lonedog
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Post by lonedog on Jul 24, 2008 0:02:48 GMT -5
I don't like the"Pound for Pound" term but for everyone who does and likes to argue who the best is here you go.
Let's look at the facts:
FEDOR
Record: 28-1 (realistically he's undefeated)
Noteworthy competition: Tim Silvia, Matt Lindland, Cro-Cop, Big Nog (2x), Kevin Randleman, Mark Coleman, Heath Herring, Mark Hunt, Kazuyuki Fujita, Ricardo Arona
= 11 noteworthy fights (0 losses)
Current winning streak: 26 fights
Number of MMA fights fought since entering Pride in 2002: 20
SILVA
Record: 22-4
Noteworthy competition: Dan Henderson, Rich Franklin (2x), Yushin Okami (lost), Chris Leben, Jeremy Horn
= 6 noteworthy fights (1 loss)
Current winning streak: 8 fights
Number of MMA fights fought since entering Pride in 2002: 19
- Fedor came out of a long hiatus and beat a top 5 heavyweight in 36 seconds with a serious size disadvantage.
- Silva came out without a long hiatus and beat a fighter who is not even a top 10 light heavyweight in 61 seconds without a serious size disadvantage.
Add to that the fact that Silva is a natural 205'er who has been fighting most of his fights in the smaller 185 division while Fedor has consistently fought guys that are bigger than himself (some of them much bigger): Fujita, Hunt, Schilt, Choi, Silvia, Zulu, Coleman, Herring, Ogawa etc. In other words, Silva has had a height, reach and weight advantage in most of his fights. You can't say the same thing about Fedor.
Case closed
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PdW2kX
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Post by PdW2kX on Jul 24, 2008 0:41:01 GMT -5
The case'll be closed when this topic gets locked, which will probably be soon because the only thing a P4P "debate" is good for anymore is to stir up a huge flame war.
I'm tired of hearing the bickering and elitism, peeps. As a huge fan of both, I've pretty much declared a wash on comparing the two. Calling Fedor or Silva a second anything just doesn't cut it.
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DWright
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Post by DWright on Jul 24, 2008 0:43:43 GMT -5
I don't like the"Pound for Pound" term but for everyone who does and likes to argue who the best is here you go. Let's look at the facts: FEDOR Record: 28-1 (realistically he's undefeated) Noteworthy competition: Tim Silvia, Matt Lindland, Cro-Cop, Big Nog (2x), Kevin Randleman, Mark Coleman, Heath Herring, Mark Hunt, Kazuyuki Fujita, Ricardo Arona = 11 noteworthy fights (0 losses) Current winning streak: 26 fights Number of MMA fights fought since entering Pride in 2002: 20 SILVA Record: 22-4 Noteworthy competition: Dan Henderson, Rich Franklin (2x), Yushin Okami (lost), Chris Leben, Jeremy Horn = 6 noteworthy fights (1 loss) Current winning streak: 8 fights Number of MMA fights fought since entering Pride in 2002: 19 - Fedor came out of a long hiatus and beat a top 5 heavyweight in 36 seconds with a serious size disadvantage. - Silva came out without a long hiatus and beat a fighter who is not even a top 10 light heavyweight in 61 seconds without a serious size disadvantage. Add to that the fact that Silva is a natural 205'er who has been fighting most of his fights in the smaller 185 division while Fedor has consistently fought guys that are bigger than himself (some of them much bigger): Fujita, Hunt, Schilt, Choi, Silvia, Zulu, Coleman, Herring, Ogawa etc. In other words, Silva has had a height, reach and weight advantage in most of his fights. You can't say the same thing about Fedor. Case closed Actually the "case isn't closed" at all. And since you're just looking to start arguments, I say the mod monitors this closely, and as soon as someone throws out any personal insult, it's closed immediately, just as the last one. I'll never argue the fact that Fedor is arguably the best fighter in the world. No one with any knowledge of MMA would do so. But you're just reaching in some aspects. REALISTICALLY, he is 28-1. No matter what way you look at it. A lot of people have had horrible decisions against them (see: Hamill vs Bisping, Griffin vs Ortiz, etc) No matter how controversial the loss, it's still a loss on his professional record. People just give him the pass because he's Fedor. A. The MAIN reason people say Anderson Silva has surpassed Fedor as the best P4P fighter in the world, is because of the competition Fedor has faced, and the amount of fights he's had over the past 2+ years. He didn't fight until the end of 06. He had 2 fights in 06, 2 in 07 and 1 so far in 08, and his 08 fight came in July. In 07. He fought Choi and Matt Lindland. Beat Yao Ming Choi isn't overly impressive at all, outside of the fact that he beat a giant. He basically beat a circus act. He also beat Matt Lindland. You put him on your list as a noteable win, and then later talked about size? Lindland fights most of his fights at 185. B. He has the A squad he's beat: Sylvia (ranked when beat), Cro Cop, Big Nog The B squad: Coleman, Randleman And the C squad: Fujita, Herring, Hunt And then he's beat 2 guys that normally fight at MW (Lindland) and LHW (Arona) And of course he's going to fight people bigger. He's a HW. It's what they do. Anderson Silva can't help his size. You can't possibly use that against him. That's like saying "Well, BJ Penn won't be any good until he goes out and beats Nog!" Anderson Silva on the other hand: - Fought 4 times in 2006. - Fought 3 times in 2007 - Fought 2 times in 2008 (so far, probably will fight a third) While doing so, he has a controversial loss himself (to Okami). Other than that, he has 8 straight wins, while completely dominating his weight class. He hasn't a had a fight go to the 3rd round since 2004. You also left off his list - Nate Marquardt, Travis Lutter, Carlos Newton, Jorge Rivera (if you're going to use guys like Herring, Fujita, Hunt, you can't leave off Rivera. Hell, you can almost put Carneiro on as a noteable win) So that makes: Marquardt, Lutter, Newton, Rivera, Franklin (x2), Henderson, Leben, Horn and then went up to beat Irvin. Now with the unfortunate injury to Okami, he'll face (and I predict murder) Patrick Cote. Not much he can do about it. The UFC is putting people in front of him, he's mowing them down with ease. And what is the size problem you have exactly? Franklin has fought at MW/LHW. Horn, Henderson also. But you're missing the point. People are saying Silva passed Fedor BECAUSE of his lack of fighting and lack of quality opponents. DOMINATING Tim Sylvia was a great way to start his quest to reclaim his top spot as the best fighter in the world. But in the eyes of a lot of MMA fans, he has to beat better competition that he has been facing, and fight more often while doing so. I understand you're a big fan of Fedor, and that's great. I like Fedor and I like Silva. I'm not a HUGE fan of either, but I'm not biased either. I just think right now, because of the pure dominance Anderson Silva has displayed since early 06, and the trail he's left behind, he's surpassed Fedor who's seemed to be standing still. If/When Fedor beats Barnett, AA, Couture...then he reclaims his throne as king. And who knows what Silva will do in that time also. He may face guys like Wandy, Chuck, Forrest, Shogun, etc.
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lonedog
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Post by lonedog on Jul 24, 2008 0:45:03 GMT -5
The case'll be closed when this topic gets locked, which will probably be soon because the only thing a P4P "debate" is good for anymore is to stir up a huge flame war. I'm tired of hearing the bickering and elitism, peeps. As a huge fan of both, I've pretty much declared a wash on comparing the two. Calling Fedor or Silva a second anything just doesn't cut it. This a forum is it not? A forum for opinions and discussion and in this case facts. All it is,is a reference.
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PdW2kX
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Post by PdW2kX on Jul 24, 2008 0:52:43 GMT -5
The case'll be closed when this topic gets locked, which will probably be soon because the only thing a P4P "debate" is good for anymore is to stir up a huge flame war. I'm tired of hearing the bickering and elitism, peeps. As a huge fan of both, I've pretty much declared a wash on comparing the two. Calling Fedor or Silva a second anything just doesn't cut it. This a forum is it not? A forum for opinions and discussion and in this case facts. All it is,is a reference. "Opinion" is fine, "discussions" is fine. But it's been proven, ad infinitum, that just about all P4P "debates" divulge into flame wars. There's already been at least one topic already locked because it devolved into namecalling, flaming, trolling, etc. This thread stinks of potential when it comes to a flame war. If I've got to be blunt to make sure one doesn't break out, that's all well and good for me. Because in truth I love Fedor and Silva, but I can't stand these ridiculous P4P arguments that just turn into fanboys bickering over facts and figures while otherwise good members of the board are also caught in the crossfire. So, as blunt as possible, let me say this: the P4P debate. It's produced far more flame wars than it has open, honest debate. I'd love to see talks of it end entirely. Seriously, there's too much actual good shit going on in MMA for people to be tossing flames at one another. UFC's going strong, Affliction is gearing up for a second card, DREAM is hanging in there, even EXC is giving it another go on CBS. It's a good time to be an MMA fan, folks. Let's not let the good times get swept away in a flood of needless arguments over who's the P4P king.
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DWright
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Post by DWright on Jul 24, 2008 0:59:11 GMT -5
This a forum is it not? A forum for opinions and discussion and in this case facts. All it is,is a reference. "Opinion" is fine, "discussions" is fine. But it's been proven, ad infinitum, that just about all P4P "debates" divulge into flame wars. There's already been at least one topic already locked because it devolved into namecalling, flaming, trolling, etc. This thread stinks of potential when it comes to a flame war. If I've got to be blunt to make sure one doesn't break out, that's all well and good for me. Because in truth I love Fedor and Silva, but I can't stand these ridiculous P4P arguments that just turn into fanboys bickering over facts and figures while otherwise good members of the board are also caught in the crossfire. So, as blunt as possible, let me say this: the P4P debate. It's produced far more flame wars than it has open, honest debate. I'd love to see talks of it end entirely. Seriously, there's too much actual good **** going on in MMA for people to be tossing flames at one another. UFC's going strong, Affliction is gearing up for a second card, DREAM is hanging in there, even EXC is giving it another go on CBS. It's a good time to be an MMA fan, folks. Let's not let the good times get swept away in a flood of needless arguments over who's the P4P king. I agree. I don't see why people get so upset when someone says their favorite fighter isn't the best in the world. It's cool to debate it with someone, but lonedog, you've come on twice now and it seems like you're trying to start a flame war, instead of a debate. I'm enjoying watching whatever I can get my hands on these days. And with amazing free events that WEC is putting on, free events UFC is putting out, the great card Affliction just presented us with, future match ups that are being created...I'm loving it. And either way...the best skill set on the planet belongs to BJ Penn anyways
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lonedog
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Post by lonedog on Jul 24, 2008 1:09:26 GMT -5
"Opinion" is fine, "discussions" is fine. But it's been proven, ad infinitum, that just about all P4P "debates" divulge into flame wars. There's already been at least one topic already locked because it devolved into namecalling, flaming, trolling, etc. This thread stinks of potential when it comes to a flame war. If I've got to be blunt to make sure one doesn't break out, that's all well and good for me. Because in truth I love Fedor and Silva, but I can't stand these ridiculous P4P arguments that just turn into fanboys bickering over facts and figures while otherwise good members of the board are also caught in the crossfire. So, as blunt as possible, let me say this: the P4P debate. It's produced far more flame wars than it has open, honest debate. I'd love to see talks of it end entirely. Seriously, there's too much actual good **** going on in MMA for people to be tossing flames at one another. UFC's going strong, Affliction is gearing up for a second card, DREAM is hanging in there, even EXC is giving it another go on CBS. It's a good time to be an MMA fan, folks. Let's not let the good times get swept away in a flood of needless arguments over who's the P4P king. I agree. I don't see why people get so upset when someone says their favorite fighter isn't the best in the world. It's cool to debate it with someone, but lonedog, you've come on twice now and it seems like you're trying to start a flame war, instead of a debate. I'm enjoying watching whatever I can get my hands on these days. And with amazing free events that WEC is putting on, free events UFC is putting out, the great card Affliction just presented us with, future match ups that are being created...I'm loving it. And either way...the best skill set on the planet belongs to BJ Penn anyways I just come on here stating facts that's all......no flaming.Take a look you starts the insults or name calling by looking at several other topics,it's pretty easy to figure out who they are.Go back to the other threads and see who starts what.Sometimes people don't like or believe what they hear so they thinks someone's starting an arguement.Do I start the name calling?No. It's all in fun
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PdW2kX
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Post by PdW2kX on Jul 24, 2008 1:17:45 GMT -5
Record: 28-1 (realistically he's undefeated)
Sure sounds like an opinion to me.
Noteworthy competition: Tim Silvia, Matt Lindland, Cro-Cop, Big Nog (2x), Kevin Randleman, Mark Coleman, Heath Herring, Mark Hunt, Kazuyuki Fujita, Ricardo Arona
Again, opinion. What you consider noteworthy may not be what others consider noteworthy.
Noteworthy competition: Dan Henderson, Rich Franklin (2x), Yushin Okami (lost), Chris Leben, Jeremy Horn
Read the above.
- Fedor came out of a long hiatus and beat a top 5 heavyweight in 36 seconds with a serious size disadvantage.
- Silva came out without a long hiatus and beat a fighter who is not even a top 10 light heavyweight in 61 seconds without a serious size disadvantage.
If MMA has proven one thing, it's that size doesn't matter. Size (dis)advantages are nigh-on meaningless IMO.
One final thought: posting opinion as fact and stamping a "case closed" once you're done = elitism.
PDW's #1 pet peeve = (you guessed it) elitism.
Seriously, man. Just stop. Consider it a victory if you think no one wants to hear why Fedor is so worthy of #1 status anymore.
And while "it's all in fun" is all well and good, it's all in fun until someone throws the first flame. Then it just snowballs. And if the P4P debate has taught us anything, it's that this particular debate can snowball pretty damn fast.
I'd love to be able to prevent that snowball from snowballing, even if it does make me look like a complete hardass mod bunghole.
I'll say it again: times are too good for MMA fans to be spending time on needless debates like these. Just enjoy the stuff already.
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Fury
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Post by Fury on Jul 24, 2008 1:47:05 GMT -5
Yeah I hate it the way people go around this stuff and have their case closed stuff over opinion.
Anyway the stuff you listed made for a much stronger case that Fedor is the all time best p4p'er and Anderson Silva is the current best, if Fedor wins a showdown with Couture then that would make for a strong claim that he will be the best again.
Anyway when GSP beats Fitch, BJ Penn and Anderson Silva (if given the shot) then I think he will be classed as the best p4p'er.
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Post by Kliquid on Jul 24, 2008 2:19:45 GMT -5
Record: 28-1 (realistically he's undefeated)Sure sounds like an opinion to me. That's not really an opinion. Go back and watch -- Fedor was flat-out screwed in that fight. He lost because of a cut from an ILLEGAL BLOW.
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Post by Codesters on Jul 24, 2008 7:14:12 GMT -5
And either way... the best skill set on the planet belongs to BJ Penn anyways This man is correct B.J Penn is the BJJ MASTAH! And besides.....competition is healthy and good for MMA fans.
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Johnny Lawrence - Cobra Kai
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Post by Johnny Lawrence - Cobra Kai on Jul 24, 2008 8:05:42 GMT -5
As much as I am inclined to lock this based on recent history, amazingly, nobody has insulted anyone personally yet. So, rules are rules, and nobody has broken any (yet).
Keep it civil and keep it on topic, and the thread can stay open.
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Post by moogie101 on Jul 26, 2008 15:34:46 GMT -5
I personally would go with Silva. I give him the bnod & it is very close, purely based on what Anderson has achieved in recent fights. Fedor has barely fought & before the Sylvia fight when he did it was against much lesser fighters. In the same time period Anderson has stormed in & totally cleaned out his division. Really he has beaten everyone so that the uFC is forced to give title shots to cote cause no-one else is left. Plus in that time Silva has stepped up in weight for another impressive win.
The next year or so will be interesting to see how this continues. Likely fights for fedor are Arlovski, Crocop in japan NYE, then 2009 Barnett & Couture Silva however I'm not so sure about, Cote, possibly Okami & looks like Bisping waiting in the wings, possibly fun fights but lesser fighters so in my mind that would swing back to Fedor. Of course Arlovski could KO Fedor, Cote could score a stunning upset, who knows. Plus Silva continue back up to LHW for that mega money fight with Chuck.
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Post by Swarm on Jul 27, 2008 7:00:15 GMT -5
Thank you very much for this thread, very much appreciated. If you don't mind, I'm gonna rant a little here. *Ahem*
To all the Anderson Silva people; First and foremost, let me state that it's not the fact that you guys consider him the best that bothers me or most of the other people who disagree with that. It's the fact that many of you seem to completely buy in to the image of Fedor Dana White has tried to create not to mention blatantly contradict yourselves in giving credit to the man. Look at the recent Fight Night for example. Anybody with even a moderate knowledge of MMA would know that James Irvin's role in that fight was very simple, he was supposed to lose. James Irvin is what you would call a can, someone you can put a decent video package together for and make a big name fighter look good by getting destroyed by them. So the fight goes as expected, Silva kills Irvin, and everyone touts that as further proof of Silva being the best in the world. Meanwhile, Fedor goes against Hong Man Choi, someone who drastically outsized him and also is actually a pretty reputable kick boxer, Fedors beats him, and it's a circus act, Fedor hasn't beaten anybody, blah blah. I mean, what exactly does that mean exactly? Anderson Silva beating a mediocre fighter roughly the same size as himself is that much more impressive than Fedor beating a somewhat decent fighter who dwarfs him completely in size? Just ridiculous.
Another thing, when looking at the lack of competition Fedor's faced in the past year and a half or so, you have to take into account the people Fedor's already beaten as well as the people who were signed by the UFC during that time period. Other than Josh Barnett, since Fedor's win over Mark Coleman pretty much every guy Fedor hadn't beaten yet was signed by the UFC. The second talent became avaliable, Fedor did step up and did face a top five heavyweight and did completely obliterate him. What exactly is Anderson Silva's excuse for facing someone like a James Irvin? With a light heavyweight division as stacked as it is, don't you think the greatest fighter in the world could've, I dunno, actually fought someone who was going to be even remotely competitive? The UFC, with the exception of the heavyweight division at the moment, is probably always going to have the advantage in the amount of top-level talent it holds in all weight classes since Pride's destruction. There's really no excuse for their fighters to be facing people they're significantly better than at all.
Lastly, truth be told, Anderson Silva is almost not even a contender for pound for pound best in my eyes. When you take a guy like George St. Pierre, it's important to bring up pound for pound credit because at 5'10 with his frame, it'd be nearly impossible and incredibly disabling to attempt to fight at heavyweight and probably even light heavyweight. So when you're judging pound for pound you're judging people who could not contend with one another due to size disadvantages and basing off their ability to fight as well as their record as a top level fighter. With that said, the reason why Anderson Silva isn't even eligible for that argument is he could very easily fight at light heavyweight and probably fight just as good if not better at heavyweight. He even said himself he walks around at around 225-230, so training not to cut weight and just preserve speed and stamina wouldn't really be that huge of a detriment to him. With that said, it almost seems as if he chooses to fight at Middleweight solely because he can cut the weight and does have a pretty significant size and reach advantage in the division. Now is that to say that if he jumped up he wouldn't be as effective? Who knows, but there's only really one way to find out and I don't really see him being tested in the middleweight division.
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Post by ajstyles888 on Jul 27, 2008 9:05:47 GMT -5
Were not saying Silva's the best pound 4 pound fighter in the world due to his win over James Irvin, or at least i'm not. Just look at the guys Anderson Silva's run right through in the past. Franklin, Hendo, Leben, Marquardt, just to name a few. Look at that list compared to the competition Fedor has faced as of late.
- Iron Heart
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Post by Kliquid on Jul 27, 2008 12:36:08 GMT -5
Were not saying Silva's the best pound 4 pound fighter in the world due to his win over James Irvin, or at least i'm not. Just look at the guys Anderson Silva's run right through in the past. Franklin, Hendo, Leben, Marquardt, just to name a few. Look at that list compared to the competition Fedor has faced as of late. - Iron Heart Fedor had already beaten practically every legitimate heavyweight in the world. What's the point in having him fight them again? It's like Silva/Franlin -- there was no point in a second fight. Franklin absolutely cannot beat him.
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DWright
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Post by DWright on Jul 27, 2008 14:09:20 GMT -5
Did you just credit Choi as a fighter, but discredit Irvin? Come on.
That rant was incredibly biased.
Fedor beating him was impressive simply due to his size, not his ability. Choi can barely bend his joints and isn't even NEAR the talent level of James Irvin, let alone Fedor. Irvin was coming off 2 wins, and an impressive knock out of Houston Alexander. Choi's biggest wins came against guys like Akebono, Sapp or Semmy Schilt. Fedor's fight against was done for the David vs Goliath effect, and that alone. No one in their right mind gave Choi a chance in hell to beat Fedor. It was the exact same thing you mentioned about James Irvin. Choi was put into that fight to lose to Fedor. Fedor beats a real life giant, people praise him. Choi is not a real fighter, sorry. You take that fight about as serious as you would if he beat Sapp.
Irvin vs Silva was a smart first fight for 205. Of course you want Silva to win that fight. You bring up the guy you market as your best fighter, and he loses his first fight at 205, you basically just "made him human" in a way. Not to mention, this was a free card that was thrown together very quickly. If you're going to set up a fight between say -- Silva and Chuck Liddell, you hype that for months, not 3 weeks, and you certainly don't put it on free cable. You make as much money off that fight as you possibly can. It's a business, and honestly it turned out picture perfect for Dana. While Fedor absolutely destroyed Tim Sylvia, Dana's poster boy Anderson Silva went up a weight class and destroyed his opponent on live, free tv.
I already answered why James Irvin. Otherwise, Anderson Silva is in the place for the best, most constant competition. He's absolutely destroyed everyone he's fought and everyone put in front of him with ease. I'm not saying Fedor hasn't...but Silva has fought MUCH more than Fedor, and fought better competition. (since 06) No matter who's at fault for that (Fedor not having anyone to fight), he's still done it and you can't take that away from him.
You do realize most people that Silva has fought, and people that fight at MW could, and do, easily fluctuate between MW and LHW, right? Rich Franklin, Dan Henderson, Jeremy Horn...all have fought at both and been very successful.
Anderson Silva is without a doubt one of the best pound for pound fighters in the world. He can't drop down to prove that against KID, Torres, Faber, Penn, and I personally think he's too small to do so against a guy like Sylvia, Fedor, etc. Therefore, he fits the P4P argument perfectly.
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PdW2kX
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Post by PdW2kX on Jul 27, 2008 14:29:22 GMT -5
My love for Churchy grows.
I still consider it just a bit trivial to consider Fedor or Anderson a second anything, however.
Then again, as I've said multiple times before, I find the entire P4P argument incredibly trivial and asinine as well. Rankings and lists only contain as much power as you give them. I choose to not care who's better between my two favorite fighters, so I'm able to just enjoy them demolishing people and leaving their legacies as two of the greatest of all time instead of splitting hairs over who did what to who and why and when and how and etcetera.
In truth it's way too close to call IMO. There are too many factors and too many ways to twist those factors to suit your own opinion.
I honestly think this thing won't get settled until A) People just let it die and go back to enjoying their fights and not nitpicking over who's the best so-and-so or B) one of them loses decisively.
And I don't see Fedor or Silva losing to just about anyone, not for quite some time.
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Post by Kliquid on Jul 27, 2008 14:56:49 GMT -5
While Fedor absolutely destroyed Tim Sylvia, Dana's poster boy Anderson Silva went up a weight class and destroyed his opponent on live, free tv. Fedor doesn't have the chance to TECHNICALLY go up in weight class, so he beats the hell out of giants. I mean, it's not the first time Fedor has beaten someone that significantly out-sizes him. I already answered why James Irvin. Otherwise, Anderson Silva is in the place for the best, most constant competition. He's absolutely destroyed everyone he's fought and everyone put in front of him with ease. I'm not saying Fedor hasn't...but Silva has fought MUCH more than Fedor, and fought better competition. (since 06) No matter who's at fault for that (Fedor not having anyone to fight), he's still done it and you can't take that away from him. Again, Fedor has already beaten the hell out of practically every legitimate heavyweight in the world. Just because he hasn't beaten Randy Couture doesn't mean he should be discredited. That's like me saying, "Well Anderson Silva hasn't beaten Paulo Filho or Cung Le." Silva isn't fighting the best competition in UFC because the middleweight class is probably the least competitive division in the company.
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DWright
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Post by DWright on Jul 27, 2008 15:11:59 GMT -5
I wasn't saying it like it came out. I was trying to say-- Fedor beat Tim Sylvia in a very impressive fashion. While White (and the MMA world) made a big deal about Anderson Silva moving up in weight class, people got to see that free. That's why you make that fight against Irvin. You get to show the pure dominance of your poster boy, you hype that fact that he's moving up, and you get to see it all without paying a dime for it.
Practically, yes. But that still leaves others. I'd even be satisfied if he just fought cans in the mean time. I think I'm more down on Fedor only because he fought a handful of times in almost 3 years.
Anderson Silva on the other hand, has fought 9 times. In all honesty, it's basically a timing thing. Fedor has dominated his whole career, and that's why he was the pound for pound best fighter in the world for YEARS. But since he's done all that pre-2006, I feel it hurts him now. Since, he hasn't fought anyone, and Silva has done major damage AND he's done it on the biggest stage. Which, like it or not, more people see and more people recognize.
But like I've stated several times...if/when Fedor fights Barnett, Couture, AA...hell, even Cro Cop again, etc. And if he beats them, he'll reclaim the crown as the top fighter in the world. The only thing about that...is Silva may attempt to counter those fights with guys like Wandy, Chuck, Machida, etc.
Either way, all those fights sound incredible and I can't to see if they happen. It'd be a treat.
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