Which fighters were/are just one attribute short of being the GOAT?

Or defence.

Or proper decision making skills.

 

:deal

 

Gonzaga reallly has it all skill wise.

Everything he does is powerful.

His leg kicks are just brutal.

He would've beaten Werdum if he had heart.

Once Werdum got on top of him and got him a little tired, he quit.

 

I say Rich Franklin should be in the HoF. I mean who knows how long he would've held the MW Title if Anderson Silva had stayed away.

 

I dunno he had a late start, was the first real known mw champ had a few defenses. and was a popular fighter in the UFC`s coming out era, and 1 of the few marketable fighters back a few years. I agree with setting the bar high but I think Franklin squeaks in.

 

If Randy Couture had more time there is no telling how much better he could have been. Couture was a month shy of 34 when he made his mma debut. Couture had eroded physically by the time he began peaking as a technician. The Couture that faced Sylvia and Gonzaga was a different fighter than the man submitted by Valentijn Overeem, both technically and physically.

What if Couture started at age 24, and was competing against Lesnar at the age of 35 instead of age 45?

What if Machida were facing a mid 30's Couture that had been in mma for over a decade? Machida won that fight with a rare move, but remember the 1st round? Couture may have narrowly lost the first due to a body kick, but he imposed himself style-wise. It made me wonder what would have happened had Randy been slightly younger.

 

this is where i get a bit conflicted with the whole hall of fame thing.
Its the hall of FAME not the hall of combative excellence.
meaning the guys in there are famed for there fighting prowess.
I actually believe there should be a whole offshoot of the hall of fame that does examine combative excellence but franklin to me is a guy that deserves to be remembered which is what the whole idea is about.

 

exactly!!

 

brock lesnar only needed striking in the department of boxing, kickboxing, muay thai,
and bjj in the departments from cesar gracie, marcelo garcia, and renzo gracie and wrestling from the department of randy couture, chael sonnen and dan henderson then he wouldve became the best of all time.