GSP... The most talented MMA practitioner to grace the sport?

[Sean]

I don't know that he is the most talented of all time, but I think he is the most dedicated MMA athlete of all time. What sets apart the very good from the best is mental focus. Guys like Fedor and Anderson bring that focus into the cage with them everytime, but GSP maintained that focus at all times. Where as Fedor for instance started to lose that focus outside the ring/cage around the Arvloski fight where his own trainers said he won on experience and they felt he didn't train properly for that fight and i get the impression the fights that came after it as well.

GSP never coasted, never counted on just being the better fighter to win. He approached every fight as the most important of his life.

 

[BrainLeakage]

Finishes are like a cherry on top of your sundae. Sure they're sweet, but you can't throw away the complete sundea just for the cherry.

A sundea with a cherry > simple sundea. But the icecream is still the main and most important component of the sundea.

GSP doesn't finish as often as people would like, but in the most important aspect of fighting (the actual fighting, not just the end of it), he is one of the best in MMA history.

 

[Szwok]

check my sig.

Stats below have been updated post ufc 167.








georges

 

[GUSWER**]

Most boring.

 

[Sean]

In that particular comparison, GSP fitch. But overall going in for the kill every fight is far more impressive than play it safe and win rounds.

However accomplish winning a lot of straight rounds is impressive too. But not at the status of best mma fighter.

Is it a sport or entertainment? Floyd Mayweather risks nothing to get finishes, and usually doesn't but he is universally accepted as the best of his generation. Roy Jones Jr was exactly the same way, winning round after round against oppoenents he could have finished early but would have risked getting caught trying.

Its not entertaining for some fans but its not pro wrestling so a fighters greatness is not judged by his ability to entertain the fans. Its their wins that make them great.

 

[jeflax]

But the statement was that finishing is better than a decision.

By that logic, Mir was more impressive over CroCop than Fedor.

Well, Mir is pretty impressive too.

So, whats more impressive than just going in for the kill? Going in for the kill and, somehow at the same time, win every freakin fight.That's what makes, at least for me, the best mma fighter of all time.

Having said that. GSP is a truly embasador for mma, a top elite athlete, a gentleman, and one of the best off al time. That's for sure.

 

[BrainLeakage]

Is it a sport or entertainment? Floyd Mayweather risks nothing to get finishes, and usually doesn't but he is universally accepted as the best of his generation. Roy Jones Jr was exactly the same way, winning round after round against oppoenents he could have finished early but would have risked getting caught trying.

Its not entertaining for some fans but its not pro wrestling so a fighters greatness is not judged by his ability to entertain the fans. Its their wins that make them great.

Nicely said.

Also, just for the record, I am more entertained by a fighter like GSP than Wanderlei Silva or Brian Stann. I respect both fighters but I don't find their fighting styles entertaining at all.

 

[2DUM2TAP]

I can understand Fedor's trumping him, I will never argue anybody on Fedor's greatness, but Silva's lack of defensive or offensive wrestling has always been a rather large weakness that he made up for with slick BJJ.

Is it a huge glaring weakness? No, he made up for it and still won impressively a considerable number of times. But it was a weakness in his techniques, and I'd put GSP above him on this particular list for that reason.

GSP was an accomplished enough striker that it wasn't a weakness for him, the same can't be said for Silva's wrestling. He wasn't a bad grappler, and was only outgrappled by the best, but it's still a ***** in the armor.


And as for the Hardy submission, the only thing stopping him from snapping Hardy's arm was compassion. Hardy bit down on his mouthpiece and bared through it, but there was nothing GSP could've done better but break the shoulder.

I agree with most of this minus the Hardy sub. It wasnt compassion that stopped his arm from snapping. He didn't control the wrist enough. Hardy was able to turn it enough to take the pressure off the elbow.

 

[jeflax]

Is it a sport or entertainment? Floyd Mayweather risks nothing to get finishes, and usually doesn't but he is universally accepted as the best of his generation. Roy Jones Jr was exactly the same way, winning round after round against oppoenents he could have finished early but would have risked getting caught trying.

Its not entertaining for some fans but its not pro wrestling so a fighters greatness is not judged by his ability to entertain the fans. Its their wins that make them great.

What about tyson? Do people now think that floyd is the greatest boxer off all time?

Because that's op question

 

[FoghornLeghorn]

I agree with most of this minus the Hardy sub. It wasnt compassion that stopped his arm from snapping. He didn't control the wrist enough. Hardy was able to turn it enough to take the pressure off the elbow.

Having rewatched the two submissions in that match, the armbar and kimura, I agree he had poor positioning for both of those subs. Position>Submission, as they say. The kimura attempt he was too far towards north-south, and so couldn't flatten hardy out or get the right amount of leverage on the shoulder.

 

[Vividsbricks23]

Anderson Silva

 

[Irenaeus]

He is among them, no doubt.

I do think that when we talk about people being talented, we have a big problem separating talent from an obsessive dedication to mastering the sport. Both GSP and Jones seems completely obsessed and driven towards winning, although with a somewhat different outlook on it. Talented? You betcha. But who knows how many people they have outworked by training every day and thinking about it every waking moment.

Both Fedor and Silva are too inscrutable to me to say what degree of dedication they had. Great, no doubt, and incredibly talented. But how much of each?

My gut kind of goes with Fedor on this, although it has to be called guesswork. No great camp, and he doesn't seem all that fond of MMA, but still one of the greatest fighters. I think that's talent.

 

[bat_country]

Well, Mir is pretty impressive too.

So, whats more impressive than just going in for the kill? Going in for the kill and, somehow at the same time, win every freakin fight.That's what makes, at least for me, the best mma fighter of all time.

Having said that. GSP is a truly embasador for mma, a top elite athlete, a gentleman, and one of the best off al time. That's for sure.

The only thing impressive about Mir/CroCop was how bad they both looked.

 

[jeflax]

The only thing impressive about Mir/CroCop was how bad they both looked.

Well that's like talking about Fedor-bfoot, anderson-weidman and GSP-hendricks. Just a shadow of what that guys were at some point of thier careers.

 

[Billy Age 12]

Eh, nothing special.

1. Jose Aldo

2. Jon Jones

3. Anderson Silva

4. Fedor

5. BJ Penn (Arguably the most talented in his prime. Champion in the LHW and WW divsions)

6. GSP - Hadn't finished a fight in 4 years. Most people saw him losing the Hendricks fight. He could only beat you in the area that you were the weakest, where as the greatest fighters beat you at your best skill. Plus the brutal Serra beating he took and the Matt Hughes armbar. Only champion in the WW division, made it public that he was ducking Anderson for quite some time as well.
-Unfortunately, this is what his legacy will be known for by true MMA fans.

 

[samoajoe]

1 - Fedor
2 - Silva
3 - GSP

(same as my GOAT ranking)

the shortbus is strong with this one having Fedor at #1.

Aldo,GSP,Lyoto,BJ, and Anderson all stand out to me and being great all around martial artist. If I had to pick one GSP seems like the best choice.

 

[Guitarmbar]

Fedor and Anderson were more talented. I would even add Aldo to that list. Not to knock GSP, he's a legend, but he became very one dimensional these last few years. At least compared to those three.

 

[Sdeev]

Apart from the losses and post knee surgery, Nobody really outdid GSP in anything.

 

[Irenaeus]

So, whats more impressive than just going in for the kill? Going in for the kill and, somehow at the same time, win every freakin fight.That's what makes, at least for me, the best mma fighter of all time.

So, Fedor for you then, I suppose?

 

[Guitarmbar]

Eh, nothing special.

1. Jose Aldo

2. Jon Jones

3. Anderson Silva

4. Fedor

5. BJ Penn (Arguably the most talented in his prime. Champion in the LHW and WW divsions)

6. GSP - Hadn't finished a fight in 4 years. Most people saw him losing the Hendricks fight. He could only beat you in the area that you were the weakest, where as the greatest fighters beat you at your best skill. Plus the brutal Serra beating he took and the Matt Hughes armbar. Only champion in the WW division, made it public that he was ducking Anderson for quite some time as well.
-Unfortunately, this is what his legacy will be known for by true MMA fans.

I agree with everything except "nothing special". GSP was/is a truly special fighter. People have trouble seeing beyond these last few years but if you go watch his fights before the Matt Serra loss his abilities were awe inspiring. He had everything. Striking, wrestling, subs. He was a killer and a finisher too. He got scared to lose after the first Serra fight imo, but that doesn't diminish his talent.