What are your thoughts on Leon's title reign?

[Aluminati]

Thanks for getting rid of Usman, glad it's over and fuck you for giving us that one dude whatever his fucking name is I can't remember.

Yeah, seriously. Fuck that dude, whoever he is.

 

[johny ringo]

Reign?

 

[HHJ]

With the amount of cheating Kamaru has done over his career, I didn't even mind it honestly.

 

[chinarice]

Boring AF in every possible way. Has IMO the greatest KO in MMA history with that Usman headkick.

 

[Portland8242]

As said multiple times in the thread - he got rid of Kamaru and Colby, and that's not a bad thing at all.

Division is moving again with new blood and we got Belal vs Shavkat in December, any combination of Ian Garry, JDM, Sean Brady, etc.. could be next up for that fight. Glad because WW has been so stagnant for so long, good to see another crop of guys come in and displace the older guard.

 

[Mammothman]

It was OK

 

[traditionally_irreverent]

 

[BigTruck]

SAY HIS NAME



SAY IT

 

[PrideNverDies]

I still think he beats overrated champs like Islam

 

[RockyLockridge]

Won't even mention GSP, not as good as Usman or close, not as good as Hughes, on par with Woodley......better than Lawler

lawler beat mcdonald twice, hendricks, ellenburger, condit, matt brown and koschek I dont think leon was better.

 

[TheRealWill]

If you wanna call it a reign.

Very underwhelming. His ko of Usman is one of the greatest moments in MMA history, but it was all pretty lame after that. Should've just retired.

The 'head shot dead' and constant finger guns were ok in the moment, but it became super cringey... especially from a guy living in a country you're not even allowed to have sharp scissors, let alone a gun.

 

[Islam Imamate]

Won the belt by knocking out Usman, at the end of the fight that he was going to lose. Great moment and post fight interview.
Rematched Usman in a mostly boring fight where he fouled but clearly won.
Fought Colby in another boring fight.
Lost the belt to Belal.
2 title defenses and but no really amazing performances. The thing I found strange was him dismissing Belal, the rightful contender, despite the fact Leon was in the same position as him not long ago. He also liked talking a lot about moving up the divisions and fighting McGregor.
What are your thoughts on his title reign looking back now?

Leon's run was very good IMO, his legacy is better than Woodley's for example. Winning a title and defending it twice is no easy feat on its own but to me what was special about Leon's run is that this was the culmination of a long win streak as a result of what felt like both a run of bad luck and disfavor of the company. He was the guy they didn't want in a title fight which is why he had to win nine bouts before getting his title shot. He was matched up against company men like RDA and Cerrone in the hopes they could get into title contention off of beating Leon. He also beat solid guys early in his streak like Luque and Tumenov so its not like he was fighting cans then either.

The big part of this storyline people are forgetting is how fucked he got by COVID. He was finally in a #1 contender's fight with Woodley but then COVID hits and he can't make it to the fight only to watch Burns and Colby get title shots off of Woodley. Even despite having the longest streak after the champ himself he was willing to put his ranking on the line against unraked Khamzat and Diaz. He also had a built in rivalry with Usman since his last loss was to the champ. Seeing him grind through those ten fights and get his shot at Usman and make good on it not only once but twice to win the rivalry felt like ultimate vindication. The Colby fight is a bit of a stain though, middling performance against and undeserved contender.

Funny thing is that Belal is similar, he's another guy the company did not want winning the title but did so anyway because he beat everyone they put in front of him. Woodley on the other hand had at his best a seven fight unbeaten streak winning only two fights before getting a title shot. Mostly lackluster title performances and he got the title fight because he was on a Strikeforce contract and would've made insane money if he was allowed to grind through fights so they made him sink or swim against Lawler and to his credit he won. Still, he had recent losses to Shields and MacDonald and nothing suggested that he evolved that much from those losses.

 

[CroCopsLHK]

WW is a hot bed right now

With all due respect Usman has been one of the most dominant ever but his wear and tear is very real. Edwards vs Usman 2 admittedly was one of the greatest underdog moments ever, but the third fight just seemed like an epilogue. At that point Leon got his number and won more dominant but less emphatically, if that makes sense

The problem is Belal is even better and his shot was undeniable. Shavkat looks like he could also be something special and to a lesser extent Ian Garry

So my opinion of Edwards is he's a brilliant fighter but I don't blame his reign for being short because the division is very hot right now

 

[Captain Insano]

It's almost as boring as that guy, the one whose name I can't remember.

 

[WhiteMousse]

The sport has become so high level that long reigning champions are more rare these days. I don't think it reflects badly on Leon.

 

[Ladder Master]

Not much really.
Some people come to fight, and some come to point fight their way to decisions.

 

[GrantB13]

Nothing spectacular. At least he didn't lose on his first defense but other than that it is insignificant save for dethroning Usman.

 

[Ozze]

His title reign reflects what the MW division has been for a long time: uninteresting and forgettable.

 

[JKS]

lawler beat mcdonald twice, hendricks, ellenburger, condit, matt brown and koschek I dont think leon was better.

I do believe what are talking about “title” reign. Those fights were prior to Lawler winning the title. Title reign would be from the point of winning the title

 

[RockyLockridge]

I do believe what are talking about “title” reign. Those fights were prior to Lawler winning the title. Title reign would be from the point of winning the title

Even his title reign had the win against Hendricks the Rory rematch and the condit win