Who is the smallest fighter that could have been the UFC heavyweight champ in the modern era?

[don't ask]

View attachment 950455

Who is that?

 

[don't ask]

Considering Mousasi has a knockout win over Mark Hunt, I think the field of potential candidates goes down to lighter weights than most people are thinking. I could definitely see Tim and Andre being heelhooked.

 

[Bork Neslar]

Matt Serra

 

[fedorthegoat777]

DC and Hendo.
I don't think gsp would do good, frame issues.

 

[AfroBanana]

TRT Vitor could have a shot

I came here to say Vitor on short notice shocks the world and KO’s Fedor at AFFLICTION 3 in a early exchange if things played out differently.

 

[Hatorade]

He would’ve gotten outwrestled.

If Chael was able to have the type of success he did against Anderson, I don't see how Randy doesn't completely dominate Anderson. I just don't see Anderson catching Randy at all. I think Randy would have ran through Machida as well if he wasn't a hundred years old.

 

[Hatorade]

DC and Hendo.
I don't think gsp would do good, frame issues.

DC was a legit HW that could make 205.
He looked like a fat POS his second run at HW because he was in his 40's, but in his first go at HW he was solid at 240lbs. I remember watching an interview with another fighter where DC reps 225lbs like 20 times in the background. Dude had to lose a lot of muscle to get down to 205 as well as fat.

 

[Hatorade]

Rashad evans

Shad fought at HW and was 224lbs, which is actually more than Randy weighed.

 

[Hatorade]

Vitor started his career as a heavyweight.

Yup, and he weighed more than Randy when they fought at HW.

 

[Big Tuppy Hole]

We will start the modern UFC era with Tim Sylvia/Andre arlovski. True cross-trained heavyweights with knowledge of striking, and grappling/submissions that trained at a real camp.

Since that time, Randy couture has been the smallest heavyweight at 6'2" 220 lbs

Who do you think could have been the absolute smallest fighter at heavyweight that could have won the strap, and who would they have beat?

My first thought would be rumble Johnson who fought at welterweight at one point touching Andre arlovski's chin, but he would actually be quite a bit bigger than Randy couture heavyweight.

I could see Dan Henderson at a bit over 200lbs putting anyone with a suspect chin to sleep at HW, particularly Arlovski or couture, but it's probably not very likely. Couture would wrestle fuck him into a living death, and Arlovski would definitely tool him up outside of getting clipped with how much size he has on him.

I wonder if GSP at 200 lbs could hold his own with some of the mediocre grapplers like Timmeh? I just don't know though. As massive as the discrepancy in skill is between those two, we're talking like at least 65lbs in weight difference and almost a foot in height. As much as a big slug as Tim was, his cardio honestly was never that bad, which sort of rules out him gassing against someone that much smaller than him.
I would love to see it though.

Who do you got?

Big Tim would murder GsP at any weight

 

[Paolo Delutis]

We will start the modern UFC era with Tim Sylvia/Andre arlovski. True cross-trained heavyweights with knowledge of striking, and grappling/submissions that trained at a real camp.

Since that time, Randy couture has been the smallest heavyweight at 6'2" 220 lbs

Who do you think could have been the absolute smallest fighter at heavyweight that could have won the strap, and who would they have beat?

My first thought would be rumble Johnson who fought at welterweight at one point touching Andre arlovski's chin, but he would actually be quite a bit bigger than Randy couture heavyweight.

I could see Dan Henderson at a bit over 200lbs putting anyone with a suspect chin to sleep at HW, particularly Arlovski or couture, but it's probably not very likely. Couture would wrestle fuck him into a living death, and Arlovski would definitely tool him up outside of getting clipped with how much size he has on him.

I wonder if GSP at 200 lbs could hold his own with some of the mediocre grapplers like Timmeh? I just don't know though. As massive as the discrepancy in skill is between those two, we're talking like at least 65lbs in weight difference and almost a foot in height. As much as a big slug as Tim was, his cardio honestly was never that bad, which sort of rules out him gassing against someone that much smaller than him.
I would love to see it though.

Who do you got?

Come on...

This was easy T.S

 

[Hatorade]

View attachment 950476

Come on...

This was easy T.S

Love me some Bas, but I don't think he could beat any of that heavyweights we're talking about. He would have a puncher's chance against Arlovski, but Timmeh would have ran through Bas IMO. I think Randy would have been too much for him as well.

 

[Hatorade]

Big Tim would murder GsP at any weight

I feel like GSP would definitely be the favorite at welterweight. That cut would pretty rough for big Timmy

 

[Prefect]

Yeah that Vitor blitz could catch anyone.

Vitor doesn't count because he was nothing without dope.

 

[rex kramer]

I think Melvin Manhoef could've ko'd literally any UFC HW. He's 5'8 and 184 lbs.

 

[Lawrence]

Fedor is worshipped

Hendo beat Fedor

Shields beat Hendo

GSP beat Shields

Serra beat GSP

Din Thomas beat Serra

Din will announce his supremacy tomorrow night between rounds 2 & 3 during the chick fight, so don’t go take a shit & a smoke on the porch like you usually do.

 

[MPD-Psycho]

Great answers so far, especially Hendo, Rumble, Anderson, Vitor, and Machida.

 

[Liverkick-king56]

Machida and Shogun were MW size but they were giant slayers and probably have the best chances of former LHW champs against Arlovski or Tim.
Hendo obviously could as he was able to catch Fedor but he's most likely just got a punchers chance against any HW champ.

If we include interim champs like Mir, Big Nog, Carwin the list widens since those 3 guys got easier holes to exploit during their interim reign.

 

[Fioretti]

I really think Melvin KO'ing Hunt, Hendo KO'ing Fedro, and Anderson KO'ing 230-240lb Griffin are the best real life examples.

Victor Gracie killing Hess is another.

 

[dipstickjimmy]

We will start the modern UFC era with Tim Sylvia/Andre arlovski. True cross-trained heavyweights with knowledge of striking, and grappling/submissions that trained at a real camp.

Since that time, Randy couture has been the smallest heavyweight at 6'2" 220 lbs

Who do you think could have been the absolute smallest fighter at heavyweight that could have won the strap, and who would they have beat?

My first thought would be rumble Johnson who fought at welterweight at one point touching Andre arlovski's chin, but he would actually be quite a bit bigger than Randy couture heavyweight.

I could see Dan Henderson at a bit over 200lbs putting anyone with a suspect chin to sleep at HW, particularly Arlovski or couture, but it's probably not very likely. Couture would wrestle fuck him into a living death, and Arlovski would definitely tool him up outside of getting clipped with how much size he has on him.

I wonder if GSP at 200 lbs could hold his own with some of the mediocre grapplers like Timmeh? I just don't know though. As massive as the discrepancy in skill is between those two, we're talking like at least 65lbs in weight difference and almost a foot in height. As much as a big slug as Tim was, his cardio honestly was never that bad, which sort of rules out him gassing against someone that much smaller than him.
I would love to see it though.

Who do you got?

It all depends on timing.
Starting with Hendo beat Fedor.
Shields beat Hendo
GSP beat Shields
Hughes beat GSP
BJ Penn beat Hughes
Frankie beat BJ
Sandhagen beat Frankie
TJ beat Sanhagen
Cejudo beat TJ
Mighty Mouse beat Cejudo