That didn't stop the UFC from unifying the UFC and Pride titles under UFC rules despite the Pride titles being fought under different rules, so by that rationale the lineal title as I've laid it out should be valid.
There's a difference between a fighter retiring as the lineal champion and a fighter competing in a different organization as the lineal champion (which is what Couture did).
GSP vacated them, he didn't fight in a different organization.
And yet the UFC still unified the two titles.
My rationale doesn't come close to that type of leap in logic.
If it means nothing and is a waste of energy, why in the world are you posting in this thread then? It's like the people who say that they "don't care", but they still care enough to say as much.
I started with when the lineal title left the UFC, this thread isn't a discussion on the entire history of the lineal heavyweight title.
I never engage in P4P discussions because there's no way to determine a logical answer, whereas lineal champions have very easy and defined parameters, so attempting to equate the two is hilarious.
That is actually how that works.
Personally I think the lineal heavyweight title starts at UFC 12, which is when they first introduced the heavyweight weight class; prior to that it was openweight (which is what the King of Pancrase title was contested at).
In combat sports where champions are decided by a challenge, the lineal championship of a weight class is a world championship title held initially by an undisputed champion and subsequently by a fighter who defeats the reigning champion in a match at that weight class.
Lineal title doesn't care about organization sanctions, etc, but tracks who beat the guy who is/was the champion, and only that, unless someone retires as the lineal champion.
