We will never know how good MVP could have been

[Danespina]

Moments before getting KO'd.

 

[newcastleman]

I'd love to see Adesanya vs MVP more than any other possible matchup between different organizations.

 

[Falconkick]

he is about to be 34

he spent all of his prime years outclassing nobodies in Bellator

he lost to Lima, but he got caught and there is no shame in losing to Lima

imagine Adesayna vs. prime MVP?

highest level of striking, flamboyance, and homoeroticism that we would ever see

discuss

Meh. Guys with his similar style seem to just keep going like Raymond Daniels at 40 and Wonderboy at 37. MVP still has a lot of time.

 

[Hellowhosthat]

Meh. Guys with his similar style seem to just keep going like Raymond Daniels at 40 and Wonderboy at 37. MVP still has a lot of time.

Dude needs to get on with it though, the correct response to the Lima loss would have been to push for a fight with another contender like Koreshkov or Larkin, instead he took a fight against some taxi driver.

 

[Falconkick]

Dude needs to get on with it though, the correct response to the Lima loss would have been to push for a fight with another contender like Koreshkov or Larkin, instead he took a fight against some taxi driver.

wasn't that because Derek Anderson withdrew? I can't recall exactly but yea he needs to step up I guess that Shinsho knockout was the stiffest test he's had since the Lima loss I believe.

 

[Hellowhosthat]

wasn't that because Derek Anderson withdrew? I can't recall exactly but yea he needs to step up I guess that Shinsho knockout was the stiffest test he's had since the Lima loss I believe.

No, the fight against the Italian dude was when Anderson withdrew, the Irish dude was his original opponent for some bizarre reason.

That's where I do think the UFC has Bellator beat, they don't give people cans as tune up fights after a loss against a contender, you fight someone else in or around the rankings to see if you can hang.

 

[SouvlakiSpaceStation]

This is a dumb thread, but... he's 33 years old and doesn't have a lot of mileage... I'd say he's currently in his prime now and has been for a while.

I also think people are a little bit unfair towards him. Why are people so hard on him in comparison to others who have fought similar (or worse) opposition... he has a few solid wins on his resume. Sure, matchmaking could be a lot better for him from Bellator, he should absolutely be fighting top Bellator fighters at this point. But calling him a can crusher is a bit harsh and unfair towards him and some of the guys he's beat.

All of this being said, I don't think MVP is an amazing fighter and I think we're all aware of how good he is or "could have been."

 

[Memeojima]

34 is when you usually die afterall. Sad stuff TS. Never will knowz

 

[The ScorpioN]

This was so beautiful.
From now on, MVP is only fighting cans with an occasional journeyman.

 

[SalvadorAllende]

Epitomy of a can crusher.

First time he fought a real fighter he got destroyed in glorious fashion.

He turned Paula Daley into a panic wrestler.

MVP is a legit striker at WW like it or not.

 

[Hardcore MMA]

It is too bad we never saw him against top tier fighters. However, he ducked Brennan Ward, Koreshkov and Paul Daley for years before he finally had his “fight” with Daley. He never wanted the top tier of Bellators WW division during the Spike TV era when Bellator was building him up against cans. He also went inactive for 1.5 years between the end of 2016 and 2018 after the Cyborg KO which was putting him on ESPN highlight reels. Seems like he’s made some poor career choices when he could have made it into the UFC.

 

[RODNEY83]

All the opportunities Bellator and MVP and his advisors could have chosen step up fights and they never did. From Paul Bradley after he beat Chris Honeycutt, to Andrey Koreshkov, to Curtis Millender, to Lorenz Larkin, to Brennan Ward, to Ed Ruth, to Yaroslav Amosov, it's just been years of wasted opportunities to take on a step up opponent by MVP and his advisors and by Coker and his Bellator staff.

 

[Richard Fannin]

Meh. Guys with his similar style seem to just keep going like Raymond Daniels at 40 and Wonderboy at 37. MVP still has a lot of time.

Oh come on! ^^ Not again... 6/7 years ago MVP fans were saying the exact same stuff

It's infuriating because MVP obviously had potential, but year after year after year his numerous fanboys (before they bailed on him) were like "leave him more tiiiime, he's still young, he's learning, next year he'll fight some top tier opponents, let him have fun... or the year after... or the one after this one... and this one... and this one.... oh well he's 34 now, nevermind, Venom was never my friend."

The difference is that you haven't bailed on him
But no, MVP doesn't have that much time left in his prime.

He also went inactive for 1.5 years between the end of 2016 and 2018 after the Cyborg KO which was putting him on ESPN highlight reels. Seems like he’s made some poor career choices when he could have made it into the UFC.

Ah yes, 2016-2018 where the years when he had 2 or 3 boxing bouts against guys with abysmal records, which might explain his absence from MMA.
Let me check...
In 2017, Jonathan Castano, with a 2-13-1 record.
In 2018, Michal Ciach, and his 2-10-0 record...

Not exactly world beaters, but I guess that who he would have faced in his first couple pro fights to get used to a different sport. What is strange is that he takes these squash matches once a year, dedicating a full training camp for every fight.
Shouldn't these bouts be the kind that you take every couple months to stay in shape, and not the kind that you train a year for?

I'm not even sure what the point of his boxing venture was, since he never fought anyone noteworthy.

Even in MMA, he could have at least fought guys with names, like Ryan Couture. In a weird way, the Cyborg fight was a step in the right direction, at least he was known by hardcore fans;
even if most fans where already pissed off a couple years before the MVP bout, when they dragged the poor Santos from retirement to a rematch against Manhoef...
"their first fight was a legendary brawl, it's the rematch 8 years in the making that real fans have been clamoring for!!! It's the fight that makes sense!!"
Poor Cyborg got smoked in 46 seconds for the main event of Gringo SF (sounds like a legit promotion ^^)

Speaking of, Melvin Manhoef could have been a good opponent for MVP. If we're looking for strikers, Marius "Whitemare" Zaromskis always delivers, same for Joe Schilling and Hisaki Kato.

Sure, some of these guys are a bit bigger than him (for a change), but at least if Page gets destroyed by Manhoef we'd know where he stands.
It's almost like MVP has very little confidence, and wants to avoid fights where he could get "exposed" like the plague.
When he was in the cage with Paul Daley, he turned it into a mudfight instead of letting go; weird of he wasn't clowning on Semtex like he usually does on his smaller, weaker opponents

 

[InfinityLens]

All the opportunities Bellator and MVP and his advisors could have chosen step up fights and they never did. From Paul Bradley after he beat Chris Honeycutt, to Andrey Koreshkov, to Curtis Millender, to Lorenz Larkin, to Brennan Ward, to Ed Ruth, to Yaroslav Amosov, it's just been years of wasted opportunities to take on a step up opponent by MVP and his advisors and by Coker and his Bellator staff.

Yeah I know Bellator can make some bad matches, but I mean come on. MVP could have been calling people out, I blame this on him.

 

[skylolow]

I'd love to see Adesanya vs MVP more than any other possible matchup between different organizations.

Adesanya would bury MVP where he stands.

 

[GueseGuy]

If MVP had the same exact record and the same exact opposition but it took place in the UFC nobody would say a word. Crazy how blinded ppl are by the “UFC” on the logo. Kevin Holland smashed Charlie Ontiveros who is a total can but it was in the UFC so it’s considered part of his “run” but MVP does it and he’s crushing cans. You can’t win unless you’re in the UFC. That’s the bottom line with casuals.

 

[maximus__]

he is about to be 34

he spent all of his prime years outclassing nobodies in Bellator

he lost to Lima, but he got caught and there is no shame in losing to Lima

imagine Adesayna vs. prime MVP?

highest level of striking, flamboyance, and homoeroticism that we would ever see

discuss

I think we kinda have seen where he stands. He will smash regional level guys, lose to the top fighters and get out wrestled by Paul Daley in a fight that no one won.
Anyone with decent stand up and higher level grappling should beat him, but he always has the chance to catch someone with a KO.
I would say he will stay within the top 8-15 of Bellator. I actually think he would do better in the UFC because they would give him the Conor treatment and match make him into a title shot whilst avoiding wrestlers.

 

[RODNEY83]

Yeah I know Bellator can make some bad matches, but I mean come on. MVP could have been calling people out, I blame this on him.

My statement actually reads that MVP and his advisors and Bellator and it's decision are at fault

 

[Hellowhosthat]

If MVP had the same exact record and the same exact opposition but it took place in the UFC nobody would say a word. Crazy how blinded ppl are by the “UFC” on the logo. Kevin Holland smashed Charlie Ontiveros who is a total can but it was in the UFC so it’s considered part of his “run” but MVP does it and he’s crushing cans. You can’t win unless you’re in the UFC. That’s the bottom line with casuals.

Ontiveros was a pretty bad last minute replacement, sure. Still better than Richard Kiely, though.

 

[Velvet Hammer]

No it doesn’t. By all accounts opponent after opponent pulled out of fights with him and this can’t be ignored. That’s not his fault, he can only fight who shows up. And he had Lima on skates before getting starched so he represented himself well.

You swayed me a little but doesnt Bellator have precedence of compelling fighters to fight like the UFC? They are in the entertainment business. If they thought they could make money stacking MVP vs anyone decent they wouldn’t have made that happen no?