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The UFC's over-use of the term GOAT is insane.
They were actually calling Woodley the GOAT when he was WW champ.
Brendan Fitzgerald calls Volkanovski the consensus GOAT featherweight
- Thread starter blaseblase
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They were actually calling Woodley the GOAT when he was WW champ.
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Volk is already ahead of Aldo as best featherweight ever. He has never lost in the division before, and he’s beaten Holloway 3 times… and even beaten Aldo.
Aldo’s only edge is more title defenses… which makes him the best featherweight CHAMPION ever. But Volk is better than him, overall.
It’s debatable but that’s my choice
Aldo’s only edge is more title defenses… which makes him the best featherweight CHAMPION ever. But Volk is better than him, overall.
It’s debatable but that’s my choice
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He was clearly not in his prime considering the aggressive training methods of NU, fight mileage and numerous injuries including the bike accident he had where he was hit by a car. He had been fighting for almost twelve years at that point (Conor loss) and fourteen for the Max fights, which is ancient for smaller fighters, and most, if not all, are outside of their prime by then. The fact that he kept winning was a testament to skill and abilities. I'm not here to discuss who the Featherweight GOAT is, but the idea that he was in his prime at the time of these losses is false.
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LMAO fuck no. Two of those fights aren't even definitive wins. What a retarded claim. Edgar was literally lightweight champion, an accomplishment that Max tried and failed at.
Aldo finished Chad Mendes much quicker and beat him twice. Beat KZ in his prime, Volk fought an old version on the brink of retirement. Yair was busy getting dominated by Frankie Edgar who Aldo beat twice. And lol at mentioning Ortega, that guy hasnt accomplished jack shit.
This is a meaningless statement. EVERYONE starts losing. So when it happens to Volk are you going to toss away his accomplishments? If he loses to Topuria are you going to start arguing Topuria is the GOAT?
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All 3 of the fights are definitive wins. the second was close, but volk won even with melatonin gate.
max tried and failed becuase he took a interim fight on 6 weeks notice coming off a war against ortega. He made it extremely competitive despite having love handles and clearly not being in his best shape. Dustin poirier is one of the best lightweigths ever, no shame in losing to him under that context. Max has better wins and lost to less people than edgar
tkz was good enough to be top 5 at the time volk beat him. He was clearly ahead in the yair fight who is a dangerous and elite striker, he beat dan ige who should be in the top 10 right now if not for poor judging
yair lost to edgar literally 6 years ago at this point. a completely different animal fought volkanovski
ortega literally beat 3 of Aldo’s wins in the lead up to the max fight, moicano swanson and edgar all by finish, then beat another aldo win in tkz before fighting volk. I guess that means we can ignore Aldo’s wins over these guys cause they mean jack shit, right?
Aldo was dropping rounds constantly in his title run, volk dropped one round (arguably) to Elkins then 2 to max running on only a few hours of sleep. Aldo got finished 3 times and got completely shut down by volk, the strikes were something like 95 to 27.
actually the fact you said 2 of volks wins over max aren’t definitive is the biggest clue of what your angle is cause that’s just completely ludicrous and I only hear max fans saying that sort of crap. Didn’t know aldo fanboys make the same argument. Crazy stuff to hear
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Aldo was literally the first champion, dimwit. He did in fact beat a champion to get his title, it was called the WEC at the time. Who did Anderson Silva beat who got the UFC title after he did?
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But Volk did claim that title over Aldo. As sad it is to say Aldo is no longer the FW GOAT but we can consider him one of the best UFC champs ever. Thinking about Aldo brings up great memories of going to B-Dubs with the boys watching a Aldo PPV. Ahhh good times 
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No, they aren't. The fact they had to fight 3 times should inform you the wins weren't definitive. One of them was literally an immediate rematch that resulted in a split decision that had the fans outraged. Stop lying.
8 weeks notice. 4 months is a pretty standard fight turnaround, not sure why you're bringing up the Ortega fight. And the fight wasn't competitive. Again, stop lying.
He was 35 and literally on the verge of retirement. Aldo bear him in his prime.
Yair got dominated by Edgar, who did it more impressively than Volk
Lol, ok bud. The takedowns came just as easy against this "different animal."
That's literally what you were doing. You immediately tried to discount those wins.
Lol at arguing Aldo was "dropping rounds constantly" then listing instances where Volk lost rounds.
They weren't you retard. They didn't fight 3 times for the hell of it. Go look at the fan scoring and audience reaction to those fights. The reality is Volk wasn't treated like a legitimate champion until the third fight with Max. Are you new here? How do you not know this?
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Max had 5 straight title wins so they gave him a rematch. The second fight was close but volk won. They had a third fight becuase max was popular and people thought he won even when he didn’t
It was an extremely competitive fight. There’s a strong argument for a 48-47, and max lost the fifth only cause Dustin pushed him against the fence to stop his attack
its still a good win, and he wasn’t “on the verge of retirement” he retired a fight later becuase volk destroyed his chin for good
yair got dominated by volk who finished him, he didn’t need a doctor stoppage like edgar did
they didn’t come just as easy, yair got taken down off a kick in the first round, not a double leg, and his striking was even more dangerous too
im not discounting the wins, I’m saying they’re not as good as volks. You claimed ortega has done nothing, when he beat 4 of Aldo’s wins
i list the instances becuase volk has lost so few of them compared to aldo
no one thought max won the first fight except biased fanboys. Biased commentary tricked fans in the 2nd fight even when volk almost doubled maxs strikes in the swing round. Being a hyper fanboy for max doesn’t mean you can lie about what happened in the fights
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I love Aldo, but I think Volk has the better record/title run and the best FW of all time. Especially if he beats Ilia to me that would indicate that he has not only defeated the prior generation and his generation, but also is beating the upcoming generation.
I do think Aldo's overall legacy is a bit higher than Volk's. Mainly because he was the first UFC FW champion. Many people will talk about how he's lost to all the other UFC FW champions, yet I think most OGs would agree that had the division existed then Aldo would be able to say he beat former champions in MTB and Faber. Edgar was never a FW champion but those 2 wins also seem to go really under the radar for whatever reason. Especially the rematch after he lost to Conor, it was as perfect of a fight anyone could have against Edgar before he was out of his prime. The Mendes wins too were huge. Sure, Volk and Conor also beat Mendes, but Aldo did it when he was on the rise and then again when Mendes looked to have been at his absolute peak. That 5 round war he had with Mendes I think kind of took a major toll on both of them. I think Aldo dropping to BW and getting some good wins there and almost earning a title shot (he did fight once for the belt but obviously that was very circumstantial) is also a big plus for his legacy. While he did not retire on a win, I think he can be happy about retiring while still being competitive with most of the top 10.
I do think Aldo's overall legacy is a bit higher than Volk's. Mainly because he was the first UFC FW champion. Many people will talk about how he's lost to all the other UFC FW champions, yet I think most OGs would agree that had the division existed then Aldo would be able to say he beat former champions in MTB and Faber. Edgar was never a FW champion but those 2 wins also seem to go really under the radar for whatever reason. Especially the rematch after he lost to Conor, it was as perfect of a fight anyone could have against Edgar before he was out of his prime. The Mendes wins too were huge. Sure, Volk and Conor also beat Mendes, but Aldo did it when he was on the rise and then again when Mendes looked to have been at his absolute peak. That 5 round war he had with Mendes I think kind of took a major toll on both of them. I think Aldo dropping to BW and getting some good wins there and almost earning a title shot (he did fight once for the belt but obviously that was very circumstantial) is also a big plus for his legacy. While he did not retire on a win, I think he can be happy about retiring while still being competitive with most of the top 10.
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It's not only about numbers. Aldo was just something special in his time. He was sooo far above his opponents. He was completely dominating the division like he was from another planet. His skillset and athleticism were insane. Kicks knees punches takedown defense as well as takedowns and a devastating BJJ top game.
I don't care whether later he was past his prime (moreso injuries than age?) or whether he was still ins his prime and the new guys were just better and too good of boxers. It does not matter. That's not how we looks back at previous eras.
Oh and yes of course the wins over Mendes and Edgar were insanely good!! Clear cut high level p4p wins. As good as Volks wins over Holloway but not even remotely as close. That's the thing.
I don't care whether later he was past his prime (moreso injuries than age?) or whether he was still ins his prime and the new guys were just better and too good of boxers. It does not matter. That's not how we looks back at previous eras.
Oh and yes of course the wins over Mendes and Edgar were insanely good!! Clear cut high level p4p wins. As good as Volks wins over Holloway but not even remotely as close. That's the thing.
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Volk is even further above his opponents. He’s dropped 2, 3 or 4 rounds in his entire featherweight career (I’d have to rewatch certain round). I know this might not be fully accurate but looking at Aldo’s decisions wins at featherweight and how the judges scored, two judges gave hominick 2 rounds, 3 gave Florian a round, 3 gave edgar atleast a round, 3 gave lamas a round, 3 gave Mendes a round, 3 gave edgar atleast a round in the rematch
dropping rounds to all these guys, who has volk dropped rounds to? Maybe Darren Elkins in the first? Maybe max in the 5th in first fight? 2 in the rematch during melatonin gate?
Every round against aldo, maybe every round against max in the first, every round against ortega, every round against tkz, every round against max in the trilogy, every round against yair
yes, we can look back at eras when they weren’t as good and judge them accordingly. If the competition is better now, it means more to beat the guys now. This “you have to match the defenses” talk is just oldheads that can’t accept the “goldenage of mma” guys wouldn’t be champions now, the exception being some heavyweights becuase that division is still pretty poor
i have to disagree that mendes and edgar are as good as max, max has already stamped his all time ticket, edgar close scalp wise but not enough, while chad lost to both mcgregor and Frankie in his prime by finish
picture perfect post of an ignorant dumbass who thinks he's intelligent lmao
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This topic always brings out the newbs who didn't watch in Aldos prime.
Aldo started fighting when he was 17 years old and he was world champ at 23 years old making him one of the youngest world champs ever.
When he started losing, he was already 12 years and 27 fights into his career, and he fought in the 'gym wars' era where they were basically having full on fights in the gym on a regular basis. His knees where shot and he was fighting without his most effective weapons of his early days, his viscious leg kicks and muay thai knees.
Both Aldo and Volk fought twice against a LW champion who held the lightweight title during their respective FW reign.
Aldo was a dominant 2-0 vs Frankie Edgar. Volk is 0-2 vs Islam.
Aldo as a non English speaker was not allowed to challenge for double champ status, instead he was told he would have to vacate before challenging, a crazy double standard considering Conor was allowed to keep the FW title while taking 3 fights outside of FW, losing one of them and never defending his belt a single time.
If Aldo was given the same opportunities as English speaking champs he would have had a VERY good chance to have held THREE belts. As I said he beat Frankie twice who held 155 while Aldo had won his 6th consecutive FW title fight. During this same time, Aldos teammate Renan Barao, who was exactly the same size as Aldo, won 4 UFC title fights including 2 over Uriah Faber, who Aldo had already dominated.
Aldo won his first 10 title fights and had 4 stoppages. He beat 9 different fighters
Volk is 6-2 thru 8 title fights with 2 stoppage wins and a ko loss.
Volk has beaten 4 different opponents in title fights.
Volk has had a great run but he still has work to do to catch Aldo, and at 35 it is highly unlikely he will do it.
It is one thing to pretend that a smaller amount of recent victories surpasses nearly twice as many title victories for some reason, but it doesn't account for the fact that achieving that longevity means fighting thru injury, fighting against a wider variety of stylistic matchups, continuing to win even when older and accumulated injuries mean that you have less tools to work with.
Aldo started fighting when he was 17 years old and he was world champ at 23 years old making him one of the youngest world champs ever.
When he started losing, he was already 12 years and 27 fights into his career, and he fought in the 'gym wars' era where they were basically having full on fights in the gym on a regular basis. His knees where shot and he was fighting without his most effective weapons of his early days, his viscious leg kicks and muay thai knees.
Both Aldo and Volk fought twice against a LW champion who held the lightweight title during their respective FW reign.
Aldo was a dominant 2-0 vs Frankie Edgar. Volk is 0-2 vs Islam.
Aldo as a non English speaker was not allowed to challenge for double champ status, instead he was told he would have to vacate before challenging, a crazy double standard considering Conor was allowed to keep the FW title while taking 3 fights outside of FW, losing one of them and never defending his belt a single time.
If Aldo was given the same opportunities as English speaking champs he would have had a VERY good chance to have held THREE belts. As I said he beat Frankie twice who held 155 while Aldo had won his 6th consecutive FW title fight. During this same time, Aldos teammate Renan Barao, who was exactly the same size as Aldo, won 4 UFC title fights including 2 over Uriah Faber, who Aldo had already dominated.
Aldo won his first 10 title fights and had 4 stoppages. He beat 9 different fighters
Volk is 6-2 thru 8 title fights with 2 stoppage wins and a ko loss.
Volk has beaten 4 different opponents in title fights.
Volk has had a great run but he still has work to do to catch Aldo, and at 35 it is highly unlikely he will do it.
It is one thing to pretend that a smaller amount of recent victories surpasses nearly twice as many title victories for some reason, but it doesn't account for the fact that achieving that longevity means fighting thru injury, fighting against a wider variety of stylistic matchups, continuing to win even when older and accumulated injuries mean that you have less tools to work with.
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this Is about featherweight, volks losses to islam don’t factor in
Aldo in fact shows that 'prime' isn't always so clear cut. Some older fighters advance their skills so much that they compensate for some physical degradation.
The Aldo who fought Edgar the 2nd time was better than the Aldo that fought Edgar the first time.
I think 29-year-old Aldo beats 24-year-old Aldo (in part because mature Aldo had the defensive game to counter young Aldo's kicking game). Mature Aldo evolved and adapted his game beyond that of a young, more physically explosive Aldo.
'Prime Aldo' is at risk of being put in the same category as Motivated Penn and Sea Level Cain the way you guys abuse it.
Yes, he was, nobody said otherwise and pointing that out changes nothing.
It was you who brought up the whole 'GSP and Jones never beat a future champion' nonsense, an easily debunked, factually incorrect statement.
Take the L and move on, 'dimwit'.
Aldo fought Frankie at FW. Frankie was tiny and eventually fought at BW. Islam could fight at 170 and could never realistically make 145. Imagine Islam trying to make 135 like Frankie. It's a ridiculous argument.
This is just an incredibly intellectually dishonest way to try to use Volk's losses in another division as being relevant to who is the FW GOAT. They are not relevant.
