Would a win over Derrick Lewis carry the same weight as a win over Francis?

[The Chosen]

I think it’s almost general consensus that if Jon beats Francis for the HW title he would be the GOAT. If Lewis vs Ngannou happens and Lewis somehow beats Francis again, it would kind of spoil Jon’s plans of cementing a great legacy. Lewis was easily beaten by DC and it’s obvious DC is an inferior fighter to Jon... just wouldn’t be the same.

 

[I Lie To Girls]

If Jon beats any top hw he's the goat. The thing is will he even try.

 

[El Fernas]

Its a plans ruining loss for everyone, while Francis already lost to Lewis, no one really won that fight, Lewis beating him might look like a flukey win as he isnt this perceived KO machine because he doesnt look the part and has been in trouble in many fights, Ngannou only lost to Stipe and now he KO'd him with ease.

Just like Joshua losing to Ruiz Jr, it ruined plans for everyone, even after he won the rematch, the plans have been changed/delayed, same if Francis is beat by Lewis.

 

[Krixes]

If I'm Jon, I'm praying Lewis KO's Francis. Jon will have a much easier time beating Lewis.

 

[Ratchet & Lank]

No, does Derrick Lewis hit harder than a Ford Escort? Might be close but still... (this is the medias opinion not mine)

 

[Kowboy On Sherdog]

Some will try...but hard to discredit beating a guy that bested Ngannou twice.

 

[Deleted member 465145]

Ngannou punch hard

 

[Gio]

Jon winning the HW belt and becoming a 2 division champ and making history is all that counts. Doesn't really matter against who. And Lewis losing to DC doesn't really mean that much coz fighters can improve, and it's all MMA math in the end. (Lewis>Ngannou>Stipe>DC)

 

[capnlarge]

I think Lewis would be more hyped than he is if his physique looked like Ngannou and he had a more serious personality

 

[daemusvladornu]

Derrick Lewis is a KO machine, but unfortunately his cardio/performances have been mixed. One of his career best KO's came on the back end of a 14 minute beat down from Volkov. Ngannou on the other hand flattens people quickly. Now I'm not discrediting Lewis, big fan. But there's a reason people avoid Ngannou like a plague. That being said if Jones moves up an captures the HW title from either of them it's great win. But Jones with that giant asterisks next to his name will never be the GOAT for me.

 

[Final Say]

Derrick Lewis is kind of a wildcard match up for francis. But if jones were to suddenly decide to finally move up while Derrick is the champ after passing on stipe and francis, we will all know what happened and jones should lose even more respect from the mma community.

That is, on top of the fact that he’s a PED cheat.

 

[daltonames]

If Jon wins the HW title off of anyone he's the GOAT hands down.
The reality is tho Jon wants the biggest fight. Jones vs Ngannou is maybe the biggest fight ever in the UFC (maybe behind Khabib vs Conor).
Jones vs Lewis is not nearly as big and for sure he is not getting 10+ million to fight Lewis.

 

[daltonames]

Derrick Lewis is kind of a wildcard match up for francis. But if jones were to suddenly decide to finally move up while Derrick is the champ after passing on stipe and francis, we will all know what happened and jones should lose even more respect from the mma community.

That is, on top of the fact that he’s a PED cheat.

Cant argue with the PED part, but come on man. I'm not a big Jones fan but he's right that given his status if he moves up to HW to challenge Stipe/Francis for a belt, the UFC should pay him properly. That's what he's waiting for. This narrative that he's scared of anyone at HW is absurd. He just wants super fight money for a super fight. This should not be a controversial ask.

 

[Final Say]

Cant argue with the PED part, but come on man. I'm not a big Jones fan but he's right that given his status if he moves up to HW to challenge Stipe/Francis for a belt, the UFC should pay him properly. That's what he's waiting for. This narrative that he's scared of anyone at HW is absurd. He just wants super fight money for a super fight. This should not be a controversial ask.

All I said was that if he goes up to fight Derrick Lewis after not fighting stipe or francis, you and I both know what that means

 

[Beeruz]

If Jon beats any top hw he's the goat. The thing is will he even try.

Yes but not for free.

 

[HP_Nut]

The difference is at this moment in time, most people believe Francis is the best HW in MMA. Even if Lewis won, most would chalk it up to "a lucky punch" &/or say that it was just a good style matchup for Lewis (Francis isn't a offensive wrestler or BJJ guy), he'd still lose to a lot of HWs. Lewis would be the underdog vs Stipe, DC (already fought), maybe even vs Gane. I know Lewis beat Volkov but he'd probably be the underdog in a rematch (Volkov was winning the fight easily with 10 seconds left when Lewis landed a KO bomb). Heck, even way past prime & old Hunt has a decent shot at beating Lewis (yes, I know they fought a while ago). So everyone believes Francis is the best HW, even if Lewis wins, many still won't see him as the best HW

 

[r-harper-1]

If Jon beats any top hw he's the goat. The thing is will he even try.

He’s the goat without it

 

[daltonames]

All I said was that if he goes up to fight Derrick Lewis after not fighting stipe or francis, you and I both know what that means

It means Jones wanted super fight money for a super fight. Just to be real, Jones vs Lewis is not a super fight. Jones vs Ngannou does well over a million PPV and makes bank for UFC. Jones vs Lewis ... maybe 600K. Not really the same situation.

 

[Tyr XIII]

I think it’s almost general consensus that if Jon beats Francis for the HW title he would be the GOAT. If Lewis vs Ngannou happens and Lewis somehow beats Francis again, it would kind of spoil Jon’s plans of cementing a great legacy. Lewis was easily beaten by DC and it’s obvious DC is an inferior fighter to Jon... just wouldn’t be the same.

styles make fights

Jones was on steroids twice

dc mops Jones at hw.

 

[Final Say]

It means Jones wanted super fight money for a super fight. Just to be real, Jones vs Lewis is not a super fight. Jones vs Ngannou does well over a million PPV and makes bank for UFC. Jones vs Lewis ... maybe 600K. Not really the same situation.

Ok, so if jones moves up to fight Lewis for less money when he passed on francis and stipe for more money, that just supports my point even more