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imo it should be more than just a close fight, or a valiant effort. the losing fighter should be fighting against low expectations, due to things like weight difference, age, or perceived limitations. there should be some display of skill or heart that causes us to reevaluate the fighter’s legacy. and the fight itself should be close enough that it could be (legitimately) scored for the loser.
i’m talking about fights like bj vs gsp 1, and volk vs islam. obviously bj and volk were taking a risk fighting bigger guys, but it’s not just about that. there should be no points given for seeking out a “challenge” and predictably failing. these guys were smaller, and fought against perceived unbeatable fighters. their performances are almost universally talked about as wins, despite losing. (yes, i know bj fans have a way counting all his losses as wins, but this loss truly made bj’s legacy). you could easily make the case that if the fighters were the same size as their opponents, the result would be different.
so what should be the criteria? any other good examples? i think being entertaining in defeat should be excluded, especially if the fighter loses because he was trying to be entertaining (sorry chandler).
i’m talking about fights like bj vs gsp 1, and volk vs islam. obviously bj and volk were taking a risk fighting bigger guys, but it’s not just about that. there should be no points given for seeking out a “challenge” and predictably failing. these guys were smaller, and fought against perceived unbeatable fighters. their performances are almost universally talked about as wins, despite losing. (yes, i know bj fans have a way counting all his losses as wins, but this loss truly made bj’s legacy). you could easily make the case that if the fighters were the same size as their opponents, the result would be different.
so what should be the criteria? any other good examples? i think being entertaining in defeat should be excluded, especially if the fighter loses because he was trying to be entertaining (sorry chandler).