UFC Champion vs. UFC Champion: 8-Man Fantasy Tournament
There is only one way to determine the best fighter in the world, and it doesn’t involve a top-10 list voted on by nerds like me.
The sacred pound-for-pound list in MMA has long persevered as a work of fiction, dividing fans and torturing writers. You think you’re having a bad day? Try compiling a rankings list of hypotheticals and personal opinion and putting it out there for the rest of the world’s viewing displeasure.
For many, it can be a displeasure at times simply because we all don’t think the same. Pound-for-pound rankings are ultimately works of fiction that can be created by anybody and everybody.
UFC heavyweight champ Cain Velasquez is never going to fight UFC featherweight champ Jose Aldo. Jon Jones is never going to fight Demetrious Johnson. But we still bicker endlessly about the top pound-for-pound fighter in the world.
That ends today.
This is a shoutout to every MMA fan inhabiting this beautiful, spherical planet. It is time to shun the old ways and let your voices be heard. Bleacher Report has compiled an eight-man fantasy tournament featuring every male champion on the UFC’s roster.
Who would win a fight between Jones and T.J. Dillashaw? What about Johnson and Anthony Pettis? It’s time to find out.
Of course, UFC women’s bantamweight champ Ronda Rousey has been excluded from this list since we don’t condone a man and a woman fighting. Seeing as weight won’t be taken into consideration, we’ll just smile and pretend like serious size discrepancies don’t exist in these matchups. The seeding was created by random drawing.
Be sure to sound off in the comment section below with your seeding and your ultimate winner in this fantasy tournament pitting UFC champion against UFC champion.
Official Tournament Seeding
1 of 8
1) Jose Aldo
8) Johny Hendricks
4) Jon Jones
5) T.J. Dillashaw
3) Demetrious Johnson
6) Anthony Pettis
2) Cain Velasquez
7) Chris Weidman
Jose Aldo vs. Johny Hendricks
2 of 8
UFC featherweight champ Jose Aldo and UFC welterweight champ Johny Hendricks have left many men stiff-toed and comatose in the wake of their jarring knockout power.
Granted, the highlight-reel knockouts are few and far between, but the instances of violence have certainly been worthwhile when they appeared.
Aldo just might be the most underappreciated fighter in the world. He has made seven consecutive UFC title defenses, and that number extends to nine if you include his two defenses in the WEC. This would put him one defense away from tying Anderson Silva’s record for most consecutive title defenses in UFC history.
Meanwhile, Hendricks has yet to defend his title after surviving five rounds of chin tag with Robbie Lawler to win the strap in March.
Technically, Aldo is one of the greatest stand-up artists to ever step foot in the Octagon, but Hendricks has a way of forcing the action and making fighters uncomfortable. Hendricks is also a former NCAA Division I wrestling champion with a serious knack for finding takedowns whenever he chooses to shoot in.
He would certainly have his work cut out against Aldo, who has stanky-legged his way out of takedowns from some of the best grapplers in the world. Perhaps the biggest talking point of this fight would be Hendricks opting to stand and bang with Silva’s mini-me rather than look for a takedown.
There have been times when the former Cowboy has overstayed his welcome in fiery stand-up exchanges. Overindulgence is never a good thing against a fighter like Aldo.
Winner: Jose Aldo
Jon Jones vs. T.J. Dillashaw
3 of 8
The inaugural champions' tournament continues with a showdown between light heavyweight champ Jon Jones and bantamweight champ T.J. Dillashaw.
While Dillashaw is still settling into an eventful life as UFC champion, Jones is nearing his fourth year on the golden train ride. The light heavyweight king has quickly evolved into one of the most polarizing figures in MMA. He is a certain Hall of Famer seeing as he pretty much had to deal with a murderer’s row of light heavyweight opposition to earn his spot.
Dillashaw had his Rocky moment in May when he picked up a late TKO stoppage over Renan Barao to win the UFC title. He then went on to solidify his championship status by dancing circles around Joe Soto and earning a fourth-round knockout.
If there was ever a weakness for Dillashaw to exploit in Jones’ nearly flawless fight game, it would most certainly come on the feet. This isn’t to say that Jones’ actual striking is in any way inferior to Dillashaw’s, as the longtime Greg Jackson and Mike Winkeljohn student is as savvy as they come in the stand-up department.
Similar to Jones’ closely contested bout with Alexander Gustafsson, there would be a significant gap in footwork, and Jones would once again have a tough time keeping up. Dillashaw’s ability to constantly switch stances and attack from multiple angles appears effortless at times. Jones’ flat-footed stance would undoubtedly face significant problems with Dillashaw’s shifty movements.
However, Dillashaw has a dangerous habit of leaving his hands down, and it often leads to him getting tagged more than he ought. Jones may lack spring in his step, but his intelligence and Reed Richards-like reach is an instant problem for any fighter relying solely on footwork and head movement to avoid being hit.
This matchup closely resembles Jones’ bout with Gustafsson, and Jones comes away with a decision again.
Winner: Jon Jones
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Chris Weidman vs. Cain Velasquez
4 of 8
The next bout between UFC middleweight champ Chris Weidman and UFC heavyweight champ Cain Velasquez features a pair of wrestling juggernauts.
Velasquez, a former NCAA Division I All-American, has made a living off tossing grown men around like rag dolls. Outside of a lone knockout loss to Junior Dos Santos, there hasn’t been a single fighter to even come close to ousting Velasquez from his heavyweight perch.
As for Weidman, he should consider changing his nickname from The All-American to The Immaculate since he has yet to taste defeat in his professional career. Weidman became a breakout star in 2014 after stopping MMA legend Anderson Silva twice in 2013.
Perhaps the most overlooked aspect of Weidman’s overall fight game is his deep understanding of range and Octagon control. He was able to move in and out of range pretty easily without taking significant damage in his bouts with Silva and Lyoto Machida, two of the greatest strikers in MMA history.
Against a pair of world-class counterfighters, the ability to shut down an opponent’s offense speaks volumes to Weidman’s footwork and ring-cutting abilities.
Would it work against a hyperaggressive fighter like Velasquez?
The answer won’t please Weidman fans. Velasquez is the type of fighter who would force Weidman into a countering role. A mixture of world-class wrestling, ultra-slick boxing and jarring knockout power is a lot for any man to overcome, even a world-beater like Weidman. Finally, Velasquez has the unending gas tank of a toddler on a playground.
Winner: Cain Velasquez
Demetrious Johnson vs. Anthony Pettis
5 of 8
Speed kills in the fight business, and no man is faster in MMA than UFC flyweight champ Demetrious Johnson.
Many fighters have experienced instances of being punched or kicked so fast that they didn’t even know what hit them. Against Mighty Mouse, opponents are lit up by combos before knowing what hit them.
You would be hard-pressed to find a single fighter in the entire world who is more well-rounded than Johnson, who always seems to be operating at a completely different RPM than everyone else.
Against Pettis, Johnson meets a human highlight reel capable of stringing together techniques that only seem possible in movies. The reigning lightweight champ also has a solid ground game, which he demonstrated brilliantly in a first-round submission victory over former champ Benson Henderson over a year ago.
A stand-up battle between Johnson and Pettis would be an early Christmas for MMA fans. However, Johnson has shown the professionalism of prioritizing a sound game plan over an unnecessary slugfest aimed at pleasing the “just bleed” fans.
With all of Pettis’ talent, he showed he could be had in the wrestling department in his UFC debut against Clay Guida. Bear in mind, though, that the fight against Guida was over three years ago, and Pettis has surely improved.
But it still wouldn’t be enough to overcome the speed and transitional prowess of Johnson.
Winner: Demetrious Johnson
Jon Jones vs. Jose Aldo
6 of 8
This semifinal bout comes down to the two most battle-tested champions on the UFC roster.
Tied with seven consecutive UFC title defenses each, both Jones and Aldo have walked the narrow wire between victory and defeat. Jones still has battle scars from his five-round skirmish with Gustafsson a little over a year ago. Meanwhile, Aldo paid in blood to turn top featherweight contender Chad Mendes back a second time in October.
There is no quit in either fighter, and they have both proven over the course of their title reigns that they are willing to walk through fire for UFC gold.
But there can only be one on this list.
Technically, Jones would probably be a bit outmatched on the feet against a world-class striker like Aldo. There aren’t enough good things that can be said about Aldo’s stand-up abilities. However, Jones won’t have to worry about the same shifty footwork that he dealt with against Gustafsson and Dillashaw.
Aldo tends to rely on subtle angling and slight foot adjustments. This isn’t to say things would come significantly easier for Jones, but it would cut off the need to counter and chase his opponent in the open. Fighting on his heels has never been a strong point for Jones, who typically finds success when he’s walking down opponents and controlling the center of the Octagon.
For all of Aldo’s greatness, he has a tendency to step off the gas periodically in fights. Jones has the skill set of a janitor’s key ring. There are just so many ways for him to unlock his opponents’ weaknesses and find success. We saw takedowns and a submission against Vitor Belfort, clinch strikes against Glover Teixeira and all stand-up against Rashad Evans.
This isn’t to say Aldo isn’t capable of pulling off the same things, but Jones does them better.
Winner: Jon Jones
Demetrious Johnson vs. Cain Velasquez
7 of 8
Now this is what you call a David vs. Goliath matchup. Seriously, this is like Tommy Pickles vs. Josh, the cookie-stealing, cap-wearing round boy on Rugrats.
But as promised in the intro, we’ll turn a blind eye to an obvious size discrepancy and pretend like it doesn’t exist.
Assuming Velasquez wouldn’t eat Johnson for Sunday dinner, this matchup is once again all about footwork, which is one of the most underestimated aspects of fighting. Some fighters are better moving forward and being the aggressor, while others typically rely on hanging back and finding opportunities to counter.
Johnson’s rarity in MMA shines in his ability to accomplish both tactics on a whim. Speed is one thing, but opponents have yet to find a way to deal with Johnson’s footwork and seamless transitions from striking to grappling.
Velasquez is sure to test Johnson’s takedown defense by closing the distance and utilizing his world-class wrestling, but Mighty Mouse’s reaction speed and ability to pivot on the fly from orthodox to southpaw makes him incredibly hard to drag to the mat. Opponents often find themselves catching air when they dive for one of Johnson’s legs.
This seems like a situation of chasing a kid around in a toy store, no pun intended.
Johnson will do his Michael Jackson routine to frustrate Velasquez on the feet. He may even surprise the heavyweight king by taking advantage of him for being overaggressive and nabbing a takedown or two of his own.
Winner: Demetrious Johnson
Jon Jones vs. Demetrious Johnson
8 of 8
Take a moment to pat yourselves on the back for making it this far. Some of you are probably foaming at the mouth at some of these outcomes. “How dare he let Demetrious Johnson beat Cain Velasquez!”
What’s the word the cool kids are using these days—chillax? You will have plenty of time to scold yours truly for being a “complete idiot” and play out your own fantasy tournament in the comments section below.
With that said, we have finally arrived at the grand finale, folks. This bout is for all the marbles, gum drops, cookies and anything else Mike Dolce wouldn’t approve of. Who is the top pound-for-pound fighter in the world: Jon Jones or Demetrious Johnson?
One thing is certain: Johnson is no Dave Sholler.
Jones is a meticulous fighter who often depends on cutting off the cage and his reach to force opponents into fighting on their heels. However, Johnson gives the word "shifty" new meaning. His ability to utilize lateral movements and subtle angles while moving at lightning speed has become quite the conundrum for flyweight opponents.
It’s hard to believe Jones would be able to keep up with a flat-footed stance. He would likely have to resort to diving at Johnson’s knees out of desperation for takedowns, which is never a good idea unless set up properly through striking.
Johnson could test the waters and mix things up with takedown attempts of his own, but it would only aid Jones in closing the distance long enough to grab ahold of him. This bout plays out on the feet, and Johnson finished what Gustafsson started.
Winner and top pound-for-pound fighter: Demetrious Johnson
Jordy McElroy is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. He is also the MMA writer for Rocktagon.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
