The most athletic era of UFC heavyweight history?
Not talking about PRIDE, or mma in general.
Strictly UFC
That stretch of 08 (?) Until 2011/2012ish when the heavyweight division had Brock, Carwin, prime Cain, prime JDS, Pat Berry, Cheick Kongo, Gonzaga, and some other I'm probably forgetting.
Was that the peak of the UFC's heavyweight division, as of right now?
If not, thoughts and opinions?
Yes it was m. It’s when it was still exciting at least.
Even dudes like mitrione, big country and Shaub on the fringe
Athletic but still PED ridden. Get rid of USADA and you’ll be seeing some scary huge motherfuckers ripping heads off.
The HW division has never been great in the UFC. Pride was the best by far. HW at the moment is the most competitive it's been in a long time.
Yeah, probably. The bar is pretty low.
Reem in that mix as well
Rabid Bunyip -Reem in that mix as well
And Hunto, Bigfoot.
There was a point in time when strikeforce had the better heavyweight division
dinkledorf -There was a point in time when strikeforce had the better heavyweight division
Yeah they did. Right before the ZUFFA bought them
jgiveshead -Rabid Bunyip -Reem in that mix as well
And Hunto, Bigfoot.
Frank Mir
spmaskell -The HW division has never been great in the UFC. Pride was the best by far. HW at the moment is the most competitive it's been in a long time.
DC, Stipe, Prime Cain, and Prime JDS would lay waste to the entire Pride HW division and you know it.
Pride was full of one dimensional HWs. lmao at "Pride was the best by far"
spmaskell -The HW division has never been great in the UFC. Pride was the best by far. HW at the moment is the most competitive it's been in a long time.
This. Pride had Coleman, Randleman, Kerr, Cro Cop, Fedor, Big Nog, Frye, Vovchanchyn. No era of the UFC beats that list. The time period OP is referring to is definitely the best era for the UFC heavyweight division, though.
MasterofMartialArts -spmaskell -The HW division has never been great in the UFC. Pride was the best by far. HW at the moment is the most competitive it's been in a long time.
This. Pride had Coleman, Randleman, Kerr, Cro Cop, Fedor, Big Nog, Frye, Vovchanchyn. No era of the UFC beats that list. The time period OP is referring to is definitely the best era for the UFC heavyweight division, though.
DC, Stipe, prime Cain, prime JDS mops the floor with every single fighter you mentioned.
prime cro cop already got decimated by gonzaga
prime Fedor already lost to werdum, bigfoot and hendo
Big Nog got finished by Mir in 2008 and 2011.
Pride was great but also overrated because of the nostalgia that some fans have
The Immortal One -MasterofMartialArts -spmaskell -The HW division has never been great in the UFC. Pride was the best by far. HW at the moment is the most competitive it's been in a long time.
This. Pride had Coleman, Randleman, Kerr, Cro Cop, Fedor, Big Nog, Frye, Vovchanchyn. No era of the UFC beats that list. The time period OP is referring to is definitely the best era for the UFC heavyweight division, though.
DC, Stipe, prime Cain, prime JDS mops the floor with every single fighter you mentioned.
*yawn*
I already know your agenda bro
Move along to another poster.
MasterofMartialArts -The Immortal One -MasterofMartialArts -spmaskell -The HW division has never been great in the UFC. Pride was the best by far. HW at the moment is the most competitive it's been in a long time.
This. Pride had Coleman, Randleman, Kerr, Cro Cop, Fedor, Big Nog, Frye, Vovchanchyn. No era of the UFC beats that list. The time period OP is referring to is definitely the best era for the UFC heavyweight division, though.
DC, Stipe, prime Cain, prime JDS mops the floor with every single fighter you mentioned.
*yawn*
I already know your agenda bro
Move along to another poster.
You have an agenda. You're trying to downplay the talents of today's HW division because you feel nostalgia for Pride.
HW MMA has evolved whether you like it or not.
The Immortal One -MasterofMartialArts -The Immortal One -MasterofMartialArts -spmaskell -The HW division has never been great in the UFC. Pride was the best by far. HW at the moment is the most competitive it's been in a long time.
This. Pride had Coleman, Randleman, Kerr, Cro Cop, Fedor, Big Nog, Frye, Vovchanchyn. No era of the UFC beats that list. The time period OP is referring to is definitely the best era for the UFC heavyweight division, though.
DC, Stipe, prime Cain, prime JDS mops the floor with every single fighter you mentioned.
*yawn*
I already know your agenda bro
Move along to another poster.
You have an agenda. You're trying to downplay the talents of today's HW division because you feel nostalgia for Pride.
HW MMA has evolved whether you like it or not.
Heavyweight is the least evolved in the the time frame of these different eras. Assuming because every other thing a large, elite athlete can do for money will pay a lot more money. Watching on the regional and amateur circuits the largest consistent talent gap is in in the heavyweights.
That it’s even possible for some of them to win (and it is) speaks to the lack of elite options. Same reason Coleman came in and from day 1 changed the division. It was an entire new dimension. Frye could wrestle, but Coleman was a different level. Haven’t seen the next huge evolution from a guy who comes up in the sport with elite athletic ability at that size. The division has evolved but the gap is a lot smaller than time would dictate.
The Immortal One -MasterofMartialArts -spmaskell -The HW division has never been great in the UFC. Pride was the best by far. HW at the moment is the most competitive it's been in a long time.
This. Pride had Coleman, Randleman, Kerr, Cro Cop, Fedor, Big Nog, Frye, Vovchanchyn. No era of the UFC beats that list. The time period OP is referring to is definitely the best era for the UFC heavyweight division, though.
DC, Stipe, prime Cain, prime JDS mops the floor with every single fighter you mentioned.
In ring vs Crocop? Never.
In before every fedor fight was a work.