Can we please admit merab is the bantamweight goat?

[BFoe]

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

Yeah, very true, I had forgotten it was so many. Earlier ITT I said that maybe we could rank Merab ahead of TJ, but nah. I think Merab has to be behind Cruz, Sterling, and TJ at minimum.

 

[Doctor Grudge]

Doesn't something like EPO give you endless cardio?
Isn't that why all the tour de cheats take it?

Not saying merabs on it but there are specific steroids for this type of thing.

An EPO is not a steroid, but yes, an EPO is used to have more stamina. Hardly any fighters have tested positive for EPOs.

If fighters are using EPOs because it's easy to pass the drug test then pretty much everyone is on it (or one would think more than one person), and it wouldn't explain why Merab's cardio is the best.

It doesn't seem all that likely that Matt Serra is feeding Merab EPOs under the table but isn't doing the same for Sterling. I know you're not saying Merab is on EPOs, just putting it out there in general.

 

[chinarice]

Doesn't something like EPO give you endless cardio?
Isn't that why all the tour de cheats take it?

Not saying merabs on it but there are specific steroids for this type of thing.

Funny, until Saturday, no one batted an eye about the Dagestanis chain grappling guys for as long as fights go on and not gas out. Then someone literally has cardio on par with them and only that guy is sus. Islam literally snatching quick subs and manhandling Poirier at what, the 23 minute mark of a fight?

Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight

 

[Sean Chowdhury]

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.

cejudo had a close fight with aljo, he's still a top tier BW even if he's not in his prime. Moraes is dangerous so I put him there

 

[VinceArch]

It's still early but he's off to a good start.

 

[MigitAs]

TJ or Dom in prime beat Merab. They just do

I think prime Cruz makes it look easy.

 

[SalvadorAllende]

Yes he is by far.

 

[usernamee]

Every other fight there's a new GOAT

How about we hold off on the fucking GOAT talk until this sport is older than 15 minutes

 

[13Seconds]

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

In hindsight im sure the Nurmagomedovs and their fans agree with your matchmaking. A bit of experience would do Umar some good before stepping in there with Merab. I really did think him getting fast tracked would work against him, but got called a scared Merab fan instead.

I was campaigning for Merab/Figgy at the date Merab wanted, March. Umar could've fought a contender in the mean time.

Umar vs Yan at 311 would've been sick. But noo

 

[cburm]

Goat bw he's not even close ..

 

[wrb]

In hindsight im sure the Nurmagomedovs and their fans agree with your matchmaking. A bit of experience would do Umar some good before stepping in there with Merab. I really did think him getting fast tracked would work against him, but got called a scared Merab fan instead.

I was campaigning for Merab/Figgy at the date Merab wanted, March. Umar could've fought a contender in the mean time.

Umar vs Yan at 311 would've been sick. But noo

What's weird is that I never really thought he was so dominant until recently, but now I realize he's going to be a nightmare for that division, and I doubt anyone wants to fight him. It's really embarrassing for the UFC to have Yan fight again when Merab ran him across the ring with him on his shoulders about a year and a half ago. What would they even show in fight previews leading up to the fight? Sean seems really quiet recently, and if he really wants to box, maybe now is the time. Umar is in REALLY good shape and might be the best athlete of the four in the Khabib team (he's definitely the fastest). I can't think of anyone who can challenge him besides a very healthy, determined Sean, and even that might be two years away and maybe Merab will just move on. lol, the dude has fought everyone except Aljo and Aljo is also winding down his carreer.

 

[Mmmmmmma1234]

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.

There's alot of different factors in why I think you're overrated beating Cejudo at 37, age being the most important tho. The Song fight will tell us alot if he win or loses again. A good run I'd define as song and another top 15 guy. The facts are the Aljo fight was a little younger Cejudo, his confidence was extremely high, aljo could have fought down to his level of competition, and Cejudo wanted to retire again after.
I'm not saying he was a bum, Aljo third best pre-title win was a prime Munhoz coming off 3 big wins including starching garbrandt, I'm saying beating 37 Cejudo is that level of achievement. Cruz beat Ian McCall on the way to the title (the uncrowned flyweight champion) are we going to add that to his title defenses record since it's on par with 37 Cejudo. So again Merab not special he needs to win more to be the goat.

Tony, the Chris, Renan, bj, moraes all showed flashes of their prime as they consistently got beat up post prime it doesn't make them still at the top of their game.

I have no idea what you are trying to say at the most of those guys never fought for a title?

 

[Pechan]

Yep, and because of the UFC's bullshit, he cleaned out the division with just one title defense.

 

[Mmmmmmma1234]

In hindsight im sure the Nurmagomedovs and their fans agree with your matchmaking. A bit of experience would do Umar some good before stepping in there with Merab. I really did think him getting fast tracked would work against him, but got called a scared Merab fan instead.

I was campaigning for Merab/Figgy at the date Merab wanted, March. Umar could've fought a contender in the mean time.

Umar vs Yan at 311 would've been sick. But noo

I don't think that's true. The only experience Umar needed to win was what he got Saturday. Feeling merab out cardio him and getting beat there should make him a better fighter and if they ever rematch I'd expect him to be ready for five rounds of that now that he's seen what level he's going to need.

 

[Lee Danger]

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

Armstrong was on a complete different level, compared to his competitors he had huge resources, backed by his sponsor, Discovery channel, which was by far the richest one and his ped cycles were the state of the art.

 

[AndrewGolota48]

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

This is true, but also funny because it makes me think prime Cogar would be a really dangerous fight for Merab.

 

[BFoe]

Yep, and because of the UFC's bullshit, he cleaned out the division with just one title defense.

There’s 6 dudes in the current top 10 he’s never fought. I don’t think we can call the division “cleaned out,” can we?

 

[r-harper-1]

Can’t be a goat fighting like that

 

[Plissken]

TJ or Dom in prime beat Merab. They just do

Those would be awesome fights, especially since they both have a strong wrestling background but became more known for striking and have excellent cardio and distance management, so both of Merab's greatest strengths could potentially be countered and it being more of a stand up fight.