Out of these retired fighters with 5+ title wins, who would be elite today?
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The Motivated BJ that a Sherdogger met at the airport could still have a decent shot at becoming champ today.
Being a HW with KO power, in shape Tim Sylvia could always pose a problem against other strikers with his reach
Being a HW with KO power, in shape Tim Sylvia could always pose a problem against other strikers with his reach
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If we put them in their primes, probably Randy.
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BJ and Frank for sure, these guys were way ahead of their time largely and even a half assed Frank was a monster before losing to diaz.
Chuck...id like to say yes, but his game is too easy to figure out, keep range and spam leg kicks like jardine.
Couture, not likely. Not fast, not powerful, and his chin couldnt handle the new lhw and hws.
Hughes would be a gatekeeper. A benchmark yo say you deserve to be in the ufc. His standup is shit, and he is a small ww now.
Tito wouldnt even make the ufc in todays climate.
Unsure on militech.
Sylvia....when he actually wants to ko you, he was always a beast. When he fears a punch is when he is easy to overcome for most hws.
Chuck...id like to say yes, but his game is too easy to figure out, keep range and spam leg kicks like jardine.
Couture, not likely. Not fast, not powerful, and his chin couldnt handle the new lhw and hws.
Hughes would be a gatekeeper. A benchmark yo say you deserve to be in the ufc. His standup is shit, and he is a small ww now.
Tito wouldnt even make the ufc in todays climate.
Unsure on militech.
Sylvia....when he actually wants to ko you, he was always a beast. When he fears a punch is when he is easy to overcome for most hws.
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Liddell and Ortiz at their best would still be elite today in LHW.
Liddell could sprawl and brawl his way to the belt if his chin was still there.
Ortiz would be takedown artist at 205 and had serviceable striking.
Both training at a team like ATT or AKA at the moment would probably win the belt. All these guys used to train together just to have decent training partners.
Liddell could sprawl and brawl his way to the belt if his chin was still there.
Ortiz would be takedown artist at 205 and had serviceable striking.
Both training at a team like ATT or AKA at the moment would probably win the belt. All these guys used to train together just to have decent training partners.
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I think prime chuck could do well in today's LHW. Hughes was skilled but probably too small for today's WW
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Are they training in modern fashion or the way they trained at their peak? If the latter, none of them is clearly the right answer. If the former, I'd say Penn and Shamrock - they were gifted athletes and if trained properly could be competitive in any era, though Penn would only be elite at lightweight. The rest probably top out at gatekeepers with a puncher's chance against elite fighters.
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Tough Question. I would go with Randy Couture and a (motivated in shape) BJ Penn. Well Rounded, Motivated, Skilled. Dangerous. Tough to Kill. But could you say that Miletich and Chuck Weren't any of these? If Miletich had more UFC publicity, folks would realize how important he is in the History of MMA. Super Badass MoFo. Frank Shamrock The original well-rounded man? And Timmeh???!!!! Never count a Maine boy out, especially after a couple of cocktails. Props to Matt Hughes as well. As if that guy was not skilled enough to learn some NEW skills.
LOL. Like I said...tough question! In the end gotta go with Handy.
LOL. Like I said...tough question! In the end gotta go with Handy.
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Frank without a doubt. Complete fighter with crazy cardio. He would do great in any era.
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What is it with you MMA fans and labelling title defenses as "Title wins"?
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The BJ Penn who was winning titles and beating fighters he had no business being in a ring or cage with would cause problems today. BJ after, say, the Diego fight (I was there! -- cheap personal plug) was sliding downhill.
Frank Shamrock is someone newer fans (post-Frank era) overlook. Elite? Was he ever? Debatable, but he certainly must be in this conversation. I mean, if @Lepo Lepo is to be believed, Frank's record is who is is, yeah?
Timmeh? Nope. He'd be mid-pack and just like most heavyweights -- any punch can end the fight, but if it doesn't land he's probably going to lose.
Pat and Matt helped shape the sport, and were elite at their times, but MMA has passed them by.
Prime Randy would cause problems at LHW and HW (until he got knocked out). Don't know if he'd make the top of the game, though.
Tito, I just don't care about enough to even contemplate.
Frank Shamrock is someone newer fans (post-Frank era) overlook. Elite? Was he ever? Debatable, but he certainly must be in this conversation. I mean, if @Lepo Lepo is to be believed, Frank's record is who is is, yeah?
Timmeh? Nope. He'd be mid-pack and just like most heavyweights -- any punch can end the fight, but if it doesn't land he's probably going to lose.
Pat and Matt helped shape the sport, and were elite at their times, but MMA has passed them by.
Prime Randy would cause problems at LHW and HW (until he got knocked out). Don't know if he'd make the top of the game, though.
Tito, I just don't care about enough to even contemplate.
