Supermaneuverability - the ability to fly at 90 AOA, to turn with thrust only, to fly well beyond stall, has been around for a long time in fighters.
The SU-27 was the first to demonstrate it at an airshow, though the Swedish Saab Draken pilots used it (just like Maverick did in the first movie as a "hit the brakes" maneuver) as much as 50 years ago.
en.wikipedia.org
When you see the adversary aircraft maneuver post-stall, using thrust vector, and crazy high AOA to stop and pivot in one spot, seemingly in defiance of aerodynamics, you're seeing supermaneuverability - and a realistic representation of it.
That's one plot element I really liked - the constant thread of "You will get killed going up against 5th generation fighters" because, basically, it's true.
Of course, the 5th generation pilots haven't ever flown against Maverick...so...