Anderson vs Fedor - who is the GOAT?

Haggis McJackass · 10-20-2012, 08:50 AM

For years Fedor has been considered MMA's #1 GOAT, and Anderson has been considered the UFC's GOAT.

But then Fedor's career suddenly fell off a cliff, while Anderson keeps trucking along like always. Any way you want to look at it, the gap has closed in the last couple of years.

How do you call it?

For me, I don't know. I've seen several of Fedor's fights, but I wasn't following the sport until the ass end of his undefeated run. So I am lacking some awareness of the significance of some of his wins at the time. But it seems like quite a close call to me.

What's the consensus?

This poll is for this moment in time, so we can't assume that Anderson will rack up any more victories. It's as if he declared his retirement today. If you think he'll fight and defeat GSP and that'll put him over the top, well, that fight hasn't happened so it obviously can't be taken into account.

Beouche · 10-20-2012, 09:00 AM

Fedor. Anderson doesnt have a prime Cro Cop or prime Big Nog on his resume. And he was never undersized the way Fedor was. And he baulks at the thought of taking on the most dangerous fight out there

Haggis McJackass · 10-20-2012, 09:10 AM

I guess a lot depends on whether or not you view Fedor's losses as tarnishing his career. Obviously they don't mean much in the grand scheme of his career, but there's a long way between not meaning much, and meaning nothing.

And it's a similar matter of opinion with regards to Anderson's lack of a Big Nog or Cro Cop. He doesn't have that defining fight, but with the exception of Chael, he has pretty much annihilated every one of his opponents. Prime Rich Franklin is no joke, but Anderson tooled him like he was nothing.

It's one of these things where it just depends what impresses you more - submitting Randleman immediately after getting dropped on your head, or not allowing yourself to get picked up in the first place.

Beouche · 10-20-2012, 09:25 AM

I disregard his losses - Fedor at the tail end of his career and prime Fedor are two totally different beasts. Same applies to Cro Cop. Both guys were beaten by guys they would have whooped in their primes

Cop and Nog are ATGs and though Henderson and Franklin are good wins, they dont compete

If he wants an ATG on his resume - then man up and fight Bones. His attitude to that fight tells you all you need to know

For the record, i think Anderson is the most skilled MMA fighter of all time, but his resume and attitude towards fighting the best lets him down

Deckard · 10-20-2012, 09:29 AM

Clearly Ando imo.

Fedor beat Nog, Crocop (who was actually a bit shit)...and ummm......Arlovski.....Sylvia?

Anderson beat Henderson, Franklin, Sonnen, Griffin, Belfort, Okami. Quite frankly Anderson's level of competition blows Fedor's out of the water. Not to mention he moved up a weight class.

Hitta_Squadup · 10-20-2012, 09:41 AM

Clearly it's the Spider...and he can solidify this even further by facing and beating GSP & Bones Jones...

Beouche · 10-20-2012, 09:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Deckard

Clearly Ando imo.

Fedor beat Nog, Crocop (who was actually a bit shit)...and ummm......Arlovski.....Sylvia?

Anderson beat Henderson, Franklin, Sonnen, Griffin, Belfort, Okami. Quite frankly Anderson's level of competition blows Fedor's out of the water. Not to mention he moved up a weight class.

Anderson and Fedor both walk around the same weight (around 225)

Anderson cuts like fuck to take on small men, while Fedor was often in with guys 50+ lb heavier

Haggis McJackass · 10-20-2012, 09:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Beouche

I disregard his losses - Fedor at the tail end of his career and prime Fedor are two totally different beasts.

Are they really?

Or is it just because he lost?

I guess you can ask "Was he physically capable of beating Werdum, Bigfoot and Hendo?"

If he was, then his losses must surely count against him.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Beouche

Same applies to Cro Cop. Both guys were beaten by guys they would have whooped in their primes

Saw an interesting quote from Cro Cop just today:

"I am very pleased with the fight despite the fact that the fight did not get the finish. For the first time since Pride I was aggressive and attacked constantly; in past years that has not been the case. In the UFC I had a feeling that I was 'frozen' and mostly I moved away [from opponents], I had a huge mental barrier. Why I cannot explain it any more than that doesn’t matter."

Quote:

Originally Posted by Beouche

Cop and Nog are ATGs and though Henderson and Franklin are good wins, they dont compete

If he wants an ATG on his resume - then man up and fight Bones. His attitude to that fight tells you all you need to know

For the record, i think Anderson is the most skilled MMA fighter of all time, but his resume and attitude towards fighting the best lets him down

16-0 in the UFC, with 15 of them being totally dominant wins, is nothing to dismiss out of hand.

And yes, I wish he would fight Bones as well. But Anderson was already 36 when Bones staked his claim as a dominant champion. I find it hard to judge a 37 year old too harshly for not jumping up 20 pounds and challenging an enormous monster who has just cleaned out 205.

And I'm not really sure why Anderson's submission win over Henderson (still the only time anyone except Big Nog has stopped Hendo) tends to be handwaved away.

Atlanta · 10-20-2012, 10:05 AM

Fedor has Big Nog and Cro Cop. Okay, and...

Anderson has Henderson, Franklin(x2), and Belfort. With a win at Light Heavyweight over Forrest Griffin(former titleholder). Not to mention Sonnen, Horn, Sakurai, etc.

Maybe I have a bias towards Anderson.

Beekeeper · 10-20-2012, 10:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Deckard

Clearly Ando imo.

Fedor beat Nog, Crocop (who was actually a bit shit)...and ummm......Arlovski.....Sylvia?

Anderson beat Henderson, Franklin, Sonnen, Griffin, Belfort, Okami. Quite frankly Anderson's level of competition blows Fedor's out of the water. Not to mention he moved up a weight class.

OKAMI

http://cdn2.cagepotato.com/wp-conten...ami_b1_576.jpg

Vic-JofreBRASIL · 10-20-2012, 10:47 AM

Fedor..

Haggis McJackass · 10-20-2012, 10:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vic-JofreBRASIL

Fedor..

What kind of Brazilian are you.

achillesthegreat · 10-20-2012, 10:57 AM

I voted Anderson but in reality Fedor was a 205 fighting monsters.

Stoo · 10-20-2012, 10:59 AM

Fedor, GSP is closer to Fedor than Anderson imo, Id go Fedor, GSP and Anderson in my GOAT top 3 in that order

dillinja · 10-20-2012, 11:00 AM

Easily fedor he was dominating pride at a time when it was the strongest org in the world, anderson is a top fighter but if you actually look at his resume how many really great fighters has he beat?
People might speak about his more recent loses but what about anderson and the fights he has lost?
Also fedor was an undersized heavyweight yet decided to fight heavyweight because he was the best in the world, he was the best if the last generation, however he will always find it hard to beat guys like jds as they have the size and skill that was not there in the last generation of mma. As mma is fairly new in the guise it is watched today in the space of ten years a fighter could still be the goat but not be relevant compared to the fighters of the present generation.

View Poll Results: Who is MMA's GOAT?
Clearly Fedor	30	39.47%
Slight edge to Fedor	14	18.42%
Too close for a definitive call	6	7.89%
Slight edge to Anderson	9	11.84%
Clearly Anderson	17	22.37%
Voters: 76. You may not vote on this poll

10-20-2012, 08:50 AM	#1
Haggis McJackass Semi-neutralist Overseer East Side VIP Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: From the Lands Down Under. Posts: 22,521 vCash: 177	Anderson vs Fedor - who is the GOAT? For years Fedor has been considered MMA's #1 GOAT, and Anderson has been considered the UFC's GOAT. But then Fedor's career suddenly fell off a cliff, while Anderson keeps trucking along like always. Any way you want to look at it, the gap has closed in the last couple of years. How do you call it? For me, I don't know. I've seen several of Fedor's fights, but I wasn't following the sport until the ass end of his undefeated run. So I am lacking some awareness of the significance of some of his wins at the time. But it seems like quite a close call to me. What's the consensus? This poll is for this moment in time, so we can't assume that Anderson will rack up any more victories. It's as if he declared his retirement today. If you think he'll fight and defeat GSP and that'll put him over the top, well, that fight hasn't happened so it obviously can't be taken into account.
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10-20-2012, 09:00 AM	#2
Beouche Dinamita East Side VIP Join Date: Oct 2010 Posts: 10,071 vCash: 500	Re: Anderson vs Fedor - who is the GOAT? Fedor. Anderson doesnt have a prime Cro Cop or prime Big Nog on his resume. And he was never undersized the way Fedor was. And he baulks at the thought of taking on the most dangerous fight out there Last edited by Beouche; 10-20-2012 at 09:19 AM.
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10-20-2012, 09:10 AM	#3
Haggis McJackass Semi-neutralist Overseer East Side VIP Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: From the Lands Down Under. Posts: 22,521 vCash: 177	Re: Anderson vs Fedor - who is the GOAT? I guess a lot depends on whether or not you view Fedor's losses as tarnishing his career. Obviously they don't mean much in the grand scheme of his career, but there's a long way between not meaning much, and meaning nothing. And it's a similar matter of opinion with regards to Anderson's lack of a Big Nog or Cro Cop. He doesn't have that defining fight, but with the exception of Chael, he has pretty much annihilated every one of his opponents. Prime Rich Franklin is no joke, but Anderson tooled him like he was nothing. It's one of these things where it just depends what impresses you more - submitting Randleman immediately after getting dropped on your head, or not allowing yourself to get picked up in the first place.
Top

10-20-2012, 09:25 AM	#4
Beouche Dinamita East Side VIP Join Date: Oct 2010 Posts: 10,071 vCash: 500	Re: Anderson vs Fedor - who is the GOAT? I disregard his losses - Fedor at the tail end of his career and prime Fedor are two totally different beasts. Same applies to Cro Cop. Both guys were beaten by guys they would have whooped in their primes Cop and Nog are ATGs and though Henderson and Franklin are good wins, they dont compete If he wants an ATG on his resume - then man up and fight Bones. His attitude to that fight tells you all you need to know For the record, i think Anderson is the most skilled MMA fighter of all time, but his resume and attitude towards fighting the best lets him down
Top

10-20-2012, 09:29 AM	#5
Deckard It won't affect the test East Side VIP Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: The Chuch of What's Happening Now Posts: 10,669 vCash: 500	Re: Anderson vs Fedor - who is the GOAT? Clearly Ando imo. Fedor beat Nog, Crocop (who was actually a bit shit)...and ummm......Arlovski.....Sylvia? Anderson beat Henderson, Franklin, Sonnen, Griffin, Belfort, Okami. Quite frankly Anderson's level of competition blows Fedor's out of the water. Not to mention he moved up a weight class.
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10-20-2012, 09:41 AM	#6
Hitta_Squadup Beast *e ESB Senior Member** Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Dallas, Tx Posts: 1,385 vCash: 3833	Re: Anderson vs Fedor - who is the GOAT? Clearly it's the Spider...and he can solidify this even further by facing and beating GSP & Bones Jones...
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10-20-2012, 10:05 AM	#9
Atlanta P4P King East Side VIP Join Date: Dec 2009 Posts: 18,504 vCash: 528	Re: Anderson vs Fedor - who is the GOAT? Fedor has Big Nog and Cro Cop. Okay, and... Anderson has Henderson, Franklin(x2), and Belfort. With a win at Light Heavyweight over Forrest Griffin(former titleholder). Not to mention Sonnen, Horn, Sakurai, etc. Maybe I have a bias towards Anderson.
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10-20-2012, 10:47 AM	#11
Vic-JofreBRASIL Vic East Side VIP Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Santos Posts: 13,840 vCash: 1166	Re: Anderson vs Fedor - who is the GOAT? Fedor..
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10-20-2012, 10:57 AM	#13
achillesthegreat FORTUNE FAVOURS THE BRAVE East Side VIP Join Date: Jul 2004 Posts: 18,193 vCash: 1000	Re: Anderson vs Fedor - who is the GOAT? I voted Anderson but in reality Fedor was a 205 fighting monsters.
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10-20-2012, 10:59 AM	#14
Stoo RIP T-Dog East Side VIP Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 14,938 vCash: 1000	Re: Anderson vs Fedor - who is the GOAT? Fedor, GSP is closer to Fedor than Anderson imo, Id go Fedor, GSP and Anderson in my GOAT top 3 in that order
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10-20-2012, 11:00 AM	#15
dillinja Champion East Side Guru Join Date: Jun 2011 Posts: 5,585 vCash: 500	Re: Anderson vs Fedor - who is the GOAT? Easily fedor he was dominating pride at a time when it was the strongest org in the world, anderson is a top fighter but if you actually look at his resume how many really great fighters has he beat? People might speak about his more recent loses but what about anderson and the fights he has lost? Also fedor was an undersized heavyweight yet decided to fight heavyweight because he was the best in the world, he was the best if the last generation, however he will always find it hard to beat guys like jds as they have the size and skill that was not there in the last generation of mma. As mma is fairly new in the guise it is watched today in the space of ten years a fighter could still be the goat but not be relevant compared to the fighters of the present generation.
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