Out of these retired fighters with 5+ title wins, who would be elite today?

Mayonnaiseandjelly said:
Prime chuck got massacred by rampage twice
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Ok, doesn't change my opinion. Dennis Hallman beat Matt Hughes twice, it's almost like styles make fights. Prime rampage got massacred by Silva twice who chuck beat, prime Silva got beat by Tito and Vitor where Chuck beat both. It's not as simple as one fighter losing to another fighter
 
Needs to be put into context, when people say yesterday's champs couldn't compete in MMA today, its not fair because today's fighters are benefitting from modern training, nutrition, science, modern everything. If you gave some of those former champs the best of modern everything, I think many would do quite well. I believe at least BJ & Frank, would at least be title contenders (BJ at LW, Frank at WW). Both those guys are athletic/genetic freaks, if you give them modern everything, they would definitely. I would even say BJ could/would possibly be champ
 
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BJ Penn - I could see BJ definitely being elite but people acting like he'd walk through the division are kidding themselves. Charles, Dustin, Gaethje, Islam, Beniel, Chandler and even an old Dos Anjos are a much tougher line up then what BJ was dealing with when he was Champ. Joe Daddy, Sherk, Sanchez and Florian don't match up to that. Not even close. The top guys are far superior strikers and wrestlers right now. And I'd say they are better grapplers too.
Tim Sylvia - He might be a guy floating around the top 10-15 similar to Andrei but hell no he wouldn't be elite. People like to gas up Tim but he and Andrei reigned over a terrible HW division where people like Paul Buentello and Justin Eilers were getting title shots.
Pat Miletich - Fairly early era UFC would not cut it sorry.
Chuck Liddell, Tito Ortiz & Randy Couture - I'm limping these 3 together. If they were in their prime I think all 3 could probably be near the top of the division at LHW maybe. The division is in a bit of a transitioning period right now. I feel like Chuck would struggle with some of the better strikers now though. He feasted on a grappler heavy division back then. So idk. I wouldn't write them off just cause of LHW not being that great right now.
Frank Shamrock - That's hard to say. It was very early era UFC. Yeah he was well rounded but the majority of his competition was not. Also he would be fighting at MW now which is a pretty tough division near the top.
Matt Hughes - No. Almost everyone near the top of WW now is near equal to Hughes as a grappler and are MUCH better strikers. But he would probably still be near top 10
 
Maybe BJ and anyone who fought at lhw because that division sucks.
 
I think Chuck would do fine at LHW. Don't see why he couldn't beat Anthony Smith or Glover.

Tito about the same as Phil Davis.

BJ would have to fight at 145 and I think would be top 10 easily, top 5, might have a hard time with technical strikers like Max/Volk.

Sylvia about the same as the big eastern European dude at HW. Top 10ish, never champ. Ngannou, Gane, Miocic, Cormier would murk him.

Randy would be better than Blaydes, USADA wouldn't help him though. Has problems with the same guys above. So around #7 HW.

I think Matt Hughes is like Tito. His lack of striking hurts him in 2021 and I don't see him taking down Woodley, Colby, Usman etc.

But if Wonderboy just lost by grapplefuck I don't see why Hughes couldn't get some decent Ws. Never champ though.

So of everyone listed I think the best bet for champ is Chuck, then BJ.

I didn't watch enough Shamrock/Militech to comment.
 
Prime BJ would be fun against Gaethje or Chandler.

He's the only one I think
 
hunt0 said:
braindead because I think BJ Penn would beat Gilbert Burns... absolute state of this forum
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yes, you are brain dead. The absolute state of this forum lol, dude, do you even fucking watch the sport?

BJ Penn, WHO WAS A SMALL LW, is now going to be a TOP 3 WW, in an era where people cut MASSIVE amounts of weight and are WAY more well rounded as a whole than in his era?

But I'll bite, please explain how BJ is going to beat Burns.

Outgrapple him? lol
 
Consider that randy didn't start mma until he was 34. A young randy with his wrestling background and modern training at a top camp would be a terror at 205.

His cardio and tactical awareness were incredible. He didn't actually fight in the ufc until he was 36.

I'd expect him to fight similar to DC only with a better gas tank
 
Pakman said:
yes, you are brain dead. The absolute state of this forum lol, dude, do you even fucking watch the sport?

BJ Penn, WHO WAS A SMALL LW, is now going to be a TOP 3 WW, in an era where people cut MASSIVE amounts of weight and are WAY more well rounded as a whole than in his era?

But I'll bite, please explain how BJ is going to beat Burns.

Outgrapple him? lol
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40 year old Maia was outgrappling Burns, so yeah that's one path
 
hunt0 said:
40 year old Maia was outgrappling Burns, so yeah that's one path
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Again, do you even watch MMA or know anything about combat sports?

Comparing BJ Penn to Damien Maia in terms of grappling lol
 
Pakman said:
Again, do you even watch MMA or know anything about combat sports?

Comparing BJ Penn to Damien Maia in terms of grappling lol
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BJ would knockout Burns badly, name one good win by Burns
 
A prime Tim Silvia could be a tough fight for most of today's HW division. He could definitely be near the top 10.
 
hunt0 said:
Because not every title win is a title defense
<LikeReally5>
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Right. And? Who said it was?

Obviously a title win is not a title defense.

Once you win the title, every time you defend it after that...is a defense. Not a "title win".

Which part are you not understand here?
 
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