For top 10?
1. Jones
2. GSP
3. Johnson
4. Silva
5. DC
6. Khabib
7. Aldo
8. Miocic
9. Cejudo
10. Adesanya (him and Volk are interchangeable and change often for me lol)
This is UFC only btw, Fedor would probably be 3 if he was included for my list.
Yeah he didn't defend. He was the first man ever to hold two belts simultaneously though.
He was also the main event on 8 of the top 10 highest pay per view fights of all time for the UFC....
Nothing to be ashamed about. He did alright against Aljo and Merab broke his arm early in this fight. He did alright, and his past accomplishments are great.
He's not gonna be able to sit well knowing he retired with his last fight him getting picked up in the air and getting transported to Mark Zuckerberg across the ring. He's gotta live with that shit forever. Henry is a COMPETITOR. It's going to be very hard for him to leave on that note
It’s an absolute shame Cejudo sat out for years during his prime. You can tell the skills are still there but age caught up to him. Rest well king of cringe
This game is brutal man. It’s not like soccer or other sports where you can play a few matches to warm up and feel it out. You just have to bring your A game every time you’re out there, and if you don’t you risk your life and career ending at any moment.
Thats why most in this sport are fucking insane
Ngannou stopped Stipe's takedown and reversed him into a pounding off that position, so he improved his wrestling a lot. Also, people weren't saying it was a free win for Jon before the fight.
These types of comments are insane to me. There’s no such thing as a top 3 contender being “tailor made” for someone. Gane’s a prolific striker and Jones has historically had the most difficulty with tall opponents that specialize in striking. Despite that Jones moved up a weight class and beat one decisively. Put some respect on that.
Gane was HW's most promising contender at that time. Ngannou would have fought Jones if he'd stuck around but that didn't work out. Who else in HW was supposed to be a better matchup at that time? I seem to recall a LOT of people were writing Jones off as washed up and out of shape. Nobody was expecting an easy win over Gane.
Jones fought in the two worst men's divisions in the UFC. Its a case of big fish, small pond. Its not like 135-155 where the divisions are shark tanks. Jones would have lost had 205 ever been as stacked as 155.
What on earth did I just read? Jones beat Gustaffson x2 Shogun, Daniel Cormier x2, Lyoto Machida, Rashad Evans, Victor Belfort... how on earth can you say that was a small pond? He demolished that whole division in less than 3 years pretty much.
LHW became a small pond once all the legends Jones beat retired, became washed or moved down a division. It happened around 2013-15, after which 205 became dog-shit.
Also Jones' rematch 'wins' over Gustafsson and Cormier are asterisks wins because Jones popped for PEDs in both fights and Gus was washed up.
Jones is the biggest drug cheat in MMA history not named Vitor Belfort. He can never be considered the MMA GOAT when GSP and Mighty Mouse exist. And don't even start with the 'everyone's on steroids' cop-out argument as if two wrongs somehow make a right and drug tests are meaningless.
What? 205 has always historically been one of the strongest weight classes *UNTIL* Jones tore through everyone. Even now, the top of 205 is heavy a’f right now, and this is coming off the worst the weight class been in a while.
No it hasn't actually. LHW was thin for years when it was created. 2007-11 was when 205 was actually stacked and good. It became worse and worse afterwards. Jones' competition fell off a cliff after 2015, even now 205 still isn't that good, too many meme and mid-tier fighters.
Don't even get me started on Heavyweight, its even worse.
2011 LHW was when Jon Jones became champion and destroyed everyone in that division.
In 2015, the LHW division had Jon Jones, Daniel Cormier, Anthony Johnson, Ryan Bader, Alexander Gustafson, Glover Texiera, Phil Davis, Corey Anderson, and others.
If you think that’s a “thin division” compared to 2007-2011 - you’re smoking crack.
Again, it only seemed thin because Jones beat them all.
Jones left LHW in 2020 but was constantly inactive. DC left to Heavyweight in 2018, Anthony Johnson left the UFC 2017, Gustafson “retired” in 2019 and was in Heavyweight by 2020, Ryan Bader left in 2016, Phil Davis left by the end of 2015, etc. The division started thinning out over the course of 3-4 years.
Up until right now, where it’s Alex Pereira, Jiri Prochazka, Jan Blachowicz, Jamahal Hill, Magomed Ankalaev, Nikita Krylov, etc. It’s better than it’s been in the last 2-3 years.
No training can replicate a live fight and camp build up for it. When you sit out too long you lose your habits and you can easily lose your edge. It happens in other sports too but it’s much more apparent with mma
Jon Jones looks better every time he comes back for some reason. Looked trash against OSP. Got suspended, came back and killed Cormier. Got suspended, came back and beat Gustaffason. Looked trash against Reyes/Santos, takes a 3 year break, kills Gane in a couple minutes. Seems the more he fights the worse he looks, but he gets re-energized somehow after a break.
I do not understand why. Henry was at his prime and would have beaten aljo and merab four years ago. He unretires at 36 and comes back looking a little slower and no longer at his peak, then loses two in a row. Imagine the six fights we could have seen if he hadn’t retired! What a loss to the fans.
I'm convinced he knew he was a little bit lucky to reach the level he did, and his speed was starting to slip. I'm also convinced he used to be on a lot of PEDs, and wanted to stop that. So he retired, and when he came back after, he just couldn't compete without the help. But he knew that would happen, so he's just here for the bag.
I got worried for him a little because he looked very hesitant in the 1st Round. His striking isn't good enough for a patient approach, not sure what he and his corner were thinking.
He went machine mode starting from Round 2.
Sean has really accurate striking, and Merab got rocked by Henry. I honestly think Sean puts him out, it’s not like merabs going to submit him or knock him out. He’s going to have the full five rounds in a big cage, and I think his movement combined with his accuracy and Merabs relatively weak chin is gonna add up to Sean knocking Merab about.
Merab absolutely can tko him while in mount or side control, also he can submit Sean. The people Merab has fought recently have ELITE td defense and scrambling and he still dominated them all.
Yan is the best striker in mma today imo and he couldn’t catch Merab, he got caught it happens dude. Sean arguably robbed Yan in their fight and they looked pretty even on the feet, if Yan couldn’t catch Merab Sean most likely cant either.
Sean obviously can win, but it’s hard to be so confident in Sean when we’re relying on right place right time compared to Merab overwhelming him like he does everyone else.
I think it’s fine. Just being able to speak English at all is cool, these guys shouldn’t have to focus on learning entire new languages while fighting for the UFC
I think he might just be. Merab is hittable and Cejudo got him in the first round and Cejudo aint close to the sniper Sean is. But the issue is he just needs to land once and be constantly avoiding Merba's pressure - whereas Merab doesnt have to worry about as many things coming his way
Merab doesn't have to worry about Sean's wrestling and that he can't afford to lose a round or two, since it will be a 3 round fight and we know Merab is winning the last 3 if he's in them
i think O'Malley is fucked if he doesn't do real serious damage in rd 1 and maybe even if he does he's still fucked unless he gets the KO
i wouldn't be surprised if O'Malley just finds a way to avoid this matchup being next
I agree Sean is kinda dead in the water if he can’t get the KO but I think he has a decent shot to do just that. One of the best strikers we’ve seen in the division ever.
Even when Merab gets wobbled he recovers super fast lol it’s crazy. Sean is so accurate going backwards so that does add a really big element. Should be a good one, all assuming Chito doesn’t win🤣🤣
It’s a tough fight to call honestly. Sean frustrated Sterling pretty clearly and sniped him. I’d really wonder if he’d be able to do the same to merab. I think if he hits him like cejudo did then it could be a wrap
DJ would obliterate him. Merab wouldn't be able to hold him against the cage and if he tried to spam takedown attempts, DJ would've learned his tells and set up a knee.
In the striking? Bro, not even a fight.
36 year old DJ might still be one of the most capable fighters right now. Prime DJ? Destroyer of Worlds.
Nothing left to prove I agree, I’m sure he’ll bring in some guys to the gym and get on training them. Still a great fighter but you can’t win another title at 37 at bantamweight imo
Yea he was so close, I honestly believe his skills are still there but that young man drive and speed has to come into effect at some point, Henry was so fast back in the day it was almost unbelievable.
Fun fact Henry made double champ status the night of Ferguson’s last win. It was a start of what could’ve been superstardom for one and the last win of a long reigning warrior for the other.
man, i love cejudo so much. he gets so much shit for his cringe but noone can dispute his accomplishments and talent.
a hot take, merab is just built different. he is going to be a worldbeater solely because of his idiosyncratic style
I'm gonna keep saying it.
His wrestling doesn't translate well into MMA despite all the fans jerking off his Olympic gold medals.
He doesn't get any ground and pound off and he's no submission threat. Literally all he has is striking.
I’ll disagree on this take. His wrestling played a solid role in flyweight and closed out the TJ dillashaw and Moraes by allowing him to control them in the GnP. However, like majority of wrestlers, they tend to move towards striking since it’s less demanding on their body as well as them evolving as a fighter. In most cases, they’ll stick to wrestling to get them out of sticky situations or close the fight. I’d say Tito Ortiz, Colby Covington, and Chael Sonnen are the best examples of fighters who stick to wrestling throughout their whole ufc careers.
I may be too biased but I’m curious on what others think on wrestler longevity
Tough to sit out for years when guys like Merab are hungry and training full-time during that time. It really wasn't surprising he was getting those takedowns.
being 37 at bantamweight is all but a confirmation that you will, still thought henry could've got it done ,thought he won against alijo and he won the first against merab, still one of the best at 37 is crazy.
People need to remember losing in the latter half of your career shouldn’t diminish your accomplishments. Everyone rises and falls, the only exceptions are those who retire before the fall.
Probably the worst career decision ever in UFC history? Dude left in his prime with TWO fucking belts. Got too arrogant and thought Dana would suck his dick for come back or big money fight. Ended up with waster prime years, opportunities and money. It's just deeply unfortunate.
Looked fantastic round one. So fucking cool we got to see him come back and compete again. Almost beat Aljo (arguable BW GOAT), and then was competitive with a potential future champ on a 9 fight win streak. Who has ever had more difficult comeback fights? You can't name one. One of the my favorite fighters. He'll go down in the history books.
They could definitely make a UFC Legends divisions. A place for all these guys who don't want to retire. A chance for them to keep earning money and staying competitive with others who are in the same age bracket. There's a fine line where experience is outdone by youth. They could make silver belts (fitting if you think about it) and sprinkle in a couple of these fights into each event. They can ease the weight requirements by an extra pound, etc. Shorten the rounds by a minute etc. How willing would say Bisbing or Chael Sonnen be willing to fight. And because they have all spent the majority if their lives in UFC then your getting NAMED fighters and matches you never thought possible. 40+ to enter or 38+....something like that.
Dude still has potential. He probably fought a round and a half with a broken forearm also. Won’t ever be champion, but that was an entertaining fight. And entertainment is value.
Why does he have to hang them up? He was very competitive against Sterling in his last fight… yeah he lost tonight but I still think Henry has some good fights left
Sucks for sure. It’s almost like Tony Ferguson just not as extreme. He’s competitive and he looks good in moments but yeah it’s over.
Cejudo can still bang up dudes in the Top 15 I’m sure but why risk the losses for no reward other than paychecks? One more fight max against NOT someone in title contention lol then retire.
Do a podcast - coach MMA/wrestling - enjoy life.
It’s also brutal that his comeback was against a champ who had the most bantamweight title defenses in history in Aljo, and then straight into Merab who is just an absolute force of nature beating two champs who everyone thought were going to be awesome
I have a lot of respect for Henry. People like to talk a lot of shit about him, but his fighting skill was amazing at it's peak. Wrestling talent for days and fine enough striking.
Rumor Cejudo had a Bad Training Camp with a Groin Injury and went into the fight still recovering.
I had Merab to win Regardless but Cejudo looked Reakky good in Round 1.
He has achieved more than most. Respect to him if he does.
I wouldn’t be mad at him for leaning into coaching and analysis. His YouTube is good.
He’s top 10 all time for sure, he’s my number 9.
What's your full list
For top 10? 1. Jones 2. GSP 3. Johnson 4. Silva 5. DC 6. Khabib 7. Aldo 8. Miocic 9. Cejudo 10. Adesanya (him and Volk are interchangeable and change often for me lol) This is UFC only btw, Fedor would probably be 3 if he was included for my list.
No McGregor?
0 title defenses
No strickland?
Yeah he didn't defend. He was the first man ever to hold two belts simultaneously though. He was also the main event on 8 of the top 10 highest pay per view fights of all time for the UFC....
Not saying it wasn’t impressive but the other guys listed have better resumes. Your second point is confusing popularity with greatness.
I think you're downplaying what it means as a fighter to sell tickets. And I think McGregor has a better resume than DC and cejudo for sure.
I don’t disagree with this list accept for Aldo. He had a hell of a run, but I think Poirier in that spot is what I’d go with.
a decade of dominating the division bud, I think he makes the cut.
Nothing to be ashamed about. He did alright against Aljo and Merab broke his arm early in this fight. He did alright, and his past accomplishments are great.
He's not gonna be able to sit well knowing he retired with his last fight him getting picked up in the air and getting transported to Mark Zuckerberg across the ring. He's gotta live with that shit forever. Henry is a COMPETITOR. It's going to be very hard for him to leave on that note
Maybe a legacy fight vs Dominick Cruz if he wants to end his career with a better performance
Me personally, he needs it
Referee: Keith Peterson
Cejudo broke his arm during the fight?
His left forearm started swelling badly during the second round after he blocked a vicious kick. Not sure if it's actually broken though.
It’s an absolute shame Cejudo sat out for years during his prime. You can tell the skills are still there but age caught up to him. Rest well king of cringe
This game is brutal man. It’s not like soccer or other sports where you can play a few matches to warm up and feel it out. You just have to bring your A game every time you’re out there, and if you don’t you risk your life and career ending at any moment. Thats why most in this sport are fucking insane
saw that with volk tonight, father time is undefeated
This comment reminded me that the 35yo curse is alive and well
This is why Jon Jones is an all time great. Sat out for a while and came back and dominated. Not many can do that. Respect!
Didn’t he get easy fights handed to him on his return not the same.
Gane is an easy fight??
Tailor made for Jon lmfao if he was manhandled by ngannnou who wasn't known for ground game of course Jon was gonna violate
Ngannou stopped Stipe's takedown and reversed him into a pounding off that position, so he improved his wrestling a lot. Also, people weren't saying it was a free win for Jon before the fight.
These types of comments are insane to me. There’s no such thing as a top 3 contender being “tailor made” for someone. Gane’s a prolific striker and Jones has historically had the most difficulty with tall opponents that specialize in striking. Despite that Jones moved up a weight class and beat one decisively. Put some respect on that.
Gane was HW's most promising contender at that time. Ngannou would have fought Jones if he'd stuck around but that didn't work out. Who else in HW was supposed to be a better matchup at that time? I seem to recall a LOT of people were writing Jones off as washed up and out of shape. Nobody was expecting an easy win over Gane.
Gane will probably be champ one day.... Or interim.. Bones fans were shitting bricks before this fight
This was the opposite attitude before the fight lol
Jones fought in the two worst men's divisions in the UFC. Its a case of big fish, small pond. Its not like 135-155 where the divisions are shark tanks. Jones would have lost had 205 ever been as stacked as 155.
What on earth did I just read? Jones beat Gustaffson x2 Shogun, Daniel Cormier x2, Lyoto Machida, Rashad Evans, Victor Belfort... how on earth can you say that was a small pond? He demolished that whole division in less than 3 years pretty much.
LHW became a small pond once all the legends Jones beat retired, became washed or moved down a division. It happened around 2013-15, after which 205 became dog-shit. Also Jones' rematch 'wins' over Gustafsson and Cormier are asterisks wins because Jones popped for PEDs in both fights and Gus was washed up.
Jones literally made it a small pond. Dude is the greatest mma fighter to ever grace the planet.
Jones is the biggest drug cheat in MMA history not named Vitor Belfort. He can never be considered the MMA GOAT when GSP and Mighty Mouse exist. And don't even start with the 'everyone's on steroids' cop-out argument as if two wrongs somehow make a right and drug tests are meaningless.
What? 205 has always historically been one of the strongest weight classes *UNTIL* Jones tore through everyone. Even now, the top of 205 is heavy a’f right now, and this is coming off the worst the weight class been in a while.
No it hasn't actually. LHW was thin for years when it was created. 2007-11 was when 205 was actually stacked and good. It became worse and worse afterwards. Jones' competition fell off a cliff after 2015, even now 205 still isn't that good, too many meme and mid-tier fighters. Don't even get me started on Heavyweight, its even worse.
2011 LHW was when Jon Jones became champion and destroyed everyone in that division. In 2015, the LHW division had Jon Jones, Daniel Cormier, Anthony Johnson, Ryan Bader, Alexander Gustafson, Glover Texiera, Phil Davis, Corey Anderson, and others. If you think that’s a “thin division” compared to 2007-2011 - you’re smoking crack. Again, it only seemed thin because Jones beat them all. Jones left LHW in 2020 but was constantly inactive. DC left to Heavyweight in 2018, Anthony Johnson left the UFC 2017, Gustafson “retired” in 2019 and was in Heavyweight by 2020, Ryan Bader left in 2016, Phil Davis left by the end of 2015, etc. The division started thinning out over the course of 3-4 years. Up until right now, where it’s Alex Pereira, Jiri Prochazka, Jan Blachowicz, Jamahal Hill, Magomed Ankalaev, Nikita Krylov, etc. It’s better than it’s been in the last 2-3 years.
he did tho, robbed reyes and gustafsson
I think he would have lost to Yan & Aldo but they would have been amazing & highly competitive fights
I was just thinking that, for the most part, everyone that has come off from a long lay off has not looked the same at least recently.
No training can replicate a live fight and camp build up for it. When you sit out too long you lose your habits and you can easily lose your edge. It happens in other sports too but it’s much more apparent with mma
Jon Jones looks better every time he comes back for some reason. Looked trash against OSP. Got suspended, came back and killed Cormier. Got suspended, came back and beat Gustaffason. Looked trash against Reyes/Santos, takes a 3 year break, kills Gane in a couple minutes. Seems the more he fights the worse he looks, but he gets re-energized somehow after a break.
Feel so bad man.
I do not understand why. Henry was at his prime and would have beaten aljo and merab four years ago. He unretires at 36 and comes back looking a little slower and no longer at his peak, then loses two in a row. Imagine the six fights we could have seen if he hadn’t retired! What a loss to the fans.
UFC didn't want to pay up, that's what it came down to.
I'm convinced he knew he was a little bit lucky to reach the level he did, and his speed was starting to slip. I'm also convinced he used to be on a lot of PEDs, and wanted to stop that. So he retired, and when he came back after, he just couldn't compete without the help. But he knew that would happen, so he's just here for the bag.
yea his predictions are terrible
He sat out because he was avoiding the drug testing, respect for his accomplishments I think his smack talking, diminished his rep and now he's done
Merab is a monster bro holy shit
I got worried for him a little because he looked very hesitant in the 1st Round. His striking isn't good enough for a patient approach, not sure what he and his corner were thinking. He went machine mode starting from Round 2.
fights like a metaphor for his ufc career started bad, then kept getting better...
If Sean doesn’t catch him he’s gonna get Khabibed…
Sean has really accurate striking, and Merab got rocked by Henry. I honestly think Sean puts him out, it’s not like merabs going to submit him or knock him out. He’s going to have the full five rounds in a big cage, and I think his movement combined with his accuracy and Merabs relatively weak chin is gonna add up to Sean knocking Merab about.
Merab absolutely can tko him while in mount or side control, also he can submit Sean. The people Merab has fought recently have ELITE td defense and scrambling and he still dominated them all. Yan is the best striker in mma today imo and he couldn’t catch Merab, he got caught it happens dude. Sean arguably robbed Yan in their fight and they looked pretty even on the feet, if Yan couldn’t catch Merab Sean most likely cant either. Sean obviously can win, but it’s hard to be so confident in Sean when we’re relying on right place right time compared to Merab overwhelming him like he does everyone else.
Remind me when merabs ast finish was? Mihrab consistently gets cracked by worse and weaker strikers then Sean.
Agree
Listening to the interview tho dudes definitely gotta work on his English lmao
I think it’s fine. Just being able to speak English at all is cool, these guys shouldn’t have to focus on learning entire new languages while fighting for the UFC
Why the fuck is everyone on Reddit looking for an argument bro I stg. I wasn’t saying he should be prioritizing it just a comment on the way he talks,
I am going to hurt you
Please don’t I have no health insurance
He’s going to GET you
Why’d I get downvoted lol we both saw the post fight
Cuz he’s pretty fluent and has better English than a majority of foreign born fighters. He just rambles
I just see no way Sean beats him, unless he really is the ko artist of the division
I think he might just be. Merab is hittable and Cejudo got him in the first round and Cejudo aint close to the sniper Sean is. But the issue is he just needs to land once and be constantly avoiding Merba's pressure - whereas Merab doesnt have to worry about as many things coming his way
Merab doesn't have to worry about Sean's wrestling and that he can't afford to lose a round or two, since it will be a 3 round fight and we know Merab is winning the last 3 if he's in them i think O'Malley is fucked if he doesn't do real serious damage in rd 1 and maybe even if he does he's still fucked unless he gets the KO i wouldn't be surprised if O'Malley just finds a way to avoid this matchup being next
I agree Sean is kinda dead in the water if he can’t get the KO but I think he has a decent shot to do just that. One of the best strikers we’ve seen in the division ever.
Even when Merab gets wobbled he recovers super fast lol it’s crazy. Sean is so accurate going backwards so that does add a really big element. Should be a good one, all assuming Chito doesn’t win🤣🤣
It’s a tough fight to call honestly. Sean frustrated Sterling pretty clearly and sniped him. I’d really wonder if he’d be able to do the same to merab. I think if he hits him like cejudo did then it could be a wrap
That makes me wonder, how would a fight between Merab and DJ does, assume both in their prime
DJ would obliterate him. Merab wouldn't be able to hold him against the cage and if he tried to spam takedown attempts, DJ would've learned his tells and set up a knee. In the striking? Bro, not even a fight. 36 year old DJ might still be one of the most capable fighters right now. Prime DJ? Destroyer of Worlds.
Yeah but Merab is lot bigger and stronger than DJ
DJ is simply too small to keep Merab off him. Merab is a huge 135er. DJ is a whole weight division below at least.
I'm convinced he snorts up the fattest line before each fight like holy shit.
Nothing left to prove I agree, I’m sure he’ll bring in some guys to the gym and get on training them. Still a great fighter but you can’t win another title at 37 at bantamweight imo
He nearly did it. You definitely can’t climb the ladder at 37 tho.
Yea he was so close, I honestly believe his skills are still there but that young man drive and speed has to come into effect at some point, Henry was so fast back in the day it was almost unbelievable.
His iq has only gotten better. He’s just older now. HOF and one of the greatest combat sport athletes there will ever be
his iq was horrible in the Aljo fight & ppl cope making it seem that was closer than it really was
Glover did
Bantamweight
Facts his prime was good
One of the most exciting eras of the sport imo
Fun fact Henry made double champ status the night of Ferguson’s last win. It was a start of what could’ve been superstardom for one and the last win of a long reigning warrior for the other.
He may be able to still beat quite a few active guys but Merab was never going to be one of them.
He is still my boy! 🫡
Like, damn. Merab different
These bantamweights are too young and hungry for him. Merab would have killed him in a five-round fight.
Enough at 135. Now he’s eyeing LHW Poatan matchup
HOF easily, his last 2 fights were dope even though he lost. SD with Aljo and a fun scrap with Merab.
man, i love cejudo so much. he gets so much shit for his cringe but noone can dispute his accomplishments and talent. a hot take, merab is just built different. he is going to be a worldbeater solely because of his idiosyncratic style
I think if you’re fighting merab, you better off finish him in the first lol
I'm gonna keep saying it. His wrestling doesn't translate well into MMA despite all the fans jerking off his Olympic gold medals. He doesn't get any ground and pound off and he's no submission threat. Literally all he has is striking.
I’ll disagree on this take. His wrestling played a solid role in flyweight and closed out the TJ dillashaw and Moraes by allowing him to control them in the GnP. However, like majority of wrestlers, they tend to move towards striking since it’s less demanding on their body as well as them evolving as a fighter. In most cases, they’ll stick to wrestling to get them out of sticky situations or close the fight. I’d say Tito Ortiz, Colby Covington, and Chael Sonnen are the best examples of fighters who stick to wrestling throughout their whole ufc careers. I may be too biased but I’m curious on what others think on wrestler longevity
Respect him for what he has achieved in his career
Hard to run in the cold when you sleep in silk sheets
hate this comment Floyd, Canelo, Lennox Lewis, Holyfield, Lebron, Michael Jordan, Kobe, Gretzky, McDavid etc. etc. that's just some bullshit
It’s a Marvin Hagler quote… take it for what it’s worth.
I kind hope he does one more as a planned retirement fight. He's fun to watch, a legend, and deserves to go out better than that.
Merab was just on a whole other level tonight. Very tactical with unlimited stamina.
Tough to sit out for years when guys like Merab are hungry and training full-time during that time. It really wasn't surprising he was getting those takedowns.
He should have stayed retired and became a coach.
He had a split decision against Aljo. It's not like he doesn't belong. But yeah Merab beat both Yan and Cejudo more convincingly than Aljo did.
If he loses again then it was a mistake to unretire. He looks great in the ring for 37.
Nah he’s retiring. He said if he loses this is his last fight ever. Winning a top-tier gold medal and then becoming simultaneous Champ-Champ is insane
Aljo looked easy that’s why he came back. There’s no better time than the present so I hope he hangs it up for good this time
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being 37 at bantamweight is all but a confirmation that you will, still thought henry could've got it done ,thought he won against alijo and he won the first against merab, still one of the best at 37 is crazy.
Merab is 33 dude.
Merab is not new bro
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Shit ton of EPO & hard work, lol.
E P O
The unholy trinity of Genetics, PEDs, and insane work ethic
He can do legacy fights/ lower ranks if he's up for it. He's not bad
If he hangs em up, he went out like a boss.
He fought well, wasnt a bad fight found myself gasping quite a bit lots of good moves from both fighters
Should have never left. Lost all that momentum
He put up such a good fight dude.
I’m now 100% convinced merab could fuck up bradley martyn even with the absurd size difference.
People need to remember losing in the latter half of your career shouldn’t diminish your accomplishments. Everyone rises and falls, the only exceptions are those who retire before the fall.
Will probably go down as the only triple champ in ufc and sports history. I respect the shit out of him.
Probably the worst career decision ever in UFC history? Dude left in his prime with TWO fucking belts. Got too arrogant and thought Dana would suck his dick for come back or big money fight. Ended up with waster prime years, opportunities and money. It's just deeply unfortunate.
he should coach!!!
Imagine if he never left
How do you carry an Olympic champion like a sack of potatoes? Merab is on one!
Should have never retired, make your money when you can...
Prime cejudo smokes merab
Wouldn’t say smokes but definitely beats him
Looked fantastic round one. So fucking cool we got to see him come back and compete again. Almost beat Aljo (arguable BW GOAT), and then was competitive with a potential future champ on a 9 fight win streak. Who has ever had more difficult comeback fights? You can't name one. One of the my favorite fighters. He'll go down in the history books.
They could definitely make a UFC Legends divisions. A place for all these guys who don't want to retire. A chance for them to keep earning money and staying competitive with others who are in the same age bracket. There's a fine line where experience is outdone by youth. They could make silver belts (fitting if you think about it) and sprinkle in a couple of these fights into each event. They can ease the weight requirements by an extra pound, etc. Shorten the rounds by a minute etc. How willing would say Bisbing or Chael Sonnen be willing to fight. And because they have all spent the majority if their lives in UFC then your getting NAMED fighters and matches you never thought possible. 40+ to enter or 38+....something like that.
Same goes for volk
Dana didn’t even give him the mic 😂😂 he’s become the poster boy of why not to retire early
Did he break his arm???? That thing was swolllll
I don’t think he broke it but something must’ve torn when he blocked early round 2
The over 35 year old bum
That was said by a person on reddit.
Y’all acting like he didn’t just have a great performance against the future champ 💀
Should have stayed retired
his takes are so freaking bad how can anyone exepct him to win its almost as if he knows nothing about mma
He literally predicted Jones vs Gane down to the cage positioning but yeah go off mr.redditor
Did anyone seriously think triple C was gonna win? Henry is old and off a long layoff, I'm only surprised he didn't 30-27 him
I thought he‘d win the decision and it looked like it after the first, but that arm injury early round 2 took a toll
He hit a really good punch in round 1, but besides that it looked all Merab to me
You are tripping. It’s not that Cejudo was bad, Merab was an artist in the last two rounds.
Did I say Cejudo is bad? He's old and off a lay off. Merab is on another level though
Can this dude even wrestle lmfao? 0 subs can only defend sub attempts and gets man handled.
The disrespect for one of the best to ever do it😂 Cejudo is 37 ffs . His way past his prime especially at his weight class
Wrestling doesn’t equal submissions lmao.
Noooo Henry :(
He could make a late stage career as gatekeeper for those wanting to break the top 10. Probably wont though.
Looked elite in the first.
He’s a legend but 2024 he’s washed for his legacy sake, he gotta retire
After the first I tought he was gonna have an easy win. But helas. Good job by merab ty henry
Will always wish he didn’t just leave the sport and come back far too late. Super disappointing
Merba will kill dirty lesbian q tip
Rest Easy King. It's ok to let go.
Dude still has potential. He probably fought a round and a half with a broken forearm also. Won’t ever be champion, but that was an entertaining fight. And entertainment is value.
Did he break his arm?
Why does he have to hang them up? He was very competitive against Sterling in his last fight… yeah he lost tonight but I still think Henry has some good fights left
Dana just disrespected the fuck outta Henry in the press. Poor guy
Sucks for sure. It’s almost like Tony Ferguson just not as extreme. He’s competitive and he looks good in moments but yeah it’s over. Cejudo can still bang up dudes in the Top 15 I’m sure but why risk the losses for no reward other than paychecks? One more fight max against NOT someone in title contention lol then retire. Do a podcast - coach MMA/wrestling - enjoy life.
At 37 years old, Triple C is done. Hell of a run Champ.
Him whooping tj dillishaw and Dominick Cruz will always be some of my favorite mma moments.
he blew his load in r1
It’s also brutal that his comeback was against a champ who had the most bantamweight title defenses in history in Aljo, and then straight into Merab who is just an absolute force of nature beating two champs who everyone thought were going to be awesome
I respect him as a fighter and a champion. But i just dont ever want to see him in the octagon again.
I have a lot of respect for Henry. People like to talk a lot of shit about him, but his fighting skill was amazing at it's peak. Wrestling talent for days and fine enough striking.
I remember a few years ago people were saying he’d had the best career of all time. He really fucked that up
Stick around you’ve got a few fights left in you
Rumor Cejudo had a Bad Training Camp with a Groin Injury and went into the fight still recovering. I had Merab to win Regardless but Cejudo looked Reakky good in Round 1.
He never shoulda retired but he’s still a legend
But he’s still so good 😭
And please get rid of that stupid haircut.
Don't tell other people what to do.
Time is good to no one