Understand the Poatan Problem

[10000yearsold]

Here’s the deal, rarely would I ever say a division is weaker than it once was. However, at light heavyweight this has long been the case. Ever since DC and Jones bounced, there has not been any talent to rival their skills.

In fact, this one of the weakest LHW classes of all time in wrestling. At least Chuck Liddel had to topple Randy Couture to hold title and of lesser significance Tito Ortiz. We don’t even have a wrestler of the quality of Randy Couture at light heavyweight anymore.

This is why when I say Poatan is not proven and sounds like a bluff talking about beating Jones or Aspinall at HW. Jiri took him down no problem and probably won round one coming off a long injury lay off and fighting with apparent ring rust. He’s a very big man, sure, but he’s not a great wrestler at all.

So let’s talk if you disagree about what you possibly could support your perspective with other than hope.

 

[HHJ]

I dont really care that a weight class lacks wrestlers or strikers etc. That alone doesnt make it weak. It just happens to be how it is at the time. It's not Poatans fault that there isnt a DC or Rampage or Arona type and whose to say he wouldnt beat them if there was anyway?

 

[Flower2dPeople]

Problem?

 

[10000yearsold]

I dont really care that a weight class lacks wrestlers or strikers etc. That alone doesnt make it weak. It just happens to be how it is at the time. It's not Poatans fault that there isnt a DC or Rampage or Arona type and whose to say he wouldnt beat them if there was anyway?

What do you mean that doesn’t make it weak? It’s not a weakness to have a massive wrestling deficiency in mma?

 

[ferrisjso]

The talent at LHW has been there it just hasn't been elevated due to injurys and Glover,Jan and Anthony Smith having been elevated in 2019/2020. Its been more cursed than horrible. This era(which is now on the back 9 tbh) should have been considered a comeback for LHW. For whatever reason chaos reigned and while that coincided with the pandemic it had nothing to do with covid just fighters kept getting hurt.

MW has been the terrible division these past 5 years and is only now starting to turn the corner. Slowly.

 

[HHJ]

What do you mean that doesn’t make it weak? It’s not a weakness to have a massive wrestling deficiency in mma?

If there's no one to do that there than its nothing they need to worry about.

Poatan's been taken down before,and he's always worked his way back to his feet. So taking him down isnt enough to beat him.

 

[10000yearsold]

If there's no one to do that there than its nothing they need to worry about.

Poatan's been taken down before,and he's always worked his way back to his feet. So taking him down isnt enough to beat him.

Not yet, it hasn’t been, but he really has not fought a terrific wrestling threat. It’s a very odd event for a double champ to have never fought a strong wrestler. It’s the first time ever in the history of the sport from what I can recall. At least McGregor had to fight Mendes, even tho Mendes is nowhere near the quality of wrestlers we have seen at light heavyweight.

 

[HHJ]

Not yet, it hasn’t been, but he really has not fought a terrific wrestling threat. It’s a very odd event for a double champ to have never fought a strong wrestler. It’s the first time ever in the history of the sport from what I can recall. At least McGregor had to fight Mendes, even tho Mendes is nowhere near the quality of wrestlers we have seen at light heavyweight.

Its fortunate for him but its not the end of the world. When Khabib ran through 155 his haters lamented that there werent other wrestlers for him to go against...but there were...they just werent good enough to get at Khabib as he got to the top.

Shit happens. It dont keep me up at night that LHW div lacks wrestlers. That's just how it happens to be at the moment.

 

[phillystyleswag]

Pereira has wins over Jiri, Strickland, Izzy, Jan, and Hill. He’s not proven? Even if there was an elite grappler or two @ LHW, he’s on the Poirier track and just beating everyone else.

 

[10000yearsold]

Its fortunate for him but its not the end of the world. When Khabib ran through 155 his haters lamented that there werent other wrestlers for him to go against...but there were...they just werent good enough to get at Khabib as he got to the top.

Shit happens. It dont keep me up at night that LHW div lacks wrestlers. That's just how it happens to be at the moment.

I didn’t have this issue with Khabib. I was not at alll convinced American wrestling was gonna upstage Dagestan. Khabib is/was an absolute behemoth on the ground. Most any eye should be able to see the comparative difference of how imposing his strength is. Like nobody makes people look as helpless beneath them than Khabib did, it’s the best I’ve ever seen in this sport.

All Khabib dick riding aside, I made this thread more so to defend my position that Poatan is under-proven for his regard. And as I’ve said, I like Alex. I think he’s fun to watch, I think he’s very talented. I’m not saying he’s not a good champion. Just on the basis of history his resume is weak.

Filipovic had Barnett, Fedor, Aleks, Nogeuira. Liddell, couture and Ortiz, DC and Jones had each other and Rashad, I guess. It hard to celebrate like those guys without that kind of adversity.

 

[10000yearsold]

Pereira has wins over Jiri, Strickland, Izzy, Jan, and Hill. He’s not proven? Even if there was an elite grappler or two @ LHW, he’s on the Poirier track and just beating everyone else.

Poirier got absolutely bulldozed by Khabib.

 

[phillystyleswag]

Poirier got absolutely bulldozed by Khabib.

Yes, and outside of Justin 2 he beats everyone that isn’t an elite grappler. That’s not a bad place to be.

 

[World eater]

Why don’t we get threads like this complaining about the lack of great strikers when wrestlers/grapplers rule a division? Usually when a wrestler rules, we get complaints that there aren’t other wrestlers good enough to prevail. Usman, Merab, Colby, Bo, Aljo… why doesn’t anyone complain about them being weak strikers?
I understand that Pereira is unproven on the ground, but it seems to bother Sherdog way too much.

 

[JakePaulMMA]

This is fucked up. TS is calling Poatan the modern day Tim Sylvia. TS should be give double yellows, maybe even triple...

 

[Only Here for Attachments]

Why don’t we get threads like this complaining about the lack of great strikers when wrestlers/grapplers rule a division? Usually when a wrestler rules, we get complaints that there aren’t other wrestlers good enough to prevail. Usman, Merab, Colby, Bo, Aljo… why doesn’t anyone complain about them being weak strikers?
I understand that Pereira is unproven on the ground, but it seems to bother Sherdog way too much.

Because there are many here who should really stick to NCAA wrestling.

 

[Big Tuppy Hole]

Maybe wrestling isn't translating aswell to mma like it use to (similar to what happend with BJJ) and only a few can adapt unlike the past where you could guarantee success with some state level wrestling title.

 

[Fatback96]

I really don’t think he’s bluffing when he says he wants to fight these guys. He takes any fight given to him.

It’s not his fault the entire MW and LHW weight classes are lacking in good wrestlers at the moment.

 

[nostradumbass]

I dont really care that a weight class lacks wrestlers or strikers etc. That alone doesnt make it weak. It just happens to be how it is at the time. It's not Poatans fault that there isnt a DC or Rampage or Arona type and whose to say he wouldnt beat them if there was anyway?

There's nothing to say he wouldn't beat them, and nothing to say he would either, that's the point. The division really took the "mixed" out of mixed martial arts and looks more like a division in a minor league kickboxing promotion with only Pereira having any strong background in that. Ankalaev isn't even that great of a grappler himself, but he's the best one in the division that nobody can beat even with a pretty bad fight IQ.

 

[italiamusica]

The day that Alex gets wrestlefucked and loses his title, is the day that all of his band wagon fans jump off and disappear lol. He hasn't defended a title yet and people are saying he's a God or something, I think it's because people hate Izzy sooooooooooo muuuuuuuuuuuch that they want to throat Alex's Poatan.

Pereira is good, but people need to slow down.

 

[World eater]

The day that Alex gets wrestlefucked and loses his title, is the day that all of his band wagon fans jump off and disappear lol. He hasn't defended a title yet and people are saying he's a God or something, I think it's because people hate Izzy sooooooooooo muuuuuuuuuuuch that they want to throat Alex's Poatan.

Pereira is good, but people need to slow down.

Some of us were fans of his before mma because some of us watch other sports as well. We would have been fans even if he never joined UFC. Also, he did defend a title, unless you missed the biggest card of recent years.