UFC 239 Preview
There will always be debates about who the best is in any sport and it can get tricky when taking into account different eras.
In MMA it gets that much more difficult though as the best ever can be looked at through stats and championships but when looking at the pound for pound list it is far tougher.
To determine the best, MMA has a pretty simple formula as the two best fighters in a division can simply fight each other.
Even fighters close to the same weight have been given the opportunity to fight and prove who is better.
It is far different from other sports where the best teams or players rarely get to actually face off against each other.
In fighting, it can be settled in the only way to settle these debates but when it comes to pound-for-pound it gets tougher.
That is where fighters from all areas of the spectrum come together and the debates begin about the value of weight classes.
For the most part, the lighter weight classes don’t get as much attention despite the dominance that some of them have shown.
Champions fill the list but who has a greater claim if they have both wiped out their divisions even if one is at 125 lbs and the other is at 205+ lbs.
It’s a tough debate to have as fighters from all level are thrown into the same rankings with only a few ever actually being able to fight each other.
In the UFC there are two fighters who are widely believed to be the best to ever do it and although one is full of controversy and the other is in a relatively young version of the sport both will defend their spot on top at UFC 239.
Amanda Nunes was a bit of an unknown but that is the nature of women’s MMA with so little history behind everyone.
When the UFC decided to bring women into the UFC it was largely due to the popularity of Ronda Rousey.
She was the perfect fit for them to grow the sport and she dominated making most believe she was the best ever.
Then again there was Cris Cyborg sitting out in another promotion beating women in savage displays.
Neither would fight each other only keeping the debate alive about who the best female fighter in the world was.
Then came Nunes, who beat MMA legend Miesha Tate to win the bantamweight title then beat Rousey in the former champions comeback fight.
She went on to defend her belt two more times before moving up in weight to take on Cyborg and beat yet another MMA legend.
Three of the biggest names in women’s MMA all went down to the Brazilian who is now the only woman to hold two belts simultaneously and is set to take on another legend.
Holly Holm is the most decorated female MMA fighter in the world as the multi-time boxing and kickboxing champion was the first to beat Rousey and has won titles just about everywhere she goes.
Nunes is hoping to solidify her spot as the greatest female MMA fighter of all time by beating another big name and defending her bantamweight belt for the fourth time.
If she can beat Holm there will be little doubt that she is the greatest ever and the current pound-for-pound leader for women’s MMA after beating just about every name in the sport.
When talking about the overall pound-for-pound fighters on the men’s side one name always comes up.
Jon Jones has long been the most feared fighter in the UFC but his last few years have planted doubt into his spot in the pound-for-pound rankings.
After failing multiple drug tests and having his light heavyweight belt stripped, some wonder just how good he is if he was on PEDs the entire time he was beating everyone.
Still, it is hard to believe that he still wouldn’t be the best fighter in the UFC even without the use of drugs.
He beats everyone easily and some were likely on something themselves keeping him near the top of the list.
His comeback trail from his latest suspension continues as he earned the light heavyweight title back against Alexander Gustafsson and then defending it against the up and comer Anthony Smith he takes on another one of the hottest fighters in the division.
Thiago Santos has won four straight fights, knocking out his last two opponents earning him a shot against the champion.
Santos looks to end the reign of Jones who has only lost one fight due to disqualification with nobody really beating him.
A win will continue to build on his legacy and beyond the light heavyweight division lies more that could leave no doubt about the best fighter in the world.
The Sport Addiction 