Gee whiz, what’s a guy gotta to do to win a belt around here? Well, we’re here to try and paint both sides of the picture on this polarizing, yet very important debate. Anyone who’s familiar with the UFC has not only heard, but has personally experienced this question before – what exactly do you have
Gee whiz, what’s a guy gotta to do to win a belt around here? Well, we’re here to try and paint both sides of the picture on this polarizing, yet very important debate.
Anyone who’s familiar with the UFC has not only heard, but has personally experienced this question before – what exactly do you have to do to win a title fight in the judges eyes if you’re the challenger? We’ve seen it go both ways before, such as Robbie Lawler’s close win over Carlos Condit earlier this year, or, of course, Jon Jones’ incredibly controversial split decision win over Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 165. Conversely, we’ve obviously seen the other side of the coin with Dominick Cruz vs TJ Dillashaw earlier this year in January.
In the former examples, the champ edges out a razor-thin decision, just barely squeaking out the win and retains his belt. In the latter, the challenger does just enough to best the champ and earn the nod from the judges.
But enough chatter, let’s break this debate down and analyze both sides of this long-standing unwritten rule that the challenger must decisively beat the champ in order to be the champ.
Mixed martial arts fights don’t always pan out the way they’re supposed to. Whether for poor game planning, bad refereeing or atrocious judging, plenty of high-profile bouts have escaped normality. In nature they are good, but controversial at the core. From unknowing submission taps to unrewarded beatdowns, the UFC’s Octagon has seen many of these
Mixed martial arts fights don’t always pan out the way they’re supposed to.
Whether for poor game planning, bad refereeing or atrocious judging, plenty of high-profile bouts have escaped normality. In nature they are good, but controversial at the core.
From unknowing submission taps to unrewarded beatdowns, the UFC’s Octagon has seen many of these disputable occurrences first hand. So much so that we’ve decided to create a list for these promotional hiccups.
Personal opinions will be had, but here are the top 10 most controversial bouts in UFC history.
In mixed martial arts (MMA), we can often point out certain competitors that just seem to have been crafted from a different cloth. The toughness and grit needed to compete inside of the cage is unparalleled, and while all fighters should be given credit for taking on such a daunting task, not all fighters have
In mixed martial arts (MMA), we can often point out certain competitors that just seem to have been crafted from a different cloth.
The toughness and grit needed to compete inside of the cage is unparalleled, and while all fighters should be given credit for taking on such a daunting task, not all fighters have that extra push deep inside of them.
Some of our favorite combatants are simply warriors at heart; they were made to do what they do, and in MMA, enduring punishment is sometimes just as important as dishing it out.
Let’s take a look at 10 of the UFC’s toughest fighters:
Nate Diaz (20-10) stunned the MMA oddsmakers on Saturday night by defeating Conor McGregor (19-3) by submission in the 2nd round. Diaz has gotten all the eyes of the MMA world watching him now after defeating the biggest draw in the UFC. McGregor says he will be moving down back to 145 pounds to defend his belt.
But what is next for the Stockton product? Diaz has a lot of options now and here are three fights that make sense for him after winning the biggest fight of his career.
Rafael Dos Anjos (24-7): Conor McGregor has indicated that he will be defending his featherweight belt next instead of having the chance to fight Rafael Dos Anjos. This leaves RDA without a potential fighter to face in the foreseeable future. Tony Ferguson and Khabib Nurmagomedov are scheduled to fight each other in mid-April so you have two top contenders already booked for a fight.
Some might say a fight with #1 ranked Eddie Alvarez makes the most sense for RDA’s title defense, an RDA vs. Diaz rematch makes the most sense from a business perspective. Although Dos Anjos definitively beat Diaz in 2013, the younger Diaz has an incredibly impressive two-fight win streak over Michael Johnson and Conor McGregor. He has improved tremendously since his bout with RDA, utilizing his reach and embracing his Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu more. Rafael Dos Anjos vs. Nate Diaz 2 could be a good candidate for UFC 200.
Carlos Condit (30-8): Carlos Condit is coming off of a title loss to Robbie Lawler at UFC 195 in which many considered as a “fight of the year” candidate. Some thought that he won the fight as Condit threw 176 significant strikes compared to Lawler’s 92 significant strikes. The 31 year-old has indicated that he may retire after his title bout loss. There are numerous qualified candidates to fight Lawler for the belt (Woodley, Thompson, MacDonald), a fight that could make sense for Condit would be a fight with Nate Diaz.
“The Natural Born Killer” has already fought his older brother Nick Diaz, so it would be a perfect billing on his resume to be able to say he shared the Octagon with both of the Diaz brothers. Like Condit, Diaz has exceptional standup skills and both competitors are extremely dangerous off of their backs.
Robbie Lawler (26-10): Nate Diaz collected a win in the Welterweight division on Saturday. This should not be ignored. Robbie Lawler is in a division with multiple contenders vying for a shot at the title. Why not give Nate Diaz a shot at the belt? Dana White has already flirted with the idea of giving Diaz a crack at the 170-pound belt.
Also, Lawler has lost to Nick Diaz in the past and would like to avenge that loss. However, with the elder Diaz serving a suspension, a bout with his younger brother could be an alternative. Stylistically too, this could be a back-and-forth slugfest. “Ruthless” loves to engage in the pocket as much as Nate Diaz does. Both have incredible chins and have similar a size and reach.
So fans, what fight do you think makes the most sense for Nate Diaz moving forward?
Nate Diaz (20-10) stunned the MMA oddsmakers on Saturday night by defeating Conor McGregor (19-3) by submission in the 2nd round. Diaz has gotten all the eyes of the MMA world watching him now after defeating the biggest draw in the UFC. McGregor says he will be moving down back to 145 pounds to defend his belt.
But what is next for the Stockton product? Diaz has a lot of options now and here are three fights that make sense for him after winning the biggest fight of his career.
Rafael Dos Anjos (24-7): Conor McGregor has indicated that he will be defending his featherweight belt next instead of having the chance to fight Rafael Dos Anjos. This leaves RDA without a potential fighter to face in the foreseeable future. Tony Ferguson and Khabib Nurmagomedov are scheduled to fight each other in mid-April so you have two top contenders already booked for a fight.
Some might say a fight with #1 ranked Eddie Alvarez makes the most sense for RDA’s title defense, an RDA vs. Diaz rematch makes the most sense from a business perspective. Although Dos Anjos definitively beat Diaz in 2013, the younger Diaz has an incredibly impressive two-fight win streak over Michael Johnson and Conor McGregor. He has improved tremendously since his bout with RDA, utilizing his reach and embracing his Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu more. Rafael Dos Anjos vs. Nate Diaz 2 could be a good candidate for UFC 200.
Carlos Condit (30-8): Carlos Condit is coming off of a title loss to Robbie Lawler at UFC 195 in which many considered as a “fight of the year” candidate. Some thought that he won the fight as Condit threw 176 significant strikes compared to Lawler’s 92 significant strikes. The 31 year-old has indicated that he may retire after his title bout loss. There are numerous qualified candidates to fight Lawler for the belt (Woodley, Thompson, MacDonald), a fight that could make sense for Condit would be a fight with Nate Diaz.
“The Natural Born Killer” has already fought his older brother Nick Diaz, so it would be a perfect billing on his resume to be able to say he shared the Octagon with both of the Diaz brothers. Like Condit, Diaz has exceptional standup skills and both competitors are extremely dangerous off of their backs.
Robbie Lawler (26-10): Nate Diaz collected a win in the Welterweight division on Saturday. This should not be ignored. Robbie Lawler is in a division with multiple contenders vying for a shot at the title. Why not give Nate Diaz a shot at the belt? Dana White has already flirted with the idea of giving Diaz a crack at the 170-pound belt.
Also, Lawler has lost to Nick Diaz in the past and would like to avenge that loss. However, with the elder Diaz serving a suspension, a bout with his younger brother could be an alternative. Stylistically too, this could be a back-and-forth slugfest. “Ruthless” loves to engage in the pocket as much as Nate Diaz does. Both have incredible chins and have similar a size and reach.
So fans, what fight do you think makes the most sense for Nate Diaz moving forward?
The UFC welterweight division has been one of the most consistent classes in mixed martial arts (MMA) over the past 10 years, if not the best. As a middle ground for athleticism, speed, versatility, and finishing power, the 170-pound weight class has offered some of the most exciting championship tilts in promotional history. Not to mention
The UFC welterweight division has been one of the most consistent classes in mixed martial arts (MMA) over the past 10 years, if not the best.
As a middle ground for athleticism, speed, versatility, and finishing power, the 170-pound weight class has offered some of the most exciting championship tilts in promotional history. Not to mention legendary fighters such as Georges St-Pierre, Matt Hughes, and B.J. Penn.
But as today’s sport continues to evolve, so does the welterweight appeal. From a tumultuous Robbie Lawler to striking aficionado Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson, from a resurgent Carlos Condit to an overpowering Tyron Woodley, it’s starting to look like the division will produce even more title fight fireworks in the near future.
However, in order to appreciate what we might see from the current group of core contenders, we must first look back on the timeless battles of the past. Ones that created Octagon gods, crippled legends, and celebrated perfected violence.
Here are the eight best welterweight championship fights in UFC history.
Skyrocketing UFC welterweight Stephen Thompson shocked possibly the UFC’s most talented division when he knocked out former champion Johny Hendricks in the first round of UFC Fight Night 82 last night from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Coming into the fight at No. 8, Thompson exhibited world-class striking range that simply had
Skyrocketing UFC welterweight Stephen Thompson shocked possibly the UFC’s most talented division when he knocked out former champion Johny Hendricks in the first round of UFC Fight Night 82 last night from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Coming into the fight at No. 8, Thompson exhibited world-class striking range that simply had “Bigg Rigg” neutralized in the Octagon after an early first round takedown attempt. The much shorter Hendricks ever got his once-vaunted power punching going, and instead ate a monstrously precise straight left that opened up the floodgates for one of Thompson’s trademark spinning kicks, after which a flurry of punches caused a surprisingly quick stoppage to the fight.
‘Wonderboy’ called out for a title shot versus Robbie Lawler following his biggest MMA win, and after he handled the former champ with such ease, and it might be tough to deny him at this point. However, there are a slew of top contenders like Rory MacDonald, Tyron Woodley, and Carlos Condit ranked ahead of him, and all of them would certainly make for exciting match-ups that could decide the next title challenger. He could also face the winner of May’s Demian Maia vs. Matt Brown, bout which would be a rematch of his only UFC loss if Brown were to win.
No matter what direction the UFC takes with their flashy star in the making, the future is bright for ‘Wonderboy’ and his next fight will be a pivotal one. Whom do you think he should meet in the Octagon?
