I’ll Allow It…

Like everyone, I was super bummed about Luke Rockhold pulling out of UFC Fight Night 101 due to knee injury.  Set for November 27th against Jacare Souza, it would’ve been a rematch 5 years in the making. While it’s hard to replace what could’ve possibly been the next contender for the middleweight title, a Whittaker vs. Brunson fight ain’t bad.

If anyone knows about Whittaker’s raw power combined with his well rounded skill and high fight IQ knows this one will be a barn burner. Brunson however is an absolute monster with no fear, just recently folding up Uriah Hall in the first round like a beach chair. Though Whittaker MIGHT be able to stand with Brunson, once it hits the ground it’s all over but the tears as Brunson is a 3x division II All American wrestler with a purple belt under the Renzo Gracie academy. But we all know how MMA math goes so that one will be worth watching.

So what does this mean for the middleweight picture? Does this automatically set up a title match between Jacare Souza  and champ Michael Bisping? Probably not. Although this is what the fans want to see and it makes logical sense, it seems Bisping is calling out anyone from Nick Diaz to GSP, anyone but the who’s who of the middleweight division.

Now it’s hard to call a UFC veteran “scared”, but he’s definitely looking for the easiest money making fight he can get, and who can blame him? That’s the thing with the new era of MMA, it’s no longer about the best matchups but about the biggest payday. Not wrong, but different, we’ve got a whole lot of Conor McGregor’s running around but unlike Conor they’re not taking the toughest matchups just chasing after the biggest paydays. This leaves the sport with  no heart, a lot of paperchasers looking out for themselves instead of giving it all for the sport…but I digress.

If Dana White’s past actions are any indications most likely Jacare will be on the sidelines for a while. One would have to imagine the winner of the Wiedman vs. Romero fight would secure a title shot with a dominant victory. If money isn’t an issue Jacare could refuse to fight for anything less than a title shot but if it is he may have to take another fight in the meantime. The middleweight division is a strange fruit that will probably get weirder before the year is out. Who knows, Robert Whittaker or Derek Brunson may be in the running sooner than we think.

Let us know what you think of the main event and the middleweight picture in general in the comments section below.

Lionel Harris-Spence is a local drunk and part time writer for Cage Potato, and Generation Iron MMA. You can catch him screaming obscenities at a flat screen during most MMA events

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