Worst fighter to become champion?

[AnotherOldGuy]

True, but it’s easy to beat someone who doesn’t know shit about fighting. The competition he was beating sucked, and it doesn’t help that Matt Hughes humiliated him years later in front of his clan.

Royce took the chance to go in there at a time when most martial artists were happy to theorize about how style vs style matches would go. Lots of things can go wrong when put to the test. And some of the guys in the first UFC were still trained fighters in their own style (that's what was around in those days, it was style vs style rather than the blend of styles that is modern MMA).

 

[AnotherOldGuy]

Royce couldn't beat any of those later champions in a 2 out of 3 making him the worst.

Any of todays BSc's in physics can solve way more physics problems then Newton could. Does that make them better physicists than Newton? (Polls among professional physicists have Newton and Einstein tied as the physics GOAT). For that matter, many modern physics Phd's can solve problems Einstein couldn't solve. Are they better physicists than Einstein?

Techniques evolve, and later people build on the work of earlier people. That's why greatness is usually taken as how much you did in comparison to your time.

 

[GearSolidMetal]

Lol Rockhold and McGregor worse fighters that Griffin because he was a jack of all trades?

You are the guy I discussed with in the Sonnen thread today. Dude you are fucking clueless lol

Your reading comprehension is as shitty in this thread as it was in the other.

I, in the post you quoted and replied to, said Griffin wasn't a jack of all trades.

So kindly read an entire post before responding to it, and people may start to take you more seriously around it, but I doubt it.

 

[JKS]

If anyone thinks it's Eddie Alverez......I say go get help. There are many mental health professionals out there that do great work. And community centers and government facilities that do it for free.

 

[VolkHan]

I think Nicco Montaño.
Not clear since she's still in her career, but to me she looks quite a journeyman, she won a tournament where the other relevant fighters were Roxy, Murphy and Robertson.
A UFC belt is anyway a great achievement.

 

[humdizzle]

in recent memory i'd say bisping.

alvarez just happened to be in the right place at the right time. Lost to cerrone, then won a split over pettis, split over melendez... and got a TS.

quite a few guys like that though. just happened to get that nod from the judges that night, the main competition was on leave (jones) or injured.

i think majority of sherdog feels that unless you defended your title against top competition at least once or twice you aren't shit.

 

[The Chosen]

Your reading comprehension is as shitty in this thread as it was in the other.

I, in the post you quoted and replied to, said Griffin wasn't a jack of all trades.

So kindly read an entire post before responding to it, and people may start to take you more seriously around it, but I doubt it.

That’s even worse, you’re saying Conor is a worse fighter than the one-dimensional Griffin LOL

 

[Mammothman]

Michael Ping

 

[Y2Khaos]

Matt Serra. Dude came out of NOWHERE and miraculously won the belt, from GSP no less. It was simultaneously a disgrace and the ultimate Rocky story of MMA.

Matt Serra didn't really come out of nowhere. He got the title shot because that was the prize for winning TUF season 4. The same reason Travis Lutter fought Anderson Silva.

 

[Fluffy_Bunny]

Ronda Rousy.

 

[Dog Gynecologist]

If anyone thinks it's Eddie Alverez......I say go get help. There are many mental health professionals out there that do great work. And community centers and government facilities that do it for free.

I think it's an honest mistake to dismiss Alvarez if you only witness his UFC run, his ascension to the belt was super "meh", the KO of RDA feels a little bit fluky, then got destroyed in his first defense.

 

[surgeyou1]

His UFC run sucked. It literally can be summarized like that: he landed a big punch against RDA.

Knocking out Gaethje never happened?

 

[JKS]

I think it's an honest mistake to dismiss Alvarez if you only witness his UFC run, his ascension to the belt was super "meh", the KO of RDA feels a little bit fluky, then got destroyed in his first defense.

People have to consider what he's done before the UFC. Furthermore, the people who mention Eddie as a weak champ due to his run in the UFC have to consider he went Cowboy, Melendez, Pettis, RDA, Conor, Poirier, Gaethje, Porier. And the record was 4-3-1, to have a winning record vs all top 5 level competition is impressive. And let's consider, this is prime Cowboy, Pettis, RDA and Gaethje he beat.

Look at how Poirier, Gaethje, Cowboy, RDA, Pettis, and other top LWs have looked vs the same level opposition, all pretty much have a .500 records some better and some worse. So you can't really put Eddie down when he's fighting nothing but the best. Sure it looks better when other LWs have great win/loss ratios.....but let's be honest, those records are padded in most cases.

 

[hognubbins]

Matt Serra, Dave Menne, and Carlos Newton (huge Newton fan but his stand-up was pretty bad).

I still think he beat Henderson. He was fun to watch.

 

[hognubbins]

The most recent awful champs would have to be GDR and Montano, I can't think of any other fighters in the last decade I would consider to be awful as champs.

There were plenty in the older school of the UFC though like Dave Menne, Tim Sylvia, Jens Pulver, Matt Serra, Carlos Newton, etc.
There have been some good fighters who over achieved and held the belt briefly like Bisping, Alverez, Holm, Forrest and I would say Couture at HW.

Yes Holm is not that great in terms of holding the title, lost on her first defense and she's been riding the wave of KOing Rousey when she was queen of MMA.

Edit: Forgot Esparza, she was actually pretty awful.

Jens at the time was on a tear, then left the UFC. Couldn't believe when he beat BJ.

 

[The Chosen]

People have to consider what he's done before the UFC. Furthermore, the people who mention Eddie as a weak champ due to his run in the UFC have to consider he went Cowboy, Melendez, Pettis, RDA, Conor, Poirier, Gaethje, Porier. And the record was 4-3-1, to have a winning record vs all top 5 level competition is impressive. And let's consider, this is prime Cowboy, Pettis, RDA and Gaethje he beat.

Look at how Poirier, Gaethje, Cowboy, RDA, Pettis, and other top LWs have looked vs the same level opposition, all pretty much have a .500 records some better and some worse. So you can't really put Eddie down when he's fighting nothing but the best. Sure it looks better when other LWs have great win/loss ratios.....but let's be honest, those records are padded in most cases.

Before the UFC he lost to Michael Chandler by KO and “avenged” it with a SD win. Not elite imo

 

[Swoliosis]

Dave Menne...

TS is a noob if he doesn't know this one

 

[daniel san]

Alvarez? He beat Pettis, RDA, Gaethje and Giblert (when Giblert was still relevant). How on earth can Alvarez be the worst champ? The guy is solid, definitely nowhere near LW GOATness, but a FAR better champ than someone like Pettis.

 

[pankrat]

Your reading comprehension is as shitty in this thread as it was in the other.

I, in the post you quoted and replied to, said Griffin wasn't a jack of all trades.

So kindly read an entire post before responding to it, and people may start to take you more seriously around it, but I doubt it.

Lol dude you just said Rockhold and Conor are worse fighters than Griffin you are not in a position to talk about be taken seriously

 

[pankrat]

TS is a noob if he doesn't know this one

Why is Menne a lesser fighter than many other champions from that era, as for example Pat Miletich?

Do you actually know Dave Menne? He beat the at the time widely considered #1 in the world Pelé Landi Jones, for starters, who btw KTFO Hughes and Miletich