The Most Skilled fighter in Combat Sports?

Thiago Alves has said that he felt uncomfortable striking with GSP because GSP had such a big reach advantage that he was forced to stay back and any time he tried to exchange with him GSP had no interest and just went for the takedown. He said that GSP's long arms and wrestling are the strongest aspects of his stand-up. His punches aren't hard but they are accurate.

I think Hughes and Fitch found them pretty hard. Either way power isn't something you can just learn and improve is it.

Alves has fought and easily defeated big wrestlers before, he destoryed Hughes and easily defeated Kos as well.

Lesnar wont make the list ever he has no all round game he`s just massive,he`ll get beat before too long i`m sure of that.

Lesnar isnt top 20 Skillwise or overall rankings wise in combat sports, I dont know how his name is getting batted about.

I wonder who will beat him though. Carwin is just a smaller version who is slowed and has worse wrestling... I dont see Carwin getting the job done unless Brock stands and bangs... but we have a long wait to see what will happen!

Next we have Nog who will be a sitting Duck, He is actually slowed than Lesnar and easy to hit, Expect LEsnat to Drop him and pound him silly..

Valesquez has great wrestling but showed signs of a lack of power which will go hand and hand with his szie disadvantage and his Chin hasnt looked great...

I think the winner of JDS vs Gonzaga will be the biggest threat to Lesnar, Up and commers like Todd Duffee look good but they could be a while off... Pat Barry could get his chance if he fights Kongo andbeats him.. he always has a punches chance but there arent too maby people I can see beating Brock

Brock looks to have a decent chance of being champ for a while. The guys with the best chance of beating him, Fedor, Aleks, Overeem arent in the UFC. If Antonio Silva beats Werdum you could add him to the list of most dangerous opponents for Brock... I think he will be champ for a while.

His Skills arent worth talknig about but how Physical you are is a huge part of the sport. GSP was not much more skilled than BJ Penn (If at all) But being much more physical he dominated their fight.

Don't understand why Lesner gets so much shit for being big. Sapp, Butterbean and Choi are big and both lost to Minowa very quickly, yes a fighter who is a lot more skillful but a small MW at best. Its not like Lesner has no skill, ok he is no Fedor, Machida, BJ, GSP but not many are. I can only put Fedor as favourite against him. Carwin isn't more skilled than him, he only hits hard and sloppy, has above average wrestling and pretty big. Not that great. Lesner is a very accomplished college wrestler, former Division one champion and a two time All American. One of, if not the best wrestler in the HW division. His takedowns are only second to GSP and his GnP is destructive. You don't exactly have to be skillful to do pure GnP. However everyone praises Fedor to no end for his GnP. Yes it takes skill to get in the position but GnP is just punching at the end of the day.

I don't think Carwin has enough, outside a big right or left hand he won't give Lesner too many problems. Lesner just has to fight smart.

It would be nice to see a legend like Nog win against Brock but I don't think so. His head movement is still poor, if he eats one of Lesner's lunchboxes he get dropped and have hammerfists for lunch. Or Lesner takes him down and GnPs him from there, Nog isn't big or strong enough to reverse that.

Velasquez has a pretty good chance, as good as anyone but still to early to judge. Kongo was his toughest test to date, he needs a step up soon.

JDS could beat Lesner, one quick flurry could see Lesner staring at the lights. Dos Santos is also a strong guy so on the ground he can close Lesner up quicker. I don't think Gonzaga can do it, he has the physical abilities but not the mental strength to do it. As Tyson would say he would "Beat himself" before they entered the cage. Randy destroyed Gonzaga and Lesner would do a lot worse.

Duffe looks like an animal as well, but far too early to judge him now. In a year or two we will see if he is still up there.

Pat Barry has no chance, he was tapped by Hauge. I really don't think so, he is too small to fight Lesner number one and his ground game is shit.

Outside the UFC, obviously you have Fedor who could beat him. Don't think Aleks could beat him but he is a dangerous, well rounded opponent. Overoid is too much of a pussy, anyone who taps out from strikes against Arona does not have the durability to beat Lesner.

i dont think people are giving him shot for being big. he is skilled, but his strength and size/speed combination are a major reason he is a success in mma. actually they were a major reason he was a success in wrestling aswell, he was never the most technical wrestler.

size/speed/strength are not skills, wrestling is, but there are more skilled wrestlers than brock in the UFC that would never get a mention on this topic. Koscheck for example, has everything brock has and more skills wise, but lacks the physical advantages brock enjoys.

he is skilled, but his strength and size/speed combination are a major reason he is a success in mma. actually they were a major reason he was a success in wrestling aswell, he was never the most technical wrestler.


Agreed, yes his althletic ability does help alot but what im saying is its not the only reason he is a success, otherwise (and im quoting Anfield here) he would be Sapp without the tears.

Someone like Kos is more skilled, as a wrestler and a MMA fighter as well. 4 time All-American, Division one champion, Brown Belt in BJJ and good striking. But he is an athlete as well, very fast and quite big and very strong. Nothing like Lesner but he has good physical abilities as well.

He has much better college wrestling creditionals than GSP for example and he was at no physical disadvanatge yet he was completely dominated. His skills are good but not that great.

ChelseaQuinsfan wrote:I think Hughes and Fitch found them pretty hard. Either way power isn't something you can just learn and improve is it.

Alves has fought and easily defeated big wrestlers before, he destoryed Hughes and easily defeated Kos as well.

Neither Hughes, nor Kos has the length that GSP and neither have even close to the reach advantage he had over Alves.

And he punched John Fitch in the face for 5 rounds and couldn't finish him. Matt Hughes was done in by a kick in the head, not punches.

Lesnar is Heavy Weight champ and no one in the UFC will beat him, I can't stand the bloke he's a jumped up jock, but he has what it takes to smash people. He's a great wrestler and his hands are really heavy! He's only had a few fights and will improve the longer he's champ the harder it will be to beat him IMO.... I think you will have him in your top 20's one day, he's going to get better. The reason you guys don't like him is because of his attitude, same as me and size and strength is a major thing for heavy weights, it not his fault hes trained his fucking ass off to get that big... Fair fucks to the guy I say!!! He'll rule the heavy weight UFC divsion for ages!!!

Neither Hughes, nor Kos has the length that GSP and neither have even close to the reach advantage he had over Alves.


Im pretty sure Hughes is bigger than GSP, anyone who faces Alves should have a reach advantage anyway because he has tiny arms for his huge body.


And he punched John Fitch in the face for 5 rounds and couldn't finish him. Matt Hughes was done in by a kick in the head, not punches.

He still knocked the mouthpiece straight off his face and ripped his face apart. As for Hughes, he was saved by the bell after being knocked silly by a super punch and while it was the kick that did the damage, the punches finished.

Even Fedor doesn't always finished, he failed to finish a badly beaten Nog from a dominant position.

pinsman wrote:Lesnar is Heavy Weight champ and no one in the UFC will beat him, I can't stand the bloke he's a jumped up jock, but he has what it takes to smash people. He's a great wrestler and his hands are really heavy! He's only had a few fights and will improve the longer he's champ the harder it will be to beat him IMO.... I think you will have him in your top 20's one day, he's going to get better. The reason you guys don't like him is because of his attitude, same as me and size and strength is a major thing for heavy weights, it not his fault hes trained his fucking ass off to get that big... Fair fucks to the guy I say!!! He'll rule the heavy weight UFC divsion for ages!!!

there are many things i like about Brock, i was cheering for him against Mir both times! does he belong in the world top 5 heavyweights, yes, but he doesnt belong in this thread simple as that, he is not one of the top 5 most skilled fighters in his division right now let alone in all divisions of all combat sports of all time!

I will be cheering for Carwin though, engineers represent!

ChelseaQuinsfan wrote:Neither Hughes, nor Kos has the length that GSP and neither have even close to the reach advantage he had over Alves.


Im pretty sure Hughes is bigger than GSP, anyone who faces Alves should have a reach advantage anyway because he has tiny arms for his huge body.


And he punched John Fitch in the face for 5 rounds and couldn't finish him. Matt Hughes was done in by a kick in the head, not punches.

He still knocked the mouthpiece straight off his face and ripped his face apart. As for Hughes, he was saved by the bell after being knocked silly by a super punch and while it was the kick that did the damage, the punches finished.

Even Fedor doesn't always finished, he failed to finish a badly beaten Nog from a dominant position.

Nog's chin is made of granite. Only Hendo can claim to have a better chin. Other than the staph infection spoiled performance against Mir, which i'm refusing to count, Nog has never been finished.

GSP rarely finishes fights with his fists. Jay Hieron was the last time he beat someone with his hands. If you hit someone in the face 80 times, they will look a mess, but you should still be able to finish them. Hughes's arms aren't nearly as long as GSP's. GSP has a 3 inch reach advantage of Hughes and Kos.

Nog's chin is made of granite. Only Hendo can claim to have a better chin. Other than the staph infection spoiled performance against Mir, which i'm refusing to count, Nog has never been finished.

No doubt but when you are in a dominant position your chin shouldn't matter, Fedor should have finished that fight. When you are on top and pounding away the finish should be inevitable. Mir doesn't have a poor chin but he was clearly gone from Lesner's GnP.


GSP rarely finishes fights with his fists. Jay Hieron was the last time he beat someone with his hands. If you hit someone in the face 80 times, they will look a mess, but you should still be able to finish them. Hughes's arms aren't nearly as long as GSP's. GSP has a 3 inch reach advantage of Hughes and Kos

He finished Sherk and Hughes with strikes as well. Yes, GSP should definitley have finished Fitch with the amount of strikes he hit him with, but that was a lack of finishing rather than power. GSP does have very long arms so that makes sense.

Hughes was finished when he got kicked in the head, the punches might have ended it but they didn't do the damage. and it was elbows in the Gnp that stopped Sherk.