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UFC Nees to Show Georges St-Pierre the Money

One of the sport’s all-time most decorated fighters is ready to restart his career. All George St-Pierre is waiting on is his longtime promoter to compromise on a new deal so he can get going.
Only thing is, right now, there’s no deal.
Thi…

One of the sport’s all-time most decorated fighters is ready to restart his career. All George St-Pierre is waiting on is his longtime promoter to compromise on a new deal so he can get going.

Only thing is, right now, there’s no deal.

This is insane. St-Pierre was one of the classiest champions in MMA history. He opened up the entire Canadian market for the promotion. He was an ambassador for a brand and a sport. He is still just 35 years.

The UFC should be backing up a cash truck to his house, not playing hardball with him.

St-Pierre, who has not fought since November 2013, ended two years of speculation by finally announcing his intent to fight again on Monday’s edition of The MMA Hour. In doing so, he did not offer specifics on the stumbling blocks that have so far caused an impasse in negotiations. But in an April interview on the same show, St-Pierre mentioned a potential problem, citing sponsorship issues related to the UFC’s Reebok deal as a roadblock.

St-Pierre has been signed with athletic performance gear giant Under Armour since 2009, and in 2013, Forbes reported that he makes a seven-figure annual salary from the brand.

“A big issue is that when I was on contract, the Reebok deal wasn’t in place,” he said back in April. “So now, because of the Reebok deal, it changed a lot of things in my contract. We need to renegotiate maybe a new contract. I’m not allowed to wear my sponsors anymore, and I lose money.”

This is a real and significant concern for St-Pierre regarding big money. To suggest he should roll into the newly redefined landscape is to ignore many of the UFC’s actions that suggest it can make exceptions for the exceptional.

Let’s remember that just earlier this month, the UFC announced the return of former heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar after a nearly five-year absence.

While you can debate who was a more valuable commodity at his peak between Lesnar and St-Pierre, there’s no question which athlete was the more valuable over time and who did more for the company and its bottom line.

Yet the UFC went out of its way to negotiate an agreement to borrow Lesnar from WWE and sign him, simply to ensure a monster buyrate for a single show, UFC 200.

There is no real upside to Lesnar, no long-term future. Instead, it’s a one-night-only, limited engagement.

Just as he was before, St-Pierre remains the more valuable long-term puzzle piece for the UFC. He offers one of the most bankable names in the sport and an injection of energy in a suddenly sagging Canadian market. Free of the belt that once drove him to near obsession, he is also able to enter into high-profile matchups that would have previously been impossible.

For example, St-Pierre has already voiced an interest in moving up a division to middleweight and taking on newly minted champion Michael Bisping, who recently told Sky Sports, “If the UFC wants to do it, I would happily do it.”

His versatility spans multiple divisions. St-Pierre has said it would actually be easier for him to make lightweight than to fight at 185 pounds. With that revelation, he could fight anyone from Conor McGregor to Rafael dos Anjos to Nate Diaz.

If only he can strike a deal.

On Monday, St-Pierre said he is leaving the negotiations to his managers Rudolph Beaulieu and Philippe Lepage, saying he was only one voice in a group that has pledged to unanimously agree upon any GSP-related deals before signing.

“First, it’s an issue but I’m trying to not get involved into this,” he said regarding the talks. “It’s legal language. English is not my first language, and even if you speak English sometimes it’s hard to read a contract with the legal language, you know what I mean? So it’s a very difficult thing, but I’m sure they can put their egos aside on both parties and make an agreement for the best of both sides.”

Asked to provide comment from the UFC’s side of the negotiating table, vice president of public relations Dave Sholler declined.

This should not be a hard decision for the promotion. If this was any other sport, St-Pierre would probably be in the fold immediately. This is a man who stepped away on the heels of a 12-fight win streak and who remains just as popular as he’s always been.

But the UFC is preoccupied. It has its biggest week of the year coming up on Independence Day weekend with three events in three days, and oh, yeah, there is that pesky UFC sale rumor that just won’t go away.

So for now, St-Pierre is relegated to the back burner. There are other pressing matters, and other, easier ways to bring cash in the front door.

For the UFC, business is so good that it can slow-play one of the best ever to walk into the Octagon. The company is so busy that it will get around to him when there’s time.

It shouldn’t be that way. St-Pierre is a champion, a gentleman, a legend. He doesn’t just deserve better treatment; he’s earned it.

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Welterweight’s New Wonder Stephen Thompson on Track for UFC Gold

The future came and went Saturday night, maybe out of the Octagon for good. Rory MacDonald was supposed to be the heir to Georges St-Pierre, the next-generation MMA star who would show the sport how its new army of youth could evolve it. Instead, there is a new wonder in town, another reminder there is nothing as dangerous as a specialist who rounds out his game.

Stephen Thompson proved it again at UFC Fight Night 89, outworking and out-thumping MacDonald in the evening’s headliner.

These are men going in two very different directions. Thompson going up, up and away like a certain superhero who seems unbreakable, MacDonald with a shattered nose, a second consecutive loss and perhaps one foot out the door.

For “Wonderboy,” a title fight has to be next. A seven-fight win streak is difficult in the UFC; doing it in the welterweight division—historically the most competitive in the UFC—is close to impossible. Yet here he stands with consecutive wins over MacDonald, Johny Hendricks and Jake Ellenberger, among others.

Following his decimation of former champion Hendricks, there were suspicions Thompson might vault past the rest of the division and into a title shot. Thompson and his team lobbied for it, but the UFC went into this strange direction, throwing him back in the contender pool against an opponent who had just competed for the belt a year prior.

It was a calculated risk for both Thompson and the UFC, because MacDonald, who was coming into the match on the last bout of his contract and ranked as the top contender, could have won and then bolted the promotion, leaving the division in a lurch. It must be said that everything worked out for the first two parties.

UFC now has negotiation leverage on MacDonald, and it has Thompson teed up, likely to wait for the winner of UFC 201’s title bout between champ Robbie Lawler and challenger Tyron Woodley.

Rarely do top contenders voice a preference for a specific opponent. Thompson did.

“I would rather fight Robbie Lawler, and I think Robbie Lawler‘s going to win it,” Thompson said in the post-fight press conference. “He’s stayed active and Woodley hasn’t. He maybe will have some cage rust. Tyron has been known to slow down, and Lawler gets stronger as the rounds go. I see Robbie Lawler winning that fight and would love to fight him hopefully in New York City (UFC 205), and yeah, I think Robbie Lawler will be the guy.”

Thompson-Lawler would certainly be the more aesthetically pleasing fight for most. Lawler is a master of hands, a stone-fisted stoic who would probably have a hard time backing down from any kind of firefight. Most likely, he’ll flash his devious smile and partake in a style that is not just most conducive to himself, but to Thompson, too.

And what we’re learning as Thompson’s career goes on is that kind of approach is generally a mistake.

Thompson is a master at this stand-up game in a way few others can boast. He has intuitive spatial awareness, he’s in constant motion, he switches stances and he’s accurate. He’s brilliant at keeping opponents outside of striking range with kicks and drilling them when they attempt to breach the void. With him, an opponent is either too far away or in no man’s land.

Years ago when MacDonald led the vanguard of MMA-first newcomers, we were fed the belief their well-roundedness would dominate. What we’re finding is that a sword is often more valuable than a Swiss Army knife. A fighter can be great at one thing and good enough at everything else and compete at a very high level, as long as he can funnel everything to his strength.

Thompson is currently teaching a masterclass in that approach.

MacDonald did attempt to attack through unconventional means, several times diving at Thompson’s feet hunting for leg locks. Every time, Thompson pulled free. Aside from a fifth round where MacDonald acknowledged his scorecard deficit and threw caution to the wind to put himself in the danger zone—an approach that led to a broken nose, he said in the post-fight presser—it was his only real dedicated push for offense.

“What I was surprised with was that he wasn’t rushing in,” MacDonald said in the post-fight press conference. “He was picking his shots. The distance was very challenging. I felt like I could’ve bridged the gap a little better. I’m gonna work on that. That distance was a big factor. I was unsuccessful with the takedowns. I thought I would’ve been more successful with takedowns and clinching.”

While Thompson almost certainly has a date with the owner of shiny gold belt ahead of him, MacDonald’s future has gone completely hazy.

For him, everything about the fight was a risk. The longtime UFC star went into the bout with an expiring contract, knowing his future value would be determined by the result. With a win, he would have held on to his current No. 1 contender ranking as he hit the open market, an enviable position in a sport where young and peaking athletes rarely reach free agency. Instead, with the loss, he can no longer call his shot. Moreover, he can expect some promoters to price him down as damaged goods following consecutive losses.

MacDonald is still just 26 years old, and after almost a year on the sidelines, it wouldn’t take much convincing for most to believe ring rust may have played a role, but Thompson’s style was certainly as significant a factor.

To prepare for Thompson’s funky offensive rhythms, MacDonald imported American kickboxer Raymond Daniels, a flashy, fast striker who almost a decade ago faced Thompson during Chuck Norris’ short-lived World Combat League.

The awkwardness of the fight was furthered by the fighters’ shared history. Years ago, when Georges St-Pierre still ruled the welterweight division, Thompson was brought in as a training partner. Of course, MacDonald was training at St-Pierre’s foot, and all three became friends. This fight booking was uncomfortable from the get-go.

Now they go their own ways. MacDonald’s once-beaming future is now filled with questions. He will heal his nose and figure out what’s next. And Thompson? There is no doubt about his next destination. The only question is will he or won’t he win gold.

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After Years of Flirting, It’s Now or Never for Fedor Emelianenko and UFC

On Friday, on the other side of the world, the best fighter never to fight in the UFC will walk back into a cage for a promotion named Eurasia Fight Nights. Do you care? You should care, if only because Fedor Emelianenko is probably the best heavyweigh…

“The Last Emperor” is 39, and after a short tailspin that saw him lose three straight, he has returned to his winning ways, in the process reigniting the hope that he may one day cross off the last remaining desire of his longtime fans and grace the UFC Octagon with his presence.

Emelianenko did his share to reignite the flame when he visited with Ariel Helwani on Monday’s edition of The MMA Hour. Asked if we could possibly see him fighting under the UFC banner by the end of the year, he said through his interpreter, “Yes. To answer you question in a word, ‘Yes.’ That possibility does exist.”

And with that, a million headlines were born.

To be fair, however, up until that point Emelianenko had mirrored his fighting style by showing calculated restraint in broaching the subject. There are and always have been obstacles between the sides. Here’s hoping that time has eased them enough to make the road passable.

We’ll find out soon enough. Emelianenko has the Friday date with ex-UFC fighter Fabio Maldonado on his slate—ironically, the bout airs on UFC Fight Pass—and after that, he is a free agent.

“On June 18,” he said on The MMA Hour, “I am open for negotiations with all organizations.”

We’ve heard this kind of thing before, going back about a decade, since the last time Emelianenko fought for his longtime home, PRIDE. Since then, he’s fought for a gaggle of promotions that are now defunct, and a few others that have only made small dents on the international scene. He has basically been MMA’s top ronin, plying his trade for the top bidder in faraway lands.

It’s made him a good living and, along with his ridiculous decade-long win streak during his prime, made him something of a mythical figure in the larger MMA world. But while the fight world has expanded geographically, money isn’t as plentiful as it once was. When Emelianenko goes looking for his next deal, there will be only a few bidders able to match his price.

Say what you will about the UFC’s unwillingness to bend on some of Emelianenko‘s negotiation points and its inability to strike a deal with him, but the organization has always come to the table.

There are indications that will continue. A source with knowledge of Emelianenko’s free-agency process told Bleacher Report that the UFC has had discussions with him “multiple times” in the past, including in recent months.

The UFC has also indicated an interest in producing a show in his home country of Russia, an event that would certainly benefit from his presence.

At least one major obstacle—perhaps the largest between them—is gone. Emelianenko’s longtime manager Vadim Finkelchtein is no longer by his side. Finkelchtein is the man who always insisted that any promotion of Emelianenko had to be a co-promotion with his organization, M-1. That was always the key barrier between sides, a sticking point that UFC brass would never agree to. No matter what you bring to the table, the UFC won’t split the pie down the middle.

With Finkelchtein gone and his demand along with him, the chances of both sides reaching a deal increases infinitely.

Maybe it’s meant to be.

Emelianenko has already had luck on his side in that he competes in the oldest division in the UFC. Among the heavyweight top 10, there’s not a single one under the age of 30. The youngest of the bunch, former champion Junior dos Santos, is 32.

In the last few years, we’ve seen the resurgences of 42-year-old Mark Hunt, 37-year-old Andrei Arlovski and 36-year-old Alistair Overeem. Just as importantly, there’s no real signs that the division is about to turn over. There is some younger talent, but Ruslan Magomedov (29), Francis Ngannou (29) and Stefan Struve (28) are the only 20-somethings threatening to crack the top 10, and none of them are looked at as surefire title contenders.

The division has always skewed old, and it’s aged right alongside Emelianenko. That means the opportunity is there not just to come in, but also to make some noise. While it would be irresponsible to suggest that someone of his age will definitely make a run at the belt, he brings a history that might bring with it special treatment. A win or two would probably vault him near the top of the pack. It’s a short way to the throne when you’re The Last Emperor.

The thing is, he may not even care so much about adding another belt to his extensive collection. He might simply be interested in fighting for the world’s biggest promotion. Even legends have bucket lists.

Judging by his words, it seems like the UFC is on his. Twice during his interview, Emelianenko said he would like to fight for the UFC before he hangs up his gloves for the last time.

Judging from the UFC’s actions, they’re interested, too. Emelianenko is the one who got away, the one who can help push a Russian expansion.

A union works for everyone. Maybe it’s fate. Maybe it’s just the inevitable finally coming to fruition. Either way, both sides are just about out of time.

For Emelianenko and the UFC, it’s now or never.

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Misunderstood Yet Wildly Popular, Kimbo Slice Lived 21st-Century American Dream

The man arrived at just the right time, an underground character delivered through a disruptive media platform meant to broadcast from all the dark corners that never saw light. He was a block of muscle who said little but communicated with his presenc…

The struggle is real.

We’re out here literally fighting for a future.

And when we heard his name, it was all too perfect.

Kimbo Slice.

It slid off the tongue with ominous intentions.

Even if it turned out to be a nom de guerre, it turned out to be a perfect one.

It was the name that launched a million headlines.

Kimbo.

It also propelled a promotion, hit the big time and paved the way to an American dream.

That dream ended far too early.

Kimbo Slice, aka Kevin Ferguson, died Monday, as confirmed by his team, American Top Team, and various news outlets. He was just 42 years old.

For those who only saw him appear on their screens, Kimbo was a character designed to elicit response. In a sense, he was a marketing gimmick. He was never going to be a championship-level fighter in either boxing or mixed martial arts. He started way too late for that. But he could be interesting. He could draw eyeballs like few in either sport. He could be special.

He was, in a sense, one of the first reality stars.

After his YouTube videos captivated millions of people, he got the opportunity to go national. Signed as a building block for the upstart EliteXC, Slice attracted such huge audiences to Showtime that parent company CBS could not resist the lure of putting him on national television.

On May 31, 2008, in a move that was nothing short of surreal, Slice, just two years removed from obscurity and a dozen years removed from homelessness, headlined MMA‘s first show on primetime network television. It drew a then-record 6.51 million viewers.

Not Randy Couture or Chuck Liddell or Royce Gracie.

Kimbo Slice.

In a way, it was perfect, the arrival of MMA with both its unmatched buzz and undeniable blemishes.

Here we are. Take us or leave us.

There is much to be said about the career Slice had in the mixed martial arts cage, which was mostly uneven. He won his share of fights, lost others, then tested positive for the steroid nandrolone.

But to the end, he remained a draw, pulling in over 2.7 million viewers for his last bout with Dhafir “Dada 5000” Harris at Bellator 149 in February.

Away from the cage, Slice, known as “Ferg” or “Big Ferg,” was soft-spoken, gentle and insightful.

He was also unaffected by his celebrity. Years ago, I was scheduled to interview Slice at a hotel in New York City. When I arrived with a media relations person that morning, we knocked on his hotel room door to find him and a group of family members, some sitting around, some laying around. On the floor, on the bed, on the couch. Everywhere. The media relations person asked Slice how they liked the accommodations.

It’s a little cramped but otherwise OK, he said.

“The other room, too?” the media relations person asked him.

“What other room?” Slice asked.

While a TV network had booked multiple rooms for him and his entourage, they had slept six or seven to the one room without complaint.

When the interview began, he was polite but reserved, so I decided to switch gears to open him up. I had read that his son was an excellent football player and asked about him. His eyes lit up, and we spent much of the rest of the interview discussing his family and his motivations.

Turns out, Kimbo was a sweetheart.

Like the rest of us parents, he was just trying to do the best he could for his children: Kevin Jr., Kevin II, Kevlar, Kassandra, Kiara and Kevina.

Like the rest of us children, he was just trying to make his mom proud.

They can lay him to rest knowing he did both.

Slice is many ways is a 21st-century American dream, a self-made man who took his gift and marketed himself to the moon.

In that, he was a winner. That was the end goal—not a championship or the respect of the sport’s followers. He wanted to put on a show and be paid for starring in it. Everything else was secondary. In that way, he was a prizefighter’s prizefighter.

It was not a Hall of Fame-worthy career, but it was a Hall of Fame-worthy life, something out of the movies. Maybe one day it will be one.

Fighting takes its toll on a man. Slice had done it so long, it became part of who he was. If there is any silver lining to the early passing of a gentleman and a father, it’s that he doesn’t have to fight anymore. For now and forever, his incredible American success story will speak for him.

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Brock Lesnar’s Shocking UFC Return Is Years Too Late and Right on Time

There are few sports that lend themselves to rumors the way mixed martial arts does. We have seen a backyard brawler become a major star, the sport’s major promoter agree to box one of his stars, and two brothers agree to fight each other. Someone once paid disgraced baseball star Jose Canseco to fight a giant. Hell, we spent most of the last few weeks listening to nonsensical rumors that Conor McGregor would fight Floyd Mayweather Jr.

That is why when something crazy pops up (which tends to happen quite often), it’s almost impossible to dismiss out of hand. We have seen too much bizarre stuff happen. Madness is part of what we love about it. Chaos is our favorite ingredient.

Chaos.

In a way it’s what we hope for. Those of us who watch MMA like it best when it’s messy—when fact and fiction blend into something indistinguishable and the truth can only be found between eight walls.

Speaking of chaos, did you hear Brock Lesnar is back?

No, seriously, it’s true. MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani reported Saturday the former college wrestler/pro wrestler/NFL hopeful who breezed into the fight world, shook it up, then rode off back to his ranch in the woods has decided there are a few more asses to (legitimately) kick before time robs him of his beastliness.

Of course he did.

Of course the mercenary couldn’t turn down the monster payday that is going to come along at July 9’s UFC 200.

This is how desperate the UFC was to sign him: It doesn’t even have an opponent for him. It just figures Lesnar will sell. And it’s probably right. Lesnar, after all, still holds the UFC record for the highest pay-per-view buyrate, headlining a card that drew 1.6 million buys in 2009, per Forbes.com.

That card? UFC 100.

Now here we are seven years later. And to be sure, he’s not back because he just likes round numbers. I mean, he likes them, but the ones with a dollar sign in front.

This was the right money, the right card, the right time.

Even if at 38 years old, Lesnar is too old.

Does any of this make sense? No! None of it does, which is why it’s perfect.

To be clear, Lesnar would probably be better off staying retired. He has not won a match since UFC 116 and hasn’t competed since December 2011. The sport has evolved without him. During his heyday, heavyweights were focused on size. Both he and Shane Carwin cut weight to make the 265-pound limit. So did Lesnar’s favored rival, Frank Mir, and several others.

These days, heavyweight champ Stipe Miocic barely passes the 240 mark. He favors speed and athleticism over sheer bulk, and several other big guys, including another Lesnar rival, Alistair Overeem, have slimmed down to keep up.

In reality, Lesnar is late.

And somehow, he is right on time.

After all, his career didn’t get the ending he deserved. It was cut down early.

In a way, you can argue we never saw the best of him. Remember, he was a force who never reached his full potential because the company rushed him into top-level competition and he didn’t have time to grow into a skill set. Most of this was not his fault. He was too busy making millions in professional wrestling.

And then when he realized he wanted to try real fighting and found out he was good at it, his body gave out on him. Diverticulitis changed the course of his career, forcing him to retire after just four years of competition.

And like that, he was gone, back to pro wrestling and out of our lives, never to return. But you know what they say about fighters. They never really retire, they’re just waiting.

Every few months, the rumors would surface. Lesnar wants to return. Lesnar is back in training. Those of us who report on such rumors would look into it, only to be told nothing much was happening.

In March 2015, the rumors should have gone away for good. Lesnar announced on SportsCenter he was done. “So I’m here to say that my legacy in the Octagon is over,” he said in announcing a WWE deal, via For the Win.

But the whispers never died. In a way, they felt like hopeful murmurs rather than anything grounded in reality.

Yet here we are. The Beast Incarnate is back, and the fight world is thrilled even though most of us probably know the odds are it won’t go all that well.

Who will he fight? Who knows. Mir would be the obvious choice, but he’s facing a possible suspension for a failed performance-enhancing drug test. Carwin—now 41 years old—has toyed with the idea of staging his own comeback and stated he wants the fight. Also, Mark Hunt informed Nick Walshaw and Nick Campton of the Daily Telegraph he was told to be prepared for a possible UFC 200 fight.

The reality is, the opponent doesn’t matter. This comeback is a novelty until Lesnar proves it isn’t. Those eight walls have a way of squeezing the truth out of anyone—even a beast—so it shouldn’t take long to determine fact from fiction. Until about, oh, July 9.

It’ll be both years too late, and right on time.

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A Star Is Born: Cody Garbrandt Goes from Unranked to Instant UFC Title Contender

In the history of the UFC, there had never been an event headlined by a non-title bantamweight fight. This is for a lot of reasons, but the biggest is there is an inherent fan bias against the smaller divisions, something the UFC is keenly aware of.
It…

It takes a special talent to break through that artificial boundary.

Hundreds of guys have tried, but the list of small men who have successfully transformed themselves into legitimate MMA gate attractions is short.

B.J. Penn.

Conor McGregor.

That’s it.

What does it take to add a new name to the list? We may be on the way to finding out.

Cody Garbrandt could be the one to follow them, to become the first bantamweight to break out big.

Unranked but undefeated heading into Sunday night, Garbrandt walked into the octagon as an intriguing talent with a small but loyal following and a striking presence. Two minutes and 53 seconds later, everything had changed.

Garbrandt was for real, the future, the chosen one.

While cynics will certainly caution the bandwagon to pump the brakes on the excitement a bit, Garbrandt gave observers plenty of evidence that he may well be the future of the division after absolutely crushing the guy who was supposed to be the future of the division.

Thomas Almeida was 21-0 and ranked in the top 10, and he was nothing more than a speed bump for Garbrandt.

The American’s strikes were faster, sharper and more powerful. But it wasn’t just physical superiority that decided the bout. Garbrandt’s finish had some subtle polish to it. Straight maturity.

After rocking Almeida with a short right, it would have been easy for Garbrandt to rush in to look for the close. That’s a common mistake for young fighters, who are often anxious to impress and to earn a bonus. Hell, it’s even fairly common for experienced fighters.

Patience while pushing for the finish is a trait most of the best share. They observe, process, then advance.

That’s exactly what Garbrandt did, sniping from the outside, keeping distance, letting Almeida wade into his own demise.

While Almeida was winging wide strikes, Garbrandt’s right hand was short and sweet. And after lasering in repeatedly, the finisher came with a detonating hook to the chin. The shot came off a crow hop, you know, for extra torque. Wicked stuff.

Garbrandt has that rare gift of explosion in his fists. Dynamite. The touch of unwanted sleep.

It’s a gift that transcends any other characteristic. Personality. Nationality. Even weight divisions.

“Definitely I believe in myself, and I believe I’m the hardest hitter in my division,” he said in the post-fight press conference. “I felt his energy. I know he’s a slow starter, so I had to get on him. Once I saw he was bleeding, I jumped on him. I got after him. I saw the speed difference, but definitely the power difference was big.”

That might always be the case for Garbrandt. You just don’t see the kind of thud he has walking around the 135-pound class. Dominick Cruz is death by 1,000 angled cuts. T.J. Dillashaw is a compiler. Urijah Faber is a cardio king who grinds you into dust.

Garbrandt? He is a shrunken Chuck Liddell.

We’ll fight where I say we’ll fight, and oh, here’s a right-hand hammer of Thor for suggesting otherwise.

The amazing thing is Garbrandt wasn’t even ranked heading into the bout. But that’s the kind of faith UFC had in this matchup.

By placing Garbrandt and Almeida as the headliners, the promotion was essentially telling the world the winner of the bout was about to take the rocket ship ride toward the top of the division.

Remember, no bantamweights had ever seen the top of a UFC card without a title on the line, and here was Garbrandt—unranked—enjoying the view from the top. This was smart and forward-thinking booking.

Sure, the attendance was a disappointment—just 5,193 fans were inside the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, according to the UFC—but it was a quality gamble with an eye on the potential long-term dividends.

Garbrandt didn’t disappoint, demanding the UFC rankings committee reconsider his ranking—expect to see him crack the top 10—and asking for another big fight on September’s UFC 203 card.

“The higher ranked the opponent, the brighter the lights, the more I shine,” he said. “I need those top fighters to bring it out of me. I want top five fighters, that’s where I believe I’m at.”

That’s where the rest of us should believe he’s at too. It would have been difficult, perhaps impossible, to walk away from the event thinking you hadn’t seen someone special. Garbrandt may not become a champion within a year or two; only time will tell that. But he has it. He has presence and power, things that have proved quite difficult to find in lower divisions.

So when he spoke to the rest of the fighters in his weight class, he might as well have been talking to the rest of us.

“Strap those boots on tight,” he said. “Because I’m gonna knock you out of them.”

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