P4P best TJ in last 6yrs only has 2 losses, both split decision, one bad decision, one fifty/fifty

[ExitLUPin]

Against 2 of the best lighter weight fighters in the world. Dom is BW GOAT at the moment and Assuncao is 10-0 @ BW excluding the TJ fights and beaten guys like Moraes, Munhoz, Font, Sterling, Caraway, Eduardo

http://www.mmadecisions.com/decision/6740/Dominick-Cruz-vs-T.J.-Dillashaw
http://www.mmadecisions.com/decision/4558/Raphael-Assunção-vs-T.J.-Dillashaw

Already "avenged" Assuncao one convincingly

could very well go GSP route and have beaten everyone he fought if Dodson can get a shitle shot

He has some of the best wins in the sport too in that span. And he dominated and/or finished all of them

Baraox2
Codyx2
Assuncao
Lineker (8-1 BW, only loss to TJ 12-2 in last 6 years only other loss to EPO Ali), beaten Dodson, Mayday, Vera, Font, Cisco, Mccall, Kelleher. Even Ali had a close 29-28 fight with Lineker. TJ completely dominated 30-26

TJ is the pound for pound the best in the world. The only one with an argument is Demetrious who just lost

 

[Frank McEdgar]

I agree 100%.

 

[Bobby Boulders]

I also believe that TJ is currently the best in the world.

 

[Rygu]

I never could have imagined the TJ from TUF would go on to be a top 3 p4p fighter in the world.

 

[ExitLUPin]

I never could have imagined the TJ from TUF would go on to be a top 3 p4p fighter in the world.

Its the craziest improvement curve ive ever seen in the UFC. And hes still young and seemingly still improving. He only recently started turaining more with boxing guys like Diaz and Loma............Hes a top 5 talent in UFC history for sure IMO

 

[20falarVerdades]

Jon Jones never lost and beat 2X another goat contender Daniel Cormier .... It's levels to it

 

[Chomsky Honk]

Ludwigs autism gave TJ super powers

 

[Krimzon]

It's crazy how the right trainer can launch a fighter on a meteoric rise

Ludwig/Dillashaw
Rampage/Ibarra
probably Freddie Roach/Pacquiao
... I cant think of more dramatic examples

 

[ExitLUPin]

Jon Jones never lost and beat 2X another goat contender Daniel Cormier .... It's levels to it

Talking non roiders here and not a fighter who most of his resume consists of beating up blown up past purime fighters from a division below

 

[Mysterio]

TJ is the love child of Doug and Johhny Lawrence.

Cobra Kai Never Die.

 

[Dark Individual]

Jon Jones never lost and beat 2X another goat contender Daniel Cormier .... It's levels to it

The only argument against Jones is PED's otherwise nobody even comes close to what he's achieved. The only one that can surpass him is probably Khabib with zero losses if he keeps on winning especially since he seems PED free.

 

[JayE]

I don't think Assuncao/Dillashaw 1 was a particularly bad decision (it was very close and Dillashaw tends to only get extra credit from fans and media because he walked forward a bit more), but yeah, he's had a great run.

 

[supnmunm]

P4P best nipples in the world

 

[ExitLUPin]

I don't think Assuncao/Dillashaw 1 was a particularly bad decision (it was very close and Dillashaw tends to only get extra credit from fans and media because he walked forward a bit more), but yeah, he's had a great run.

Ill have to rewatch but i remember thinking it was a clear 2-1

it was a very good fight maybe the best ive seen at BW up to that point. Assuncao doesnt get the credit he deserves as one of the best fighters to not hold a belt. Hes one of the best counterstrikers (and his TDD/defensive grappling is sick too) in MMA

 

[Dark Individual]

Shale, Vitor, Lyoto, Shogoon and Hashad are like half his top wins. All blown up past purime MWs

Bones never had a performance as impressive as TJ against Barao or Cody. Barao was top 3 P4P (and was favored by Vegas against even Cruz when fight got booked) when TJ dismantled him twice. Cody was #6 P4P after styling on Cruz and TJ knocked him out brutally b2b

Barao was number this and that doesn't make a lick of difference. Barao hadn't beaten anybody and got exposed and codys single big win is cruz. The people Jones beat were way better. Shogun, Lyoto, Rashad, Rampage and DC twice( one of the biggest wins in mma imo) is now considered among GOAT's and then TRT Vitor, Chael and Glover. TJ's resume isn't half as good as Jones. I mean do you seriously consider Barao or Cody to be as good as DC? If PED's is your argument, it has merit but other than that TJ isn't even on the same planet as Jones expecially considering that he has losses where Jones is undefeated excluding the DQ.

 

[Meathead Jock]

Hes a top 5 talent in UFC history for sure IMO

Nah, at least not "for sure"

Edit: Just noticed you are excluding everyone who ever pissed hot.... Your statement makes more sense now, still probably wouldn't say "for sure"

 

[JayE]

Ill have to rewatch but i remember thinking it was a clear 2-1

it was a very good fight maybe the best ive seen at BW up to that point. Assuncao doesnt get the credit he deserves as one of the best fighters to not hold a belt. Hes one of the best counterstrikers (and his TDD/defensive grappling is sick too) in MMA

Assuncao is genuinely elite to the point that someone with his skillset would have a real chance at being champion in a different weight class. Unfortunately, he's suffered from inactivity (partially on him, partially on the fact that the promotion seems to not give a shit about him) and some very good top fighters in the division. Cruz's wrestling might really be a deciding factor (and we don't really know how Assuncao would fare in 5 rounds), but I've always thought Assuncao's striking style could really have troubled Cruz.

 

[JayE]

Shale, Vitor, Lyoto, Shogoon and Hashad are like half his top wins. All blown up past purime MWs

Bones never had a performance as impressive as TJ against Barao or Cody. Barao was top 3 P4P (and was favored by Vegas against even Cruz when fight got booked) when TJ dismantled him twice. Cody was #6 P4P after styling on Cruz and TJ knocked him out brutally b2b

That's pretty debatable. I'd maybe give you Garbrandt (it's sort of tough to gauge those wins, but Garbrandt probably remains one of the most talented guys in the sport), but I think a guy like Cormier is materially better than a guy like Barao to the point that beating Cormier in any way is always going to be more impressive than beating Barao. Having doping enter the conversation does muddy the waters, of course.

 

[JayE]

The 1st fight with DC was very close and DC was arguably up through 3. The first 3 was extremely close and then DC took his foot of the pedal to conserve energy since he wasnt accustomed to 5 rounders at the weight and Bones won the clearest round in the 4th and ppl run with narrative. And not a whole lot happened in the 5th tho it was a Bones round too

DC didnt really enter the top 3 P4P convo like Barao did till after and then Bones got caught red handed for doping. The Barao fights werent even a struggle for TJ and he just did it in such a dominant fashion that even tho DC is better overall i think the Barao performances were more impressive

In the context of the time they can appear more impressive, but Cormier and Barao's relative p4p ratings at the time really doesn't tell the whole, or perhaps even much of the story. Again, the Barao performances are extremely impressive, but I find the gap in class between Cormier and Barao to be such that simply beating Cormier comes off more impressive. That's not to say that you can't compare the two, but beating a truly great fighter in a competitive fight tends to more impressive than beating a very good fighter in dominant fashion, at least in my eyes.

 

[HueyLewisFan24]

I never could have imagined the TJ from TUF would go on to be a top 3 p4p fighter in the world.

Such a true comment. I didn't like him on the show either. He thought he should get easy fights because he was with TAM, was pretty smug, and incredibly raw. After he beat Barao forgot all of that and became a huge fan. He seems to have matured a lot since his time on TUF.