Khabib or Aldo - Who do you rank higher on the GOAT list?

[chinarice]

Trolololol at the 30%

 

[ChickenBrother]

He didn’t fight for the belt earlier because he fought once a year and was out with injuries multiple different times… the same way Islam is now… it mostly strategically done. You can’t just assume they could’ve done something they didn’t do because they were “uncrowned champs”

GOAT debates are always subjective and Khabib being out (primarily due to injury and/or Ramadan) is yet another subjective consideration. But as I said, his actual performances vs. top contenders aren't subjective - he dominated them.

He dominated RDA in 2014, who himself became champ less than a year later. I'm not saying he should get credit for being the champ, he clearly wasn't. I'm saying that in my subjective opinion based on his performance vs. RDA, he could and should have fought for the belt next and IMO would have won. But that's just like... my opinion, man.

 

[MCS]

It's a fair point that FW wasn't as high profile until it was included in the UFC in 2011. But IMO the quality of top contenders didn't markedly increase afterwards and was already elite to begin with. Faber was the poster boy of WEC FW from 2006 and him and Brown in WEC were as legit as any UFC contender/champ at 145. And most of the guys Aldo defended against in the UFC were the same guys already in the WEC who came over with him: Hominick, Mendes, Zombie, Lamas. Edgar and Florian were UFC guys who came down from LW and we saw what Aldo did with them.

FWIW I think Aldo vs. Khabib on the GOAT list is debatable but I'd give the edge to Aldo.

WEC talent was legit af. Hell even their LW and WW champs became champs/top contenders in the UFC.

Remember this? WEC used to be free on basic cable and put on some of the best fights:

I agree WEC guys did way better than most think they would. In other divisions as well. And those are some good highlights, they had exciting fights.

But I think FW at the start was a LW reject division. Cut the extra weight, make it further. Edgar and Florian wouldn't drop down with wins, which shows the difference in prestige. They drop down after losses. I wouldn't give Hominick, Lamas, Cub or KZ much of a chance at LW. But they all were very good.

 

[Herwald]

WEC being the property of and getting merged with UFC, Aldo has more title fights than Khabib has UFC fights, a longer win streak, successes at two different weight classes, 9 performance bonuses vs Khabib's 3. Plus, after 37 fights, Aldo never missed weight, despite grueling weight cuts even down to 135lbs.

Leaning Aldo.

 

[true_fan]

Are u serious? U know how biased Sherbros are so this poll is pointless because haters gonna hate and all Conor fans are automatically with Aldo and all islam phobic individuals and Khabib haters are voting for Aldo

 

[r-harper-1]

Khabib imo

jones
Gsp
Anderson
Fedor
Khabib
Aldo

 

[ChickenBrother]

I agree WEC guys did way better than most think they would. In other divisions as well. And those are some good highlights, they had exciting fights.

But I think FW at the start was a LW reject division. Cut the extra weight, make it further. Edgar and Florian wouldn't drop down with wins, which shows the difference in prestige. They drop down after losses. I wouldn't give Hominick, Lamas, Cub or KZ much of a chance at LW. But they all were very good.

Higher weight class generally means more prestige but P4P or GOAT debates across different weight classes always get fucky. IMO FW and LW are close enough (both chock full of killers) that I think the top contenders in each are comparable P4P.

The new lower weight being "the reject division" was true of LW when the UFC re-launched it. Remember Sherk only fought at 155 after his long run at 170 because he couldn't beat Hughes or GSP. Going back even further, Miletich was the 170 lbs "lightweight champ" because he couldn't hang with the big boys and even the "middleweight champ" Frank Shamrock had no business taking on guys like Coleman.

But IMO the WEC FW division was already mature and full of elite talent (not so for 155 when UFC re-introduced it). TUF 5 with Pulver and BJ was an attempt to build it up but a lot of the top 155ers were still fighting in the WEC at that time, until it got folded into the UFC in 2011.

Also LMAO at me having to simultaneously argue the case for both Aldo and Khabib ITT.

 

[MCS]

Higher weight class generally means more prestige but P4P or GOAT debates across different weight classes always get fucky. IMO FW and LW are close enough (both chock full of killers) that I think the top contenders in each are comparable P4P.

The new lower weight being "the reject division" was true of LW when the UFC re-launched it. Remember Sherk only fought at 155 after his long run at 170 because he couldn't beat Hughes or GSP. Going back even further, Miletich was the 170 lbs "lightweight champ" because he couldn't hang with the big boys and even the "middleweight champ" Frank Shamrock had no business taking on guys like Coleman.

But IMO the WEC FW division was already mature and full of elite talent (not so for 155 when UFC re-introduced it).

Also LMAO at me having to simultaneously argue the case for both Aldo and Khabib ITT.

I think at the launch of a new div the p4p comparisons with established divs don't work. Because you have to make that list currently in your division. Then new entries rise up like Flyweights just to give recognition to them. Mighty Mouse over Jones or DC for example is where it leads. You can then apply that to LW and FW.

Yep, that's how it goes with new divs. They take a while. Right now and for some time FW has been a established division. It wasn't that in, say, 2012. Now BW is as well. Later. Then they can be compared. That's my view on it.

 

[youguysneverfought]

He didn’t fight for the belt earlier because he fought once a year and was out with injuries multiple different times… the same way Islam is now… it’s mostly strategically done. You can’t just assume they could’ve done something they didn’t do because they were “uncrowned champs”

Gonna have to agree with the anine nerd in this one, Bisping was never supposed to beat Rockhold, but he did. We cant just say Khabib was sure to do this or that, we have to measure what actually happened.

 

[Substance Abuse]

If Aldo retired after the second Mendes defense, this would not even be a debate. It is because Khabib retired early. It really shouldn't be.

 

[DoctorDeelon]

You have to go Khabib. Khabib conquered the best guys he fought. The two best guys Jose fought (Conor and Max) beat the shit out of him.

 

[DoctorDeelon]

If Aldo retired after the second Mendes defense, this would not even be a debate. It is because Khabib retired early. It really shouldn't be.

The big difference there is Aldo would have retired with a big fight left on the table (Conor), and he would have gotten flack for it.

Khabib retired with no real outstanding opponent left. Poirier will likely beat do Bronx for the title, so then what? Khabib dominated Poirier, it wasn't close.

 

[Substance Abuse]

The big difference there is Aldo would have retired with a big fight left on the table (Conor), and he would have gotten flack for it.

Khabib retired with no real outstanding opponent left. Poirier will likely beat do Bronx for the title, so then what? Khabib dominated Poirier, it wasn't close.

That doesn't really matter. Aldo's resume would be undeniable at that point. You couldn't even really compare the career of the two. The numbers right now are staggeringly in Aldo's favor despite his losses. This is no slight to Khabib. At all.

 

[ChickenBrother]

I think at the launch of a new div the p4p comparisons with established divs don't work. Because you have to make that list currently in your division. Then new entries rise up like Flyweights just to give recognition to them. Mighty Mouse over Jones or DC for example is where it leads. You can then apply that to LW and FW.

Yep, that's how it goes with new divs. They take a while. Right now and for some time FW has been a established division. It wasn't that in, say, 2012. Now BW is as well. Later. Then they can be compared. That's my view on it.

I respect your opinion here but respectfully disagree. IMO Aldo was already lording over a deep and elite talent pool in WEC at 145 when he came over. 145 wasn't as deep IMO during Faber's 2006-2008 WEC reign but even then you had guys like Kid over in Japan who Dana publicly wanted in the UFC but couldn't get at the time. That fight would have been fireworks if it could have happened.

 

[BonesWinckleJones]

only 2 to 1 ratio? what a shitshow - whoever voting for khabib is not an honest man

 

[Post 2 Decision]

It's easily Aldo, all the votes for Khabib are hilarious.

The top 6 GOAT are in a league of their own
Khabib is in the next group

 

[MCS]

I respect your opinion here but respectfully disagree. IMO Aldo was already lording over a deep and elite talent pool in WEC at 145 when he came over. 145 wasn't as deep IMO during Faber's 2006-2008 WEC reign but even then you had guys like Kid over in Japan who Dana publicly wanted in the UFC but couldn't get at the time. That fight would have been fireworks if it could have happened.

I look at founding years of divisions. For the sake of the argument open weight would be '93. That's a long time to produce talent.

Faber said himself he wanted to be a BW, but there was no market for it. Outside of Japan it was LW and under probably pre-WEC. Fighting title fights vs Valencia and Crazy Horse. Conor vs Aldo is another level.

 

[PunchyMcSplodo]

People keep saying Aldo isn't in his prime, but only because he's losing to the best of a new generation of better fighters.

Other than the WEC explosiveness he lost once he transitioned to UFC champio anyway, I don't see how Aldo has deteriorated. If anything, his striking has gotten better, and he doesn't seem any slower or less powerful even in a faster division like BW.

It's just that Prime Max Holloway would beat any version of Aldo that ever existed, Volk is superior to any of Aldo's title contenders during his run, etc.

 

[ConditFan]

People keep saying Aldo isn't in his prime, but only because he's losing to the best of a new generation of better fighters.

Other than the WEC explosiveness he lost once he transitioned to UFC champio anyway, I don't see how Aldo has deteriorated. If anything, his striking has gotten better, and he doesn't seem any slower or less powerful even in a faster division like BW.

It's just that Prime Max Holloway would beat any version of Aldo that ever existed, Volk is superior to any of Aldo's title contenders during his run, etc.

You said yourself he isn't as explosive as years ago. His style depends on fast twitch muscles. Plus he broke his foot and can't kick as much.

I agree max is a bad matchup for aldo. Just because Aldo is losing doesn't mean he is out of his prime. But just because he is losing to top fighters doesn't mean he is in his prime

 

[JKS]

I am going to have to say Aldo, he just stayed on top as a champion and contender for so long. And to those that will use Khabib being undefeated as reasoning to place him higher considering Aldo has defeats? It's like Aldo said, you fight against consistent top comp and for a long time, prime or not, you will lose. Khabib had 13 UFC fights, Aldo has 8 just in WEC and then another 9 in the UFC before he lost his belt. The next 4, in which he lost 3 were all title fights.