Who would have been WW champ from 2006-2013 if GSP never was?

[1neomonkey]

Fitch for sure. The guy won 13 of 14 fights from 2005-2010 with his only defeat coming by way of GSP. Had GSP not been there, we'd all probably have Fitch ranked as the best WW of all time.

 

[ironfist05]

Hughes beats Karo (after Penn is stripped of the WW title and leaves for K-1)

Hughes beats Trigg II

Hughes beats Penn II

Hughes beats Diego Sanchez

Hughes defeats Serra

Hughes loses to Koscheck (Kos and Fitch don't fight due to their friendship)

Koscheck loses to Alves

Alves loses to Fitch

Fitch beats Penn moving up

Fitch defeats Kampmann

Fitch defeats the winner of a Paulo Thiago/Dan Hardy title eliminator

Shields (moving into the UFC early) defeats Fitch

Kos, reinvigorated, beats Ellenberger in a title eliminator and then beats Shields to reclaim the title

Kos beats Diaz (who has made a lot of noise and moves into the UFC early) controversially

Kos beats Condit

Marquardt comes in from SF (here he doesn't lose his belt to Saffiedine as SF get's absorbed earlier) and faces Koscheck, beating Kos

Hendricks beats Diaz in a title eliminator, faces Marquardt and beats him.

Condit builds his way back to the top and beats Hendricks over five rounds

Lawler comes in to face Condit and wins, making him the current champ

 

[SuperNerd]

Hughes beats Diego Sanchez

Woulda been interesting in the day

 

[JKS]

Dustin Hazlet

 

[SuperNerd]

Dustin Hazlet

It's too bad Bocek took his pride. Dustin thought he was a great grappler before that fight.

 

[lockon]

fitch, then condit

 

[Jon Stark]

After putting some thought into it here's how I see things going:

Hughes defeats Diego Sanchez at UFC 65 (Diego was actually ranked just behind GSP at the time)

Hughes defeats Serra at UFC 69

Alves defeats Hughes

Fitch defeats Alves

Fitch retains over BJ

Fitch retains over Kampmann (who would have been the highest ranked UFC fighter other than Fitch and Alves)

Fitch defeats Hardy

Fitch defeats Daley (who never fights Kos and gets kicked out of the UFC)

Shields defeats Fitch

Shields defeats Kos

Condit defeats Shields

Condit defeats Diaz in a highly controversial decision

Condit defeats Diaz again

Condit defeats Hendricks (I honestly believe Condit wins that fight if its 5 rounds)

Lawler defeats Condit

I like the thought you put into this answer. It sounds believable and plausible.

 

[TKZOMBIE]

Then it would be the dong going crasy all over UFC

 

[elzar]

Hughes would've kept if for awhile more until Koscheck began his rise up the ranks. Fitch wouldn't have beaten Koscheck IMO but Alves can beat Koscheck as we all have seen and we all know Fitch beats Alves.

From 2006-2010 I think that it would've been a weird cycling between Fitch, Koscheck and Alves. After 2010 though, those 3 would start to plummet due to the rise of guys like Condit, Shields, Kampmann, Hendricks, Rory and Story

yeah i think hughes has to be in the discussion. and i agree it moves around.

 

[krelianx]

Fitch, Kos and Shields.

 

[crazyjames1233]

Jon Fitch for most of the time. Then Hendricks.

 

[Guernica]

I'm thinking a mix of champions including Koscheck, Fitch, Alves and Condit over the 7 year period. I don't think Serra would got lucky against any of the above mentioned fighters.

Who would have had the gold strap if GSP never was?

whoever it would have been, the WW division would have been much more exciting. I hope I never have to see gsp lay on a guy for 25 minutes again.

 

[marksmen]

It woulda changed hands like it did at 205 before Jones.

 

[ShagginTurtles]

Hughes (for longer)
Fitch/Penn
Alves
Shields
Diaz

 

[ssk96]

Okay. So. Then the timeline takes a divergence in 2006 before GSP beat Hughes.

Hughes beats BJ in their rematch.

Hughes defends his title against Matt Serra, like GSP did.

Hughes beats Serra down to a decision.

Theoretically, Koscheck wouldn't have run into anyone that could have nullified his wrestling like GSP did. Koscheck would have challenged Hughes, and imo, beaten him down.

Fitch doesn't get a title shot, because Koscheck and he are training partners. They won't fight each other, so Fitch is busy tucking in the rest of the possible contenders.

In the meantime, Koscheck doesn't have any real challengers, so he ends up either matching Thiago Alves, which he loses horribly at the time.

Either way, we get Fitch versus Alves, and Fitch becomes the champion.

BJ Penn moves up to WW and beats the shit out of Fitch, due to it being 2009 and being incredibly motivated at the time. BJ vacates the LW title and defends against Dan Hardy. BJ Penn pushes Dan Hardy's shit in and subs him.

BJ Penn faces Koscheck who's earned his rematch, and eeks out a decision.

BJ Penn defends against Jake Shields, but Shields' inability to take BJ down results in him getting battered all night. Shields doesn't go away, though. BJ Penn loses some steam by the 3rd, and Shields begins to have success grappling. I think BJ somehow eeks out a decision, which leads to Condit vs BJ Penn.

Condit beats BJ.

Condit defends against Nick Diaz.

Millions of Diaz fans butthurt all over again.

This was good until you had BJ beating Fitch. Based on the actual info we have, Fitch would of finished BJ in the 4th rd.

Fitch then deafness against Hardy and likely loses to Shields.

Shields defends against Condit and since Diaz wouldn't fight him he goes on to face Hendricks and loses.

And that brings us to today.

 

[SuperNerd]

I like the thought you put into this answer. It sounds believable and plausible.

I like it too, but I think he counted out Shields too easily.

Kos is one tough match up. Assuming he loses to Kos, I don't know who would stop Shields from becoming #1 contender again.

 

[thetruth2709]

pffff lucky win! yes I fucking said it! GSP slipped and Serra took advantage of it, nah nah dont come with the bullshit that if you aim and it hits its no luck, yes there is fucking luck IN ANY SPORT and there shouldnt be any reason why it wouldnt exist in mma, Serra took advantage of a very lucky situation and if GSP didnt slip Serra would have never won, in the rematch is was proven without a doubt that Serra was not even in the same universe as GSP was, lucky win.

 

[IMDIYM]

Shields

 

[lololboom]

Serra beats Hughes. Fitch dominates Serra, and the division, Shields takes over in 2010, Hendricks wins the belt in 2013.

Only hole in that may be Koscheck. Stylistically a bad match up for Fitch, but Wouldn't be able to stay a champion, So Fitch would be back on top in no time.