MMAF: "The Great Divide: What is the biggest dream fight that fans missed out on?"

gigantes · Post #1 » by **gigantes** » Sun Mar 22, 2020 8:04 pm

IMO this is a great premise as an article, just that the two given examples don't make much sense. Eh, here's my quick thoughts:

GSP vs. Silva: I happen to think Georges was just right as a 170'er. With an average frame and height (5'10"), dude worked his ass off to own his division, and nothing against that. But, putting aside his major upset against a guy who was arguably a heavily-flawed 185 champion (i.e. Michael Bisping), Georges looked (to me) almost comically overbuilt at 185, and there was little prior evidence to suggest he was best-suited as a UFC middleweight.

Anderson, by comparison, was not only much taller at 6'2", but possessed a frame which allowed him to compete at 205 with little difficulty. I'm guessing he even could have knocked off some of the lower-tier heavyweights if he really wanted to, although feel free to change my mind on that.

PROGNOSIS---- I strongly suspect that GSP vs. Silva was always going to be a pretty gross, needless matchup. IMO it would have reflected little credit to either man, and probably would have involved lots of Silva picking apart a slowed-down GSP on the feet, as well as suffering little discontent against GSP's top game. Maybe I'm crazy, but I fear this would have been an awfully depressing fight, speaking as an MMA fan.

Rousey vs. Justino: I mean... even when Ronda was at the height of her mystique, I think this was a fight -very few- of her most die-hard supporters really wanted. As in-- not only was Cyborg a vastly better striker, but she's significantly bigger and stronger than Ronda, and possesses a BJJ game which suggests she'd make for a tough submission, were the fight to go to the ground. Personally, I suspect Cyborg would have been able to handle Ronda about as well as Holly Holm did, even if the fight drifted in to Rousey's territory during certain moments.

PROGNOSIS----Justino would likely have demolished Ronda via method of choice. That said, speaking as a non-Rousey fan, you pretty much have to bring a truck in order to finish that gal. For example, I'm still in awe how much ridiculous destruction she suffered at the hands of Amanda Nunes, yet was ready for more. You don't see that very often, and when you do, I think it stands out.

.

Go ahead and agree or disagree as you see it, but let's also keep the thread title in mind. As in-- what are the tragically lost fights that really should have been made, dammit?

Personally, and sort of going against what I argued just above, I think Fedor Emelianenko would have been a live dog as a smallish guy going against some of the more massive UFC heavyweights.

What think?

https://www.mmafighting.com/2020/3/22/21189358/the-great-divide-what-is-the-biggest-dream-fight-fans-missed-out-on

Jasen777 · Post #2 » by **Jasen777** » Sun Mar 22, 2020 8:50 pm

Agree that Silva is probably just too big for GSP. Prime Silva would have beat all but the very very top of HW, it's just a very thin division.

In hindsight Cyborg probably wins but at the time it certainly seems plausible Rousey could armbar her.

Dreamed fight missed out on is of course Khabib/Tony.

gigantes · Post #3 » by **gigantes** » Mon Mar 23, 2020 5:23 pm

Jasen777 wrote:Agree that Silva is probably just too big for GSP. Prime Silva would have beat all but the very very top of HW, it's just a very thin division.

In hindsight Cyborg probably wins but at the time it certainly seems plausible Rousey could armbar her.

Dreamed fight missed out on is of course Khabib/Tony.

Hindsight may certainly be coloring my view on the Rousey - Cyborg fight. Because before Holm showed off the blueprint for how to defeat Ronda, plenty of her opponents somehow thought it was a good idea to grapple with her. Who knows that Cyborg wouldn't have made that error, too?

If they're not able to make this next event, that will have been what...? The FIFTH time that Khabib / Tony got cancelled? Unreal.

Oh, and I guess another lost fight was the Lesnar - Fedor matchup. I figure it would have looked something like Lesnar - Cain, but you never know. If Brock had been able to get on top, that could have changed everything.

No doubt there were quite a few lost Pride - UFC dream fights too, but that era is a touch before my time.