BlogKick: 6 Light Heavyweight Contenders
Posted on January 16, 2011, 01:38 PM by overhand rightUFC Light Heavyweight king, Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua, has been sidelined since first winning the title back in May. The Brazilian suffered a serious knee injury which required surgery and thus delayed his scheduled title defense against Rashad Evans. Now back training following reconstructive surgery, he will look to defend his Light Heavyweight gold at UFC 128 in New Jersey. Regardless of the bout's outcome, there will be a few potential contenders waiting in the wings for their chance to take the top spot amongst what is arguably the promotion's most competitive division. With the recent announcement of two new exciting match-ups, the identity of the next championship contender is anyone's guess. Here are three fights, one of which will provide a new challenger for the 205 belt:
Jon Jones vs Ryan Bader, UFC 126
Two young lions that are hungry for an opportunity to prove themselves. Jones has been the happy recipient of an almost unfathomable amount of hype and expectation since his dismantling of former TUF contestant, Stephan Bonnar, and since has been hailed as the future of MMA. He looked seemingly unstoppable before suffering a minor setback in his fight against Matt Hamil, when he was disqualified after knocking 'The Hammer' out with illegal 'twelve-to-six' downward elbow strikes. Ever the humble competitor in victory and defeat, Jones accepted his mistake and sought to learn from it. He has worked his way back into the title mix and an opportunity to prove himself against the elite at his weight. Were Jones to beat Bader, it would be understandable for the UFC to grant him a title shot. With so much hype and excitement around the Greg Jackson student, it would be a sharp business move to sell a title fight between him and the winner of Evans vs Shogun while he's still red-hot. Personally, I would rather see Jones fight once more before getting a title shot. He's still a very young athlete and to throw him in with the wolves so hastily could be detrimental to his development as a fighter, were he to lose. The last thing we want is for him to follow down the same road as a Brandon Vera or Houston Alexander.
Bader was the winner of the heavyweight season of TUF and is currently unbeaten in MMA. He's riding a twelve fight win streak, with his most impressive win to date coming in his last encounter against the veteran and dangerous Antonio Rogério Nogueira. Bader has an impressive wrestling pedigree and is certainly heavy handed. He seems the less marketable contender of the two, but a win over Jones would certainly spark an interest among fans and could sway the powers towards considering him as a challenger for the belt.
Rampage Jackson vs Thiago Silva, UFC 130
Perhaps the most deserving fighter mentioned here, Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson recently went the distance with former champ and supposed future king of 205, Lyoto Machida. The judge's decision came as a surprise to some (including Jackson himself) but a win is a win. I believed that Rampage would be given his chance for championship redemption almost immediately after beating Machida. Instead, the UFC has decided to pair him up with the savage and always exciting Thiago Silva, in a fight that is sure to entertain if nothing else. The fight itself doesn't make an awful lot of sense from a rankings point of view (with some not even considering Silva as top ten worthy), but it is nontheless a great matchup that's sure to sell tickets and PPVs. If Rampage beats Silva I would assume that he'd be more than ready for another taste of title bout action. But you never know with UFC matchmaking. Perhaps they'd prefer to keep him around to fight the loser of one of the matchups mentioned here in order to sell another exciting fight.
Silva was once a rising star in the UFC but his progress has been halted by inconsistent results. He's won and lost on and off, beating guys like Jardine and Vera only to fall at hurdles like Rashad Evans and Lyoto Machida. Such results would lead one sometimes wonder if perhaps Thiago is simply a midlevel mixed martial artist, a guy that continuously fights his way into title contention but then folds when presented with an elite opponent. I certainly hope this is not the case. I'm a fan of Silva and would love to see him win a few big fights to get himself back on the road to MMA glory. Can he beat Jackson? Of course. Will he? Well I suppose it will come down to the mindset he takes into the fight with him and the tactics he employs. I actually believe that both these men are quite evenly matched and it may come down to who has trained harder and wants it more. If Silva beats the former Pride star, I would take great pleasure in seeing him get his chance to show the world what a great fighter he is, but he will likely still have to prove himself once or twice more.
Randy Couture vs Lyoto Machida, UFC 129
What can be said about 'The Natural' that hasn't already been said? He is the epitome of a champion. Some may look at the grizzly veteran's record and scoff at the losses he's suffered throughout his storied career. The truth is, Randy has always sought to test himself against the best out there. As a result, he hasn't always come out on top. He's fought the likes of Liddell, Belfort, Sylvia, Rizzo. He even sought a legendary matchup against heavyweight great, Fedor Emelianenko, a fight that never materialised but still showed a decent effort to compete on Randy's part. People have always doubted Randy because of his age, even back when he first got into MMA, in his late 30's. But Randy has never let the aging process slow him down. He often outworks and outmuscles his fellow training partners and, of course, his opponents. The oldest fighter to win a UFC championship, Randy came out of retirement to win the heavyweight belt again and did so in rousing fashion against Tim Sylvia. While it's true that much of his attention of late has been centred around the movie industry, be under no illusion that Randy will not be taking this fight as seriously as any other in his career. It is never a good idea to count Couture out, especially in a fight that could give him one last chance to further cement his already glistening and heroic legacy. I fervently believe that if Couture beats Machida, all other candidates for the contender spot will be pushed aside in place of one more Rocky-esque comeback and ultra-marketable fight for Randy. A loss would most probably spell retirement for the legend. But, I'm picking Randy to shock the world once again and beat Machida by controlling him with his powerful Greco-Roman style and get the fight to the ground, where he will grind his way to a decision.
Machida is in another boat altogether. A loss against Couture would be his third straight and could signal his departure from the UFC, what with the recent trigger happy finger of Dana White at play. Joe Rogan once referred to Machida's win over Rashad Evans to capture the championship as "the beginning of the Machida era". This statement proved to carry little weight, with Machida's first title defense going to an extremely controversial decision which more or less robbed Rua of the title, one could argue that he's already on a three fight losing streak. His second outing as champ proved even less successful. Shogun exacted his revenge and crushing any questions surrounding the first fight by knocking his fellow countryman out in the first round. Machida found himself on the wrong end of a decision against Jackson and is now in MMA limbo and in dire need of a win to give himself and his career a much needed revival. Obviously one of the most talented fighters in the world, he needs to start backing it up again with victories. A conclusive win over a legend and dangerous-as-ever Couture would do just that. Some believe that Machida will oust Randy in the striking department and finish him early on. My feelings dictate that it will not be quite as easy as some predict but 'The Dragon' will still be the favourite regardless. If Machida retires Couture he probably won't get a title shot but will certainly be back in the contender pool and ready to kick-start the Machida Era hype once more.
Comments
I'm excited to see Silva vs Rampage
And mr overhand has forgotten forrest and franklin, forrest beat two the current champ and the former champ, and franklin beat wandy and even if the judging was bad, he actually won against hendo in their fight even if the judges scored it for hendo, and beat matt hamill
@the shark
i was thinking the same thing, Forrest v Franklin will be more competitive than Machida v Randy. I know Randy has defied the odds before but I see that fight as a miss match. Randy is a Legend etc etc but considering how he looked very average in his last 2 competitive fights v Vera(which Vera won imo) and Coleman I don't really see how that fight is more significant than Forrest v Franklin considering they both have futures in this division. Machida has snuffed more athletic wrestler's than Randy and only lost to Rampage because of his cautious style + he was scared of Rampages power I see Machida doing to Randy exactly what he did to Evans.
i doubt that franklin or griffin would be given a title shot that quickly. griffin got taken apart against silva and his most recent win coming in to this fight is against ortiz, who has been on a downward slope for quite a while now.
franklin's last win at lhw is against liddell who, again, was a mere shadow of the fighter he once was. franklin had also been knocked out by belfort before that. a win for either guy will put him in place for a contender fight i agree, but not a title shot, which is what the article is about.
also it's already a pretty lengthy piece of writing as it is, another two paragraphs would have been overkill imo. i feel that the 3 fights i mentioned are the most likely to provide the next contender, and are also more likely to be chosen by the ufc. :)
Good article, but I have a few gripes:
Machida would very likely not get cut from the UFC following a loss from Randy Couture - he is not even in the same universe of position as Vera, Marcus Davis, or any other recently cut fighter is.
(Referring to Rampage): "Perhaps they'd prefer to keep him around to fight the loser of one of the matchups mentioned here in order to sell another exciting fight." I think that more than likely the winner of the Thiago Silva/Rampage matchup will fight the winner of Jones/Bader. On the other hand, if Machida wins against Couture we could see him fight the winner of Bader/Jones while Rampage waits in line for a title shot.
Can't forget about Randy though. He's expressed interest in fighting only two guys in the LHW division; Shogun and Machida. He's getting his chance at Machida, and I think if he wins the UFC may give him the next shot (assuming Shogun retains the belt). If not though, I agree with your assessment.
I think if Machida wins he mite fight Lil Nog after he beats Tito (n I no they train together but Nog has said many times he has no problem fighting Machida)...as for contenders I see Couture getting a title shot if he beats Machida but I dont think Bader/Jones/Silva will get a title shot if they win there fight, Rampage maybe but other 3 I think they will hve to win one more b4 getting a title shot
How did Ryan become the next big thing?
well thats kind of obvious isn't it?
Well he knocked out Jardine and beat Lil Nog and he's undefeated. Winner of this fight should fight the winner of Rampage/Silva for a #1 Contender Bout
Bader should have more hype than Jones. Look at who Bader beat..Lawler, Magalheas, schafer, jardine and nog....now Jones' victories maybe more impressive but his opponents are not on the same level as Baders
he's unbeaten in one of the toughest divisions out there and one would assume that by beating the current 'next big thing' he would inherit the crown
Only reason I dont wnt the winner of Rampage/Silva to fight Bader/Jones for the number one contender spot is because it will take so long to see a LHW title shot because Rampage fight happens in UFC 130 n then it will take 4-5 months for the winner of that to fight Jones/Bader n then it will take another 4-5 months for them to fight for the title considering there arent any injuries in between the fights
man **** you
what about Franklin vs Griffin? Both guys are coming off wins against legends of the sport and if either wins they would not only be deafeating a former champ but a big name aswell.
I could see the UFC giving Randy one last shot at the title if he wins but Machida has got to work his way back up after 2 back to back losses
replied to that statement above ^^
any title fight with randy is an easy sell for the ufc. and yes, machida needs to win one or two more fights
forrest v. rich?
sorry, i was asking where a section on them were.
both former champs, coming off wins.
forrest has even beaten the current champ, while rich has only lost to the very best at mw (silva x2, hendo, belfort, and machida).
if couture wins, i see him fighting shogun whether he wins or loses.
if both lose, i could see it as well.
machida needs this win, plus 1 more. maybe 2.
rich or forrest need this one, maybe 1 more.
bader or jones need this one plus one more. this is the first time i consider either to be fighting a top 10 at lhw.
rampage or silva could be next, but only if shogun wins.
they're not gonna put rampage or silva up against rashad again so quickly.
they'd be better off testing bader or jones against rashad and seeing what they got.
that said, REALLY hoping rashad isn't able to control his way to a decision. shogun can finish him. either on the feet or by submission.
Even if Machida losses, i still don't see UFC cutting him.
First of all, Machida is not going to lose. His takedown defense and striking are much too good. He is not going to allow Couture to force this fight into the clinch, and if Couture tries, Machida will time him and make him pay. I don't see Couture taking him down either. Rashad, love him or hate him is far more explosive and athletic than Couture, and I believe he is easily the best wrestler at 205. He never came close to taking Machida down. You can talk about confidence issues with Machida, but I didn't see any "confidence issues" in round 3 vs Rampage (maybe an overconfidence issue in giving up mount and going for an armbar on a guy who is impossible to armbar). I see Machida using his superior striking to stop this fight in the late 1st or early 2nd round. Couture is a great fighter, a legend, a hall of famer, etc., but he is overmatched here.
2nd, even if Machida loses, he absolutely will not be cut. In his last 4 fights he has fought only the top 3 205 pounders (according to this site) and he went 2-2 in those fights. Machida is not going to get cut for losing to a living legend. In addition, Machida is a former champ. The UFC tends to keep these guys around, even if they lose repeatedly. See Tito Ortiz and Chuck Liddell. Come on guys, we're not talking about Brandon Vera here. This guy was p4p top 5 material a year ago.
Agree with everything, except your assessment of Machida's TD defense based on his fight with Rashad. How many TD attempts did Rashad have? If I remember right, it was 0. I do agree though that it will be difficult for Randy to get Machida down.
"...some not considering Silva as top ten worthy..."
Those people are ****ing idiots.
dont understand ufc match making here?
Rampage coming of a controversial win, but a win nevertheless against machida, who at the time was a top 3 guy. Now rampaged has been matched up agianst silva? Imo silva is a top 10 LHW, he more than showed this by humiliating Vera, (did u see wat he did to vera's nose...?!!) i was still expecting rampage to get another top 5 opponent, e.g winner of Jones vs Bader....
if rampages wins i feel he will get the title shot, especially if Rashad Beats Shogun.
Rashad Vs Ramages grudge match for the LHW gold..... hell of a lot of PPV buys..
The only way that last part is going to happen is if Rampage beats Shogun first... Because Shogun is going to make Rashad do the stanky leg again.
Jon Jones, Rampage, and Randy
haha dana wouldnt cut machida so soon if he lost lol....................
this is the best fight in the card