Can we please admit merab is the bantamweight goat?

[Hdfi]

I agree. Do you (or anyone) know how many ranked wins Merab has? That’s an honest question, I don’t know.

Cruz has:

10 ranked wins
12 fight win streak at BW (Merab is technically at 11 as his fight with Lopez was at a 140lb catchweight)
7 title fight wins
5 total title defenses, 4 consecutively in one reign, (and the reign was stopped by injuries not by losing)

What are Merab’s stats?

^ This.
Merab has 6 top ten ranked wins, 1 title defense and some of his best wins have been against opponents out of their prime (Marlon, Aldo, Cejudo).


Cruz is still GOAT.

 

[TheMMAnalyst]

You need to finish opponents or heavily damage them consistently to even be in the conversation.

GSP/Jones/Fedor/Khabib/Dj/Anderson - all consistently beat the shit out of and finished a lot of high-level opponents.

Merab has one finish over a washed fighter that almost KO’d him 3 times. He has the super-power of endless cardio so he can implement clinching/wrestling you so you get so tired you can’t fight back. All while not controlling you, submitting you, or damaging you heavily.

He’s the best at what he does, but he’s the GOAT of cardio, not fighting.

 

[Deltron 6060]

Dom Cruz has a better resume.

 

[Doctor Grudge]

because today's BW division is better than anything what Cruz/Faber went through. BJ Penn would lose to today's killer at LW

Like Dan Hooker?

Seems rather baseless.

 

[humdizzle]

not yet

 

[Doctor Grudge]

If Henry goes on a run of good wins I'll concede that is a good win and if he never wins a meaningful fight again I hope you are honest enough to remove him from your list.

Cejudo is near the end of his career and fights once per year. I'm not sure what you mean by a "run of good wins".

I am being honest. Watch Sterling vs Cejudo. There isn't much indication at all that he is washed up. It feels like you just looked at his age and that's it. You're saying he is washed up, explain why.

For you not to say he is a good win for someone to fight on their contendership basically implies that you think Kevin Holland level fighters can beat Henry Cejudo. He barely lost to the champion.


To put things in perspective, some recent fighters that have lost to guys who shortly after got title shots are Bobby Green, Neil Magny, Bruno Silva, Raulian Paiva, Johnny Walker, Thiago Santos

Cejudo is WAY above those guys.

 

[rightfight777]

This guy has unbelievable cardio. But why? Let's not forget T.J. and of course Lance Armstrong and the reasons they had such an advantage. I think similar.

 

[Doctor Grudge]

This guy has unbelievable cardio. But why? Let's not forget T.J. and of course Lance Armstrong and the reasons they had such an advantage. I think similar.

My mind is blown that people think he has this type of cardio because of PEDs. That makes so little sense. If that were true, then everyone who does PEDs would also have crazy cardio like him.

He has that type of conditioning because of genetics. What PED is going to make you be able to fight like Merab? And if that existed, why don't other people take it?

 

[PaddyO'malley]

Agreed

Merab = yyds

 

[rightfight777]

My mind is blown that people think he has this type of cardio because of PEDs. That makes so little sense. If that were true, then everyone who does PEDs would also have crazy cardio like him.

He has that type of conditioning because of genetics. What PED is going to make you be able to fight like Merab? And if that existed, why don't other people take it?

partly genetics just study Lance Armstrong people said the same thing no way this guy is on anything... 35 year old Merab with this type of cardio something is up....

 

[TheCryingElite]

I'm almost there it's weird i feel like just one more defense and it's case closed but at the same time it'd probably just be a rematch with Yan or O'Malley who he has already dominated so what's the point?

Give it up to merab pretty much the first fighter on UFC roster to ever clear out bw.

I guess there is figgy, Vera and sandhagen but they are all off losses. Could have of course just made figgy Vs merab and do Vera Vs Umar after he beat sandhagen... But nooooo

I truly believe Yan could make a rematch interesting. O’Mailey not so much.

 

[Doctor Grudge]

partly genetics just study Lance Armstrong people said the same thing no way this guy is on anything... 35 year old Merab with this type of cardio something is up....

Many other people doped around Lance Amstrong's era and weren't anywhere near as good as Armstrong.

PEDs are a supplementary advantage, they do not alter your genetics. You're not doing what Merab does just because you're on PEDs. The evidence is already there. Many fighters have taken PEDs in the UFC and none of them are close to Merab, who has never popped.

 

[Dr Brian Pepper]

No lol.

For starters, that fence grab in round three was terrible, and legit one of the worse grabs I have ever seen and I can not believe they did not take a point. That could have easily allowed umar to take merabs back, and end the round on his back thus winning the round. The fight was very close but imo umar def won 1/2 and lost 3/4/5, but that fence grab was legit awful.

Number 2, Merab beating Aldo was another terrible thing, you dont go 0/26 in takedowns and win the fight

His style abuses the scoring system in UFC, not saying he is not great, he is the rightful champion. But GOAT??? absurd statement

 

[CerebralKnievel]

justin Tafa would beat demetrious johnson. Who cares bratha? It’s not a head to head it’s who has accomplished the most

TJ has 5 title wins, while Merab has 2, so I'm not sure how you reasoned that this statement somehow supported your argument.

 

[TITS]

Giving him props for beating moraes (1-3kos) that 1 being a robbery who's gone on to be 1-8(all ko) is pathetic.
And 37 year old post retirement cejudo isn't much better.
And both beat him up r1.

@TITS is right merab fans wish he could get Cruz next and have that amazing win on his resume like it's equal to what Cody did.

I don't think anyone would complain about watching Merab toss Cruz around the cage for 25 minutes.