you dont seem grasp the difference between holding someone in your guard(most consider this a neutral position) and being in the bottom of side/half guard(bad position), research that and get back to me
josh would murder coleman and randleman on the ground, they are amreekan wrestlers, hes a catch wrestler ... u grasp the diff g? ... col and randleman are among the best takedown guys in the world, when they get top position they can hold it fairly well and under the right rules deliver the pain, but they are useless as a third tit from their backs and they do not seem to know even the basics of sub wrestling (as colemans tapping to the same friggen armbar twice, attempting to escape noga triagnle by standing up and randlemans ground wizardly against fedor, waterman, and his inability to get anythign going with lil ninja will attest to)
randleman will stack you and make you eat elbows... really? are there elbows in pride ... or are you talking about randleman 6 years ago when he was using his wrestling skills on guys who had little to no clue about the ground game ...
as for coleman, his guard pass was so good that against fedor he got armbarred twice for his efforts, and his ground game so technical that he decided to stand up and extend his arm against nog from the triangle 
... how well did he do against shogun on the ground before he injured him with the takedown?
josh's win against nog, and even his loss as well as his performances agsint aleks and hunt show that in the past year his sub wrestling game has exploded ... ill concede that mark and kevin are superior at the ground game from a GnP perspective (although being much shorter gives them a n advantage there) but when it comes to advancing, maintaining and capitalizing on position they are not even in the same league as josh
You are talking apples and oranges. WHEN I ROLLED SUB grappling with Kevin, he stacked me, dropped his elbow/forearm across my throat. I under hooked his foot, he trapped it and JUMPED over me to pass. He sat out in Keza, I inched close, bumped him and ended up in Keza. I flatten, use shoulder pressure with to keep him down while he attempted to bench me off of him. When I rolled with Hammer, he stacks, attempts a can opener, I shift my hips, underhook his foot and SWEEP him. I couldn't sub either, but I was able to escape, and hold position for a time. (Both Kev and Mark are 25 lbs heavier than me). When I rolled with Josh when he was 21-23, he would give up position to attempt kneebars, footlocks, heel hooks. He wasn't content to sit in any one position, he was always attacking. Both Kev and Mark would use weight and strength to cause discomfort to pass, and then do some extremely athletic pass attempts. (Don't ever get side headlocked by Mark Coleman, he will rip your head off). If you are talking about holding someone down, then YES, Coleman and Randleman are better. If you are talking about a good ground game, Josh is years ahead. Fedor always gives up his back. He did against Arona, an ADCC superfight winner, and Arona couldn't finish. Coleman had his back, again couldn't finish.
I have rolled with Don Frye, Mark Coleman, Kevin Randleman, Egan Inoue, Enson Inoue, Jon Calvo, Yuki Nakai, Rumina Sato, Hayato Sakurai, Shinya Aoki, Relson Gracie, (whom I got my blue from), Royce Gracie, Royler Gracie, Rickson Gracie, Carlos Valente, Kai Garcia, etc.... I think I know what half guard postion is.
Your basic assertion is wrong, are you saying that the weight difference between Herring and Lindland won't make a difference, or the weight difference between Hunt and Lindland. BTW, how did both fights end. (Bell save or not) Did Hunt get subbed? How did Arona (AKA the Blanket) do against Fedor? Was he in trouble against Arona? Is Arona better than Lindland on the ground? I am not a Sambo expert, by any means. So I can't make judgements. Get in the gym and try and attempt some of what you speak against a really good freestyle wrestler. Josh's amateur backround isn't as decorated as Kev's or Coleman's. If you are talking control, amateur wrestlers are best (see Koshcheck). Subs, (I have to clarify again because reading comprehension isn't a stong point) Josh is much better. He has improved since working with Erik Paulson.
