This is my problem with the weight bully/size advantage shit people bring up on here. It only applies to fighters they don’t like.
I think you mis-took what I said. I have
never used the effeminate term, "weight bully," nor would I.
The whole purpose of fighting is to "bully" (beat the ship out of) someone.
The whole purpose of having a strategy, or going in with a game plan, is to
gain an advantage over an opponent, either through approach, tactics, etc.
Using a unique body type (height/reach) is but one form of advantage, and those who have this should use their physical structure to their advantage, if they're thinking.
Is Pereira only making things look easy because he has a size advantage on everyone? The dude is probably the most effective weight cutter I have seen, which I have never criticized him for, but you can’t diminish what Conor has done with the “he just fought smaller people” shit and not say the same about Pereira who has a bigger size advantage at 185 than Conor ever had at 145.
Then the “no takedown threat” stuff, a lot of guys haven’t fought as good of a wrestler as Mendes, Pereira being the most blatant, obvious example out there, but there are many even long reigning champs who haven’t including Volk and Holloway after Conor left 145.
So if you’re gonna be consistent and not be a hypocrite, Pereira’s legacy in your mind should be “he only looked good because he fought tiny people with no TD threat” until he goes to LHW. And even if he wins a belt there as Conor did at 155, his run at 185 should still remain the same if you’re being consistent.
Weight cutting
is an art form, and we agree Pereira has mastered this art form.
If you actually checked the record, Conor had also mastered the art form as a FW. This was at the high point of McGregor's career. So I didn't actually "criticize" Conor for cutting weight at FW, I only pointed out why he
hadn't lost to that point, except very early in his career. So you are again mis-taking what I said.
I truly believe Conor
should have stayed at FW, because I think he would've likely been the greatest Featherweight of all time.
If you actually read my posts on this thread, the subject was
my ability to predict that Conor would LOSE when he moved up, precisely because he LOST the size advantage he enjoyed at FW. It wasn't criticism of Conor, it was why I predicted he would lose. For this reason I think it was a stupid move on Conor's part, because in fact he did lose, and and he's
continued to lose ever since
That certain fighters are very tall / long for their weight is a potential for advantage which intelligent fighters use as such. Stupid fighters don't use their height advantage, should they possess that type of physique.
This truth is
why Jon Jones is the GOAT at LHW. He had a size (height / reach) advantage over absolutely everyone.
This same truth is also
why Israel Adesanya has been unstoppable at MW--until he met his taller nemisis, Alex Pereira, again.
It's
why Max Holloway was so effective at FW.
It's
why Conor was also unstoppable at FW, but so ordinary at LW.
And, yes, it's also
why Alex Pereira is such a monster at MW also. (However, Pereira has advantages over
all of these other individuals, which I will discuss below.)
Like Conor, the moment Israel Adesanya faces people his own height/reach, he suddenly loses (Jan, Alex). Conor McGregor has enough weaknesses that the moment he starts facing men his size or taller (Nate, Khabib, Poirier), he is suddenly not so invincible and gets beat.
For these very reasons, Jon Jones has not wanted to move up to heavyweight.
For these very reasons, Holloway lost to Poirier when he moved up to LW. (Actually, Poirier beat Holloway at both weights.)
Alex Pereira is significantly different from all of these other "big for their weight" fighters (Jones, Holloway, Izzy, and Conor) — because
Alex Pereira truly does possess one-punch KO power and he is also able to
carry this power with him when he moves up in weight.
Jones never had one-punch KO power, even at LHW.
Holloway never had one-punch KO power, even at FW.
Adesanya never had one-punch KO power, even at MW.
While Conor McGregor
did have one-punch KO power at FW, he couldn't sustain this ability past the second round — and he wasn't able to carry his one-punch KO power when he moved up in weight.
Alex Pereira is unique among all of these other tall fighters, because he
can flatline people at MW, and he
can flatline people at LHW ...
and Pereira has a deeper skill set, striking-wise, than any other fighter in UFC history.
As importantly, Pereira has
also proven to be able to knock opponents out in
the 1st round, and he sustains the ability to knock people out all the way
into the 5th round. This makes Pereira a much more dangerous person, when he moves up, and thereby a better candidate for dual championship.
In closing, while you've gone off on a tangent, my friend, I think it's an interesting tangent.
Because this very tangent explains
why I predicted Conor would lose when he moved up to face Diaz. Conor lacks stamina, and he cannot carry his punch to the later rounds. The combination of these weaknesses in Conor puts him at an incredible disadvantage when he moves up in weight.
Cheers