Which do you think had the best year ? Jones 2011-defeated Ryan Bader-Shogun Rua(won title) Rampage-Machida. Shogun 2005-defeated Prime Rampage-lil nog rogerio noguiera-Alistair Overeem (smaller version)- Ricardo Arona Liddell 2006- TKO all Randy Couture-Renato Sobral and Tito Ortiz
Between Shogun and Jones. I'd give Shogun the edge, he's got prime angry Rampage on there instead of old complacent Rampage. Also, Bader's place in MMA is yet to be fully determined, that loss to Tito hurt him pretty bad.
Bader was a legit prospect but Rua, Page and Machida are all p4p, all timers etc Shoguns run was rather devastating but maybe he loses it because Lil Nog gave him a tough fight where Jones raped his opponents. Liddell on paper perhaps wins cos Couture is a legend and Ortiz had a top run. Still think Jones. For me, he is already in the top 3 with Silva & GSP. Alternate them as you wish. Until Jones has a tough fight or loses, he is with those 2. I don't count his loss against him and treat him as undefeated like I treated Fedor.
Ryan Bader isnt yet established he is over average but not champion material. A good Shogun can be argued that he wasnt 100% but who cares, good win. Old Rampage who hasnt been himself for years he is toothless, decent win. Machida is a great win. A good win over a brutal Rampage. Lil Nog had good standup and great ground game, a very good win. Alistar was kinda a B+ level fighter. Ricardo Arona is a great win a top fighter around that time
It's close between shogun and jones but i gotta go with shogun. He had to beat 2 fighters in one day in the finals when he beat overeem and arona.
jon jones had a crazy year beating shogun, rampage and now machida in just one year! I dont wanna live on this planet anymore.
Bader is one of these cases where he was probably better when Jones fought him then he is now. He was an undefeated guy who was one or two fights away from a title shot. And then Jones put a leash on him and walked him around the cage and folded him over his knee when Bader attempted to resist. It's pretty clear that Bader didn't expect to be steamrolled and thrown around like he was nothing. He was like a helpless little child in there and that must have sapped a LOT of the confidence that he had pre-Jones. Bader may well come back because he is a good fighter, but it wouldn't surprise me if he was a case of an ATG just ruining somebody's championship-level career before it even started. Also Rampage was hardly prime, but he was highly motivated to reclaim the title, and he fought pretty well. Better than Bader or Shogun did, anyway. He wasn't the same fighter he was in Pride, but green Jones looks even more of a beast than prime Rampage did. And yeah Shogun was a good win. The haters who discredit it, they can **** off. He may not have been a 100% peak Shogun, but that isn't Jones' fault. Again, there's little evidence to suggest that peak Shogun wouldn't have gotten splattered as well. Especially without his stomps and soccer kicks. :hat
:thumbsup and the fact that he had to beat 2 fighters in one day is even better. He beat alistair overeem then beat ricardo arona to win the tournament.
