The definitive comparison of GSP and Fedor

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Rambo John J

Baker Team
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Jan 17, 2015
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if GSP defended the MW title at least once, hands down GSP but as of now, it's still a tossup or I still believe the sport is too young to have a GOAT, they need to be around for at least 50 years of similar rule set, testing atmosphere, and bla bla criteria.


but one thing for sure
I've watched both fighter's careers and I felt the electric shock shooting through my body many many times when Fedor fought,

GSP... never

also, just like everyone don't want to recognize MM for being a smaller fighter, GSP's opponents were higher level but he was 3 weight divisions under Fedor, margin of error is always higher at HW, not to mention Fedor still swinging hard like don't give a fuck if he loses is > GSP's so scared to make a mistake perfect style
GSP is greatness...but he rarely moves the needle when I watch...the emotion needle I mean

His last fight is one of his most exciting...but many of them are Boring and dominant decision victories
 
M

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I don't care for GSP but to say his legacy is greater than Fedor's is an understatement
 

La Paix

Fuck this place
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Jan 14, 2015
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that was the only time and if he fought like that his entire career, he wouldn't have such a perfect anything
I'm not going to try and argue that GSP was a risk taker but that's how he got 11 title fights and won 9 in a row. I can fully appreciate the big risk takers like Alvarez, they bring tons of excitement which is always great. But I can also appreciate a guy like GSP who could dominate so many consistently. You say "if he fought like that his entire career, he wouldn't have such a perfect anything" as if his acheivements are a bad thing, or his approach to deliver the most damage while taking the least is a bad thing. One of his biggest criticisms is being boring yet he proved to be a huge draw, people wanted to watch him fight.


Also that wasn't the only time he fought like that. His earlier fights were nothing short of awesome, IMO of course. Karo, Heiron, the Hughes trilogy, Miller, Trigg, Sherk... Those were great fiights to watch. I thought it was unanimously agreed that his style became much less risky after Serra knocked him out. Even some later fights like Condit and Fitch were exciting.
 

Ted Williams' head

It's freezing in here!
Sep 23, 2015
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I don't understand linking excitement with greatness as a fighter. This was never a thing in boxing - the clinical, cerebral boxer was always held in greatest esteem than the exciting brawler. I like an exciting finisher as much as the next guy, but a win is a win. I don't think it makes a guy any greater to be a better finisher - some guys are naturally blessed with more punching power (see: Rumble Johnson), etc.

I've seen a lot of people bring up the fact that Fedor has a better finish rate as an argument to be ranked above GSP. I disagree. I think a lot of that comes down to quality of opposition. For instance, what were Fedor's best wins in Pride? Nogueira and Crocop - all 3 of the fights (excluding the NC with Nog) were decision wins. At the end of the day, it's a lot harder to put away guys like Nick Diaz, Condit, Shields, Hendricks, etc, than it is to put away guys like Gary Goodridge, Yuji Nagata, Zulu, Kevin Randleman (RIP), etc. And of course naturally there are more finishes at HW.

On the subject of level of opposition, can you think of a WW during GSP's reign where it's like "damn, why didn't we get to see that fight"? GSP cleaned out the division and fought everyone you'd reasonably want him to. With Fedor, I wonder if he fought Werdum, Barnett, Kharitonov, etc, during his Pride run, would he still have been champion? What about Randy Couture or The Reem post-Pride?
 

La Paix

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On the subject of level of opposition, can you think of a WW during GSP's reign where it's like "damn, why didn't we get to see that fight"? GSP cleaned out the division and fought everyone you'd reasonably want him to.
Good point here. The most common name I can think of based on forums and personal interactions with other fans is a prime Anderson, the MW GOAT*.
 

RaginCajun

The Reigning Undisputed Monsters Tournament Champ
Oct 25, 2015
37,264
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People seem to be missing a huge factor in the greatest that is GSP.
He can back and won the middleweight champion after years of being gone and more impressively after being abducted by aliens. Not many people win champions after getting the big probe.

 

Ted Williams' head

It's freezing in here!
Sep 23, 2015
11,283
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Good point here. The most common name I can think of based on forums and personal interactions with other fans is a prime Anderson, the MW GOAT*.
True, that would have been an interesting fight. Chael Sonnen has said that GSP manhandled him in training to the point where he couldn't get up from under Georges, so it would be interesting to see if GSP could have replicated Sonnen's success, obviously without getting subbed at the end.

I remember really wanting to see GSP vs Rumble at 170, but of course Rumble didn't last long enough in the division to get to that point.
 

BeardOfKnowledge

The Most Consistent Motherfucker You Know
Jul 22, 2015
60,719
56,226
Give us your top 10 p4p guys of alltime. Or your top 5 if a top 10 is too much for you.

Mine is actually right, let's see what you put forth yo.
1) GSP
2) Fedor (although I struggle a little with this because there are a lot of question marks around him)
...
Everyone else.

DJ fights in a pond shallower than a kiddie pool and failing PED tests warrants immediate removal from the converstion. Unless we get to a place where all the P4P guys have failed tests, but we'll cross that bridge when we get to it. What people try to trot out as GOAT candidates is laughable most of the time.
 

SensoriaUtopia

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Jan 17, 2015
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1) GSP
2) Fedor (although I struggle a little with this because there are a lot of question marks around him)
...
Everyone else.

DJ fights in a pond shallower than a kiddie pool and failing PED tests warrants immediate removal from the converstion. Unless we get to a place where all the P4P guys have failed tests, but we'll cross that bridge when we get to it. What people try to trot out as GOAT candidates is laughable most of the time.

LOL you can't even give a top 5, everything else you say is null and void. If you are not even able to articulate a top 5 or top 10 you can't sit there and say this person does not deserve it nor that does that one.

Also, I got Mighty Mouse at 5, I use those things against him for not having him at 1 or 2. Also, at this point the talent has gotten better in his weightclass and it's not his fault he is that much better than the rest.

Again, it's comical you cannot articulate a top 10, I actually have a top 40 alltime p4p that I may or may not reveal on this forum at some point. When you can actually think out a rank, come talk to me.
 

BeardOfKnowledge

The Most Consistent Motherfucker You Know
Jul 22, 2015
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LOL you can't even give a top 5, everything else you say is null and void. If you are not even able to articulate a top 5 or top 10 you can't sit there and say this person does not deserve it nor that does that one.

Also, I got Mighty Mouse at 5, I use those things against him for not having him at 1 or 2. Also, at this point the talent has gotten better in his weightclass and it's not his fault he is that much better than the rest.

Again, it's comical you cannot articulate a top 10, I actually have a top 40 alltime p4p that I may or may not reveal on this forum at some point. When you can actually think out a rank, come talk to me.
There are 2 fighters that one can make an intelligible case for being the GOAT and beyond that the conversation becomes irrelevant. There's a very clear distinction between the careers of GSP, Fedor and the rest of the sport.

If you like enjoy spending your time thinking about whom the 37th best fighter of all time is that's your prerogative. But anyone who's watched MMA for any length of time knows that the sport has far too small a sample size and that someone with a title victory and no defenses doesn't belong anywhere near a conversation about the "greatest of all time"
 

SensoriaUtopia

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Jan 17, 2015
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There are 2 fighters that one can make an intelligible case for being the GOAT and beyond that the conversation becomes irrelevant. There's a very clear distinction between the careers of GSP, Fedor and the rest of the sport.

If you like enjoy spending your time thinking about whom the 37th best fighter of all time is that's your prerogative. But anyone who's watched MMA for any length of time knows that the sport has far too small a sample size and that someone with a title victory and no defenses doesn't belong anywhere near a conversation about the "greatest of all time"
Wrong, Jones is the closest thing to the #1 GOAT ever to me