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“I started fighting in 2012 and look at that – Jones was the guy then. So I’ve kind of been training for him the entire time.” --- https://mmajunkie.com/2019/01/dominick-reyes-wants-to-dethrone-jon-jones-keys-beating-ufc-champ
The Chris: "I imagined fighting Anderson Silva since I got into martial arts" ---
Max and Conor said the same thing about how when they finally got in the cage with Aldo they'd been studying him for half a decade.
There are many ways to be impressive in MMA - spectacular finishing ability, unbeaten streaks, titles in multiple weight classes, talking mad trash, being as swole as Yoel Romero at 41 ...
... but above all of them the absolute #1 ultimate test of greatness is the ability to stay on top of your mountain while contender after contender after contender after contender after contender tries to rip you down off of the peak.
What Reyes, Weidman, Conor, Max and others are talking about is the significantly heightened level of scrutiny that long term champs such as Jones, GSP, Aldo, etc. had to deal with, and that no other fighter has to deal with on the same level.
The target on your back, as every other fighter in your weight class, and their coaches, studies your game any time they're not studying their next opponent, while you as champ only really concentrate on one opponent at a time because you never know whether any of the others will ever reach high enough to challenge you.
By the time Jonny Bones, for example, faced Glover Texeira, Glover had been studying title holder Jon in his spare time for 3+ years while Jon had only just finished up with Gus to be able to take a proper look at Glover 6 or so months earlier.
Similarly those of us who are true hardcores and non-noobs remember listening to Cage Warriors era Conor McGregor on MMA Junkie Radio all the way back in 2012 (way before Casual Helwani had ever heard of Conor) talking about how he'd been studying FW legend Jose Aldo for years already and was convinced he'd worked out how to beat him. This study began long before Aldo had ever even heard of Conor McGregor. Of course, this is also why Max is too smart to entertain overexcited media and fans prematurely asking whether Max is already the FW GOAT. Max knows how it is because from Feb 2012 to Dec 2015 - long before Aldo or his team ever started watching tape on Max - Max was studying Aldo like the rest of the 145 division.
So of course it's hella impressive that GSP is a 2-division champion, but it's faaaaaaaaaar more impressive that he defended his title 9 consecutive times. That's just how the real world works.
TL;DR A long streak of title defenses is the #1 ultimate truest test of GOATNESS ... FACT
(In b4 some humorless drooling goober points out "GOATNESS" isn't even a real word)
The Chris: "I imagined fighting Anderson Silva since I got into martial arts" ---
Max and Conor said the same thing about how when they finally got in the cage with Aldo they'd been studying him for half a decade.
There are many ways to be impressive in MMA - spectacular finishing ability, unbeaten streaks, titles in multiple weight classes, talking mad trash, being as swole as Yoel Romero at 41 ...
... but above all of them the absolute #1 ultimate test of greatness is the ability to stay on top of your mountain while contender after contender after contender after contender after contender tries to rip you down off of the peak.
What Reyes, Weidman, Conor, Max and others are talking about is the significantly heightened level of scrutiny that long term champs such as Jones, GSP, Aldo, etc. had to deal with, and that no other fighter has to deal with on the same level.
The target on your back, as every other fighter in your weight class, and their coaches, studies your game any time they're not studying their next opponent, while you as champ only really concentrate on one opponent at a time because you never know whether any of the others will ever reach high enough to challenge you.
By the time Jonny Bones, for example, faced Glover Texeira, Glover had been studying title holder Jon in his spare time for 3+ years while Jon had only just finished up with Gus to be able to take a proper look at Glover 6 or so months earlier.
Similarly those of us who are true hardcores and non-noobs remember listening to Cage Warriors era Conor McGregor on MMA Junkie Radio all the way back in 2012 (way before Casual Helwani had ever heard of Conor) talking about how he'd been studying FW legend Jose Aldo for years already and was convinced he'd worked out how to beat him. This study began long before Aldo had ever even heard of Conor McGregor. Of course, this is also why Max is too smart to entertain overexcited media and fans prematurely asking whether Max is already the FW GOAT. Max knows how it is because from Feb 2012 to Dec 2015 - long before Aldo or his team ever started watching tape on Max - Max was studying Aldo like the rest of the 145 division.
So of course it's hella impressive that GSP is a 2-division champion, but it's faaaaaaaaaar more impressive that he defended his title 9 consecutive times. That's just how the real world works.
TL;DR A long streak of title defenses is the #1 ultimate truest test of GOATNESS ... FACT
(In b4 some humorless drooling goober points out "GOATNESS" isn't even a real word)
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