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The 3 top MMA fighters who are continually tossed around as Greatest of All Time MMA fighters are Fedor, Emelianenko, GSP, and Anderson Silva.
Their level of competition and quality of opponents can be argued ad nauseam but I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about how they fought and their skills.
These are the 3 reasons Fedor is GOAT besides records:
1.) Fedor was one of the first truly well-rounded fighters, especially at HW.
GSP is well-rounded, he has amazing wrestling, great striking, and a great ground game with GnP and submissions. Anderson was 2 dimensional, he had great striking, a decent ground game, and average wrestling with his TD defense being better than his offensive wrestling. Anderson got away with not using his wrestling because almost all of his opponents fell to his striking. His ground game was decent but not deadly, he wasn't a Maia, Werdum, or Nog on the ground. Who did he really submit, Travis Lutter? He submitted a tired Chael Sonnen who'd admitted to not training submissions and a Dan Henderson who was rocked and hurt from strikes and went for a desperation TD. Anderson may have even been more of 1-1/2 dimensional with great striking and so-so wrestling and fair submissions. Just because someone has a blackbelt doesn't mean it transitions well into MMA. Also, Anderson rarely had to use his submissions though since his striking dominated his fights.
Fedor was well-rounded, he had great striking, great wrestling (sambo), and a great ground game (both submissions and GnP which is rare). He destroyed plenty of his opponents with striking, with submissions, and with GnP. He could fight his opponents anywhere and beat them at their own game.
2.) Fedor fought and beat his opponents at their own game (strengths):
Anderson used his striking in all of his fights unless he got taken down and if he did he attempted to get back up immediately and once again use his striking, he didn't use a lethal ground game to attempt to submit his opponent off of his back; GSP used his striking to TD and GnP/submission against every opponent.
Fedor fought his opponents at their strengths. He was so well-rounded and lethal he could do that. Pundits said Fedor should use his wrestling (sambo) to keep the fight standing against Big Nog and use his strikes, avoiding Nog's deadly guard at all costs. What did Fedor do? He dove into Nog's guard and brutalized him, never being submitted, twice. It was the exact opposite with Cro Cop, people also said he shouldn't stand with Cro Cop and that he should use his sambo to get the TD and attempt to submit or GnP with Cro Cop. Instead, he stood and banged with him. He also stood with heavy hitters like Arlovski and Brett Rogers.
3.) Fedor was lethal everywhere, standing and on the ground (including off of his back):
Anderson was a lethal striker with 1 punch KO precision, his ground game wasn't as deadly. He really never sub'd anyone besides a rocked and hurt Hendo, a tired Chael Sonnen who was known for having a poor submission defense, and Travis Lutter if you want to throw him in there. But Anderson didn't have a deadly ground game like a Werdum or Maia that people feared.
GSP had solid striking but didn't have proven 1 punch power, he also usually used his striking to set up his TDs for GnP and was much less of a stand and bang fighter after losing to Serra. He fought much more conservatively and safely after that. People didn't expect GSP to KO opponents with 1 punch or really hurt them and that makes it far less exciting. He was rarely on his back due to his great wrestling he he also didn't have a proven sub game off of his back that his opponents feared.
Fedor is an anomaly. He was a fighter who had dangerous deadly hands and a lethal ground game (both a lethal top game and off of his back). Not many fighters are like that. Opponents could risk standing with him and getting KTFO or going to the ground and getting submitted even if Fedor was off of his back. That's what made him so special. Standing or on the ground he was lethal and feared. Few other fighters have done it so well or for so long. Fedor was feared and could end a fight at any moment standing or on the ground, even off of his back, Anderson and GSP didn't instill fear in their opponents standing and on the ground or off of their back. Fedor was a true master at being lethal anywhere, in advantageous and inferior positions
.
Ask yourself, who else has been so lethal and feared standing or on the ground and had such a dominant win streak against top competition?
While Anderson and GSP played it safe by implementing their strengths, Fedor was so well-rounded and dangerous in all areas of MMA he threw caution to the wind and fought his opponents at their strengths, not his, and he dominated the sports bests for an extremely long time. That is why he is the greatest. He didn't play it safe, he was deadly in all aspects of MMA with a lethal ground game and a deadly striking game, he fought his opponents at their own strengths which made it incredibly exciting and uncertain and because he could end any fight at a moments notice in any fashion it added a level of excitement that few others have shown.
Their level of competition and quality of opponents can be argued ad nauseam but I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about how they fought and their skills.
These are the 3 reasons Fedor is GOAT besides records:
1.) Fedor was one of the first truly well-rounded fighters, especially at HW.
GSP is well-rounded, he has amazing wrestling, great striking, and a great ground game with GnP and submissions. Anderson was 2 dimensional, he had great striking, a decent ground game, and average wrestling with his TD defense being better than his offensive wrestling. Anderson got away with not using his wrestling because almost all of his opponents fell to his striking. His ground game was decent but not deadly, he wasn't a Maia, Werdum, or Nog on the ground. Who did he really submit, Travis Lutter? He submitted a tired Chael Sonnen who'd admitted to not training submissions and a Dan Henderson who was rocked and hurt from strikes and went for a desperation TD. Anderson may have even been more of 1-1/2 dimensional with great striking and so-so wrestling and fair submissions. Just because someone has a blackbelt doesn't mean it transitions well into MMA. Also, Anderson rarely had to use his submissions though since his striking dominated his fights.
Fedor was well-rounded, he had great striking, great wrestling (sambo), and a great ground game (both submissions and GnP which is rare). He destroyed plenty of his opponents with striking, with submissions, and with GnP. He could fight his opponents anywhere and beat them at their own game.
2.) Fedor fought and beat his opponents at their own game (strengths):
Anderson used his striking in all of his fights unless he got taken down and if he did he attempted to get back up immediately and once again use his striking, he didn't use a lethal ground game to attempt to submit his opponent off of his back; GSP used his striking to TD and GnP/submission against every opponent.
Fedor fought his opponents at their strengths. He was so well-rounded and lethal he could do that. Pundits said Fedor should use his wrestling (sambo) to keep the fight standing against Big Nog and use his strikes, avoiding Nog's deadly guard at all costs. What did Fedor do? He dove into Nog's guard and brutalized him, never being submitted, twice. It was the exact opposite with Cro Cop, people also said he shouldn't stand with Cro Cop and that he should use his sambo to get the TD and attempt to submit or GnP with Cro Cop. Instead, he stood and banged with him. He also stood with heavy hitters like Arlovski and Brett Rogers.
3.) Fedor was lethal everywhere, standing and on the ground (including off of his back):
Anderson was a lethal striker with 1 punch KO precision, his ground game wasn't as deadly. He really never sub'd anyone besides a rocked and hurt Hendo, a tired Chael Sonnen who was known for having a poor submission defense, and Travis Lutter if you want to throw him in there. But Anderson didn't have a deadly ground game like a Werdum or Maia that people feared.
GSP had solid striking but didn't have proven 1 punch power, he also usually used his striking to set up his TDs for GnP and was much less of a stand and bang fighter after losing to Serra. He fought much more conservatively and safely after that. People didn't expect GSP to KO opponents with 1 punch or really hurt them and that makes it far less exciting. He was rarely on his back due to his great wrestling he he also didn't have a proven sub game off of his back that his opponents feared.
Fedor is an anomaly. He was a fighter who had dangerous deadly hands and a lethal ground game (both a lethal top game and off of his back). Not many fighters are like that. Opponents could risk standing with him and getting KTFO or going to the ground and getting submitted even if Fedor was off of his back. That's what made him so special. Standing or on the ground he was lethal and feared. Few other fighters have done it so well or for so long. Fedor was feared and could end a fight at any moment standing or on the ground, even off of his back, Anderson and GSP didn't instill fear in their opponents standing and on the ground or off of their back. Fedor was a true master at being lethal anywhere, in advantageous and inferior positions
.
Ask yourself, who else has been so lethal and feared standing or on the ground and had such a dominant win streak against top competition?
While Anderson and GSP played it safe by implementing their strengths, Fedor was so well-rounded and dangerous in all areas of MMA he threw caution to the wind and fought his opponents at their strengths, not his, and he dominated the sports bests for an extremely long time. That is why he is the greatest. He didn't play it safe, he was deadly in all aspects of MMA with a lethal ground game and a deadly striking game, he fought his opponents at their own strengths which made it incredibly exciting and uncertain and because he could end any fight at a moments notice in any fashion it added a level of excitement that few others have shown.
