Can you make an argument that Barao is the Bantamweight goat?

[FireKidWS]

im curious what you guys think.

I remember when many had him top 5 active pound for pound fighters.

What do you think of Barao? Did you consider him as a GOAT at any point? Do you still now?

Lastly, how much has your view on him changed giving his latest fights?

 

[Danis_champ]

Defenses against washed up Faber, McDonald and Wineland who in hindsight aren't that good. No just no

 

[Brock Tober]

Baroa? Seriously?

 

[FireKidWS]

Defenses against washed up Faber, McDonald and Wineland who in hindsight aren't that good. No just no

Damn it I hate it when a pink guy is the first in my new threads

RIP thread

 

[FireKidWS]

Baroa? Seriously?

Start date checks out

 

[Gambit MMA]

no, he got dismantled by tj and was the interim champ when cruz was gone for 3 years. wouldnt pick him over tj, cruz, cody etc. if they were to fight.

 

[Danis_champ]

Barao is lucky Dom was hurt that time he would have never touched that belt if Dom was healthy. Overrated as fuck

 

[FireKidWS]

no, he got dismantled by tj and was the interim champ when cruz was gone for 3 years. wouldnt pick him over tj, cruz, cody etc. if they were to fight.

Part of what I’m trying to ask did you ever consider him a goat

 

[Crimson Glory]

Barao ended up being a total flash in the pan.

It's a shame really.

The guy was one of the most exciting champions at one point.

The division just became way to good for him to keep up.

 

[Gambit MMA]

Part of what I’m trying to ask did you ever consider him a goat

before tj whooped him people probably ranked him outside the top 5. i never did personally because if you look at his record its padded as hell, and then he was a flash in the pan for a few years in ufc. the pretty record and him winning the way he did had people maybe thinking he was a GOAT but his resume isnt nearly good enough and once tj came along he got steamrolled.

 

[Sapp]

I don't like to throw around the word "exposed", but man, TJ really outclassed him.

 

[GreatSaintGuillotine]

He used to seem great but there is no solid argument for him to be GOAT. Most of his wins are decent at best and his hard decline in the UFC doesn't help his case.

At one time he was in the discussion for best BW but alas, it twas not meant to be

 

[FireKidWS]

He used to seem great but there is no solid argument for him to be GOAT. Most of his wins are decent at best and his hard decline in the UFC doesn't help his case.

At one time he was in the discussion for best BW but alas, it twas not meant to be

I always appreciate your posts DJ

 

[GreatSaintGuillotine]

I always appreciate your posts DJ

Anything for a fan

 

[Brock Tober]

Start date checks out

I think my first account here was 2003. Long time ago.
Never liked Baroa, also never seen anyone fall so fast.

 

[JKS]

No chance. Top 5 BW yes....but not #1

 

[The Domin8or]

<{cruzshake}><{cruzshake}>

Barao is lucky Dom was hurt that time he would have never touched that belt if Dom was healthy. Overrated as fuck

/thread

 

[TRYHARD 2001]

He was the man in the BW division for quite some time because the division was still new, the top notch monsters we started seeing circa 2013 hadn't emerged yet, and he didn't face Dom. He has big wins over some very good guys like Wineland, Pickett, and Faber but there are also a lot of jobbers on there as well. He might have been the BW GOAT for a time but in no way, shape, or form should he be considered it any more. I believe that title goes to the Dominator, even considering the inactivity of the past 5 years. TJ would also be an acceptable answer, I guess. Stay tuned for Garbrandt as well.

 

[Hank Grill]

I forget he's even in the UFC now..

 

[sadowolf]

before tj whooped him people probably ranked him outside the top 5. i never did personally because if you look at his record its padded as hell, and then he was a flash in the pan for a few years in ufc. the pretty record and him winning the way he did had people maybe thinking he was a GOAT but his resume isnt nearly good enough and once tj came along he got steamrolled.

Funny you say that, because before TJ beat him the UFC was marketing Barao was the #1 P4P fighter in the world leading up to their fight haha (I believe this was soon after Anderson lost the title and Jones beat Gus but caught a beating). There were a decent amount of people parroting that notion as well. I wasn't one of them but I certainly didn't think TJ would handle him so thoroughly.

Even when he was on his run and was the man, he had holes in his game that none of his opponents had the right combination of skills to exploit until TJ. McDonald showed that a hard puncher with decent fundamentals in the pocket can take advantage of his lack of head movement and rock him badly, but his own lack of speed and rhythm manipulation made him easy to figure out. Wineland confused him early with his rhythm manipulation but lacked the defense and exhibition of fundamentals to really capitalize before Barao caught him off guard. TJ came with all those positives and none of those negatives, and Barao had no answer. Since then it seems to be a combination of the weight cut, his faults being exposed in a big way, and TJ possibly breaking him that has caused him to nosedive. I think before TJ there was maybe an argument to be made that he was the GOAT or shaping up to be (I still would've gone Cruz), but that argument fell apart starting with the first beating he took from TJ.