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Jones spending 2 years avoiding a fight with Ngannou will be followed by 2 years of Jones avoiding a fight with Aspinall
@MF_Naah3 ай бұрын
Spent 2 years turning himself into a heavyweight. Now he's spending a year recovering from an injury he sustained 2 weeks before his booked fight. Also, Jones agreed to fight Francis, whereas Francis never said yes 😂 you haters are pathetic 😂 spinning story's so you sound cool in comments and join the nut riders 💀
@Know3ody3 ай бұрын
Jones is a steroid cheat etc yeah But ngannou left ufc with fights on his contracts after disputes with ufc themselves. Come on. And stipe is a under respected champ. Done the most in heavyweight. Ever. Stipe vs jones was signed before micky mouse interim fight between aspinal v pavlovich. Let them finish there business. Should not of booked a micky mouse interim fight for casuala. " title fight " pffffft unwarranted interim title fight....
@Goes.without.saying3 ай бұрын
That might be fun for you to put out their. But Jones was trying to put on alit of weight and train to get comfortable with
@ernieb8203 ай бұрын
@im no nganouu fan but he did not leave mid contract, his defense against gane was his last contractual fight on his contract. HMP.POSTAL.ORDER.
@McYeroc3 ай бұрын
yes, I been saying to people exactly this. But I do think Jones will fight Aspinall. he's gonna know full well that if he ducks aspinall it will loom over every conversation about Jones moving forwards. and with ngannou, jones already knows how it feels to miss an opportunity like that. Angry Johnny is way too full of himself not to take the fight with aspinall after his pointless (but contractually obligated) fight with stipe. and if aspinall defends the interim it will only make his case stronger.
@iamfishmind3 ай бұрын
That's what happens when Dana promotes the loud, brash 'entertainers' over the most skilled, deserving fighters. UFC has gone downhill since they decided to give title shots and main events for the loudest fighters instead of the most deserving. It's WWE creep into the sport. Love your analysis, Dan!
@theox16263 ай бұрын
agreed but i also love it ! 😅The Dana white privilege is real and i do feel they rush people from the contender series and TUF too quickly because they have a "compelling story"
@ingrambuilders76043 ай бұрын
Yeah, like UFC dosen't promote the F out of Volk, Islam, Edwards. Wrestling is based in promotion of combat, in MMA it is the same. And any combat sport is the same and it was always like that. From Tito Ortiz to Sean O'Malley any brash talker that could fight would make people watch. And the numbers always support that.
@tsurutajumbo3 ай бұрын
Agree 100 percent.
@hawkmans55053 ай бұрын
This is so off. The UFC gives everybody a chance to promote themselves. If guys like Leon or Belal are not able to move a needle, well it's not only the UFC's fault. I don't know anybody who is looking forward to a Belal Muhammad fight.
@hwsjshxhsj3 ай бұрын
@@hwsjshxhsjI mean the UFC is the promoter. They called Ngannou not promotable. Belal is tough tho. Ima laugh my ass off if that’s UFC 300 headliner
@thekevinfoster3 ай бұрын
No. It's that everyone has brought up skills. Everyone can Wrestle, do BJJ, Judo, Box, and Kickbox so we aren't seeing a handful of fighters exploit what 5+ years ago was a much shallower pool of legitimate talent. The greats of the 2000s looked so good because everyone they were beating looked scary(roids) and were limited so far as JJ and Kicks.
@reese80973 ай бұрын
Don’t think there is a dip in skill. From 35 to 55 it’s the most stacked it’s probably ever been. 25 finally has some momentum to it from almost being gotten rid of completely. From 85 to heavyweight is the best it’s been in years. Would like to see some of the champs a bit more active but I think the competition is the best it’s ever been.
@jackpallet18143 ай бұрын
I think the UFC no longer goes after the best. There are some people in the organization that should still be on the regional scene.
@jdamsel82123 ай бұрын
85 to heavyweights is hot ass rn lol we used to have Romero Weismann rockhold jacare prime Rob etc 205 had dc Jbj prime gus etc… and heavyweight is a shit show
@Realhater13523 ай бұрын
@@Realhater1352 yeah I meant the last 3-4 years. 85 looking better with Sean, ddp, khamzat, izzy and rob. 205 actually has interesting matchups with Alex, Jamal, jiri, ankalaev. Heavyweight finally has multiple contenders with Tom, sergei, gane, bladyes and almedia. I think they’re shaping up pretty well.
@jackpallet18143 ай бұрын
@@jackpallet1814 I think those weights will always have a good top 5 and occasionally up to a top 10 but really struggle to fill out compared to lower wights because of what Dan said. There are more WWs and smaller and WW is kind of the transition weight which fills out better than MW.
@Lockdown3353 ай бұрын
I think the average fighter is far more skilled than five or ten years ago. As a result it makes everybody look less exciting.
@LordHolley3 ай бұрын
Its just like boxing, you can clearly distinguish between the top 3 and the top 10/15, and the rest of the roaster. As a huge mma fan i lately don't watch outside of the main/co-main event, because the level is very low, most of them are highschool wrestlers that brawl, they train everything but they're elite at nothing. But nowadays average fighters are extremely durable.
@zoheir11623 ай бұрын
@@zoheir1162 lmfao. "As a huge mma fan I only watch the co and main" HARDLY A HUGE FAN THEN ARE YOU 🤡🤡🤡 You are a typical fan though 💀
@Know3ody3 ай бұрын
@@Know3ody i train judo and muay thai, and i understand mma, that's why i don't enjoy mediocre slugfests, unlike you.
@zoheir11623 ай бұрын
@zoheir1162 I like watching them all but that's just a personal choice. I think it's fun to watch the up and comers and see how they're improving, if they have a chance to make it to the top. There's no wrong way to watch MMA imo.
@LordHolley3 ай бұрын
@@LordHolley there isn't but saying he's a HUGE mma fan while not even watching the events is just a blatant lie 🤣 he might as well of said he got bullied as a kid and now does mma to be cool 🤣
@Know3ody3 ай бұрын
145, 155 and 135 are by far the best they’ve ever been. Jose Aldo got smoked in his early 30’s by a young volk and max. It’s not even close. Try putting Ploddy Chad mendes in his prime against ilia Topuria and he’s getting cooked. It’s only the upper weight classes that are stagnating
@lucastfitness72993 ай бұрын
Think you’re really dismissive of Jose Aldo…..he’s among the all time greats easily.
@surtrpicks3 ай бұрын
Aldo at that age was equivalent to being a 40 year old.
@zachbranam8223 ай бұрын
@@zachbranam822 oh yea sure makes sense. That’s why Aldo continued to beat up top contenders down a division afterwards right? And those two wins over moicano and Jeremy stephens at FW before he fought volk. Yea great argument
@lucastfitness72993 ай бұрын
@@surtrpicks he certainly is one of the GOAT’s but he got smoked by better guys and people still cope about it by saying he was old. The game passed him up
@lucastfitness72993 ай бұрын
@@lucastfitness7299 I feel like after the Conor fight it wore on him mentally. The guy already at that point was a long reigning champ, plus I his Wec days. I’m not arguing that the average fighter isn’t more skilled today than it was. All I’m saying is that you take peak Aldo vs anyone all time at 145 it’s going to be a fight. People hit there peaks at different time in the sport, Look at Shogun.
@zachbranam8223 ай бұрын
I think it's more a result of a change in philosophy rather than skill. I see A LOT more fighting to not lose than in the past. Maybe partially due to a more even skill-set across fighters, so it's harder for a fighter to find holes in his opponent's skills to exploit.
@jchapman16053 ай бұрын
Exactly, also the level of coaching, fitness, nutrition and possibly ped use.
@jaycee5713 ай бұрын
This is accurate the higher level people get the less entertaining it can be because any mistake can lead to the fight ended so a lot of fighters are incredibly reserved just like Colby was against Leon
@juliannicholsmma3 ай бұрын
Good divisions are good, bad divisions are bad. There is no overall dip in skill, and we get more great athletes nowadays (Bo Nickal, Joanderson Brito, etc.). Skill-wise regional 135ers are so much better than ever before (look at Vucenic and Hughes). And some divisions were mid and are still mid (185 and up and womens bantamweight). Womens 125 actually improved drastically in the last 5 years of its life.
@tsurutajumbo3 ай бұрын
There’s not a single top 5 from 15 years ago that hangs with any top 5 from today. Sure the champions or the odd number 1 contender may, but for the most part mma has leveled up a lot.
@lucastfitness72993 ай бұрын
They did not level up, they just became better at gameplaning and exploiting opponents weaknesses. Any ufc fighter will still get smoked by any specialist.
@zoheir11623 ай бұрын
@@zoheir1162 they didn’t level up but they got better at gameplanning and exposing weakness. That Makes NO sense. Those are two things that have leveled up.
@lucastfitness72993 ай бұрын
@@lucastfitness7299 it's still full of high school wrestlers/brawlers/ sluggers who repeat the same mistake 5 times in the same round. They train everything, but they're elite at nothing.
@zoheir11623 ай бұрын
Maybe but that's fifteen years ago what about 5? what about 2? He's not saying MMA has never improved he's saying it's CURRENTLY not improving. This was described in the first 60s of the video lmao
@buckets36283 ай бұрын
@@buckets3628 it is improving. Alexander volkanovski has gotten better since 2018. Max has too. Ilia, Yair, Allen and Evloev are all better than the other top 5 guys from a few years ago. It is getting better
@lucastfitness72993 ай бұрын
The bigger the athlete the more oppurtunity they have. Especially in America. You're not going to get many real world class athletes for the price of a decent New York desk worker.
@gileschenery9743 ай бұрын
Thoroughly enjoy all your content mate
@user-dz7th4ez1r3 ай бұрын
Idk about this theory. Maybe at HW but it's always going to be hard to find a consistent number of elite athletes at that size. I think guys are getting better and more athletic across the board in all the other divisions. They're deeper than ever too. There's more gyms and more awareness of MMA and more knowledge on diet and exercise and training. I think it's created less separation between the top and bottom fighters which creates the appearance of a lull in elite fighters but that's not the case.
@cameronscott60443 ай бұрын
Overall all the champs are more well rounded. Defensive wrestling is on a level it’s never been on before so we’ve got more Strikers than ever rising. And people like Tom who was born into a grappling school were far less common even 15 years At the same time Islam is a freaking Dagi wrestler that KOd one of the greatest active with a head kick. I kind of wish there was another organization out there that still did mma rules but kept the spirit of style vs style from the first UFCs. UFC fighters are too dang good at everything now for styles to matter much. The ONE mixed fight rules are kind of cool cause you really get to see how good fighters are at specific things.
@Sir_Pants_Alot3 ай бұрын
5'10 landing a head kick on 5'6, shocking.
@justinhorton9933 ай бұрын
@@justinhorton993 you see a lot of head kicks from Don Frye or Ken Shamrock? Usman? Cejudo? DC? Khabib? Wrestlers don’t throw a lot of head kicks. The point is wrestlers are getting more diverse in their striking. Strikers are getting better at wrestling. I like Volk a whole lot more than Islam but don’t be an ass just because it makes you feel cool on the internet.
@Sir_Pants_Alot3 ай бұрын
@@Sir_Pants_Alot You see a lot of head kicks from Islam? Or just the one against his smallest opponent to date?
@justinhorton9933 ай бұрын
@@justinhorton993 what is your point here? You hate Islam? Nobody cares. Got nothing to do with this comment. Seek help.
@Sir_Pants_Alot3 ай бұрын
@@Sir_Pants_Alot Not sure how you got to me HATING Islam. I was just sayin him landing ONE head kick on a much shorter opponent ain't all that. You sounded like he head kicked Adesanya or somethin. Calm down man, no hate here.
@justinhorton9933 ай бұрын
Fascinating topic and been brewing for a while. Skills on display (and their evolution) are inspirational but hard to get excited about sporting narrative somehow. Suspicion points at change in tone and approach post-UFC sale.
@stevelangsfordbeale3 ай бұрын
in my opinion, If prime GSP, Anderson, & Jones returned to their respective divisions, they'd quite comfortably beat the current champs. Prime Aldo vs Volk would be close too! No disrespect to any of the current fighters. Even middleweight was stacked a few years ago - Weidman, Rockhold, Mousasi, Romero, Jacare, Bisping, TRT Vitor - All who i'd favour over DDP
@kingjrh3 ай бұрын
prime kamaru would destroy gsp and he got koed last minute to edwards. thats how high the level of mma is nowadays.
@gc-hn4ky3 ай бұрын
Dan my friend I couldn't agree more. I have been telling people that there is no way dricus or sean are the two best middleweights on the planet. The fighting looked so bad, especially dricus. People tell me I don't know what I'm talking about. The ufc is so oversaturated with mid tier fighters at the moment. It's a very diluted brand in my opinion
@jefftaylor86443 ай бұрын
Definetly not. Turns out that uglier and simpler style is alot more effective. In example basics ruling the game over Flashy rare fighting background. Fighting chiped out unnecessary bits and left most effective stuff. Just look at Islam, Glover, Aspinall. It think most of the divisions are best they have ever been.
@Wiadrozerca3 ай бұрын
Exactly
@benhallo15533 ай бұрын
I think the fact Dana loves slap fighting says it all, he isn’t a purist, he is Vince McMahon
@AW-lq9bf3 ай бұрын
The first UFC I saw was Silva vs Sonnen 2. I've been watching ever since. It definitely seems like it has improved since then!
@user-cg1oh4iw4g3 ай бұрын
The reason is definitely fighter pay, you can't build yourself as someone like gsp or khabib without having a side financial source. It's a long road before you make it to the ufc, and yet most of ufc fighters can't even afford private cessions and quality training camps, even some of the ranked ufc fighters will go broke if they don't keep fighting.
@zoheir11623 ай бұрын
I don't think there has been a dip. I think the likes of you and Josh Koshcheck would probably have struggled to get into the UFC with it's current level.
@adamsmithintin28033 ай бұрын
I don’t know a lot about mma in general but I definitely agree the overall standard now is lower than a few years ago
@trevormiller30973 ай бұрын
The skill and talent are the best it’s ever been, the amount of rules, regulations, weight classes /weight cutting, bureaucracy within the sport is choking the progression of it.
@kennethbruner29213 ай бұрын
Saying Tom Aspinall is the real champ is like saying Volkov or Gane are the real champ. Just because he beat some contenders doesn't make him a champ.
@Sleeepy233 ай бұрын
My opinion on the matter: Firstly there are more fighters than ever in the UFC, more events and it's much harder to stand out. This plus the fact that the only fighters that are making some kind of money are in the top 15, and you can't have sponsorships like back in the day is making fighters take less risks (understandably). Second thing, back in the day people that fought in the cage like you Dan were fucking insane (with all due respect), fighters fought for almost no money and there wasn't a possibility of a Conor Mcgregor payout at the end of the road. A lot of people that started training martial arts in recent years were influenced by GSP, SIlva, Jones and most of all by Ronda, Khabib and Conor. I think this is a good thing, but it's also leading a lot of people to start fighting that are in it for the perceived lifestyle, simply they aren't cut from the same cloth as the guys that were doing it back in the day when the sport was illegal in most places and there was no money in it. I know this from personal interaction with a lot of the people that started training in recent years, and again I'm not saying this is bad, it's just something that happens when something gets popular. Now this wouldn't be an issue for the UFC if they weren't signing a bunch of mediocre fighters so that they can fill up all the event they are having, as more events they have the more money they'll get from ESPN. If they had 1 event per month the quality of fights would be much better, now it just diluted. Third, MMA has been optimized by fighters like GSP. Everyone is training the same way now, a bit of wrestling, takedown defense, simple boxing combinations and in recent years the calf kick. People that are starting MMA now aren't coming from other martial arts, they are starting MMA from the start, which in return makes them all have the same style. There is nothing special about the large majority of the roster. I still enjoy watching the fights, but also there is no doubt that there is less excitement around the majority of them.
@RATTLESNAKE2093 ай бұрын
When they brought in USADA the fights started to suck some people couldnt fight at all johnny hendricks was 1 of them but every suffered from it Jones Luke rockhold went from a destroyer to nothing over night
@user-jh6vl4kx7c3 ай бұрын
Fighter pay is 100% a huge factor limiting the progression of mma. Maybe the biggest. Imagine if everyone could fly out Craig Jones like Volk did to prep for Islam. It’s an extreme example, but even a fraction of that ability would be a massive help to so many.
@thekevinfoster3 ай бұрын
I dont feel like there is a dip at all right now. I think people are better than ever. I dont know if i would say 205 or 185 is better than ever, but i think HW and Welterweight on down are probably almost as good or better than they have ever been.
@CiGambino3 ай бұрын
I think the UFC needs to provide a steady/secure income and a pathway through the cards/promotions for emerging fighters so they can secure the best athletes, and to show young athletes that there is as much merit in pursuing MMA from a young age as there is any other sport. It affects the heavyweight division the most imo, 45 & 55 are always good. 6'7", 250lbs giga-humans that can move their feet quickly are in demand in almost every other sport. Why would anyone like this take the risk on getting the shit kicked out of them for years, potentially for peanuts, and if you do make it to the top, it'll take 3 years to organise a title fight. When you could easily play college sports, potentially go pro, while getting an education, or play academy football or rugby an earn a guaranteed professional contract while earning a mandated minimum, or go down to the lower professional leagues, getting paid while injured, all while not getting the shit kicked out of you, and not having to pay a large % for training camps. Who the fuck would want to be a heavyweight in the UFC in 2024!?
@samrowe87523 ай бұрын
Is there a rule for time limit a champ can be out with injury before having to vacate?
@mattbushnell78853 ай бұрын
I think my issue with the UFC now is there feels like a lot more athletes then fighters. They want to kick calfs or hold someone down cause they aren't ready to lay it out on the line to throw a punch and potentially get punched back.
@kaipomeller14493 ай бұрын
I think the problem is that it takes a lifetime or at least 10 years to create a high level mixed martial artist and we've just gone through a batch of greats and we don't have a lot of outstanding talent coming through. MMA isn't old enough to have the infrastructure and also the pay level at this stage to channel in the highest level athletes to the sport. It's a high risk, low reward proposition for many athletes. This may change in 10-20 years time when the infrastrucutre and pay level increases and you might get the most athletic kids picking MMA over NBA or NFL or Soccer. Right now we have a lot of younger guys coming up who grew up in MMA gyms, who are probably overall more athletic and understand the technical aspect of the game of MMA better but they aren't specialists, they're all just well rounded fighters without exceptional skill in one area. Everyone looks way more generic these days because they're all taught the same kind of thing throughout the MMA gyms and the overall in technical knowledge is somewhat being nullified. I just also feel like they don't have the 'dog' in them like the older fighters and they see MMA more as a career ad whereas fighters of old took more risks and we're just trying to be the best fighter or baddest dude. My 2 cents
@baekho103 ай бұрын
Great take Dan. The UFC leaning harder and harder on promoting entertaining fighters over the most skilled is a major issue. Pay definitely is as well. I’m in a completely different industry, but presently at the large company I work at, our pay has fallen well below that of our competitors. It’s absolutely killed drive and motivation here including my own.
@JimMelanson3 ай бұрын
Imo featherweight, lightweight, welterweight and heavyweight are on a technical level higher than they’ve ever been before.
@253MC3 ай бұрын
Is LW more competitive as its the closest weightclass to 'average' height 5' 9 / 10?
@octocon13793 ай бұрын
I think that's what it is. Featherweight to Welterweight as height and weight are the closest to averages
@jonnydunn73773 ай бұрын
I think most of the good little guys are at 135 and most of the good normal/average size dudes are at 155
@zeku453 ай бұрын
@@jonnydunn7377 Welterweight isn't close to 135/155 in terms of skill
@ImagoofybaII3 ай бұрын
@@ImagoofybaII yeah starting to drop off a little at 170 but I would still include 170 in competitive division with good talent
@jonnydunn73773 ай бұрын
@@ImagoofybaII135 lacks of power, it's so boring.
@zoheir11623 ай бұрын
Yup, I feel this a little bit.
@SubjectiveFunny3 ай бұрын
A famous film director said " i want the best actors i can find not Famous celebrities"....are we supporting celebrities or the best fighters ?
@vls37713 ай бұрын
Feels like in the future, every weight class is going to be filled with Dana Whites contender series, so is that pool the best talent pool? It seems like a way for the UFC to get fighters dirt cheap but not the best fighters. Are we getting the best cheap fighters in the UFC?
@padrontorre3 ай бұрын
Middleweight and above can earn more consistent and larger income from professional team sports. MMA pay is a joke when compared to team sports pay.
@oli.s-b3 ай бұрын
Young elite athletes don't pick mma, it's not worth it.
@zoheir11623 ай бұрын
I agree. Another thing to consider is the best doesn't always get the title shot.
@micprice3 ай бұрын
Hey Dan, I completely agree. But I wonder if we’re starting to see the changing of the guard - for example, Jones on his way out and Aspinall now interim champ. Henry Cejudo is trying and failing to compete with the upcomers, Saint Denis is the new exciting fighter and he could very well put legend Poirier in a downward spiral. Usman gone now, Chimaev looks likely to reign supreme there. Or Bo Nickal.. Volkanosvki could be derailed against new blood Topuria and is starting to slowly decline. Even Adesanya has been caught up to now. Whittaker was blasted by DDP too, Point being I think the new talent will shine in the long run once they’ve had time to make an impact on the game, and 2024 could be the year it kicks off
@jdsj54013 ай бұрын
Also Pantoja, Makhachev, Aspinall, all new evo champs that are putting in all time performances in the peak of their powers. Pantoja probably gives DJ a very good fight indeed. Jones seems a little wary of Aspinall. The legends of the game are not liking the chasing pack
@jdsj54013 ай бұрын
Humble opinion... across the board overall yes. There are more well rounded skilled fighters as a whole in modern MMA now than yesteryear. However... some guys from back in the day were good just as good as fighters of today if not better. You had well rounded ahead of their time guys like Frank Shamrock. BJJ aces like Carlos Newton. Prime Matt Hughes would still be problematic for many. Prime Crocop would lay waste to many HWs. Prime Fedor would be champ material. Prime Pride Josh Barnett was a problem with his catch wrestling, size and subs. Big Nog was great. There were more specialist back then... some were well rounded. The elites from back in the day... some were every bit as good as the best now. If not better in some respects. Many many beasts from back in the day. You had specialists back then mixed with well rounded. And you have that today still. Guys that utilize their base skillset a lil more. The game has evolved, but I don't think to some extreme WHOA level. Recency bias is in effect to an extent. Them OG's... were gooooood too.
@MMASLAMPODCAST3 ай бұрын
I expected more heavyweights to be athletic and moving more like lightweights by now. Rather than big dudes carrying loads of excess fat swinging. Aspinal seems to be one of the first who is breaking that trend with his movement and technical ability.
@bertsmith7613 ай бұрын
I think it’s a lack of fighters routinely doing drills. Whatcha think Dan?
@tylerleffingwell74933 ай бұрын
The now champion was top 5 in the world, and driving uber eats to make ends meet
@justincarter12173 ай бұрын
This is just a way to hate again on the skills of Du plessis and strickland
@butmay18933 ай бұрын
Mighty Mouse, GSP, Anderson Silva, Jon Jones, and Cain Velasquez were at the top in 2012. After 12 years of fight analysis, 12 years of nutrition and weight cutting study, 12 years of global expansion I find it hard to believe that any of the people at the top now would win against those guys. (I know, I know, " Jon Jones is champ now." He is way past his prime, sea level Cain vs 2024 Jones would be a tragedy.)
@Tippet763 ай бұрын
I kind of agree with that thought,. I especially think that women's MMA has been suffering and the skill level has not increased very much in the last few years
@joet813 ай бұрын
Honestly the UFC fighter pay model explains a lot. They should have at least never taken individual sponsor deals from the fighters. Sure, keep the "condom depot" and other silly ones out but let fighters make their own money if you're going to pay them crap.
@bencera60673 ай бұрын
Heavier weigh guys naturally go to sports that pay more. Smaller guys dont have many options to make money in any sport so the best make their way into mma
@ahamilton11893 ай бұрын
I've been thinking about this for a while actually. I do think we've seen the best out of most weight classes. The quality of world champions are diminishing with every reign in some weight classes.
@Unpopyyee3 ай бұрын
Yeah it's a tough call .....not many divisions have the elite at the top....it's gone too focused on who pulls market share not the best fighter per say
@dionoliveira40583 ай бұрын
One of the issues for lack of popularity is that it’s not connected to the school system at all which can provides resources and scholarships. If it was it’d probably be as popular as wrestling. But of course high school district leaders are NEVER gonna encourage combat sports as a school sanctioned activity.
@Ziggyvu3 ай бұрын
I think you are generally wrong on this one. Flyweight has never been better besides one single athlete (DJ). Bantamweight and Featherweight have literally never been better. I don't think I need to go in to detail there but I can if you want me to. Lightweight, despite being seemingly inactive lately has never been better. WW has never been better, MW has always been spotty, LHW has probably never been better, and HW has probably never been better. Besides prime Anderson Silva or Alex Periera not being at MW, whats the problem?
@MannElite3 ай бұрын
The ufc is business first, entertainment second, and mma third. With onefc, it’s the exact opposite
@berniemacdonald80263 ай бұрын
The more weight fighters cut = Less skill needed to win Very simple They are getting better at weight cutting not at fighting
@beautifulsydney3 ай бұрын
I was thinking about this recently too. Prime Anderson would destroy any modern middle weight including Izzy. I know people love Leon but prime GSP would dominate him to a 50-45. Obviously LHW no one is even remotely close to prime Jones. That women’s title fight Pennington won is the lowest level title fight in the history of UFC. It was embarrassing. That shouldn’t be a title fight in 2024.
@Collerz73 ай бұрын
totally agree
@jondodkins3 ай бұрын
It just seems that way. It’s been since they moved to ESPN. No one fights now. Maybe once a year most of the notable names.
@carlhess57073 ай бұрын
Heavyweights used to be the pinnacle of absolute killers whereas now, not so much…Aspinall is definitely the future but apart form him and Jones the division is pretty thin.. Sergei Pavlovich and maybe Alexander Volkov might go somewhere but the division nowhere near what it was.. The 185’s are also a bit lacking compared to the Anderson Silva days..
@Eric_4123 ай бұрын
Is the level of MMA the best it's ever been? UFC 297's co-main event showed me anyway that at least women's MMA has not progressed one iota since the days of Ronda Rousey. It was embarrassing.
@AlexColberg3 ай бұрын
Lightweight. Featherweight Bantamweight All the best they’ve been Leon Edwards is the most well rounded WW of all time.
@coldworld52 ай бұрын
I don't necessarily see a dip in quality. To me, the lower weight classes are always top notch. The heavier weight classes always have weak divisions imo. I Just think heavier dudes and MMA don't mix as well as the lighter and faster guys
@griffingardner72093 ай бұрын
No. GSP and Jones were both active at the same time, once. That WAS better. While overall standards HAVE increased, as they usually do, then sense of watching greatness has not. Personality has always been important, but it now seems to be as much about spectacle as quality reaching the top. As long as more viewers don't seem to touch grass than do, it will continue as it IS.
@enigmachine3 ай бұрын
And Yeah, Dan. The recent Women's Bantamweight championship bout was an embarrassment!
@Puffdamgcdragon3 ай бұрын
The sport continues to evolve and "best" may not be the most-entertaining.
@robp34313 ай бұрын
Wayyy too early to call. This is a new sport relatively speaking. You should be asking that question in 5-10 years.
@johnweldon97373 ай бұрын
It seems that you are experiencing a bit of nostalgia “ things were better before” the level of the average fighter is 10 times better than 5-10years ago You can’t compare different eras the new ad generation will always be better
@nufcjoker90573 ай бұрын
The gap from bottom to top is a lot smaller now. Everyone is "well rounded" to the point awkwardness is starting to be celebrated for its effectiveness. DDP just won a title swinging like a drunk in Applebee's parking lot. When everyone is good enough at everything conditioning and durability is king, just ask Mike Malott lol.
@LWT803 ай бұрын
Ironically….i think The Last Stylebender was the last great middleweight champion for a lot long long time to come. Not a fan of his personality but damn he is skilled.
@marksilas24373 ай бұрын
I've been losing interest in MMA mainly UFC aka WWE in the past couple years. And yes now I pretty much consider UFC and WWE the same thing with the likes of Colby and Conor and Strickland running their mouths getting big fights(although Sean is growing on me). I still watch the big PPV main events but I don't really watch the fight nights anymore. Those cards are too low level for me to enjoy. I do feel there is a lull in MMA right now. I'm not sure why it is, but I don't consider guys like Strickland and DDP to be elite fighters and they were two of the last champions, but both has some sloppy striking, mainly DDP.
@ryannath853 ай бұрын
The last year or so ive really not been that fussed about the cards the ufc have put on. There were a few stand out cards and fights, but not compared to previous years. This year has also started poor. All that dominant champs have gone. Islam has only defended against a small featherweight im not sold on him being phenomenal. He would need to take out the top 4. It seems like people want to collect belts when they get the title, and it holds and kills divisions. Volk and jones are the only guys with that right. They cleared house. Gane stalling out heavyweight. Frank leaving was bad. 205 is just a mess... maybe its me but it seems like theres no rising contenders blasting through. Middleweight seems poor, even though it probably isnt. All the focus feels like its on champions, and everyone else outside the top 3 are just milling about.
@benbray49823 ай бұрын
You want more NBA, NFL players, and boxers to choose mma instead? Offer them.more money. This sport might just take a very long time to grow to those levels though.
@cecilevans92473 ай бұрын
There’s a lot of questionable champions and there’s a lot of top 5s that should be 10-15.
@mxamiss53 ай бұрын
Middleweight title fight was shocking quality in my opinion, Stricklands style of course a lot to do with it.
@trevorsmales93033 ай бұрын
DDP is world champ so that’s a resounding hell no.
@joeknapp91623 ай бұрын
I been watching since the beginning i think the fighters are progressing. Unfortunately the sport is becoming a popularity contest and we are not seeing the best fighting the best. So that doesnt help growth.
@ernieb8203 ай бұрын
And you didn’t mention GSP..? lol, bloody hell.
@LennartWejdmark3 ай бұрын
Yeah. And we're still waiting on one old goat vs another old goat for their "legacy" fight as the younger, fitter, more explosive fighters are kept on the sideline. UFC has become more about entertainment and pleasing the crowd and hype building with fake rivalry and tough talk than actual great matchups and great contests. Now, it's unabashedly all about the money
@Puffdamgcdragon3 ай бұрын
Don't group Alex Pereira and BDS with the likes of Mayra Buena Silva and Raquel Pennington.
@brodel203 ай бұрын
Technically MMA fighters are way better now. With that said there are way more athletes now but less that live to fight or are Dye in wool fighters
@brettbunke90963 ай бұрын
Dan should talk about middlewight being in Boxing Bush words 15 years behind other division. literally every top 10 fighter can become champs just cuz of their massive size and agressivnes only fighter that stands out is Izzy but even him sucks when he goes back. 99 % MW are stuck in the mud with shit footwork they only know to go forth and back no angles when they move at all
@Veliki777163 ай бұрын
The levels are far better. I just think it has become more of a sport than entertainment, so it's lacking stars.
@alexbrown9753 ай бұрын
It's becoming or has become more WWE marketing style. Money always wins.
@jimsinthailand3 ай бұрын
Volk. Aspinall. Islam. The three. Greatest fighters in the sport right now and possibly of all time.
@yourgo-toguy41333 ай бұрын
Volk is definitely the fw goat and isllam has is on the cusp. MW hs has just had one of the most dominant champs ever. Ngannou and jones ruined hw. The skills have developed way beyond the 2005-2015. Guys are so well rounded now but the again its a new sport and its only getting better
@matthillard93633 ай бұрын
As long as the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, & Soccer exist. The high level athletes will gravitate towards them because of money and little league.
@mr.mustachemmanews28562 ай бұрын
which is unfortunate AF
@mr.mustachemmanews28562 ай бұрын
Allow knees and soccer kicks to wrestlers for the love of god
@nathanabraham87623 ай бұрын
It's will be the end of bjj, and the bjj loby will never let that happen.
@zoheir11623 ай бұрын
We need to make Miocic vs Aspinal!!! Otherwise we are never going to see aspinal vs jones😡😡😡
@minteherms67843 ай бұрын
There is not a dip in skills. There is a dip in big stars!!! The level is higher than ever!!! Aspinal, Topuria, chimaev, machachev,shavkat, Edwards,jon jones,pantoja etc. Light heavyweight is in a giant dip yess except for jiri, Pereira, Jamahal hill, Ankalaev and that's it 🤷♂️
@minteherms67843 ай бұрын
Fight nights have been garbage tbh. Quality has took a big dip
@camboominn3 ай бұрын
yes obviously
@blaze5569223 ай бұрын
Heavy weight is lacking and stale. The UFC ranking is subject to match makers not ranks. It's ruining the sport. It's about money not results
@jamesn73053 ай бұрын
Obviously the level is very low,you have singularities in the likes of Adesanyas,Silvas and so on... But if there are no structures or institutions that preserve the knowledge acquired and transmit it in a systematic manner in order to perpetually produce Martial Artists with a cage fighting scope, everything will be lost because there is no system put in place,that's why Soviet Boxing and Soviet Sports science was far ahead of the Western World : Systematic Approach and a Vision for skill development.A well structured curriculum with predefined steps and progressions etc..
@idmansourfaouzi18103 ай бұрын
I got into MMA in about 2011 and I think I saw the best years and the biggest, most exciting cards. I'm often bored during the events now. The UFC has peaked. When they expanded the number of cards each year to one almost every week and added lots of foreign, underpaid wrestlers, it watered it down. Since Ronda retired it seems like they haven't cared about the female fights as much as they used to. You also have a lot of people involved now who are not natural fighters. They have all been trained to do the same group of moves and are average at everything rather than being specialists at one thing.
@brandonshaw21203 ай бұрын
What self-respecting person with an alternative option is going to fight for crumbs when only about 5% of fighters can actually make a decent living pursuing it as a career? MMA will likely never attract the truly-best fighters, unless the rewards outweigh the risks.
@Apoplectic_Spock3 ай бұрын
Maybe I don't get the point but I don't share this opinion. Every weight class is WAY better than 10 years ago. For example you can say about Adesanya what you want but he had to beat better competition than Silva.
@hwsjshxhsj3 ай бұрын
You in your prime could not beat a single ranked welterweight at the moment
@MFBMQ3 ай бұрын
Heavyweight is probably on a par with prime Cane/stipe time LH peaked with Jones so far MW peaked with Silva WW probably on a par with GSP maybe down a little LW probably best champ right now FW prime Volk and Prime aldo about in par BW cruz was probably peak FW probably a little down on DJ. As a whole I think the divions have got stronger by a little but less stand out champs
@jonnydunn73773 ай бұрын
i would say techincally yes, but not really because the best used to fight the best so the champ was the best but now its too much politics and you dont really know who is the best anymore cuz of all the politics and matchmaking to protect certain people and robberies its like in boxing it was way better than it is now because the best foiught the best, iron sharpens iron and those who made it truly was special and really the best but thats not the case anymore you have people just trying to get a win so they match "the stars" up with people who they match up against well, trying to sell the idea of them being good instead of looking who is good and then promoting them they rather see who is easy promote and then sell the idea of them being the best now fighters sense that ofc, so energy goes away from trying to be better into trying to be louder and be more popular if you reward popularity over skills then of course thats the result thats like training a dog by giving him treats, he will behave the way he gets the most treats
Jones spending 2 years avoiding a fight with Ngannou will be followed by 2 years of Jones avoiding a fight with Aspinall
Spent 2 years turning himself into a heavyweight. Now he's spending a year recovering from an injury he sustained 2 weeks before his booked fight. Also, Jones agreed to fight Francis, whereas Francis never said yes 😂 you haters are pathetic 😂 spinning story's so you sound cool in comments and join the nut riders 💀
Jones is a steroid cheat etc yeah But ngannou left ufc with fights on his contracts after disputes with ufc themselves. Come on. And stipe is a under respected champ. Done the most in heavyweight. Ever. Stipe vs jones was signed before micky mouse interim fight between aspinal v pavlovich. Let them finish there business. Should not of booked a micky mouse interim fight for casuala. " title fight " pffffft unwarranted interim title fight....
That might be fun for you to put out their. But Jones was trying to put on alit of weight and train to get comfortable with
@im no nganouu fan but he did not leave mid contract, his defense against gane was his last contractual fight on his contract. HMP.POSTAL.ORDER.
yes, I been saying to people exactly this. But I do think Jones will fight Aspinall. he's gonna know full well that if he ducks aspinall it will loom over every conversation about Jones moving forwards. and with ngannou, jones already knows how it feels to miss an opportunity like that. Angry Johnny is way too full of himself not to take the fight with aspinall after his pointless (but contractually obligated) fight with stipe. and if aspinall defends the interim it will only make his case stronger.
That's what happens when Dana promotes the loud, brash 'entertainers' over the most skilled, deserving fighters. UFC has gone downhill since they decided to give title shots and main events for the loudest fighters instead of the most deserving. It's WWE creep into the sport. Love your analysis, Dan!
agreed but i also love it ! 😅The Dana white privilege is real and i do feel they rush people from the contender series and TUF too quickly because they have a "compelling story"
Yeah, like UFC dosen't promote the F out of Volk, Islam, Edwards. Wrestling is based in promotion of combat, in MMA it is the same. And any combat sport is the same and it was always like that. From Tito Ortiz to Sean O'Malley any brash talker that could fight would make people watch. And the numbers always support that.
Agree 100 percent.
This is so off. The UFC gives everybody a chance to promote themselves. If guys like Leon or Belal are not able to move a needle, well it's not only the UFC's fault. I don't know anybody who is looking forward to a Belal Muhammad fight.
@@hwsjshxhsjI mean the UFC is the promoter. They called Ngannou not promotable. Belal is tough tho. Ima laugh my ass off if that’s UFC 300 headliner
No. It's that everyone has brought up skills. Everyone can Wrestle, do BJJ, Judo, Box, and Kickbox so we aren't seeing a handful of fighters exploit what 5+ years ago was a much shallower pool of legitimate talent. The greats of the 2000s looked so good because everyone they were beating looked scary(roids) and were limited so far as JJ and Kicks.
Don’t think there is a dip in skill. From 35 to 55 it’s the most stacked it’s probably ever been. 25 finally has some momentum to it from almost being gotten rid of completely. From 85 to heavyweight is the best it’s been in years. Would like to see some of the champs a bit more active but I think the competition is the best it’s ever been.
I think the UFC no longer goes after the best. There are some people in the organization that should still be on the regional scene.
85 to heavyweights is hot ass rn lol we used to have Romero Weismann rockhold jacare prime Rob etc 205 had dc Jbj prime gus etc… and heavyweight is a shit show
@@Realhater1352 yeah I meant the last 3-4 years. 85 looking better with Sean, ddp, khamzat, izzy and rob. 205 actually has interesting matchups with Alex, Jamal, jiri, ankalaev. Heavyweight finally has multiple contenders with Tom, sergei, gane, bladyes and almedia. I think they’re shaping up pretty well.
@@jackpallet1814 I think those weights will always have a good top 5 and occasionally up to a top 10 but really struggle to fill out compared to lower wights because of what Dan said. There are more WWs and smaller and WW is kind of the transition weight which fills out better than MW.
I think the average fighter is far more skilled than five or ten years ago. As a result it makes everybody look less exciting.
Its just like boxing, you can clearly distinguish between the top 3 and the top 10/15, and the rest of the roaster. As a huge mma fan i lately don't watch outside of the main/co-main event, because the level is very low, most of them are highschool wrestlers that brawl, they train everything but they're elite at nothing. But nowadays average fighters are extremely durable.
@@zoheir1162 lmfao. "As a huge mma fan I only watch the co and main" HARDLY A HUGE FAN THEN ARE YOU 🤡🤡🤡 You are a typical fan though 💀
@@Know3ody i train judo and muay thai, and i understand mma, that's why i don't enjoy mediocre slugfests, unlike you.
@zoheir1162 I like watching them all but that's just a personal choice. I think it's fun to watch the up and comers and see how they're improving, if they have a chance to make it to the top. There's no wrong way to watch MMA imo.
@@LordHolley there isn't but saying he's a HUGE mma fan while not even watching the events is just a blatant lie 🤣 he might as well of said he got bullied as a kid and now does mma to be cool 🤣
145, 155 and 135 are by far the best they’ve ever been. Jose Aldo got smoked in his early 30’s by a young volk and max. It’s not even close. Try putting Ploddy Chad mendes in his prime against ilia Topuria and he’s getting cooked. It’s only the upper weight classes that are stagnating
Think you’re really dismissive of Jose Aldo…..he’s among the all time greats easily.
Aldo at that age was equivalent to being a 40 year old.
@@zachbranam822 oh yea sure makes sense. That’s why Aldo continued to beat up top contenders down a division afterwards right? And those two wins over moicano and Jeremy stephens at FW before he fought volk. Yea great argument
@@surtrpicks he certainly is one of the GOAT’s but he got smoked by better guys and people still cope about it by saying he was old. The game passed him up
@@lucastfitness7299 I feel like after the Conor fight it wore on him mentally. The guy already at that point was a long reigning champ, plus I his Wec days. I’m not arguing that the average fighter isn’t more skilled today than it was. All I’m saying is that you take peak Aldo vs anyone all time at 145 it’s going to be a fight. People hit there peaks at different time in the sport, Look at Shogun.
I think it's more a result of a change in philosophy rather than skill. I see A LOT more fighting to not lose than in the past. Maybe partially due to a more even skill-set across fighters, so it's harder for a fighter to find holes in his opponent's skills to exploit.
Exactly, also the level of coaching, fitness, nutrition and possibly ped use.
This is accurate the higher level people get the less entertaining it can be because any mistake can lead to the fight ended so a lot of fighters are incredibly reserved just like Colby was against Leon
Good divisions are good, bad divisions are bad. There is no overall dip in skill, and we get more great athletes nowadays (Bo Nickal, Joanderson Brito, etc.). Skill-wise regional 135ers are so much better than ever before (look at Vucenic and Hughes). And some divisions were mid and are still mid (185 and up and womens bantamweight). Womens 125 actually improved drastically in the last 5 years of its life.
There’s not a single top 5 from 15 years ago that hangs with any top 5 from today. Sure the champions or the odd number 1 contender may, but for the most part mma has leveled up a lot.
They did not level up, they just became better at gameplaning and exploiting opponents weaknesses. Any ufc fighter will still get smoked by any specialist.
@@zoheir1162 they didn’t level up but they got better at gameplanning and exposing weakness. That Makes NO sense. Those are two things that have leveled up.
@@lucastfitness7299 it's still full of high school wrestlers/brawlers/ sluggers who repeat the same mistake 5 times in the same round. They train everything, but they're elite at nothing.
Maybe but that's fifteen years ago what about 5? what about 2? He's not saying MMA has never improved he's saying it's CURRENTLY not improving. This was described in the first 60s of the video lmao
@@buckets3628 it is improving. Alexander volkanovski has gotten better since 2018. Max has too. Ilia, Yair, Allen and Evloev are all better than the other top 5 guys from a few years ago. It is getting better
The bigger the athlete the more oppurtunity they have. Especially in America. You're not going to get many real world class athletes for the price of a decent New York desk worker.
Thoroughly enjoy all your content mate
Idk about this theory. Maybe at HW but it's always going to be hard to find a consistent number of elite athletes at that size. I think guys are getting better and more athletic across the board in all the other divisions. They're deeper than ever too. There's more gyms and more awareness of MMA and more knowledge on diet and exercise and training. I think it's created less separation between the top and bottom fighters which creates the appearance of a lull in elite fighters but that's not the case.
Overall all the champs are more well rounded. Defensive wrestling is on a level it’s never been on before so we’ve got more Strikers than ever rising. And people like Tom who was born into a grappling school were far less common even 15 years At the same time Islam is a freaking Dagi wrestler that KOd one of the greatest active with a head kick. I kind of wish there was another organization out there that still did mma rules but kept the spirit of style vs style from the first UFCs. UFC fighters are too dang good at everything now for styles to matter much. The ONE mixed fight rules are kind of cool cause you really get to see how good fighters are at specific things.
5'10 landing a head kick on 5'6, shocking.
@@justinhorton993 you see a lot of head kicks from Don Frye or Ken Shamrock? Usman? Cejudo? DC? Khabib? Wrestlers don’t throw a lot of head kicks. The point is wrestlers are getting more diverse in their striking. Strikers are getting better at wrestling. I like Volk a whole lot more than Islam but don’t be an ass just because it makes you feel cool on the internet.
@@Sir_Pants_Alot You see a lot of head kicks from Islam? Or just the one against his smallest opponent to date?
@@justinhorton993 what is your point here? You hate Islam? Nobody cares. Got nothing to do with this comment. Seek help.
@@Sir_Pants_Alot Not sure how you got to me HATING Islam. I was just sayin him landing ONE head kick on a much shorter opponent ain't all that. You sounded like he head kicked Adesanya or somethin. Calm down man, no hate here.
Fascinating topic and been brewing for a while. Skills on display (and their evolution) are inspirational but hard to get excited about sporting narrative somehow. Suspicion points at change in tone and approach post-UFC sale.
in my opinion, If prime GSP, Anderson, & Jones returned to their respective divisions, they'd quite comfortably beat the current champs. Prime Aldo vs Volk would be close too! No disrespect to any of the current fighters. Even middleweight was stacked a few years ago - Weidman, Rockhold, Mousasi, Romero, Jacare, Bisping, TRT Vitor - All who i'd favour over DDP
prime kamaru would destroy gsp and he got koed last minute to edwards. thats how high the level of mma is nowadays.
Dan my friend I couldn't agree more. I have been telling people that there is no way dricus or sean are the two best middleweights on the planet. The fighting looked so bad, especially dricus. People tell me I don't know what I'm talking about. The ufc is so oversaturated with mid tier fighters at the moment. It's a very diluted brand in my opinion
Definetly not. Turns out that uglier and simpler style is alot more effective. In example basics ruling the game over Flashy rare fighting background. Fighting chiped out unnecessary bits and left most effective stuff. Just look at Islam, Glover, Aspinall. It think most of the divisions are best they have ever been.
Exactly
I think the fact Dana loves slap fighting says it all, he isn’t a purist, he is Vince McMahon
The first UFC I saw was Silva vs Sonnen 2. I've been watching ever since. It definitely seems like it has improved since then!
The reason is definitely fighter pay, you can't build yourself as someone like gsp or khabib without having a side financial source. It's a long road before you make it to the ufc, and yet most of ufc fighters can't even afford private cessions and quality training camps, even some of the ranked ufc fighters will go broke if they don't keep fighting.
I don't think there has been a dip. I think the likes of you and Josh Koshcheck would probably have struggled to get into the UFC with it's current level.
I don’t know a lot about mma in general but I definitely agree the overall standard now is lower than a few years ago
The skill and talent are the best it’s ever been, the amount of rules, regulations, weight classes /weight cutting, bureaucracy within the sport is choking the progression of it.
Saying Tom Aspinall is the real champ is like saying Volkov or Gane are the real champ. Just because he beat some contenders doesn't make him a champ.
My opinion on the matter: Firstly there are more fighters than ever in the UFC, more events and it's much harder to stand out. This plus the fact that the only fighters that are making some kind of money are in the top 15, and you can't have sponsorships like back in the day is making fighters take less risks (understandably). Second thing, back in the day people that fought in the cage like you Dan were fucking insane (with all due respect), fighters fought for almost no money and there wasn't a possibility of a Conor Mcgregor payout at the end of the road. A lot of people that started training martial arts in recent years were influenced by GSP, SIlva, Jones and most of all by Ronda, Khabib and Conor. I think this is a good thing, but it's also leading a lot of people to start fighting that are in it for the perceived lifestyle, simply they aren't cut from the same cloth as the guys that were doing it back in the day when the sport was illegal in most places and there was no money in it. I know this from personal interaction with a lot of the people that started training in recent years, and again I'm not saying this is bad, it's just something that happens when something gets popular. Now this wouldn't be an issue for the UFC if they weren't signing a bunch of mediocre fighters so that they can fill up all the event they are having, as more events they have the more money they'll get from ESPN. If they had 1 event per month the quality of fights would be much better, now it just diluted. Third, MMA has been optimized by fighters like GSP. Everyone is training the same way now, a bit of wrestling, takedown defense, simple boxing combinations and in recent years the calf kick. People that are starting MMA now aren't coming from other martial arts, they are starting MMA from the start, which in return makes them all have the same style. There is nothing special about the large majority of the roster. I still enjoy watching the fights, but also there is no doubt that there is less excitement around the majority of them.
When they brought in USADA the fights started to suck some people couldnt fight at all johnny hendricks was 1 of them but every suffered from it Jones Luke rockhold went from a destroyer to nothing over night
Fighter pay is 100% a huge factor limiting the progression of mma. Maybe the biggest. Imagine if everyone could fly out Craig Jones like Volk did to prep for Islam. It’s an extreme example, but even a fraction of that ability would be a massive help to so many.
I dont feel like there is a dip at all right now. I think people are better than ever. I dont know if i would say 205 or 185 is better than ever, but i think HW and Welterweight on down are probably almost as good or better than they have ever been.
I think the UFC needs to provide a steady/secure income and a pathway through the cards/promotions for emerging fighters so they can secure the best athletes, and to show young athletes that there is as much merit in pursuing MMA from a young age as there is any other sport. It affects the heavyweight division the most imo, 45 & 55 are always good. 6'7", 250lbs giga-humans that can move their feet quickly are in demand in almost every other sport. Why would anyone like this take the risk on getting the shit kicked out of them for years, potentially for peanuts, and if you do make it to the top, it'll take 3 years to organise a title fight. When you could easily play college sports, potentially go pro, while getting an education, or play academy football or rugby an earn a guaranteed professional contract while earning a mandated minimum, or go down to the lower professional leagues, getting paid while injured, all while not getting the shit kicked out of you, and not having to pay a large % for training camps. Who the fuck would want to be a heavyweight in the UFC in 2024!?
Is there a rule for time limit a champ can be out with injury before having to vacate?
I think my issue with the UFC now is there feels like a lot more athletes then fighters. They want to kick calfs or hold someone down cause they aren't ready to lay it out on the line to throw a punch and potentially get punched back.
I think the problem is that it takes a lifetime or at least 10 years to create a high level mixed martial artist and we've just gone through a batch of greats and we don't have a lot of outstanding talent coming through. MMA isn't old enough to have the infrastructure and also the pay level at this stage to channel in the highest level athletes to the sport. It's a high risk, low reward proposition for many athletes. This may change in 10-20 years time when the infrastrucutre and pay level increases and you might get the most athletic kids picking MMA over NBA or NFL or Soccer. Right now we have a lot of younger guys coming up who grew up in MMA gyms, who are probably overall more athletic and understand the technical aspect of the game of MMA better but they aren't specialists, they're all just well rounded fighters without exceptional skill in one area. Everyone looks way more generic these days because they're all taught the same kind of thing throughout the MMA gyms and the overall in technical knowledge is somewhat being nullified. I just also feel like they don't have the 'dog' in them like the older fighters and they see MMA more as a career ad whereas fighters of old took more risks and we're just trying to be the best fighter or baddest dude. My 2 cents
Great take Dan. The UFC leaning harder and harder on promoting entertaining fighters over the most skilled is a major issue. Pay definitely is as well. I’m in a completely different industry, but presently at the large company I work at, our pay has fallen well below that of our competitors. It’s absolutely killed drive and motivation here including my own.
Imo featherweight, lightweight, welterweight and heavyweight are on a technical level higher than they’ve ever been before.
Is LW more competitive as its the closest weightclass to 'average' height 5' 9 / 10?
I think that's what it is. Featherweight to Welterweight as height and weight are the closest to averages
I think most of the good little guys are at 135 and most of the good normal/average size dudes are at 155
@@jonnydunn7377 Welterweight isn't close to 135/155 in terms of skill
@@ImagoofybaII yeah starting to drop off a little at 170 but I would still include 170 in competitive division with good talent
@@ImagoofybaII135 lacks of power, it's so boring.
Yup, I feel this a little bit.
A famous film director said " i want the best actors i can find not Famous celebrities"....are we supporting celebrities or the best fighters ?
Feels like in the future, every weight class is going to be filled with Dana Whites contender series, so is that pool the best talent pool? It seems like a way for the UFC to get fighters dirt cheap but not the best fighters. Are we getting the best cheap fighters in the UFC?
Middleweight and above can earn more consistent and larger income from professional team sports. MMA pay is a joke when compared to team sports pay.
Young elite athletes don't pick mma, it's not worth it.
I agree. Another thing to consider is the best doesn't always get the title shot.
Hey Dan, I completely agree. But I wonder if we’re starting to see the changing of the guard - for example, Jones on his way out and Aspinall now interim champ. Henry Cejudo is trying and failing to compete with the upcomers, Saint Denis is the new exciting fighter and he could very well put legend Poirier in a downward spiral. Usman gone now, Chimaev looks likely to reign supreme there. Or Bo Nickal.. Volkanosvki could be derailed against new blood Topuria and is starting to slowly decline. Even Adesanya has been caught up to now. Whittaker was blasted by DDP too, Point being I think the new talent will shine in the long run once they’ve had time to make an impact on the game, and 2024 could be the year it kicks off
Also Pantoja, Makhachev, Aspinall, all new evo champs that are putting in all time performances in the peak of their powers. Pantoja probably gives DJ a very good fight indeed. Jones seems a little wary of Aspinall. The legends of the game are not liking the chasing pack
Humble opinion... across the board overall yes. There are more well rounded skilled fighters as a whole in modern MMA now than yesteryear. However... some guys from back in the day were good just as good as fighters of today if not better. You had well rounded ahead of their time guys like Frank Shamrock. BJJ aces like Carlos Newton. Prime Matt Hughes would still be problematic for many. Prime Crocop would lay waste to many HWs. Prime Fedor would be champ material. Prime Pride Josh Barnett was a problem with his catch wrestling, size and subs. Big Nog was great. There were more specialist back then... some were well rounded. The elites from back in the day... some were every bit as good as the best now. If not better in some respects. Many many beasts from back in the day. You had specialists back then mixed with well rounded. And you have that today still. Guys that utilize their base skillset a lil more. The game has evolved, but I don't think to some extreme WHOA level. Recency bias is in effect to an extent. Them OG's... were gooooood too.
I expected more heavyweights to be athletic and moving more like lightweights by now. Rather than big dudes carrying loads of excess fat swinging. Aspinal seems to be one of the first who is breaking that trend with his movement and technical ability.
I think it’s a lack of fighters routinely doing drills. Whatcha think Dan?
The now champion was top 5 in the world, and driving uber eats to make ends meet
This is just a way to hate again on the skills of Du plessis and strickland
Mighty Mouse, GSP, Anderson Silva, Jon Jones, and Cain Velasquez were at the top in 2012. After 12 years of fight analysis, 12 years of nutrition and weight cutting study, 12 years of global expansion I find it hard to believe that any of the people at the top now would win against those guys. (I know, I know, " Jon Jones is champ now." He is way past his prime, sea level Cain vs 2024 Jones would be a tragedy.)
I kind of agree with that thought,. I especially think that women's MMA has been suffering and the skill level has not increased very much in the last few years
Honestly the UFC fighter pay model explains a lot. They should have at least never taken individual sponsor deals from the fighters. Sure, keep the "condom depot" and other silly ones out but let fighters make their own money if you're going to pay them crap.
Heavier weigh guys naturally go to sports that pay more. Smaller guys dont have many options to make money in any sport so the best make their way into mma
I've been thinking about this for a while actually. I do think we've seen the best out of most weight classes. The quality of world champions are diminishing with every reign in some weight classes.
Yeah it's a tough call .....not many divisions have the elite at the top....it's gone too focused on who pulls market share not the best fighter per say
One of the issues for lack of popularity is that it’s not connected to the school system at all which can provides resources and scholarships. If it was it’d probably be as popular as wrestling. But of course high school district leaders are NEVER gonna encourage combat sports as a school sanctioned activity.
I think you are generally wrong on this one. Flyweight has never been better besides one single athlete (DJ). Bantamweight and Featherweight have literally never been better. I don't think I need to go in to detail there but I can if you want me to. Lightweight, despite being seemingly inactive lately has never been better. WW has never been better, MW has always been spotty, LHW has probably never been better, and HW has probably never been better. Besides prime Anderson Silva or Alex Periera not being at MW, whats the problem?
The ufc is business first, entertainment second, and mma third. With onefc, it’s the exact opposite
The more weight fighters cut = Less skill needed to win Very simple They are getting better at weight cutting not at fighting
I was thinking about this recently too. Prime Anderson would destroy any modern middle weight including Izzy. I know people love Leon but prime GSP would dominate him to a 50-45. Obviously LHW no one is even remotely close to prime Jones. That women’s title fight Pennington won is the lowest level title fight in the history of UFC. It was embarrassing. That shouldn’t be a title fight in 2024.
totally agree
It just seems that way. It’s been since they moved to ESPN. No one fights now. Maybe once a year most of the notable names.
Heavyweights used to be the pinnacle of absolute killers whereas now, not so much…Aspinall is definitely the future but apart form him and Jones the division is pretty thin.. Sergei Pavlovich and maybe Alexander Volkov might go somewhere but the division nowhere near what it was.. The 185’s are also a bit lacking compared to the Anderson Silva days..
Is the level of MMA the best it's ever been? UFC 297's co-main event showed me anyway that at least women's MMA has not progressed one iota since the days of Ronda Rousey. It was embarrassing.
Lightweight. Featherweight Bantamweight All the best they’ve been Leon Edwards is the most well rounded WW of all time.
I don't necessarily see a dip in quality. To me, the lower weight classes are always top notch. The heavier weight classes always have weak divisions imo. I Just think heavier dudes and MMA don't mix as well as the lighter and faster guys
No. GSP and Jones were both active at the same time, once. That WAS better. While overall standards HAVE increased, as they usually do, then sense of watching greatness has not. Personality has always been important, but it now seems to be as much about spectacle as quality reaching the top. As long as more viewers don't seem to touch grass than do, it will continue as it IS.
And Yeah, Dan. The recent Women's Bantamweight championship bout was an embarrassment!
The sport continues to evolve and "best" may not be the most-entertaining.
Wayyy too early to call. This is a new sport relatively speaking. You should be asking that question in 5-10 years.
It seems that you are experiencing a bit of nostalgia “ things were better before” the level of the average fighter is 10 times better than 5-10years ago You can’t compare different eras the new ad generation will always be better
The gap from bottom to top is a lot smaller now. Everyone is "well rounded" to the point awkwardness is starting to be celebrated for its effectiveness. DDP just won a title swinging like a drunk in Applebee's parking lot. When everyone is good enough at everything conditioning and durability is king, just ask Mike Malott lol.
Ironically….i think The Last Stylebender was the last great middleweight champion for a lot long long time to come. Not a fan of his personality but damn he is skilled.
I've been losing interest in MMA mainly UFC aka WWE in the past couple years. And yes now I pretty much consider UFC and WWE the same thing with the likes of Colby and Conor and Strickland running their mouths getting big fights(although Sean is growing on me). I still watch the big PPV main events but I don't really watch the fight nights anymore. Those cards are too low level for me to enjoy. I do feel there is a lull in MMA right now. I'm not sure why it is, but I don't consider guys like Strickland and DDP to be elite fighters and they were two of the last champions, but both has some sloppy striking, mainly DDP.
The last year or so ive really not been that fussed about the cards the ufc have put on. There were a few stand out cards and fights, but not compared to previous years. This year has also started poor. All that dominant champs have gone. Islam has only defended against a small featherweight im not sold on him being phenomenal. He would need to take out the top 4. It seems like people want to collect belts when they get the title, and it holds and kills divisions. Volk and jones are the only guys with that right. They cleared house. Gane stalling out heavyweight. Frank leaving was bad. 205 is just a mess... maybe its me but it seems like theres no rising contenders blasting through. Middleweight seems poor, even though it probably isnt. All the focus feels like its on champions, and everyone else outside the top 3 are just milling about.
You want more NBA, NFL players, and boxers to choose mma instead? Offer them.more money. This sport might just take a very long time to grow to those levels though.
There’s a lot of questionable champions and there’s a lot of top 5s that should be 10-15.
Middleweight title fight was shocking quality in my opinion, Stricklands style of course a lot to do with it.
DDP is world champ so that’s a resounding hell no.
I been watching since the beginning i think the fighters are progressing. Unfortunately the sport is becoming a popularity contest and we are not seeing the best fighting the best. So that doesnt help growth.
And you didn’t mention GSP..? lol, bloody hell.
Yeah. And we're still waiting on one old goat vs another old goat for their "legacy" fight as the younger, fitter, more explosive fighters are kept on the sideline. UFC has become more about entertainment and pleasing the crowd and hype building with fake rivalry and tough talk than actual great matchups and great contests. Now, it's unabashedly all about the money
Don't group Alex Pereira and BDS with the likes of Mayra Buena Silva and Raquel Pennington.
Technically MMA fighters are way better now. With that said there are way more athletes now but less that live to fight or are Dye in wool fighters
Dan should talk about middlewight being in Boxing Bush words 15 years behind other division. literally every top 10 fighter can become champs just cuz of their massive size and agressivnes only fighter that stands out is Izzy but even him sucks when he goes back. 99 % MW are stuck in the mud with shit footwork they only know to go forth and back no angles when they move at all
The levels are far better. I just think it has become more of a sport than entertainment, so it's lacking stars.
It's becoming or has become more WWE marketing style. Money always wins.
Volk. Aspinall. Islam. The three. Greatest fighters in the sport right now and possibly of all time.
Volk is definitely the fw goat and isllam has is on the cusp. MW hs has just had one of the most dominant champs ever. Ngannou and jones ruined hw. The skills have developed way beyond the 2005-2015. Guys are so well rounded now but the again its a new sport and its only getting better
As long as the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, & Soccer exist. The high level athletes will gravitate towards them because of money and little league.
which is unfortunate AF
Allow knees and soccer kicks to wrestlers for the love of god
It's will be the end of bjj, and the bjj loby will never let that happen.
We need to make Miocic vs Aspinal!!! Otherwise we are never going to see aspinal vs jones😡😡😡
There is not a dip in skills. There is a dip in big stars!!! The level is higher than ever!!! Aspinal, Topuria, chimaev, machachev,shavkat, Edwards,jon jones,pantoja etc. Light heavyweight is in a giant dip yess except for jiri, Pereira, Jamahal hill, Ankalaev and that's it 🤷♂️
Fight nights have been garbage tbh. Quality has took a big dip
yes obviously
Heavy weight is lacking and stale. The UFC ranking is subject to match makers not ranks. It's ruining the sport. It's about money not results
Obviously the level is very low,you have singularities in the likes of Adesanyas,Silvas and so on... But if there are no structures or institutions that preserve the knowledge acquired and transmit it in a systematic manner in order to perpetually produce Martial Artists with a cage fighting scope, everything will be lost because there is no system put in place,that's why Soviet Boxing and Soviet Sports science was far ahead of the Western World : Systematic Approach and a Vision for skill development.A well structured curriculum with predefined steps and progressions etc..
I got into MMA in about 2011 and I think I saw the best years and the biggest, most exciting cards. I'm often bored during the events now. The UFC has peaked. When they expanded the number of cards each year to one almost every week and added lots of foreign, underpaid wrestlers, it watered it down. Since Ronda retired it seems like they haven't cared about the female fights as much as they used to. You also have a lot of people involved now who are not natural fighters. They have all been trained to do the same group of moves and are average at everything rather than being specialists at one thing.
What self-respecting person with an alternative option is going to fight for crumbs when only about 5% of fighters can actually make a decent living pursuing it as a career? MMA will likely never attract the truly-best fighters, unless the rewards outweigh the risks.
Maybe I don't get the point but I don't share this opinion. Every weight class is WAY better than 10 years ago. For example you can say about Adesanya what you want but he had to beat better competition than Silva.
You in your prime could not beat a single ranked welterweight at the moment
Heavyweight is probably on a par with prime Cane/stipe time LH peaked with Jones so far MW peaked with Silva WW probably on a par with GSP maybe down a little LW probably best champ right now FW prime Volk and Prime aldo about in par BW cruz was probably peak FW probably a little down on DJ. As a whole I think the divions have got stronger by a little but less stand out champs
i would say techincally yes, but not really because the best used to fight the best so the champ was the best but now its too much politics and you dont really know who is the best anymore cuz of all the politics and matchmaking to protect certain people and robberies its like in boxing it was way better than it is now because the best foiught the best, iron sharpens iron and those who made it truly was special and really the best but thats not the case anymore you have people just trying to get a win so they match "the stars" up with people who they match up against well, trying to sell the idea of them being good instead of looking who is good and then promoting them they rather see who is easy promote and then sell the idea of them being the best now fighters sense that ofc, so energy goes away from trying to be better into trying to be louder and be more popular if you reward popularity over skills then of course thats the result thats like training a dog by giving him treats, he will behave the way he gets the most treats