4-1 at WW after going 1-4 at MW.

WW is perennially stacked, so I just don't see how that makes a lot of sense.

I did a slight amount of research and I think you are making that shit up lol...Larkin was unranked going into the fight against Magny who was ranked 7th. So I'm just not sure how that possibly vaults him to 5th or better.

Sam Sicillia never fought any good in the UFC so I also fail to see how he's a measuring stick. Cole Miller is the best fighter he ever faced. Yeah he was a gatekeeper to being top 15 maybe? Not even.

And sure there's some names at WW but again: Jon Fitch is 41 and juiced to the gills, MVP is a flashy striker who Bellator curated a path for against no wrestlers, no one good, Larkin is just an average WW in the UFC probably, top 10-12 at best imo, Daley fought two strikers, neither of which great, and then got raped by Koscheck in the UFC.

Daley was wrestlefucked by Rory and has no wrestling/grappling at all, he's not that good. Like I said Lima + Rory (didn't know he was retired?) + the russian guy are the only 3 legit WWs and I don't think any of them necessarily have the ceiling to compete for a title in the UFC but all 3 would likely be top 5-10. Not even sure about Andrey but top 10 seems reasonable.