Pereira has probably beaten a better quality of opponent than Anderson did during his run - Kevin Iole

[Clark Rogers]

Why we comparing MW to LHW anyway?

That aside, this thread is kind of a microcosm of this subject every time it comes up. Half were around way back when and understand context and history of the sport, versus the other half who are largely revisionist in their history, and very much suffering from recency bias.

 

[blaseblase]

I think it's different and hard to compare. Most of the fighters from Anderson's generation didn't know how to strike but knew how to grapple.

Today's light heavyweight division doesn't even know how to grapple.

 

[bng]

lol at kevin lol
but one is wearing combat outfit and the other one is wearing burger king shorts (and not to provoke DC during their fight)

 

[ComeChooDaddy]

Is Kevin Iole a fighter?

 

[maximus__]

He said this in the post fight presser with Dana White. This is a bizarre thing to say following Pereira facing the 8th ranked fighter in the weight class. WTF. How on earth do you say this after only 3 title defenses? This is stuff you expect Dana to say but the MMA media has gotten so captured they are anticipating his ridiculous promotional opinion and saying it for him.

He holds wins over the following former champs:
Izzy(1-1), Strickland, Jan, Jiri x2 Hill.
He fought the number 8 because he had beaten most of his top 5 available on win streaks.

Yes Ank, probably should of gotten the fight, but Alex fought 3 defences since Ank last fought. My assumption is the only reason they haven't fought is because Ank hasn't taken those fights on the terms offered. The only other people he could have fought is Volkan (just back in the rankings) or Krylov who has been away since March of 2023.

The last time we saw a run like that was Jon Jones who also has 6 former champs from memory.

 

[MarioLemieux]

Fake because Anderson beat guys like Chael x2 who were bad matchups for him.

Alex keeps fighting stylistically favourable matchups and against who? Rountree, Jiri and Jamall Hill?

Silva finished prime Hendo and Vitor who are tens times the strikers as any of those guys.

 

[Xanzito]

what revisionism?
This has always been an argument with Silva.

Seriously: Leben, Cote, Leites, Bonnar, Irvin or a monodimensional bjj guy like Maia are a big chunk of his resume and his claims to greatness.

Alex since his second fight in ufc has only fought champion material fighters and not the ones that used to be champion half a decade before, Rountree is the only non former champion he has fought at lhw.

I mean, after Silva started his run, there were not a lot of champions cause he was champ for THAT long.
That's like saying Bones doesn't have a lot of champions in his resume. Or Aldo. Guess why.

 

[marvinparsons]

I mean, Prime for Prime, Khalil probably beats Leben, Lutter, Marquardt, Irvin, Cote, Leites, Forrest, Bonnar.

Might have a chance against Sonnen, Okami, Maia, Franklin.

Probably loses to Hendo.

Jiri and Izzy could probably beat them all. Strickland too.

If they were the same size I think Marquardt beats him. Leben is a toss up.

Lutter or Leites may well sub him.

Forrest gets a W more times than not.

Dude lost to Marcin Prachino, Jonny Walker and Ion Cuteleba, all after age 29. He's not a sure bet to beat anybody.

 

[NoSmilez]

Today's light heavyweight division doesn't even know how to grapple.

It is because they got rid of the wrestling heavy fighters. The current LHW roster is filled with predominantly strikers. There is no incentive to try to grapple in that division. It is a kickboxing division.

 

[rjmbrd]

That's what this thread is about. Kevin Iole downplaying Silva's wins. I'm not here to discuss how Vitor looked under USADA.

This you?

Vitor is more accomplished than anyone Poatan has beaten at LHW.

So I'm directly addressing this completely ridiculous and misguided statement you made. Vitor is accomplished at getting the absolute shit kicked out of him on repeat in the UFC the minute he was off high dose PEDS. What exactly is he so accomplished at?

Beating Bisping lmao

Poatan would literally murder any version, PEDS or not, of Vitor that walked the earth. He would beat Silva twice in a night.

 

[Doctor Grudge]

He holds wins over the following former champs:
Izzy(1-1), Strickland, Jan, Jiri x2 Hill.
He fought the number 8 because he had beaten most of his top 5 available on win streaks.

Yes Ank, probably should of gotten the fight, but Alex fought 3 defences since Ank last fought. My assumption is the only reason they haven't fought is because Ank hasn't taken those fights on the terms offered. The only other people he could have fought is Volkan (just back in the rankings) or Krylov who has been away since March of 2023.

The last time we saw a run like that was Jon Jones who also has 6 former champs from memory.

While he's beaten former champs, I think it's important to acknowledge that becoming a champion is highly circumstantial.

Jan mainly became the champ because Jon Jones went up in weight. Hill became champ because Jiri vacated, and then Ank vs Jan ended up being a draw. The UFC was impatient so they booked a new title fight with random dudes.

Also, his win against Jan is debatable, it was a very close fight and certainly a lot of people thought Jan won. Jan was probably not in his prime either.


Jiri, Strickland, and Israel are great wins, can't deny that. But just because some divisions have a lot of former champs doesn't make them better or deeper.

 

[maximus__]

While he's beaten former champs, I think it's important to acknowledge that becoming a champion is highly circumstantial.

Jan mainly became the champ because Jon Jones went up in weight. Hill became champ because Jiri vacated, and then Ank vs Jan ended up being a draw. The UFC was impatient so they booked a new title fight with random dudes.

Also, his win against Jan is debatable, it was a very close fight and certainly a lot of people thought Jan won. Jan was probably not in his prime either.


Jiri, Strickland, and Israel are great wins, can't deny that. But just because some divisions have a lot of former champs doesn't make them better or deeper.

Neither HIll or Jiri lost their belts until they fought against Alex. He folded them both in less 2 full rounds. These guys were beating everyone else.

If Alex having a close fight vs Jan discredits his win(in his LHW debut after a violent KO) then what does Ank drawing with him mean?
Jan was picking apart Ank in the first two rounds on the feet. Ank had success late due to wrestling, but it's a draw.
2/3 judges gave Jan the first 3 rounds. 2/3 judges gave him a 10-8 in the 5th. The only reason he didn't lose that fight was because he had 1 really good round.

Since then somehow Pereira has managed to fight most of the top 5, whilst Ank has only fought 1 person going 1-1NC. That NC should have been a DQ loss for an intentional knee to a grounded opponent.

Pereira can only fight who is in his division. Taking out all the former champs is impressive and he has done it in two divisions almost.

 

[Rear Naked Toke]

lol at khalil beating bonnar and forrest

lol at izzy and jiri, two guys who barely faced decent wrestlers beating prime juiced to the gills sonnen, and okami
hendo beats every single guy pereira ever faced in mma



i love pereira, i really do
but the LHW divison is at it's weakest ever, and everybody knows that
now out of suden khalil is better than forrest who beat shogun and rampage? fuck off

I don't necessarily disagree with most of that. Out of a sudden though? Not really confident in that part.

 

[pankrat]

He holds wins over the following former champs:
Izzy(1-1), Strickland, Jan, Jiri x2 Hill.
He fought the number 8 because he had beaten most of his top 5 available on win streaks.

Yes Ank, probably should of gotten the fight, but Alex fought 3 defences since Ank last fought. My assumption is the only reason they haven't fought is because Ank hasn't taken those fights on the terms offered. The only other people he could have fought is Volkan (just back in the rankings) or Krylov who has been away since March of 2023.

The last time we saw a run like that was Jon Jones who also has 6 former champs from memory.

The difference is that Jon Jones didnt compete in a division where the best talents had been progressively sidelined in favor of more excitement and, above all, more profits.

The number of top-ranked LHWs whose contracts weren't renewed by the UFC – or who didn't sign in the first place – is the highest of any division.

It's evident that Jan, Jiri or Hill benefitted from these circunstamces to become champs.

 

[pankrat]

Jan mainly became the champ because Jon Jones went up in weight. Hill became champ because Jiri vacated, and then Ank vs Jan ended up being a draw. The UFC was impatient so they booked a new title fight with random dudes.

Not just because of that, but more importantly, because UFC had excluded many of the best LHW talents, letting them go to Bellator.

This was specially noticieable in the LHW division.

 

[Doctor Grudge]

Neither HIll or Jiri lost their belts until they fought against Alex. He folded them both in less 2 full rounds. These guys were beating everyone else.

If Alex having a close fight vs Jan discredits his win(in his LHW debut after a violent KO) then what does Ank drawing with him mean?
Jan was picking apart Ank in the first two rounds on the feet. Ank had success late due to wrestling, but it's a draw.
2/3 judges gave Jan the first 3 rounds. 2/3 judges gave him a 10-8 in the 5th. The only reason he didn't lose that fight was because he had 1 really good round.

Since then somehow Pereira has managed to fight most of the top 5, whilst Ank has only fought 1 person going 1-1NC. That NC should have been a DQ loss for an intentional knee to a grounded opponent.

Pereira can only fight who is in his division. Taking out all the former champs is impressive and he has done it in two divisions almost.

Jiri and Hill did not defend their titles against anyone other than Alex. How can they lose their belts? Jan did not beat everyone, he only defended his belt once, and it was against Israel Adesanya who did not bulk up to 205.

I'm not discrediting Alex for fighting who is available, but you're making it seem like no one has ever won against 3 guys as good as Hill, Jiri, and Jan since Jon Jones was champ, which isn't true. That's not to mention that the best 205ers were in the UFC during Jones era, which isn't true of the last few years in the UFC.

It's not comparable to Jon Jones destroying Shogun, Rampage, Evans etc.

Someone like Hill was never a top 5 LHW of the world if you analyzed what other LHWs were active at the time. So what is the utility of stating he is a former champ? It's trying to make him look better than what he is.

Peireira hasn't beaten more champions than Silva regardless, and the standard is silly because divisions like MW had less champions because Silva denied many guys from the belt. Once Silva was dethroned the belt was carried by many different guys until Adesanya.

 

[TheHabitualLineStepper]

You MMA nerds put so much stock in “title defences”

Such a weird trait.

 

[muaythaibeast]

Fake because Anderson beat guys like Chael x2 who were bad matchups for him.

Alex keeps fighting stylistically favourable matchups and against who? Rountree, Jiri and Jamall Hill?

Silva finished prime Hendo and Vitor who are tens times the strikers as any of those guys.

Hendo and Vitor are not better strikers than Izzy.
Jiri is immensely underrated, and I think he would have an excellent fight with someone like Hendo.
Anderson beating guys like Chael is a fair statement, which Alex hasn't done, but he was also a drugs cheat, which takes away from his legacy.

 

[mister piscadinha]

I don't necessarily disagree with most of that. Out of a sudden though? Not really confident in that part.

i'm trying alright? is not my first language

 

[Deleted member 267581]

At this point, I don't care. I can think for myself. If casuals want to eat this shit up, so be it. I'm just going to appreciate Pereira's fights as they're entertaining and he's on a great run. Dana is MMA's Don King, spewing hyperbole, and Iole is an old, uneducated man with a platform he doesn't deserve. It is what it is.

Iole has been legendary bad at his job. Remember when he started covering mma in 2006/2007 takes really showed he knew nothing about the sport and definitely not an actual fan. In 17-18 years his knowledge is the same

Kevin Iole, Yahoo Sports, Mouthpiece for Dana White

Surprise surprise, Kevin "TUF NOOB" Yahoolie is totally carrying water for Dana White in his latest column. Gotta love that corporate media -- talk about

bloodyelbow.com

Kevin threatens Randy on Dana’s behalf:

• “bet on this: Couture will be in a suit in a court room before he’s wearing board shorts preparing to fight Fedor Emelianenko any time soon.”

Kevin weaves a conspiracy theory that fingers a bad guy that isn’t Dana:

• “Have no doubt that Mark Cuban, the Dallas Mavericks’ owner, would-be Chicago Cubs owner and the fledgling MMA promoter, is somehow involved in the M-1 Mix Fight promotion that allegedly signed Emelianenko to a multi-million dollar contract last week. Cuban declined comment via e-mail when asked whether he is part of M-1.”