"You beat up Tim Sylvia, the way Tim Sylvia would beat me up"

[Threetrees]

Interesting opinion. If true, he could have been an unusual double UFC champ in 2006, WW and HW. I wonder if anyone suggested it to him.

I know MMA math is extremely suspect, but out of curiosity, do you think GSP would beat the guys Sylvia beat -- Arlovski, Brandon Vera, Jeff Monson, Ricco Rodgriguez? If so, he could have saved himself the agony of cutting water to make 170 and just stepped on the scales with pants and a belly full of water at 206 and been HW champ for awhile.

None of those. Except maybe Jeff.

 

[AnotherOldGuy]

None of those. Except maybe Jeff.

Interesting, I'd say Jeff would be the hardest, given how good his grappling is. GSP couldn't risk going anywhere near the ground with him (extremely good grappling while being much heavier and stronger). Arlovski too would be a very hard fight, he's good standing and on the ground, and again much bigger. And for all that, Arlovski lost twice to Sylvia.

How do you see GSP beating Sylvia? He couldn't outjab him, too much reach, and Sylvia hits much harder and can take a much harder punch. He might be able to get Sylvia to the ground if he could get past the reach, but he doesn't have the submissions to finish him (his fight with Hardy showed that), and is too small to keep Sylvia on the ground. His only possibility would be to spam takedown and then jump back on feet and keep out of range (that part would be easy, Syliva had almost non-existence footwork). But he'd have to be very careful not to take any hits coming in for a takedown, and backing away all the time loses a lot of points from the judges.

 

[cheesus]

Imagine if Fedor hung up the gloves undefeated. Now he's lost to a LHW (no shame he probably should be one) a middle of the road HW, a bad HW (Maldanado let's be real Russia) and a middle weight. If he didn't jump into Werdums guard I wonder were he'd be.

People would cry he never fought in the UFC. It's a shame he didn't retire undefeated, he really tarnished his legacy.

 

[AnotherOldGuy]

People would cry he never fought in the UFC. It's a shame he didn't retire undefeated, he really tarnished his legacy.

In the long term people won't care about end of career losses for Fedor or Anderson. Look at Muhammad Ali's legacy as an example -- bad losses at end but no one cares. Same for Sugar Ray Robinson, and in fact most fighters; its basically accepted fighters stay in the game well past the point where they should retire.

 

[JBJISGOAT]

Sylvia was out of his prime at this point in his career…

Did I do that right fedor fanboys?

 

[JBJISGOAT]

He could yet he hasn't. You can imagine Jones beating all these HWs but that's all it is. Imagination because Jones has said multiple times he won't go to HW.

Why would he…he has never came close to not making 205…has he ever even needed the towel?!?!

Khabob is the true weight cut ducker as he is a huge LW and kills himself to make 155 when he could easily fight at WW…

 

[JBJISGOAT]

Not saying he isn’t HW GOAT but when you’re in that division you’re bound to fight guys bigger than you.
Fedor also enjoyed a weight advantage in over 20 of his fights.

Don't you dare use facts against fedor fans!!

 

[Rod Farva]

Everyone who knows MMA knows Fedor is the best ever.

If you don’t think so it’s because you didn’t watch him. He was better than everyone

 

[cheesus]

In the long term people won't care about end of career losses for Fedor or Anderson. Look at Muhammad Ali's legacy as an example -- bad losses at end but no one cares. Same for Sugar Ray Robinson, and in fact most fighters; its basically accepted fighters stay in the game well past the point where they should retire.

Ali was never finished and was in far worse shape physically than Fedor. He should not have been licenced to fight against Berbick.

 

[Ultra O’Dia]

Ali was never finished and was in far worse shape physically than Fedor. He should not have been licenced to fight against Berbick.

Ali’s chin was off the charts. Every bit as solid as Chuvalo’s.

Just nobody knew it until he got older.

And ya, he also shouldnt have been licensed for Holmes. He was taking drugs to look less fat. Just not a serious athlete after the Thrilla in Manilla. Still able to beat some top fighters simply due to talent and grit.

 

[basedgodfedor]

Sideburns Fedor is undefeated

 

[Ultra O’Dia]

Everyone who knows MMA knows Fedor is the best ever.

If you don’t think so it’s because you didn’t watch him. He was better than everyone

i watched him, love the guy, but its more complicated than that.

He was the fastest skilled heavyweight. He had a great all around game, had top end cardio, and big power in his hands.

However, a chin is part of the complete package, and his was only ever ‘quite good’. He was undersized, and while being very well rounded for his time, he is sloppy by todays slightly better standards. I say slightly because people overvalue the changes in the game, but the fact is his wrestling was great in 2003, and marginal now. His boxing was good then, but sloppier than many now.

Arguably, prime Fedor may still be the best, but i dont think it is clear at all.
Nevermind that he recovered against Fujita, I have a hard time seeing Stipe or Overeem or Lewis even getting hit by a short, unpolished guy like Fujita.

The competition was less, then, not nearly as much as the detractors say, but more than the nostalgists admit. and yes, as for RIGHT now, well. we are in a lull of sorts, for sure.

 

[Mga223]

Imagine Jones or GSP fighting someone that much bigger than them. Fedor didn't give a damn about cutting weight. He is the HW GOAT and therefore the GOAT.

Well we saw what happened when he fought smaller guys like Hendo and not old slow prodding hws like Sylvia.

HW division has always sucked

 

[Fedorgasm]

I honestly don't get how people can say Stipe, DC and Cain are the GOAT HW. It honestly boggles the mind.

I know right? Stipe, after all his success, still needs to win his next fight just to be TIED with Tim Sylvia.

People forget how good Sylvia was. He was huge and was great at utilizing his size advantage. People hate on him because he was awkward but that guy was hard to beat. Only the best managed to beat him. Arlovski, which Sylvia avenged twice, then Randy and nog, but nog just barely. Sylvia was destroying nog for most of that fight.

And then of course Fedor.

 

[AnotherOldGuy]

Ali was never finished and was in far worse shape physically than Fedor. He should not have been licenced to fight against Berbick.

Yup, Ali should definitely not have been licensed to fight against Berbick. Arguably not against Holmes either. Ali was a far greater athlete and fighter than any MMA fighter has ever been, and arguably better than any other boxer as well. But he still ended up like he did -- staying in the game too long is almost always a disaster.

But Fedor had already slowed so much two years before his Werdum fight that his boxing coach didn't even bother to try to deny it (and coaches never publicly admit things like that unless they think its too obvious to deny), and he was a reflex based fighter -- his management team and doctor should have told him it was time to give up MMA.

And in fact that's true for 90% of fighters over the age of 30 -- that's when they start taking all the hard head strikes that leave them concussed and neurologically damaged the rest of their lives. Even 99% of those who keep winning in their mid-30's take a lot more head strikes than they did when they were younger, and the head strikes do more brain damage because their reflexes have slowed too much for their neck muscles to reflexively tighten before the punch lands (which is why sucker punches are so much more damaging than seen punches).