How would a prime Murilo Bustamante do in today's WW division?

[Heartbell]

Bustamante spent his entire career fighting guys much bigger than him. Picked up a lot of great wins like Dave Menne x2, Matt Lindland, and Minowaman, but lost to bigger guys like Dan Henderson, Rampage, and Chuck Liddell. Honestly, I think he could have been at least as good as Demian Maia and likely better.

 

[joeyjoejoe]

He wouldn't get blown out of the water but he would get roughed up something fierce by he top 10 though.

 

[ironfist05]

I could see him being a top contender, easy

 

[wilKO]

He'd look like Rumble. Dude was massive. Too big for 170. He'd be sweet at MW. His skillset was impressive and would work today.

 

[waldywaldy]

One of the most underrated fighters ever. 170 would be hard for him though. Would be competitive with today's top 10 mw's for sure.

 

[Bend NvR Break]

Without GSP around anything can happen. He could be champ.

 

[cade187]

If Busta got into the game the same time as the current top MWs, I think he could still be MW champ.

 

[HI SCOTT NEWMAN]

he would ok but would probably lose a few then be cut

 

[Heartbell]

He'd be undersized against the top of the MW division like Rockwell. I think with dedication he could get to 170.

 

[lockjaw211]

He would be a beast at either weight. Busts was very skilled fighter on the ground and the feet.

 

[AWESOMEACE]

Bustamante spent his entire career fighting guys much bigger than him. Picked up a lot of great wins like Dave Menne x2, Matt Lindland, and Minowaman, but lost to bigger guys like Dan Henderson, Rampage, and Chuck Liddell. Honestly, I think he could have been at least as good as Demian Maia and likely better.

 

[AWESOMEACE]

He would be a beast at either weight. Busts was very skilled fighter on the ground and the feet.

did you really shorten his name to Busts?

 

[TGArthur]

How would a prime orange perform vs. an apple.

 

[Big_Chief_Stove]

Bustamante spent his entire career fighting guys much bigger than him. Picked up a lot of great wins like Dave Menne x2, Matt Lindland, and Minowaman, but lost to bigger guys like Dan Henderson, Rampage, and Chuck Liddell. Honestly, I think he could have been at least as good as Demian Maia and likely better.

He'd be like a Maia in the division

 

[Supereem]

Very well. I think he beat Henderson and Rampage. His Jiujitsu was amazing, and he was not afraid to play guard against the likes of Rampage. On top of that he has very good boxing and wrestling.

 

[TRYHARD 2001]

He would be a Top 5 guy for sure in WW (assuming he could make weight) and probably at MW too. The guy was so far ahead of his time in terms of developing a well-rounded base for MMA. He had deadly hands, very underrated take downs (took Matt Lindland down twice in their championship fight), excellent cardio, and the best overall ground game 185 saw until Maia and Jacare showed up, IMO. The problem he had was he was just too old and inactive to stay relevant once the new breed of fighters started showing up. That being said, he held his own at 205 with Chuck and Rampage and I thought he beat Hendo in their rematch so it's not like he didn't have his moments, but overall he was just born a decade too early for us to really know what he was capable of by fighting MW's like Franklin, Anderson, Belfort, etc. when he was in his athletic prime.

By the by, if you're looking to watch a classic event from yesteryear that is often overlooked in terms of entertainment value, check out UFC 37. The main event was Busta/Lindland and it was a showcase of just how good Busta was. It also highlights how terrible reffing was back in the day, how ridiculous Baroni was, and you get to see Robbie Lawler's UFC debut at the ripe old age of 19 (man, he was a lot skinnier back then).

 

[TRYHARD 2001]

The more I think about it, the more skeptical I become that Murilo could make 170 and fight at the level we saw him fight at at LHW and MW. He was a big, lean MW even by today's standards. Not Gay Jesus or Rockman big, but still pretty damn large.

 

[TRYHARD 2001]

May as well bump this bad boy. I also still agree with myself.

 

[mon]

Very well. I think he beat Henderson and Rampage. His Jiujitsu was amazing, and he was not afraid to play guard against the likes of Rampage. On top of that he has very good boxing and wrestling.

Can't remember the Henderson fight but vididly remember him getting robbed against Rampage. If I remember right pages face when he was given the win said it all.

 

[StrikerKing]

Menne was solid and there is no shame in losing to THE BEST EVA.