You seem to be forgetting: Pele, Monson, Randleman, Mezger, Busta, Vitor, ALISTAIR OVEREEM, and Wand when they were both washed up. Do I even have to mention all the bad, small Japanese cans that Wand got to fight? He obviously fought a lot of good fighters as well. But if you call Chuck "not that good" you are A) Stupid B) Saying nobody has ever been "that good"
He also magically gained weight up to 225ish. We all know how that happened, and we all know it went on throughout his career. We just going to ignore the obvious when it comes to what went on regarding drugs in Pride?
That is exactly what I am saying... The sport was VERY basic up until recently. It still has a long way to go. However, it has moved forward tremendously; Chuck belongs in the old UFC where it was more about throwing hard wild punches than being a technically proficient striker that maintains a guard... Sure Chuck is a respectable guy and yes he was always fun to watch; but I always felt that someday the sport would evolve and fighters like him would be without a place. Maybe it sounds harsh, but if you approach the sport with your mind opposed to your heart you will see that it is obvious. Chuck lacked fundamentals, people who lack fundamentals gets knocked out when they fight those who are technically proficient.