Listing dudes ahead of him in the rankings:
- Khamzat Chimaev: Nothing much to say here. Anthony probably has better cardio, but I don't see him being able to work his offensive grappling against Khamzat unless it's a five-rounder and he's able to absolutely melt him. Conversely, Anthony's own TDD is not exactly rock-solid and he's been taken down numerous times by various opponents -- many of which are nowhere near the caliber of grappler that Khamzat is. Fluffy relies on being able to survive and scramble on bottom, which is a dangerous prospect against Borz. I imagine a lot of the fight would play out as a sloppy striking match, which could go either way -- both dudes are solid with their standup albeit nothing special. I'd favor Khamzat, especially in a three-rounder. He's the one with more finishing potential and more ability to force his grappling on the other guy.
- Jack Hermansson: This would be an interesting one. Jack's cardio is excellent and he can fight at a high pace. He's a decent striker and a tricky grappler with some veteran savvy. I could see him giving Fluffy trouble in certain areas, but I don't know that he would be the favorite.
- Paulo Costa: Paulo has very solid defensive wrestling and good timing on his shots. He's also much bigger and stronger than Anthony. I think Fluffy could eventually force the same kind of fight on him that he did on Michel and drown him late after struggling early to get him down... but it would be dangerous. Costa's greatest signature attacks are hooks and round kicks to the body, both of which I could see him folding Anthony with.
- Roman Dolidze: Anthony is way more talented than Roman, but Dolidze is legitimately a former Heavyweight with a history of outgrappling other Heavyweights. Fluffy is a small Middleweight, mind you. Dolidze is big, strong, and physical. Not a particularly technical wrestler, but he's a fucking ox of a man who's dangerous in the clinch and more importantly he has one of the most terrifying and dynamic bottom games in the UFC, especially at the higher weight classes. The way he clowned a decorated wrestler in Phil Hawes and an accomplished MMA grappler in Hermansson off his back after both men took him down was terrifying to watch. It's possible he could do the same to Fluffy, or at least threaten it. On the feet he's basic and oftentimes plodding, but he hits hard. I think Anthony could get it done if he fights smart, but it would be a dangerous bout for him especially since Roman is overperforming against my expectations lately.
- Brendan Allen: Hernandez already holds a dominant win over Allen from the LFA and Brendan has a history of struggling with grinding cardio wrestlers like Malkoun, so on paper this is a winnable fight for Anthony. That said, Brendan is always dangerous off his back with his sweeps and has recently improved his wrestling, counter-wrestling, and striking to a noteable degree... so it's not crazy to think that a rematch goes differently.
- Jared Cannonier: Cannonier might be done, but once upon a time he was one of the division's most terrifying anti-wrestlers. Fantastic cardio, physically strong, good hips, active guard, elite submission defense, etc. I would pick the Cannonier who beat up Marvin or Gastelum with ease. But these days... I dunno.
- Marvin Vettori: Marvin is a brick wall of a man who's difficult to take down and hold down and he has a good four rounds of hard-fought gas in him. Anthony could probably outbox him on the feet while mixing in the TD threats to keep Marvin honest, but it would be a scrappy and competitive bout.
- Caio Borralho: Caio is a great gameplanner with good cardio and a deep grappling pedigree, along with several training partners who could help him get ready for Anthony's style. I think he's the better striker, too. I'd pick him to win this.
- Nassourdine Imavov: Once upon a time this would have been a nightmare matchup for Imavov and to some extent maybe it still is, but Imavov's grappling has improved and he's a very tricky striker. I could see him spending too much time getting held down, but during the striking exchanges and scrambles he would be live.
- Robert Whittaker: Once upon a time Robert was known for his elite TDD, but Dricus called that into question. Hopefully his fight against Khamzat will shed light on where that skill set of his is at these days. But if it's anything like what it used to be... hard to imagine Anthony beating him. Robert never really gasses out, has footwork that alone will make Anthony struggle to set up his shots, and could pick at him from the outside.
- Izzy: This one's tricky. Izzy's had limited performances against dudes trying aggressively to grapple him to judge from and they were sort of a mixed bag. In his prime I'd probably pick him to stuff enough takedowns and survive bad spots on the ground to find Anthony's body and hurt him, but these days he might actually get drowned and choked or outhustled to a Decision. Hard to say, though.
- DDP: Dricus didn't look phenomenal against Brunson in Round 1, but he rallied and showed some tricks up his sleeve. He's so goddamn big and strong compared to Hernandez and I don't think he would mind being taken down, whereas if he takes Hernandez down it might be a different story. On the feet Dricus has more firepower and more durability on his side with plenty of cardio to go the distance.
I'm not saying Anthony can't beat any of these dudes, in fact I'd probably pick him against a fair few. Just pointing out that all of them have legitimate paths to victory against him. He is not the uncrowned champ yet lol.
On paper, yeah. Especially because it was before Holland put major strides into improving his wrestling. That said, I think in hindsight it's a combination of a few things:
1.) Fluffy is and always has been vulnerable to the body. He gets hurt by body shots in almost every fight and Holland was simply the first dude to really make it "stick" with his killer instinct.
2.) I think that was an inferior version of Hernandez to the dude who's on his current win streak. I mean he went into that fight 1-1 in the UFC, with a submission win over Park (aged well)... and a submission loss to Markus fucking Perez. Dude was definitely still trying to find his feet in the Octagon.
