Shinya Aoki title holder again!

Discussion in 'MMA Forum' started by lufcrazy, Apr 6, 2019.



  1. lufcrazy

    lufcrazy requiescat in pace Full Member

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    I'm incredibly biased towards Aoki for the same reason I love Mir, Werdum and Jacare.

    But the fact he's avenged yet another defeat at his age to pick up a belt again is amazing.

    I think at this point he'd definitely beat Alvarez in a rubber match as well.

    Bias aside, he has to be one of the ATG LW fighters.
     
  2. The Funny Man 7

    The Funny Man 7 Boxing Junkie Full Member

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    His longevity has been amazing and it's going to be interesting to see how much long he can hold out. It looked like he was on his way out with the losses to Askren and Folayang, plus the grappling superfight loss to Garry Tonon. But now he's back looking his best.

    Might be a bit of a stretch to say he's an atg lightweight, given how decisively Gil Melendez beat him. Bring on the Eddie Alvarez rubber like you said though.
     
  3. lufcrazy

    lufcrazy requiescat in pace Full Member

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    How many lightweights can realistically be ranked over him with his longevity and resume?

    Melendez is the only LW who's really been able to master him. His other losses came at WW.
     
  4. The Funny Man 7

    The Funny Man 7 Boxing Junkie Full Member

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    That's a tough comparison to make. As you say, his longevity is amazing, but from what I know, most of his best wins have been against relative unknowns or guys like Rich Clementi who are more or less done at the highest level.

    How do you compare a string of wins against less established fighters year after year with a guy like BJ Penn who had a relatively brief prime but a prime that featured amazing wins over the best contenders available? What about Frankie Edgar and his subsequent success at 145? Is that a boost to his standing at 155 or is it irrelevant?

    For me, I'd definitively put these guys above Aoki: BJ Penn, Frankie, Ben Henderson, RDA, Gil, Khabib, Eddie. I'd probably put Pettis, Josh Thompson, and maybe Kenny Florian above him to. I'd say Aoki is above Vitor Ribiero, Sean Sherk, and Gray Maynard. I think Michael Chandler is likely to eclipse Aoki and 'Vitor Shaolin' as the best lightweight to never fight in the UFC

    MMA is tougher to rate than boxing imho, because guys fighting or not fighting across promotional lines often makes comparison impossible. The UFC ostensibly has the best fighters on their roster but then you'll have instances like at this last One FC, where Eddie Alvarez gets disposed of more easily by an unknown One fighter than he did by Poirier, one of the UFC's top talents.

    In a sense, you may be right that Aoki is one of best/most accomplished lightweight ever, in the same sense that at one point Mexican Joe Rivers was one of the best lightweight boxers ever. But while guys like Joe Gans and Benny Leonard were early legends who created durable legacies, I don't expect Aoki's future legacy involves much more than having a career filled by breath-taking submissions.
     
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  5. lufcrazy

    lufcrazy requiescat in pace Full Member

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    No he has an amazing resume at LW with wins over the following: Kikuchi, Hansen, Calvalcante, Uno, Alvarez, Ribeiro, Kawajiri, Hirota and now Fulayong.

    He's avenged every LW defeat barring Melendez.

    I agree he's being Khabib, Bj and Frankie. But he's right in the mix with RDA, Alvarez, Gomi and Gil imo.

    Henderson, Pettis and Thomson are below him imo.
     
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  6. UnleashtheFURY

    UnleashtheFURY D'oh! Full Member

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    Aoki has a fire under him again. I think he's still a wild card against any LW on the planet. His BJJ is that lethal. Last of his kind along with Maia.
     
  7. lufcrazy

    lufcrazy requiescat in pace Full Member

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    I wonder how he'd do against Dustin tbh.
     
  8. kobashi

    kobashi Well-Known Member Full Member

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    Amazing fighter!

    He is now also pro-wrestling for the DDT promotion in Japan.
     
  9. DONT B SCARED

    DONT B SCARED Pimpin Aint Easy Full Member

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    Huh you talking about prime Aoki ?
     
  10. lufcrazy

    lufcrazy requiescat in pace Full Member

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    Now
     
  11. Brixton Bomber

    Brixton Bomber Obsessed with Boxing banned Full Member

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    I always wanted to see Aoki/Penn at their peaks. Even in a grappling-only match, that would have been awesome.

    Aoki is awesome, but I think he would have struggled in the UFC.

    Historically: Penn, Gomi, RDA, Edgar, Pettis ((all prime, btw) beat him with ease.
     
  12. lufcrazy

    lufcrazy requiescat in pace Full Member

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    The thing is with Aoki, any great should beat him with ease because they will have the stylistic advantage.

    A bit like when people face Maia they really should beat him.

    But both of them only need one opportunity to get a submission and if that opportunity presents itself they'll find themselves with their hands raised.
     
  13. Brixton Bomber

    Brixton Bomber Obsessed with Boxing banned Full Member

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    True.
     
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