Help me better understand GSP's opponents.

[WHITE ANDERSON]

Fitch the best MMA wrestler of the three but absolutely one-dimensional, poor striking and content to sit in guard and hold a guy down. if you must watch one of his fights, watch the second alves fight

Koscheck a better athlete than Fitch but not as good an MMA wrestler. your typical wrestle-boxer with a big overhand right. the guy wasn't afraid to trade when he couldn't get it to the ground. watch the fight against rumble johnson, hendricks, or pierce.

Shields the best grappler out of the three and a super awkward kickboxer whose style actually gave GSP the most trouble up to that point in his career. watch his fight against mayhem miller or dan henderson.

 

[L0ki]

I started regularly in 2015. I've gone back and watched a lot of old fights, but mostly of those still currently fighting. The only old GSP fights I've watched were his ones with Hendricks, Hughes, and Penn, (Btw, unbiased opinion, I had GSP squeaking 3 rounds against Hendricks).

The other big three I keep hearing of are Fitch, Koscheck, and Shields, but I keep getting them mixed up with each other because they're all described as the same fighter. What made them unique from each other? Before I watch GSP's fights with them, if I had to watch one of their fights to best understand how their whole shtick, which would it be for each?

Some of his other opponents and big fights....

Frank Trigg was ranked number 2 in the division when he fought GSP. Trigg was another one of the Hendricks/Woodley/Koscheck types, which is a power punching wrestler.

Sean Sherk was ranked number 2 or 3 when he fought Georges. Sherk was good all around, with tremendous cardio and wrestling. I think GSP is only like 1 of 2 guys to finish him in like 40 fights.

Thiago Alves was a muay thai brawler with big power in his shots and crisp technique.

Mayhem Miller was a BJJ wiz with good cardio who ended up avenging 2 of his 3 losses before fighting GSP, including one of those twice.

 

[Law Dog]

I'll describe them:

BJ: LW
Fitch: one dimensional wrestler who's vegan
Shields: one dimensional wrestler who throws coffee
Koscheck: one dimensional wrestler from Fraggle Rock
Hughes: one dimensional wrestler who mutilates piglets for fun
Serra: LW
Diaz: hasn't won in 10 years

Spoiler

"I'm kidding. They are all pretty good. GSP was the best anti wrestler in MMA history.

Didn’t Fitch just fight for a title against the arguable top WW, in the world right now?

 

[Law Dog]

Top ten all-time Welterweight. He's a chain/pressure wrestler. Prior to losing against GSP, he was on a 16-fight, five year win streak, and after losing went on a 5-fight win streak.


Wrestler who'd strike. He defeated Trigg, Anthony Johnson, and Daley to get a rematch against GSP; after losing he had a close fight against Hendricks.


Top five all-time Welterweight. He's a wrestler who'd go for submissions. Prior to losing against GSP, he was on a 15-fight, six year win streak with victories over the likes of Yushin Okami, Carlos Condit, Paul Daley, Robbie Lawler, and Dan Henderson. After losing to GSP, he got victories over Tyron Woodley and Demian Maia

Notice how when you present valid facts, they go hush hush.

 

[DarkneT]

I’ll be real
Maybe a little too real

GSP’s best win is probably Condit/Shields

And he struggled with both

Every other fight was just a question of ‘can he out wrestle this guy’

I’m not hating in the slightest the dude is a legend and he’s top 3 of all time by a country mile
However
When people say he’s better than Jones I know they are Canadian instantly

Not only did Jones beat the best competition the world and in some cases twice
He DOMINATED them

 

[Mamou]

And one of those 14 wins for Shields was moving up to 185 and dominating a prime Dan Henderson for 5 rounds after nearly getting KOd in the first. Shields had a LOT of momentum and hype back then before GSP just shut him down.

Lol

 

[Mamou]

Fitch is relentless chain wrestler with serviceable striking, he was on like a 15 fight win streak and GSP made him look like he didn’t belong in there.
Koscheck is also a great wrestler who actually had good striking and legit KO power. GSP jabbed his face into hamburger meat.
Shields is a world class BJJ practitioner without much of a standup game. He was on a 14 fight win streak when GSP beat him.

Compared to who exactly? An overhand right is not good striking.

 

[AC1D1K]

I started regularly in 2015. I've gone back and watched a lot of old fights, but mostly of those still currently fighting. The only old GSP fights I've watched were his ones with Hendricks, Hughes, and Penn, (Btw, unbiased opinion, I had GSP squeaking 3 rounds against Hendricks).

The other big three I keep hearing of are Fitch, Koscheck, and Shields, but I keep getting them mixed up with each other because they're all described as the same fighter. What made them unique from each other? Before I watch GSP's fights with them, if I had to watch one of their fights to best understand how their whole shtick, which would it be for each?

You’ve seen one GSP fight you’ve seen em all.

 

[grimballer]

It’s simple...

Most were natural lw or one dimensional ww

Either strikers with no tdd or wrestlers with limited striking

The moment he faced a legit ww with good wrestling n decent striking he got beat up so bad that he took 4 years off

 

[GSP_37]

I started regularly in 2015. I've gone back and watched a lot of old fights, but mostly of those still currently fighting. The only old GSP fights I've watched were his ones with Hendricks, Hughes, and Penn, (Btw, unbiased opinion, I had GSP squeaking 3 rounds against Hendricks).

The other big three I keep hearing of are Fitch, Koscheck, and Shields, but I keep getting them mixed up with each other because they're all described as the same fighter. What made them unique from each other? Before I watch GSP's fights with them, if I had to watch one of their fights to best understand how their whole shtick, which would it be for each?

GSP vs Fitch was a great example of the destruction GSP could dish out and this was after he supposedly started fighting safe and boring after he got TKO'd by Serra. Fitch was hyped as the next best thing since GSP and GSP wrecked him bell to bell.

Koscheck: see him vs. Anthony Johnson. Koscheck was a wrestler who got decent at striking to KTFO guys. Fitch and Koscheck along with Swick were the AKA three "superstar" welterweights.

Shields: see him vs. Sexyama (Yoshihiro Akiyama) where he gets judo tripped like a ragdoll sparring dummy.

 

[IndyCovaHart]

Didn’t Fitch just fight for a title against the arguable top WW, in the world right now?

Please tell me people aren’t really saying that.

 

[Law Dog]

Please tell me people aren’t really saying that.

Dude at Buffalo Wild Wings swore by it. And he had an Affliction shirt on, so I believed him.

It wasn’t him I feared, it was the consequence.

 

[Mike]

The best gsp fight to watch is vs Fitch imo. Watched it dozens of times. Notable for the complete dominance in every area by gsp, just a completely one sided beating of the number two ww in the world.

But also for the heart and toughness of Fitch. One of the few gsp challengers that didn't break mentally and just try to survive. He jever stopped trying to win.

People mention gsps fights being boring, but for some reason they don't mention his opponents were often mentally crushed and made no attempt to win the fight even though they KNEW they were down on the cards. GSP broke fighters will to win.

 

[Mike]

Well there's the midget that made him tap to strikes, the stubby armed wrestler that busted him up on the feet, the dude with zero takedown defense that dropped him with a headkick etc..

Lol at hating a fighter so much, you have to mention fights they completely dominated to try to discredit them. I'm a big Condit fan, and gsp winning 99.99% of that fight was fucking impressive.

 

[Mike]

Didn’t Fitch just fight for a title against the arguable top WW, in the world right now?

People hate him because he's boring, myself included, but Fitch is easily a top 5 all time ww. That guy is a fucking beast to still be competing with elite guys.

 

[ferrisjso]

Dude at Buffalo Wild Wings swore by it. And he had an Affliction shirt on, so I believed him.

It wasn’t him I feared, it was the consequence.

lmfao.

 

[Kertol]

GSP beating Thiago Alves at the time was very impressive. Thiago Alves was an extremely feared striker with really good TDD in his prime and GSP beat him everywhere.

 

[Mike]

GSP beating Thiago Alves at the time was very impressive. Thiago Alves was an extremely feared striker with really good TDD in his prime and GSP beat him everywhere.

Alves is another fighter that fell off so hard, people forget what a beast he used to be.

 

[Dilan Cummingsworth]

Lol at all the trolls undermining his wins.

GSP is the GOAT and still living in haters heads in retirement while these bums who will never achieve a 1/10th of his success comment on his career from the comfort of their mother's basement.

GSP lost to Hendricks and then ran from USADA

 

[AnotherOldGuy]

Many of GSP's fans think his opponents were so good they could have beaten anyone at any weight except GSP himself.

Many of GSP's critics think his opponents were so bad that they could have beaten them (and GSP) themselves.

The truth is somewhere in between those extremes. His opponents were the best WW's in the world at the time. Its impossible to know how GSP's opponents would do against future opponents without a time machine -- fighters age, for some that means improving, for others it means wearing out, and what they do later in their careers doesn't tell nearly as much as people think.

Career peak in sports typically only lasts two or three years (its why repeat MVP's in major leagues like the NBA or NHL, or repeat gold medals in the Olympics) is so rare. The number of athletes who remain as good as they were at their peak for more than four years is very small (again, look at repeat medals in the Olympics, MVP's and so on).

He beat the best guys available at WW. Its like winning a gold medal in the Olympics, its kind of irrelevant how those guys would do later. Jesse Owen's times from the 1936 Olympics would lose to some high school students today, yet Jesse Owens is still considered one the greatest sprinters ever (probably only behind Usain Bolt) because he was the best of his day.

 

[Law Dog]

People hate him because he's boring, myself included, but Fitch is easily a top 5 all time ww. That guy is a fucking beast to still be competing with elite guys.

Most definitely... He’s not my favorite, but I never hate on his proven talents. He’s just a guy that goes to work and usually gets it done.