Is Khabib vs Tony the most competitive divisional matchup that's ever happened?

It’s definitely up there.
 
Jones - Gus, born same year. Both top of the lhw for years.

Gus was nowhere near Jones' level on paper then. Their wins didn't compare and Gus had a loss to Phil Davis.

Cain vs JDS 1 has to be up there. Both guys were undefeated in the UFC and riding dominant 8 fight winning streaks.
 
id say Mighty Mouse vs Cejudo. Unstoppable champ vs Olympic gold medalist
 
Jones vs DC, these guys are also in p4p GOAT conversation.
Khabib and Tony still need to establish themselves as the best LWs ever.

This as well as Jones/Gus even though most thought it would be a walk in the park for Jones, they match up very well. And DC/Gus was also crazy competitive.
 
Yes I would say that this fight is about as good as it can get in MMA. I know they are lightweights but to me its on the level of Fedor v. CroCop or something epic like that.

The number of canceled fights builds the tension AND the performance of BOTH of these fighters in their career and in their last fight really builds this fight up. Tony was like a steamroller in that Pettis fight and survived deep water. Lost zero cardio, pressed forward like a crazed dog and got it done with blood everywhere. And of course Khabib is as close to flawless in MMA history so far.

We need this fight. The numbers would be great I think. Honestly who cares about all that. These two guys are P4P in the top 3-4. Khabib is #1 and I'd say Tony is in my top 5 P4P.
 
I don't know man, I feel they are pretty damn close to cementing that if they haven't already.
For me they have but i don't think it's a popular opinion, they have to do more. Tony winning the belt, Khabib defenses against some real contenders !
 
I've been saying this for a long time and keep repeating it...but it's still true: cardio matters. A lot. Being the best early reduces his competition to gassed and frustrated victims.

You are right. Khabib does have amazing grappling. I've followed MMA for 19 years now. Hes probably the best 2 round fighter I've ever seen. Nobody can stop what he does while he's fresh. But he DOES slow down. He did a bit vs Barboza and that was a 3 round fight. He did clearly vs Iaquinta. He took round 3 off vs Conor to catch his breath after trying to finish in rd 2.

Now the other guy...

Ferguson is much better off his back than any of the guys Khabib has recently fought. He will make Khabib work harder than they did. I have little doubt Khabib will win round 1, and likely round 2. After that? He will have to deal with a cardio machine that doesn't give you a round off. And that's where I think the fight likely changes. Elite grappling means little if you are exhausted and your opponent is just getting started.
A couple rounds of grinding will have the same affect on Ferguson it has on everyone else.
 
A couple rounds of grinding will have the same affect on Ferguson it has on everyone else.

Based on...? Tony has been put on his back and held there forced to defend for long stretches before and he still looked like the way fresher fighter. You have every right to your opinion of course, but it goes against all the available evidence.
 
A
Based on...? Tony has been put on his back and held there forced to defend for long stretches before and he still looked like the way fresher fighter. You have every right to your opinion of course, but it goes against all the available evidence.
Actually in my estimation all evidence points to Khabib doing exactly that, aside from Tibau he's taken down everybody and worn them down for extended periods of time and that fight was over 6 years ago. Every single fighter that has fought Khabib and his training partners say his top control is different, like a much bigger man. I look forward to seeing which theory holds true.
 
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Actually in my estimation all evidence points to Khabib doing exactly that, aside from Tibau he's taken down everybody and worn them down for extended periods of time and that fight was over 6 years ago. Every single fighter that has fought Khabib and his training partners say his top control is different, like a much bigger man. I look forward to seeing which theory holds true.

I just go by what I see. With my own eyes I saw Khabib noticeably slow vs Iaquinta. Saw him need a breather in rd 3 vs Conor. Yes those guys got tired too, but Khabib went from dominating and smashing them early to slowing down and doing much less later (obviously got to rest rd 3 vs Conor and regained enough energy to finish in the 4th). Tony clearly has proven his cardio to be worlds better than the guys Khabib has fought. The conclusions are kind of easy to come to based on that regardless of what training partners say.
 
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