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UFC Fight Night 42: What Now for the Lightweight Title Picture?

Last Saturday marked the UFC’s first ever show in Albuquerque, the New Mexico city that has become a magnet for elite MMA fighters.
In the show’s main event, Benson Henderson further asserted himself as a top lightweight with a fourth-roun…

Last Saturday marked the UFC’s first ever show in Albuquerque, the New Mexico city that has become a magnet for elite MMA fighters.

In the show’s main event, Benson Henderson further asserted himself as a top lightweight with a fourth-round submission victory over Rustam Khabilov.

The win—Henderson’s first finish in nine UFC victories—has sparked debate on exactly who is in the top tier of the lightweight division and what matches should take place between that division’s elite.

In the post-fight interview, the former UFC lightweight champion issued a challenge to fellow lightweights who want a title shot.

“The belt’s not being defended,” Henderson said. “Anybody that wants to fight for the belt, come see me.”

With Anthony Pettis, the division’s champion, currently coaching The Ultimate Fighter alongside future title challenger Gilbert Melendez, Henderson may be used as the man others may have to get past to fight for a future title shot. Like a taxi service to the title.

Bendo may also become the perennial gatekeeper due to the fact that his previous two losses came against the same man: Pettis.

Right now, those losses may make it difficult to sell a third fight against Pettis, but there are a few other solid lightweights who may be up to the task of going toe-to-toe with Bendo.

One fighter who springs to mind is Khabib Nurmagomedov. Undefeated in 22 MMA fights (6-0 UFC), the Russian currently boasts one of the most stellar records in MMA and has made it no secret that he wants the belt.

Nurmagomedov is coming off a solid win against Top 10 fighter Rafael dos Anjos and has put himself in a good position for a fight to determine the No. 1 contender. Such a fight could be against Henderson, who is currently ranked first in the UFC lightweight division.

However, Bendo and Nurmagomedov are not the only fighters (besides Pettis and Melendez) in the top tier of the UFC’s lightweight division. The winner of next month’s fight between Jim Miller and Donald Cerrone will also be held in high regard.

Both Miller and Cerrone have previously fought Henderson, and both fighters lost. Cerrone, however, last fought Bendo over four years ago while Miller’s loss came nearly three years ago.

Miller and Cerrone have remained solid fighters since those losses, which makes a Miller or Cerrone vs. Bendo rematch highly viable.

The winner does not necessarily have to fight Henderson, though. Josh Thomson came off a controversial split-decision loss to Bendo in January and is set to fight Michael Johnson next month.

A dominant win by Thomson would likely put him back in the title hunt, and a win by Johnson will secure the TUF 12 alumnus a place in the Top 10.

Although Pettis’s next title challenge won’t take place until the end of the year, the UFC lightweight division remains highly interesting and highly competitive.

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UFC: Jon Jones Should Embrace the Hatred from MMA Fans

UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones should consider himself to be that much closer to mainstream star status. He’s reached a point where his every move is criticized and debated among “experts” within the world of mixed martial arts. His latest social media issues has the whole MMA community talking about in him an interesting fashion. Whether it’s Daniel Cormier or Alexander Gustafsson standing across from him in his next Octagon appearance, the fact remains that Jon Jones should embrace his role as a hated champion.

In the last few days Jones seemed unable to escape controversy, even though he’s sitting on the sideline.

First, there is the situation in which the 26-year-old champion still has not signed a renewal deal with the Ultimate Fighting Championship. The promotion hopes to have Jones face off against Gustafsson in a rematch of their 2013 critically acclaimed fight towards the end of 2014. However, the champion refuses to sign the proposed deal for reasons that have not been released.

What Jones has made public is the fact that he would like to face Daniel Cormier instead of Alexander. This move has brought about the ire of the sports’ fanbase who claim he is ducking the man that nearly beat him at UFC 165. This is where the second controversy comes into play.

Jones took to Instagram to express his disbelief in the way fans have responded to his desire to fight Cormier instead of Gustafsson. Cormier is an undefeated fighter who has come down from heavyweight and has been calling out Jones for the span of months. Jake Silver of Bleacher Report caught the video right after the champion deleted it in which he gives snide remarks towards those who have claimed he is ducking the Swedish contender.

The validity of the statement aside, this is yet another situation in which Jones has placed himself in a position to be hated by fight fans. Since winning the title back in 2011, there has been a consistent stream of criticism sent Jones’ way. Whether it’s the comments about him being “fake,” to his DUI arrest and his complaining about not being properly promoted as mentioned by Yahoo Sports’ Paul Putignano, Jones continues to mess up when it comes to becoming endeared by the fans.

That’s where the real issue lies. In the end, Jones should not care what the public thinks of him as a professional. His job is to walk into the Octagon and compete and doing everything within the rules to keep the title around his waist. What fans think of him as a person outside of the cage is a moot point. In fact, Jones should truly embrace the role of the bad guy in an attempt to maximize his earning potential as a professional athlete.

For an example of someone who’s already made such a transition, one has to look only as far as Floyd “Money” Mayweather. The boxing kingpin was once a “good guy” in boxing when he carried the nickname “Pretty Boy.” However, that never translated into financial success for the fighter. When he embraced his heel role and became the boisterous personality that he is today, the hatred for this persona grew. His bank account did at the same time. Now, Floyd is one of the highest-earning athletes each year and that trend continues to grow.

Jones doesn’t have to go to such great extents to build the same reputation, but as long as he continues to perform in the cage there isn’t any reason why he should work so hard for fans to love him. They have already proven that it will not happen no matter how dominant he is in the cage. Continuing to win while no longer trying to work so hard to say the right thing will have an impact on Jones’s career both in and outside of the Octagon.

A few weeks back, Jon Jones was complaining that he wasn’t as well promoted as athletes such as Ronda Rousey. This latest Instagram problem should be the last straw that pushes the current champion into a full heel personality. If fight fans don’t want to like him for whatever reason, then embrace it. This isn’t professional wrestling but there is value in being hated by the paying viewers. The point is for Jones to build himself into a fighter that the people will pay to see for one reason or another. There are those who will pay to see him win and those that will pay to see him lose. The end result is that he will make the most out of his career, regardless what the people say about him as a person.

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Ranking the 5 Best UFC Fight Cards of the Summer

The summer of 2014 will be a monumental stretch for the UFC. With 15 fight cards between now and September, the number of relevant fights taking place inside the Octagon is dizzying. MMA fans will no doubt want to leave the house this summer, so understanding which events are “must-see” and which ones are DVR-able is very important for those who enjoy the light of day.

Ultimately, fight fans will have to decide which cards to sit inside and enjoy and which ones to skip, and all we can do here is make the case for which events matter more than the others. The criteria being used for this list include a number of factors, the most important of which is the perceived entertainment value of the fights on the main card.

Along our journey, cards with ranked fighters carry more weight than those featuring their unranked peers, and it almost goes without saying that cards with a title fight (or two) appear on this list. The main event of each card is used as a tiebreaker when needed, but at the end of it all, this is just one person’s opinion on which fights will make you yell at your television more joyously than others.

The flyweight title is on the line when the UFC returns to Vancouver, British Columbia on June 14, and UFC 175 boasts two title fights featuring undefeated champions in Chris Weidman and Ronda Rousey. Matt Brown and Robbie Lawler are set to go at it on Fox on July 26 for a shot at the welterweight title in a fight that is sure to deliver.

With scraps like Conor McGregor vs. Diego Brandao, Chris Weidman vs. Lyoto Machida and Jose Aldo vs. Chad Mendes all headlining cards this summer, the competition for the top five is steep.

Along with a few honorable mentions, here are the five best UFC fight cards of the summer.

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UFC: Why Raphael Assuncao Deserves a Bantamweight Title Shot

Leading into UFC 173, Renan Barao was being compared to the pound-for-pound boxing kingpin, Floyd Mayweather. In less than 25 minutes, all of those mentions came tumbling down as T.J. Dillashaw crushed the Brazilian and walked out of Las Vegas as the new UFC Bantamweight champion. The moment he went from prospect to title holder Dillashaw had unrolled a laundry list of new contenders for the title. However, none should receive a shot before Raphael Assuncao.

Travel back to October 9, 2013. Dillashaw and Assuncao would meet in an undercard fight at UFC Fight Night: Maia vs. Shields. In a hotly contested bout, the two athletes would go back and forth in exchanges. At the end of the three-round affair, Raphael would have his hand raised in victory. Moments after the decision, much of the mixed martial arts community would voice their displeasure with the judging in the contest. That wouldn’t be enough to reverse the decision as Assuncao‘s victory would snap T.J.’s four-fight win streak while increasing his own to five straight wins.

When UFC 173 was first announced, Barao was expected to face the returning Dominick Cruz. Unfortunately, Cruz would be injured once again and forced off the card. That would create the opening for Raphael to be granted a title shot. Assuncao would opt out of the opportunity due to an injury of his own, which created the pathway for Dillashaw to shock the world and take the title.

The fact that Assuncao holds a very controversial win over the new champion is more than enough reason to give him the first shot at the belt. Assuncao has already began to call out the champion.

“I hope they give me the title shot,” Assuncao stated to MMA Fighting’s Guilherme Cruz. “I want to fight T.J. Dillashaw next. He said he deserved to win the first fight, so it’s the perfect finale.”

Both fighters have made their case as to why they feel they earned the win that night. Looking deeper at the numbers provided by Fight Metric, which is the official stats group for the UFC, it is clear that this bout was very close.

Neither fighter had the advantage in striking as Assuncao landed 37 of 106 attempted strikes which is nearly identical to the 32 of 105 for Dillashaw. The true difference is in the area of grappling where Dillashaw landed two takedowns while stopping all six from his Brazilian opponent. Once on the mat, T.J. also looked to be the more competent and aggressive grappler according to the fight numbers. In real time, it is understandable how most of the viewing audience scored this fight for Dillashaw. Still, the split-decision loss stands as a huge black eye over the new reign of the 135-pound champion.

The main issue with making this bout is the fact that neither Raphael Assuncao nor T.J. Dillashaw are major names in the mainstream MMA community. The UFC is in dire need of developing a new stable of stars and while Dillashaw has the potential to get to a high point, he’s not there yet. That means that the Team Alpha Male standout should expect to defend his title during free televised events across the Fox networks in order to grow his notoriety before being placed on a Pay-Per-View card. If the bout against Assuncao is made, the UFC would have to work to create a solid card that would draw attention for their developing champion.

When T.J. Dillashaw stepped into the Octagon on May 24, he was ranked in the 11th spot on the UFC’s official bantamweight rankings. Raphael Assuncao, the last man to defeat the eventual title bearer, was sitting firmly at No. 3. A twist of fate provided Dillashaw with a title shot and now Raphael is looking up at a man he defeated less than two years ago. The UFC should pounce on this chance to create the rematch. With the proper booking and promotion, this fight would serve to make either a star out of T.J. or further an intense rivalry.

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The Only Other Fight for Alexander Gustafsson If Jon Jones Gets His Way

Jon Jones doesn’t want just any title contender standing across the cage from him for his next title defense—he wants an Olympic wrestler.
The problem is, Alexander Gustafsson, the man who’s already been promised a title shot af…

Jon Jones doesn’t want just any title contender standing across the cage from him for his next title defense—he wants an Olympic wrestler.

The problem is, Alexander Gustafsson, the man who’s already been promised a title shot after first fighting Jones to a close decision in September and then disposing of Jimi Manuwa in March, doesn’t have any Olympic wrestling experience.

In a brief Instagram video, Jones gave insight on why he’s yet to sign on to fight the Swede.

Asking for an undefeated Olympic wrestler, Strikeforce champion makes me somehow a coward? How about the fact that I beat Gustafsson already, whether you guys like how close it was or not? It’s my career, not yours.

It certainly sounds as if the issues are not about money—he just wants Daniel Cormier instead. Based on his 15-second video, Jones is pretty firm on his stance.

This poses a question for the UFC: If they give Jones what he wants, who’s next for the No. 1-ranked Gustafsson?

What about former UFC light heavyweight champion Rashad Evans?

Evans has bounced back from the first back-to-back defeats of his career with consecutive victories against Dan Henderson and Chael Sonnen. Like Gustafsson, Evans is a top-ranked light heavyweight who has already lost a title fight to Jones.

Both Evans and Gustafsson could only benefit from a win against the other, especially considering the rest of the UFC’s Top Five light heavyweights already have fights scheduled, are currently recovering from injury or are coming off of one-sided losses.

In Evans, Gustafsson gets a fighter who could help further prepare his takedown defense for a hard-fought bout with a great MMA wrestler—arguably the deciding factor in Gustafsson’s first fight with Jones at UFC 165.

In Gustafsson, Evans gets a fighter who could help sketch out a better game plan against a taller, longer fighter like Jones—certainly the biggest issue Evans had back in his title shot with Jones at UFC 145 two years ago.

This fight could also help address Jones’ concerns that the UFC is granting all of the top contenders relatively unchallenged journeys toward a title shot. It would effectively create a true title contender and eliminate one of these fighters from title contention for the foreseeable future.

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Fans Deserve to See Jon Jones Fight Alexander Gustafsson, Daniel Cormier

At just 26 years old, Jon Jones is the greatest fighter on the planet.
Some, including this author, might say that the reigning light heavyweight champion has placed Anderson Silva and Fedor Emelianenko in his rear-view mirror, effectively becoming the…

At just 26 years old, Jon Jones is the greatest fighter on the planet.

Some, including this author, might say that the reigning light heavyweight champion has placed Anderson Silva and Fedor Emelianenko in his rear-view mirror, effectively becoming the greatest fighter the world has ever seen.

Being the pound-for-pound best doesn’t come without widespread, sometimes well-deserved criticism, though.

Whether it’s refusing to fight Chael Sonnen on short notice, being arrested for DWI or declining to sign a fight contract that would ensure a sequel to one of the greatest fights in the history of the light heavyweight championship, he’s long been a target of fans’ ire.

The first was questionable. The second was inexcusable. The third is unacceptable.

Fans of Jon Jones deserve more.

Spin it however you’d like, but there’s reason for boxing diehards to disregard Floyd Mayweather Jr. as the greatest fighter to ever live. A perfect record and impenetrable defense is great and all, but many will ceaselessly question why a bout between Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao never came to fruition.

Color it a dispute over revenue. Call it a clash over performance-enhancing drugs. Know it as a shame—MMA fans cannot let Jones make the same career-defining mistake.

Without a genuine statement from Jones, there’s no real way of understanding what’s preventing him from signing on for the rematch with Alexander Gustafsson. Some have speculated that he wants more money. Dana White has stated that Jones would rather fight Daniel Cormier instead. On his Facebook account, Gustafsson has gone as far as to claim Jones was “running” from him.

Jon ‘Bones’ Jones, be a man, be a champ and sign that bout agreement and stop running. Keep in mind that after I beat you and become the champ I might be doing the same for you when you chase me for a rematch, as a revenge for not accepting my challenge. Sooner or later you will have to face me, just make it sooner! The fans want this fight, UFC wants this fight and I want this fight, and I damn deserve it.

Impatient with the champ’s reluctance to defend his strap, Cormier, the UFC’s No. 2-ranked light heavyweight, has opened himself up to a fight with Gustafsson—a fight that would determine the UFC interim light heavyweight champion.

Cormier could lose his perfect record, and Gustafsson could lose that near-invincible aura he developed since going on a tear back in 2010—this fight wouldn’t be a good idea.

Jones should fight both because he’s the best to ever be, and some still don’t believe it.

Decisive victories against Gustafsson, the only man who fought him five rounds en route to a questionable decision, and Cormier, another man who many consider to be the only one who could consistently put Jones on his back, would cement his legacy and silence all the naysayers.

So, please, Jon, sign the contract and continue on your ascendance to unforeseen heights—your fans deserve it.

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