You have different criteria to me, and to the vast majority of the MMA world I think. I agree that Machida is an elite talent, for sure. But that isn't a reason to keep him in the p4p top 10 when his last convincing victory over a top 10 opponent was May 2009, and it's December 2012. I think Sergei Kharitonov would knock out Frank Mir annd Big Nog, but it doesn't mean he takes their place in the top 10, he hasn't beaten a top guy in years either (Overeem in '07). Form is a critical factor in MMA, you have to give guys the recognition they deserve for going into tough fights and beating the best opponents. While Lyoto has beaten two non top 10 guys, Hendricks has beaten Fitch, Koscheck and Kampmann, Condit has beaten Diaz, Kim and MacDonald, Barao has beaten Faber, Jorgensen and Pickett. Using my criteria (and I would say, the majority criteria), there is no argument for having Machida above these guys. The difference in quality of opponent and result is too great. And I believe Lyoto is a better fighter than Hendricks or Condit, probably better than Barao too.
I don't think there can be much debate over an undefeated champion who finishes fights being more dominant and emphatic than a champion who has been knocked out in the organization? Condit dropped GSP hard, then laid GnP on him pushing for a finish. All credit to GSP, he showed he is a true champion by fighting through this, but let me ask, when has Anderson ever been floored by a strike and had to last through an opponent trying to TKO him on the deck? Never. He is the more dominant fighter for sure. And I could not disagree more with your point regarding a win over Nick Diaz meaning GSP overtakes Anderson. That's just silly. Nick is an excellent fighter, but he is coming off a loss and a suspension, and his calibre of opposition has not been as good as the other top guys in his division such as Hendricks and Condit. A win over Diaz proves nothing in a race for p4p#1 spot with Silva, nothing whatsoever. Anderson has plenty of wins over Diaz-level guys (in terms of quality, maybe not profile). It would take something special for GSP to overtake Anderson, such as emphatically finishing Hendricks and the Condit/MacDonald winner back-to-back or something. Another routine UD over another routine challenger is not enough at all, no way.
This is all academic, name me one fighter that made a prime Royce Gracie throw in the towel before the bell even rang? I'll give y'all a clue [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vaw8t-wOMEA[/ame] Dubble H has single handedley eradicated prison ****, he's the GOAT :deal
Time has passed. GSP walked into one huge punch years ago, and was quickly KOed because of it. It was so long ago that GSP won the rematch (by dominant stoppage) the same week that current top-3 p4per Jon Jones made his pro debut. Sonnen dropped him with strikes at least once in the first match. He didn't badly hurt him, but he floored him. Anderson won both fights against Chael, but he lost 5 rounds out of 7 during them. Has GSP lost 5 completed rounds in his UFC career, let alone lost them in such one-sided fashion as Anderson did against Chael? First, I agree that Diaz is not the #1 contender. But he is a longtime top-level guy. Second, wins over Condit and Diaz are better than no fights against MW contenders in the same time period. Anderson last defended his belt in July, and he has no title defence signed yet and no indication that one is coming any time soon. All that said, I have Anderson #1 p4p as well. But p4p is current - overall career legacy is only part of it. That's why Hendo isn't a current top-5 p4per. And as of December 2012, GSP is defending his belt more often in a deeper division. There's a good argument to be made that GSP is #1 anyway, but if he beats Diaz while Anderson celebrates a year without defending his belt, his case only gets stronger. :good :hat
There is that word "floored" again. I don't know Haggis, in this case that just doesn't sit well with me.
In boxing, it would have been a knockdown, but the word "floored" does make it sound worse than it was. Staggered is probably more fitting. He was about as floored as Mayweather was against Judah.
All true, but it remains a difference between the reign of Anderson and the reign of GSP. As things stand, Anderson is peerless in UFC terms. In boxing, the only thing keeping Mayweather on top is his long unbeaten run, because Andre Ward is looking fresher and better now, and is dominating the **** out of his top contenders in a way Floyd couldn't do vs Cotto. You have to respect longevity/consistency/dominance. If you consider that the same thing as GSP getting dropped by a headkick and then swarmed with GnP and almost being finishes, then we have radically different impressions of those two incidents. Anderson got briefly staggered by a punch, was not remotely hurt, was nowhere near to getting finished, whereas GSP was properly knocked flat, was badly hurt, and ate clean shots as Condit hunted a finish. Totally totally different situations. Anderson finished Chael twice - and please stop overlooking the illegitimacy of that first fight when Chael carried the monster advantage of being juiced to oblivion. I value conclusive finishing of fights higher than grinding out every round. You consider GSP's soporific one-sided jabfest against Shields more impressive than Anderson subbing a world-class wrestler with a 16.9/1 testosterone level? I know I don't. A win over Condit was great, same as a rematch finishing of Sonnen was. No advantage there. A win over Nick Diaz is a thoroughly expected win over a good but not great challenger, where GSP will again be an overwhelming, white-hot favourite to win. No, not enough to supercede the reigning #1, not at all. I am aware that legacy is only part of it, I clearly stated this when I first mentioned GSP's KO loss as a factor, albeit not a major one. You can't change the p4p#1 every time a guy has six months off, it's too important a position for that. The guy needs to definitively lose the top spot, and Silva saving a card for the UFC by taking a late-notice 205lbs fight and having no fight scheduled right now is of course not sufficient reason to move him out of a position he has earned decisively over the years. Come on man. :good
I understand but if a fighter hasnt been active for more than a year then he loses his spot but if he comes back in the same fashion he left then he gets his spot back or a step below depending on whats been going on. Kinda like Floyd when he was gone for more than a year but didnt retire people removed him from their p4p #1/#2 spot but when he came back and proved he could still hang with around at the top then people put him back at p4p #1/#2 spot
If a fighter was bigger he´d lose speed, agility, be slower etc, he would fight in a completely different style. if a fighter was smaller, he´d be faster, more agile, less power etc and have a completely different style of fighting. if all fighters were the exact same size, no one would have a ****ing clue about the outcome of a fight. P4p debates are like debating religion, pretty much ludicrous and without logic.
:huh Thank you Mr. Rob, for saying what I couldn't on the fly. But, Haggis is on, in his own right. I think Chael Sonnen's knockdowns of Silva were legit, and on second thought anyone who is properly floored inside the cage is punched out 90% of the time. For your time: This content is protected