Is Shogun the best LHW in mma history ?

Shogun at his best is probably the best in history but he might need another couple of yrs to overtake Wanderlei achievement wise... his 5 yr run without defeat in PRIDE is 2nd only to Fedor probably as far as domination goes.

Even in a h2h primes contest, you`d still have to say Wanderlei has a shot to be no1 - tho my personal pick would be Shogun.


WANDERLEI SILVA is currently the greatest LHW in history.

MAURICIO RUA will likely overtake him when all is said & done.

For the record, I rank Chuck Liddell in my top 3 too, great in his prime & extremely dominant also.

 

Henderson was a special fighter in the sense that he could have easily been a 185 lb fighter but faced off against the best LHWs regularly, just like Sakuraba & like Saku he had a fair share of wins over these great big men but neither should be mentioned alongside the greatest LHWs in MMA history IMO... they are the definition of p4p greats, men that refused to hang around in their natural weight class because they were too good for men their own size & they stepped up to face the big boys.

I have enormous respect for both men but they are not the cream of the 205 division historically IMO.

 

My all time 205 rankings currently would go.

1. Chuck Liddell
2. Wanderlei Silva
3. Shogun Rua
4. Rampage Jackson
5. Dan Henderson
6. Randy Couture
7. Tito Ortiz
8. Lyoto Machida
9. Kazushi Sakuraba
10. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira

 

It's hard to rank Liddell now. In fairness he has lost 4 of his past 5 fights BRUTALLY. He used to be prided on his chin. How much weight does some give the Silva win? Should we then be judging his legacy on his run prior to his last 5 fights. You wouldn't hold Robinson's or Charles late losses against them.

Chuck's whole game was about being sharp. Chuck hasn't been sharp in 4 years!

 

Liddell is obviously past his prime, IMO Rampage was the last to beat a prime Lidell (or at least close to it),but he's been going downhill since then, just my 2 cents.

 

Its still chuck for me and i hate chuck lidell..

 

I don't see the case for Wandy as the #1 LHW in MMA history. Someone care to explain?

 

Frank Shamrock of 1999 was twice the fighter Ken ever was & despite the size difference would have handed him his ass prime for prime.

Shamrock in that time could have competed with most 205 lbers & IMO rivals Sakuraba & Anderson Silva as the best ever 185 lb fighter... only problem was he retired at age 26 to pursue K1 or some bull**** when he could have dominated for much longer & cemented the ranking his all round great skillset deserved.
He was never the same once he came back to MMA in his 30s IMO, he gathered rust that no amount of hardwork could have removed completely.... shame really, brilliant fighter.

 

Buy 5 yrs worth of PRIDE dvd`s & there`s your answer.

 

Yeah but who was he fighting at 205? For the most part it was Japanese journeymen and former pro wrestlers that had no business being in the same ring as the Axe Murderer. Sakuraba and Hendo were great wins, but you said it yourself, they were more or less 185ers and Henderson knocked him out in the rematch anyway. What's left? Jackson x2 and Arona if you count that as a win. I don't think Silva has enough wins (and too many losses) against the elite 205ers to justify placing him in the #1 spot.

 

He retired to pursue a film career. Plus he had other business interests outside of the ring.And totally agree that Frank was twice the fighter Ken was and he knew it. Ken was just a meathead on hormones. Never had much to his arsenal other than a heel hook and some ankle locks.

 

Bump an old thread. Shows how fast the landscape changes. Unbelievable that less than three years ago, Jones wasn't even mentioned as a potential opponent for Shogun. Now he's in the discussion for #1 LHW ever. :-(

:hat

 

Twat

 

Shogun has probably got the image of Wanderlie's eyes through a head guard in printed in his memory, which he probably associates with a lot of pain

You have 3 main culprits for this award (Jon Jones will not be far away from surpassing these guys soon), they are as follows;

Shogun
Wanderlei
Chuck Liddell

In that order, for me anyway! there can be arguments for which way these 3 sit in terms of numerical and opinions are divided. To answer the question my answer is yes, Shogun as it stands is the most accomplished LHW of AT.

I commend the TS on a well constructed post :good

 

Oh wow, this thread is old! :nono