Pure skills/well roundedness wise it has to be Fedor. Some of the fastest hands ever at HW, good power, solid defence and chin, great wrestling and subs, great durability and cardio, could transition from stiking range to grappling range more quickly and smoothly than just about anybody.
Reem is an odd choice imo OP. I always think of him as mostly a raw physical attributes guy. Basically a huge juiced up monster who gorilla fucked people with his size, strength and power.
If I was going to take a seminar, it would be from Werdum, Barnett or DC.
Fedor
DC
Werdum
JDS
Nog
Teenage Mutant Lesnar Turtle -Pure skills/well roundedness wise it has to be Fedor. Some of the fastest hands ever at HW, good power, solid defence and chin, great wrestling and subs, great durability and cardio, could transition from stiking range to grappling range more quickly and smoothly than just about anybody.
Reem is an odd choice imo OP. I always think of him as mostly a raw physical attributes guy. Basically a huge juiced up monster who gorilla fucked people with his size, strength and power.
Reem had a very technical striking game and won ADCC trials with all submissions. One of the few hwts with a top notch striking and grappling game. But yeah no gripes with Fedor who was also very well rounded.
TexDeuce -DC, Fedor, or Werdum. DC beats all of them.
Came to say this exactly. DC probably has the most trouble potentially with Werdum.
Stipe and Cain round out the top 5
Ryann Von Doom -Miguel cro cop -Best all around has to be Cain right?
Great striking, wrestling and grappling mixed with a good chin, unstoppable Cardio and great fight iq.
The fuck has cain done other than beat the same 3 people multiple times over his last few fights? Rogan has a hard on for him for some odd reason so you chimps just mimic it. Sad.
Dc just said he’s the better fighter than him…: so that means a bit
shaqitup -Ryann Von Doom -Miguel cro cop -Best all around has to be Cain right?
Great striking, wrestling and grappling mixed with a good chin, unstoppable Cardio and great fight iq.
The fuck has cain done other than beat the same 3 people multiple times over his last few fights? Rogan has a hard on for him for some odd reason so you chimps just mimic it. Sad.
Dc just said he’s the better fighter than him…: so that means a bit
D.C. Also says that khabib hangs with him in wrestling
The Lion King -If Jones decided to compete at heavyweight then he would be the best heavyweight ever and would beat any heavyweight ever.
But out of the fighters who have actually competed at heavyweight
1. Fedor - outstruck CroCop and Hunt. Outgrappled Nog and multiple Olympic judoka and wrestlers
2. Nog - Best jiu jitsu practitioner in HW history (outgrappled Werdum) along with amazing boxing, cardio, etc.
3. Crocop - World class kickboxer with impeccable TDD
4. Overeem - World class kickboxer with impeccable TDD
5. Werdum - 2nd best BJJ practitioner in HW history with high level striking. Dangerous everywhere
Honorable mention: Cain
Amazing boxing? lol wow
Fedor Emelianko. People seem to forget that he’s a small heavyweight who could probably cut to 205 lbs, but never did.
MM8 -The Lion King -If Jones decided to compete at heavyweight then he would be the best heavyweight ever and would beat any heavyweight ever.
But out of the fighters who have actually competed at heavyweight
1. Fedor - outstruck CroCop and Hunt. Outgrappled Nog and multiple Olympic judoka and wrestlers
2. Nog - Best jiu jitsu practitioner in HW history (outgrappled Werdum) along with amazing boxing, cardio, etc.
3. Crocop - World class kickboxer with impeccable TDD
4. Overeem - World class kickboxer with impeccable TDD
5. Werdum - 2nd best BJJ practitioner in HW history with high level striking. Dangerous everywhere
Honorable mention: Cain
Amazing boxing? lol wow
Name a better pure boxer at HW before Nog, or even after.
leifdawg -Ryann Von Doom -Miguel cro cop -Best all around has to be Cain right?
Great striking, wrestling and grappling mixed with a good chin, unstoppable Cardio and great fight iq.
The fuck has cain done other than beat the same 3 people multiple times over his last few fights? Rogan has a hard on for him for some odd reason so you chimps just mimic it. Sad.
Cain was touted as the best in the world by fighters and trainers long before Rogan joined his fan club.
So was Francis. Just ask Kirk
sparkuri -MM8 -The Lion King -If Jones decided to compete at heavyweight then he would be the best heavyweight ever and would beat any heavyweight ever.
But out of the fighters who have actually competed at heavyweight
1. Fedor - outstruck CroCop and Hunt. Outgrappled Nog and multiple Olympic judoka and wrestlers
2. Nog - Best jiu jitsu practitioner in HW history (outgrappled Werdum) along with amazing boxing, cardio, etc.
3. Crocop - World class kickboxer with impeccable TDD
4. Overeem - World class kickboxer with impeccable TDD
5. Werdum - 2nd best BJJ practitioner in HW history with high level striking. Dangerous everywhere
Honorable mention: Cain
Amazing boxing? lol wow
Name a better pure boxer at HW before Nog, or even after.
Ill name four: dc, cain, stipe, frank mir during mir's prime
Also Nog didn't get really dangerous on the feet until after 2005/2006 or after Pride when he was training regularly with Blackhouse and anderson silva
In pride, he was a good technical boxer but unfortunately didn't have takedown defense or the ability to KO guys on the feet just yet
The Immortal One -sparkuri -MM8 -The Lion King -If Jones decided to compete at heavyweight then he would be the best heavyweight ever and would beat any heavyweight ever.
But out of the fighters who have actually competed at heavyweight
1. Fedor - outstruck CroCop and Hunt. Outgrappled Nog and multiple Olympic judoka and wrestlers
2. Nog - Best jiu jitsu practitioner in HW history (outgrappled Werdum) along with amazing boxing, cardio, etc.
3. Crocop - World class kickboxer with impeccable TDD
4. Overeem - World class kickboxer with impeccable TDD
5. Werdum - 2nd best BJJ practitioner in HW history with high level striking. Dangerous everywhere
Honorable mention: Cain
Amazing boxing? lol wow
Name a better pure boxer at HW before Nog, or even after.
Ill name four: dc, cain, stipe, frank mir during mir's prime
Also Nog didn't get really dangerous on the feet until after 2005/2006 or after Pride when he was training regularly with Blackhouse and anderson silva
In pride, he was a good technical boxer but unfortunately didn't have takedown defense or the ability to KO guys on the feet just yet
Nog peaked technically & athletically when he outboxed Kharitonov in 2004 and only ever knocked out complete glassjaws like Schaub anyway, he also never learned particularly great TDD because he didn't need it, it was antithetical to his style
cuttooth -The Immortal One -sparkuri -MM8 -The Lion King -If Jones decided to compete at heavyweight then he would be the best heavyweight ever and would beat any heavyweight ever.
But out of the fighters who have actually competed at heavyweight
1. Fedor - outstruck CroCop and Hunt. Outgrappled Nog and multiple Olympic judoka and wrestlers
2. Nog - Best jiu jitsu practitioner in HW history (outgrappled Werdum) along with amazing boxing, cardio, etc.
3. Crocop - World class kickboxer with impeccable TDD
4. Overeem - World class kickboxer with impeccable TDD
5. Werdum - 2nd best BJJ practitioner in HW history with high level striking. Dangerous everywhere
Honorable mention: Cain
Amazing boxing? lol wow
Name a better pure boxer at HW before Nog, or even after.
Ill name four: dc, cain, stipe, frank mir during mir's prime
Also Nog didn't get really dangerous on the feet until after 2005/2006 or after Pride when he was training regularly with Blackhouse and anderson silva
In pride, he was a good technical boxer but unfortunately didn't have takedown defense or the ability to KO guys on the feet just yet
Nog peaked technically & athletically when he outboxed Kharitonov in 2004 and only ever knocked out complete glassjaws like Schaub anyway, he also never learned particularly great TDD because he didn't need it, it was antithetical to his style
Big Nog sure as hell could have used takedown defense against fedor especially in their last fight.
Kharitonov was green with only 9 mma fights when he fought nogueria and kharitonov also didn't have TDD when he fought big nog, so he was worried about the takedown which negated his striking and STILL made it very close on the feet.
Big Nog beat Sergei with takedowns, if the fight stayed on the feet the whole fight, sergei would have beaten him.
Big Nog's peak was not 2004, it was closer to 2006 to arguably 2009, when he became more dangerous on the feet and sat back on his punches to drop guys. He didn't start seriously training with blackhouse mma until he left pride, and that's what took him to the next level.
If you don't believe me, watch nog starting in 2009 when he was dropping guys left and right. His timing and power was on point then.
In Pride, Nogueria was younger yes with less mileage but much less dangerous on the feet with no takedown defense.
If Fedor fought big nog in 2009, fedor would have been dropped and probably submitted. Look at Big Nog's improved boxing against couture vs Fedor getting easily jabbed by rogers on the feet with his looping hooks.
I would say CroCop.
A lot of people on this thread are talking about chins, cardio and other non skill physical abilities. A lot of people are saying Fedor. Whilst Fedor is probably the greatest heavyweight of all time, and wonderfully used throws in combination with punches, I put a lot of his strengths as a fighter down to incredible explosiveness, agility and long reach for his height (193cm). Chael Sonnen fought Anderson Silva, Jon Jones and Fedor and said Fedor was the most explosive and athletic.
I think all CroCop's roundhouse kick KOs are an incredible skill which hasn't been seen in MMA before or since. I haven't seen anything like it in heavyweight kickboxing although I don't follow that sport as closely. He was also an amateur boxing champion and had 31 KOs which is a lot for amateur boxing.
He also managed to do a lot of this whilst being a special forces member and a member of parliament. Still going strong at 43 and has won all of his last nine fights. Has changed his game due to foot injuries, age etc which I think shows great skill.
Second and third I would probably put Big Nog and Werdum. Both have a ton of submissions against the top competion. Fighting people that were bigger, stronger and more explosive.
The Immortal One -cuttooth -The Immortal One -sparkuri -MM8 -The Lion King -If Jones decided to compete at heavyweight then he would be the best heavyweight ever and would beat any heavyweight ever.
But out of the fighters who have actually competed at heavyweight
1. Fedor - outstruck CroCop and Hunt. Outgrappled Nog and multiple Olympic judoka and wrestlers
2. Nog - Best jiu jitsu practitioner in HW history (outgrappled Werdum) along with amazing boxing, cardio, etc.
3. Crocop - World class kickboxer with impeccable TDD
4. Overeem - World class kickboxer with impeccable TDD
5. Werdum - 2nd best BJJ practitioner in HW history with high level striking. Dangerous everywhere
Honorable mention: Cain
Amazing boxing? lol wow
Name a better pure boxer at HW before Nog, or even after.
Ill name four: dc, cain, stipe, frank mir during mir's prime
Also Nog didn't get really dangerous on the feet until after 2005/2006 or after Pride when he was training regularly with Blackhouse and anderson silva
In pride, he was a good technical boxer but unfortunately didn't have takedown defense or the ability to KO guys on the feet just yet
Nog peaked technically & athletically when he outboxed Kharitonov in 2004 and only ever knocked out complete glassjaws like Schaub anyway, he also never learned particularly great TDD because he didn't need it, it was antithetical to his style
Big Nog sure as hell could have used takedown defense against fedor especially in their last fight.
Kharitonov was green with only 9 mma fights when he fought nogueria and kharitonov also didn't have TDD when he fought big nog, so he was worried about the takedown which negated his striking and STILL made it very close on the feet.
Big Nog beat Sergei with takedowns, if the fight stayed on the feet the whole fight, sergei would have beaten him.
Big Nog's peak was not 2004, it was closer to 2006 to arguably 2009, when he became more dangerous on the feet and sat back on his punches to drop guys. He didn't start seriously training with blackhouse mma until he left pride, and that's what took him to the next level.
If you don't believe me, watch nog starting in 2009 when he was dropping guys left and right. His timing and power was on point then.
In Pride, Nogueria was younger yes with less mileage but much less dangerous on the feet with no takedown defense.
If Fedor fought big nog in 2009, fedor would have been dropped and probably submitted. Look at Big Nog's improved boxing against couture vs Fedor getting easily jabbed by rogers on the feet with his looping hooks.
Big Nog got blasted by right hand leads and lancing jabs in the 3rd fight as much as he got taken down. Takedowns were just Fedor's natural tactic following a clinch entry from the outside. Nog couldn't keep up with him either way. Nog's boxing got very tight in the tournament, he was outboxing Sergei, outjabbing him, drawing out his jab and coming back over with the right hand, very sharp stuff.
Nog was basically washed in 2009, Herring all but knocked him out in 2007, Sylvia dominated and dropped him before getting submitted, he was slowing, and was gaining nonfunctional weight (ie fat). He was 240+ by that time, he was 225 at his physical peak (2001-2004).
Nog's boxing looked good against Couture because Couture was smaller and was always hurt easily by bigger man, Nog is using the same 1-2-3's he was using against Heath Herring the first time, there's no identifiable technical overhaul you can reference other than "Couture got dropped".
How are people picking Cain? He has zero offensive submission skills, and only fought one submission guy and lost (well two, but nog was way fucked before coming into that fight. He looked like the living death on the scale).
Uhtred Ragnarson -We’re not talking legacy here, solely skill sets.
For me, the Ubereem that smashed Todd Duffee after buzz sawing through the K1 GP takes the cake.
As a striker sure but mma gloves and he grappling aspect is different.
Bearhugger -shaqitup -Ryann Von Doom -Miguel cro cop -Best all around has to be Cain right?
Great striking, wrestling and grappling mixed with a good chin, unstoppable Cardio and great fight iq.
The fuck has cain done other than beat the same 3 people multiple times over his last few fights? Rogan has a hard on for him for some odd reason so you chimps just mimic it. Sad.
Dc just said he’s the better fighter than him…: so that means a bit
D.C. Also says that khabib hangs with him in wrestling
Ya dc is a modest guy. People need to chill. Matt brown got whooped by Mike Pyle in sparring so he was very nervous about fighting him. He then sleeps Pyle in under 30 seconds.
Greatest HW based on achievement: Fedor
Greatest HW based on skillset: Fedor by an even wider margin