Unpopular opinion : Sometimes title defenses don't mean much

[capnlarge]

This isn't really a fair comparison because the LW title picture has been a shitshow for years

 

[Utahraptor Ostrommaysi]

I don't believe in the notion that you have to defend your belt in order to be a true champ, if you beat the champ for the belt you're the true champ, period. However, you do need to defend your belt a lot in order to be considered one of the all time greats in my eyes. While winning a world championship is very impressive, defending a world championship 3, 5, 7, 10 times is much more impressive because it's a lot harder to do.
So if Tony beats Khabib he will be the legit champ, but he will still have a lot of work to do before he can be considered an all time great.
Also it's pretty absurd to compare Tony to DJ at this stage in the game because many people consider DJ to be the GOAT, or if not the GOAT then one of the top 5 all time great fighters. Tony is great, but as I said he still has a lot of work to do before he can be considered an all time great, let alone the GOAT..

 

[michaelmichaelmichael90]

Cleaned up the division? lol Ferguson have a lot of work to do, there are guys like Dustin, Gaethje and even Conor waiting for him with their arms open and fists closed.

Mighty Mouse have a way better run than Ferguson and is not even close, he truly cleaned up his division and was starting to giving rematches to most of his opponents, not only that he dominated all of them unlike Ferguson that was struggling, getting mounted and gettting kocked down with many of his opponents. and MM did all of this while being champ and was very active, another thing Ferguson can say.

Tony is a LW ATG for sure but he is not in the level of MM, there are levels to this son....

Came to say alot of the same shit. Ferg has so much more work to do in the LW division if he wins. Also staying active has a ton to do with how dominant one is. MM kept beating guys every few months which is so much harder than fighting once a year, which is what Ferg has done over the LAST 4 YEARS!!! You can't mention Ferg's name in the same sentence as MM, sorry dude hate to ruin your long, well thought out, wanna prove a point thread. good try though

Also defending a title is much harder, mentally especially, than just fighting another fight.

 

[phatron]

My point is : Is Demetrious Johnson more legit than Tony Ferg because he has more title defenses ? I don't believe so.

It's completely different.

ANY win streak is not the same as a CHAMPIONSHIP win streak.

It's not only an unpopular opinion, it's an incorrect one.

 

[FloydMayweatherMMA]

Well, of course they have a value in a champion's legacy, but we have to put things in perspective.

I often read that a champion is not 'legit' because he doesn't have a lot of title defenses. Well, if the fighter in question went on a 10 fights win streak and cleaned out the division before winning the belt, then in my opinion he doesn't need 10 title defenses to be considered 'legit'.

Let's take 2 opposite examples : Demetrious Johnson and Tony Ferguson

- Demetrious Johnson, once considered one of the most dominant UFC champion, got the FLW belt after only 2 victories. He then went on a 11 fights win streak before losing to Cejudo, which means he had 11 title defenses.

- Tony Ferguson will fight Khabib for the LW title. If he beats Khabib and becomes the champ, he'll be on a 13 fights win streak, and completely have cleaned out the division while having ZERO title defenses.

My point is : Is Demetrious Johnson more legit than Tony Ferg because he has more title defenses ? I don't believe so.

imo yes, because a champion has to fight (more or less) the best guy in the division at the time, whereas the up and comer will have a fair few chumps on their way up.

 

[Ryeboi]

It's completely different.

ANY win streak is not the same as a CHAMPIONSHIP win streak.

It's not only an unpopular opinion, it's an incorrect one.

Nope, TS is right. The quality of the opponent is a better indicator of someone's fight ability than their # of wins as a champion.

Champions aren't always the best in the division. In recent years there are at least two former "champs" that were given title shots b/c of their ability to self-promote and due to circumstances beyond their control.

Conor is the best example of someone who was incredibly lucky to get a title shot at 155 because of his incredible marketing ability and b/c all the real 155 contenders were injured at the time.

Mike Bisping is another example of a champion that was lucky to be given a title shot b/c of his self promotion and fame without having first taken on Bobby Knuckles, Gegard, Souza or Kelvin. Dana liked Bisping so much he let Mike defend his title against Dan Henderson, a 45 year old man that lost 6 of his last 10 fights.

 

[Russie]

When you're the champ you're the hunted facing fighters who are hungry and want to take away what the champion has. I would never dismiss anyone defending their title. Sure some divisions are tougher than others and the challengers can provide a hell of a gauntlet if you defend on down the list.

 

[Coconutwater]

Well, of course they have a value in a champion's legacy, but we have to put things in perspective.

I often read that a champion is not 'legit' because he doesn't have a lot of title defenses. Well, if the fighter in question went on a 10 fights win streak and cleaned out the division before winning the belt, then in my opinion he doesn't need 10 title defenses to be considered 'legit'.

Let's take 2 opposite examples : Demetrious Johnson and Tony Ferguson

- Demetrious Johnson, once considered one of the most dominant UFC champion, got the FLW belt after only 2 victories. He then went on a 11 fights win streak before losing to Cejudo, which means he had 11 title defenses.

- Tony Ferguson will fight Khabib for the LW title. If he beats Khabib and becomes the champ, he'll be on a 13 fights win streak, and completely have cleaned out the division while having ZERO title defenses.

My point is : Is Demetrious Johnson more legit than Tony Ferg because he has more title defenses ? I don't believe so.

I get what you are saying and I respect it. You definitely have a point, that said, winning a belt and having pressure to keep it is way different than climbing up the hill.

When you climb the hill, you tend to have a fearlessness about you that allows you to go for broke. Being Champ usually messes with your mind because you literally have something to lose.

 

[Night Slasher]

Also, as much as I love t ferg, it’s a hard argument putting him over DJ. I think that’s a pretty wild stretch considering many don’t even put khabib over DJ yet, and he’s the favorite going into the fight.

Both have a much better resume than DJ
Strength of schedule>title defences

 

[Furious77]

He hasn't beat Conor. So he hasn't cleaned out the division. That's a fact.

Conor isn't even in the division. He has more fights at 170 than 155 simply because Dana wants to give him an advantage.