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While the world of UFC is ever-evolving, sometimes, fans can’t help but get reminded of the promotion’s past legends when some of its current stars go to work in the octagon.
The UFC has a few genuinely outstanding fighters right now. It feels like some of them, including the very best, have been hugely inspired by the legends who preceded them.
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The promotion’s current roster doesn’t feature the kind of one-dimensional stars of its early days. Regardless, it’s easy to draw parallels between some of today’s fighters and those of the past.
Here are five current UFC fighters who could be compared to legends of the past.
#5. Tai Tuivasa – the new Mark Hunt (former UFC heavyweight contender)
Former K-1 legend Mark Hunt was never able to claim gold during his eight-year tenure with the UFC. Regardless, it was always easy to understand why he became a cult favorite with the fans.
'The Super Samoan' largely popularized the idea of the 'walk-off knockout' – essentially calling off a fight before the referee. His iron chin and less than svelte appearance gave off the vibe that he wasn't much of a professional athlete but a natural-born fighter.
Hunt always lived up to those expectations inside the octagon by putting on some classic brawls with Derrick Lewis and Antonio Silva. He survived ridiculous strikes as well from heavy hitters like Roy Nelson.
When he first arrived in the promotion back in 2018, it was easy to see why fans were quick to label Tai Tuivasa as the 'new Mark Hunt'. However, it looked like ‘Bam Bam’ would fail to live up to those expectations for a while. Between 2018 and 2019, Tuivasa lost three straight fights and appeared to be on his way out of the promotion altogether.
Since the start of 2020, he has changed things around and is now on a five-fight win streak, with victories coming by KO and 16 of those came in the first round. More to the point, just like Hunt, Tuivasa has shown an ability to absorb insane amounts of damage in those wins – and just like the Super Samoan, his major weakness still appears to be his ground game.
Whether Tuivasa can be better than Hunt and win UFC gold is not yet known, but for now, it’s hard not to compare these two Australian stars.
#4: Kamaru Usman – the new Georges St-Pierre (former UFC welterweight champion)
Reigning UFC welterweight kingpin Kamaru Usman has always stated that his goal is to surpass the legacy of the widely-recognised greatest fighter of all time, Georges St-Pierre.
‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ still has a long way to go before achieving this feat. So far, he has put together five successful title defenses compared to GSP’s total of nine, but he has got the time to get there.
Part of the reason why Usman has been so successful is that he followed the blueprint laid down by St-Pierre during his lengthy reign as champion. More than any other fighter right now, Usman seems capable of emulating the Canadian’s virtuoso performances.
Just like St-Pierre, Usman’s main strength lies in wrestling. Like GSP, he seems capable of taking any opponent he faces to the ground, using a mix of phenomenal grappling technique and strength.
The Nigerian Nightmare’ has picked up more standing knockouts in the octagon than GSP did. However, the way in which he uses his stiff jab to set up his strikes – largely allowing him to pick his foes apart – comes right out of the Canadian’s playbook.
Fans have targeted Usman for being a dull fighter at times which St-Pierre also had to also deal with throughout his career. If Usman’s goal is to surpass St-Pierre’s legacy, then by emulating the Canadian’s style in the octagon, he’s going about it the correct way.
#3: Justin Gaethje – the new Chuck Liddell (former UFC light heavyweight champion)
Though forgettable now, given that so many years have passed, Chuck Liddell was undoubtedly the UFC’s biggest star in his prime.
‘The Iceman’ held the promotion’s light-heavyweight title from 2005 to 2007. He made four successful title defenses, and his finishes of opponents like Randy Couture and Tito Ortiz made him the planet’s most feared knockout artist.
Liddell’s chin eventually failed him, causing a quick decline at the end of his UFC career. However, at his peak, his brand of power-punching, particularly on the counter, and impenetrable takedown defense made him a genuine monster inside the octagon.
Sure, Liddell’s chin eventually failed him – causing a quick decline at the end of his UFC career – but at his peak, his brand of power-punching, particularly on the counter, and impenetrable takedown defense made him a genuine monster inside the octagon.
The current light-heavyweight division doesn’t have a fighter to closely compare to Liddell, but the lightweight division certainly does in the form of former interim champion Justin Gaethje.
Like Liddell, the softly-spoken Gaethje prefers to do his talking inside the octagon. Despite coming from a strong wrestling background, ‘The Highlight’ prefers to grapple in reverse, using his skills to stay vertical to use his heavy hands.
Gaethje could be considered more reckless than Liddell, but ‘The Iceman’ often took hard shots – allowing his chin to pull him through his wins. More recently, though, ‘The Highlight’ has developed a more Liddell-like game. He prefers his opponents to make a move towards him before destroying them with his brutal counter shots.
Will Gaethje be able to emulate ‘The Iceman’ by claiming UFC gold at some point? Only time will tell, but a lack of distinctive Mohawk aside, this comparison is clear to see.
#2: Khamzat Chimaev – the new Khabib Nurmagomedov (former UFC lightweight champion)
Fans have been quick to label current lightweight contender Islam Makhachev as the new Khabib Nurmagomedov, and it's easy to understand why. Not only does Makhachev fight in the same weight class as his fellow Dagestani, but he is also a training partner and friend of ‘The Eagle’.
In truth, the two men do not fight alike. Sure, Makhachev is as fond of takedowns as Khabib was, but he tends to hunt for submissions on the ground, while Nurmagomedov preferred to beat his foes up.
A closer comparison to Khabib would be surging welterweight prospect Khamzat Chimaev, who is arguably the UFC’s fastest-rising star right now.
After Chimaev’s octagon debut in 2020 – a one-sided beatdown of John Phillips – he promised to “smash” every opponent put in front of him." ‘Borz’ is currently 4-0 in the octagon and recently whitewashed longtime contender Li Jingliang. While that victory did come by submission, it’s clear that, like Khabib, Chimaev’s favored attack comes with his fists.
Just like ‘The Eagle’ – who famously poked fun at the UFC’s Brazilian contingent with a t-shirt that insulted jiu-jitsu, Chimaev is not a quiet, stoic type. He’s already established himself as a fighter unafraid to be outspoken on the microphone. His outspokeness has reached a point where fans talk about him getting a title shot after his second bout in the octagon.
So, while Chimaev hasn’t come from Dagestan’s seemingly never-ending supply line of fighters, he seems like the closest thing to the new Khabib in the UFC right now.
#1: Israel Adesanya – the new Anderson Silva (former UFC middleweight champion)
When Israel Adesanya outpointed Anderson Silva in the headline bout at UFC 234 back in February 2019, it didn’t just feel like a regular passing-of-the-torch moment.
Instead, Adesanya’s win seemed to signal the middleweight division was still going to be ruled over by a flashy, pinpoint-accurate striker. Only that the striker was from New Zealand, not Brazil.
Silva ruled over the 185lbs division with an iron fist from the moment he claimed the middleweight title from Rich Franklin in October 2006. His title reign finally ended at the hands of Chris Weidman in July 2013.
During his near-seven-year reign, The Spider bamboozled every opponent he faced, using his incredible speed, reflexes and accuracy to deliver performances.
So when Adesanya debuted in the octagon in February 2019 with a Silva-esque knockout over an overmatched Rob Wilkinson, it was easy to make comparisons between the two. In the years that have followed, though, Adesanya has more than shown that he’s the worthy heir to Silva’s throne.
Just like ‘The Spider’, he’s used his incredible striking skills to pick apart top-level foes like Paulo Costa, Derek Brunson and Robert Whittaker.
He’s shown he’s capable of unexpected victories over the likes of Kelvin Gastelum and Whittaker in their 2022 rematch, just as Silva did in his famous clash with Chael Sonnen. Sure, Adesanya hasn’t been able to succeed at 205lbs like Silva did in his best years, but he still has time for that.
There’s a reason that the middleweight title moved around like a hot potato from the moment that Silva lost it until Adesanya claimed it. That’s because the division is meant to have an imperious striker sitting at the top of the mountain.
