What fighters from the old era could be competitive today and who wouldn't? BJ Penn, Sean Sherk, Hendo, Rampage.

[Leon Edwards]

Competitive
BJ Penn - 135/145
Sean Sherk - 145/155 too small for modern 170 but at 155 he would have a cardio advantage over most of the division at 145 he may be too drained to be effective. Could see Sherk beating many at 155.

Tim Silvia - HW. Big enough to hang with the bigger guys but quite slow may be top 5/10.

Hendo - 170/185/205/HW. He was durable, vicious and very skilled his power would translate all the way up to HW

Rampage - 205

Anderson - 170/185/205 170 Anderson Vs Leon would be a great fight. Anderson as he filled out would be competitive all the way up to 205 and maybe even HW.

Matt Serra 145/155 - too small for modern 170 but at 145/155 would be some great fights for Serra.

GSP - 155/170 - strong wrestling and great jab would be a challenge for most at 155 and 170.

Rashad Evans 170 185 - too small for 205 but would be some great fights for him at 170 and 185



Not competitive

Matt Hughes - 170. At 155 he may have a chance can not see him being competitive with any of the top 10 at 170.

Randy Couture - too small and slow for HW. Can't see him beating Poatan

Shogun - Not big/strong enough for 205. Poatan/Izzy all beat him badly.

Fedor - modern HW is weak but would struggle against Jones/Aspinal/Francis/DC. Do not think Fedora skillset translates well into the modern era. Jones would beat his knees and take him down, Aspinal would take him down, Francis is too big and DC would maul him mixing in takedowns

Karo - 170/155 Similar with Fedor his style would not translate well into the modern era.

 

[Hank Grill]

Shogun was fighting men with Japan's finest pharmaceuticals save his knees a 2005 shogun could still hang. I mean Jan was a champ just awhile ago.

 

[Number11]

Competitive
BJ Penn - 135/145
Sean Sherk - 145/155
Tim Silvia - HW
Hendo - 170/185/205
Rampage - 205








Not competitive

Matt Hughes - 170. At 155 he may have a chance.
Randy Couture - too small and slow for HW. Can't see him beating Poatan
Shogun - Not big/strong enough for 205. Poatan/Izzy all beat him badly.
Fedor - modern HW is weak but would struggle against Jones/Aspinal/Francis/DC

Lol is this a bait thread?

 

[BowserJr]

Serious troll bait. Everyone knows today's divisions are the weakest they've been since 1999 except LW

Even then Sherk would be top 5 and Penn. Would be #1

 

[AmericanMMA]

Hendo would work HW as well

 

[Reach4theSky]

MW and LHW champ for sure..

 

[Typrune Goatley]

- Matt Hughes would out wrestle almost every Welterweight right now. Only Usman, Khamzat and Colby have the skills to defend his takedowns. Maybe Shavkat too but I'm still not completely sold on his wrestling either. Hughes might just slam him and manhandle him like he did to so many others

- Any MMA coach would have Randy cutting to 205 or maybe even 185 today. He would still absolutely ragdoll every current UFC LHW or HW. Only Jones has the wrestling to stop Randy and Jones has 1 fight in the last 5 years so I don't really even count him as an active fighter anymore.

- Prime Shogun would destroy everyone at 205. He would take guys like Jiri and Poatan down and finish them with ground strikes. Everyone else he would either KO or take down for a TKO.

- Fedor would annihilate modern UFC Heavyweights.

- TS must be on crack

 

[JKS]

I think the division of HW and LHW from the era of say 2004 to 2010 would have immense success. At HW guys like Fedor, Big Nog, Barnett, Mir, Cain would do very well. LHW as well from that time, Shogun, Machida, Rampage, Rogerio, Chuck, to name a few. No denying that Anderson would do very well at MW along with Hendo, Sonnen.

It's once you go down to WW and below that I don't see too many guys doing that well from 04 to 10. GSP would certainly do very well.

 

[TitoSchaubHighIQ]

All these guys are overkill.

Prime Hendo could have 4 belts from WW to HW

Prime BJ could have all the belts from the LW and below

 

[Gabe]

The A level athletes would do alright. The BJs, GSPs, etc.

 

[mjfan23]

Timmeh would be champ.

Hendo and page just due to their chins and KO power would be contenders forever.

 

[blaseblase]

Sherk would be banned from the sport

 

[Leon Edwards]

- Matt Hughes would out wrestle almost every Welterweight right now. Only Usman, Khamzat and Colby have the skills to defend his takedowns. Maybe Shavkat too but I'm still not completely sold on his wrestling either. Hughes might just slam him and manhandle him like he did to so many others

- Any MMA coach would have Randy cutting to 205 or maybe even 185 today. He would still absolutely ragdoll every current UFC LHW or HW. Only Jones has the wrestling to stop Randy and Jones has 1 fight in the last 5 years so I don't really even count him as an active fighter anymore.

- Prime Shogun would destroy everyone at 205. He would take guys like Jiri and Poatan down and finish them with ground strikes. Everyone else he would either KO or take down for a TKO.

- Fedor would annihilate modern UFC Heavyweights.

- TS must be on crack

Matt Hughes would lose to Leon, Shavkat, Usman, Colby, Burns he is 5'8 and has the worst striking in the top 10.

Randy had terrible striking but could be competitive. He no way beats Glover, Poatan, Izzy, Jan.

Shogun does not beat Poatan or Glover or hill. Shogun is too small.

Fedor does not beat DC, Jones, Francis, Gane he may even lose to BB. Fedor is too small.

 

[Luthien]

Shogun can still become champion

 

[TadDunbar]

Silva, GSP, Randy, and a couple others would do okay. Most listed are just overrated relics of nostalgia

 

[Chomsky Honk]

Everyone you listed would be able to hang with the current collection of top guys.

 

[josh345]

I think all those guys would do well if they were in their primes and learning all the new mma techniques like calf kicks and such. Maybe not sherk. Seems like if he doesn't get you down his t Tex Rex arms get him destroyed in the stand up

 

[HolmeZy55]

Even then Sherk would be top 5

LOL.

Assuming he could even pass a piss test then just NO.

 

[IIIIIIII]

Hendo would work HW as well

what? cormier threw hendo around like a little kid. though i see hendo doing well in both middleweight and light-heavyweight.

 

[HavokHarmon]

I love how it’s just assumed that guys like Hughes and Shogun had an extra 15-20 lbs to cut.

Prime Shogun would look like James Irvin if he tried to make the cut to 185. Prime Hughes and GSP would have to start hacking off limbs to get down to 155.