" UFC 160: Why Hunt vs. Dos Santos Was the Best Match in UFC Heavyweight History "

[Aas Gutú Adéli]

Tim vs Nog was one of my favorite HW fights for me. I think that was the best Tim. Most skilled, experienced, humble, hungry, angry, aggressive. And that Nog, although not at his prime, had no quit in him. Heart, grit, durability, boxing skill. Both men looked their best in that fight to me.

And going in Nog was likely at his most beloved (well, I suppose he's petty much enjoyed that plateau for a long while). Tim may well have been at his most loathed. Having bored us against Andrei, Monson, playing the guy we cheered against with Randy, bored us again dumping cold water on hot prospect Vera.

I remember the sad Lesnar fans exodus from the bar as Tim and Nog came out.

A good night with StillInKansas

 

[Rozwell]

[QUOTE=Aas Gut

 

[Agmkreptile]

Maybe from a technical standpoint. But I personally enjoyed Bigfoot/Overeem more for obvious reasons.

 

[Dylan M]

Couture/Nog has probably been mentioned already. I'd easily rank that higher, probably the best.

Carwin/Brock was also better

 

[Bullitt68]

Tim was gun shy after the first punch.

He wasn't pouring it on, but he never stopped throwing, and everything he was throwing could've caused serious problems for Randy had anything landed. It wasn't a matter of Tim being gun shy, it was a matter of him just not being able to hit the target as Randy was simply too fast for him and was mixing up his boxing and his wrestling too well for Tim to find a rhythm.

I was specifically referring to Timmay/Cabbage.

You had me worried there. A fellow 06 join date saying Bas/TK and Randy/Ricco weren't technical? I was afraid I'd wandered into an alternate universe :redface:

Exciting? Sure, but technical?

The same level of technique as JDS/Hunt, no, but still quite technical. Tim showed excellent striking in that fight, mixing up his boxing including one of the nastiest Superman punches to ever land in MMA as well as solid low kicks and knees, even some strong dirty boxing.

But, in any case, as I said earlier:

The respective skill of the two combatants doesn't automatically make their fight better than the fights I listed. I'd rather watch Oleg and Tank go to war or Rizzo and Telligman slug it out or Randy and Ricco go back-and-forth on the ground or Randy and Rizzo going up-and-down than JDS trying to time an overhand right and Hunt trying to time a left hook.

Sure, there was plenty of high level technique on display that can be broken down, but that's the case for most of the fights that we have today. But being able to break down the strategy of a single component in a fight doesn't automatically elevate that fight to GOAT status.

I think it's more a case of Jack's striking bias combined with his post-fight high making him put the fight on a pedestal on which it doesn't belong. Significance, historical status, guts, competitiveness, and excitement all go into determining the GOAT in addition to technical skill, and while he may be able to make a case for JDS/Hunt from the technical skill perspective (which I'd still counter with something like Randy/Ricco from a wrestling perspective or even JDS/Mirko from a striking perspective), it doesn't come close to being able to compete with a majority of other fights from years past when it comes to the rest of the criteria, IMO.

 

[Dust2000]

It was a great fight but too one sided to be the best ever

As mentioned Nog vs Couture was a great fight and better imo

 

[24K]

Easily the best HW fight in recent memory. The combo Hunt landed on JDS in the 2nd round would have put most guys out, jds has an amazing chin.