Nelson: "There is no heavyweight greatest of all-time"

**Soulbringer320** · 17-09-2014, 23:40

MMA fans and media love to speculate as to who is the greatest fighter of all-time. Hardcore fans will argue that heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko is it, and some fans believe it's Anderson Silva. BJ Penn is also a name that comes up, and some future names to consider include Jon Jones and Cain Velasquez.
The heavyweight division has been considered the most important in combat sports for years, so to narrow it down, Fedor Emelianenko would seem to be a clear winner, but according to UFC heavyweight Roy Nelson, Fedor's isn't the greatest of all-time, nor is anyone else:

"I don't think there's actually a greatest heavyweight," Nelson told FOX Sports when asked if Fedor still sat as the king of the mountain. "I think with every heavyweight there's a style that makes for a different fight with different fighters. Styles always make fights and everybody always has a number.
"Sometimes you have a bad day, sometimes you don't."
Nelson points to Velasquez's only loss since becoming a professional fighter as a prime example of how dangerous it can be for anyone in the heavyweight division. Even the fighter holding down the top spot as champion right now.
"The best example would be (Junior) Dos Santos and Cain Velasquez," Nelson explained. "The first time they fought, Cain got flattened. There's another two times where Cain made up for it, learned from his mistakes, had a bad day. In our business when you have a chance to fight a guy twice -- I'll let you get one on me but the second time I guarantee I'm going to beat you."

**ijsbier** · 19-09-2014, 13:56

Er bestaat sowieso niet iets als een greatest of all time.. gewoon een marketing term bedacht om mensen die niet al te veel van vechtsport afweten te interesseren.

**Bloeba** · 19-09-2014, 14:01

Ergens snap ik wat je zegt maar ik denk wel dat er een aantal vechters zijn die minimaal 5x zo hard werken als de ander om te komen waar ze willen komen / te blijven staan waar ze staan.

Als het bijvoorbeeld nadat mayweather 20 jaar duurt voor er weer zon verschijnsel komt dan mag je best spreken van een goat, (natuurlijk kunnen we niet 200jaar verder kijken).

Maar misschien de goat van zijn of haar era.