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With or without undisputed status, Dustin Poirier will retire a legend

With or without undisputed status Dustin Poirier will retiree legend Dustin Poirier obviously wants a title, but does his legacy need it?

There’s likely nothing in the contract for Dustin Poirier’s UFC 302 fight that explicitly states it will be his last-ever chance at a world championship. However, the fact that Saturday will be his final chance to become the division’s top name when he faces Islam Makhachev has felt like an unwritten rule ever since their matchup was revealed.

In what will be his 31st UFC appearance, 35-year-old Dustin Poirier will be trying to become undisputed champ for a third time. When given those numbers, it’s hard to wonder how much is left in his career.

At least, Poirier is having those thoughts. In the lead-up to his fight this weekend, he told CBS Sports that he’s seriously considering calling it quits soon: “I’ve been doing this a long time. It’s a very selfish sport. I’m ready to be a father and be a husband and be home and be into a routine. I wouldn’t say I can’t do it again. I can do it again. It’s just … this is it for me.”

His recent comments made it clearer than ever that this weekend is Dustin Poirier’s final chance at the lightweight title. Even if there was a world where he could find a fourth pathway to a title, he doesn’t want to walk that route.

Now knowing what Poirier feels on the inside, we’re set up for a dramatic storyline this weekend. It’s no longer an open secret that it’s his last chance, we know it is. Saturday is truly a do or die situation for Poirier to prove that he’s one of the best. But amid all of the hype and drama that will emerge this weekend, it’s important to remember that win or lose, Poirier has already proven enough to be considered a legendary fighter.

Dustin poirier’s Longevity At The Top

When looking at Poirier’s career, it feels like an undisputed championship run is the one thing he hasn’t truly tackled. Other than the elusive undisputed champ status, Poirier has stacked his career full of big moments.

While there isn’t any gold to put to his name (unless you count a brief interim title run), Dustin Poirier has easily been one of the most dominant forces in the lightweight division for a decade. While many top names have come and gone, Poirier has not only stayed active but remained among the best.

Dustin Poirier was just 21 years old when he joined the UFC roster. The Louisiana-born and raised fighter very much grew up in the cage, with his amateur days dating back to when he had just turned 18. Before even hitting what you could consider the prime of his career, Poirier had made a living fighting at featherweight, a division rarely associated with him nowadays. Those who only started following the sport in the mid-2010s amid the popularity of Conor McGregor and Ronda Rousey—myself included—likely wouldn’t have any recollection of this time in his career.

While he had high-profile fights, like a 2012 main event loss to The Korean Zombie, a main event fight the next year against Cub Swanson and a meeting across McGregor in 2014, Dustin Poirier didn’t ever fight for a title in the division and wasn’t making headlines in the ways that more stand-out talents were at that time.

Following his loss to McGregor in 2014, a finish loss that lasted just under two minutes, he made the move up to lightweight. He had already fought 11 times in the promotion by this point, or four years in total. According to internal calculations made by the UFC around this time, this would have made him surpass and nearly double the average length of a career in the promotion, which they had pinned at 2.46 years overall from 1993 to 2014.

Chasing Greatness At Lightweight

After his UFC run had already out-lived many of his peers, Poirier was actually just getting started. Lightweight ended up being the division where he put together his best performances and most high-profile wins, getting him near the title picture on numerous instances.

Things got off to a strong start when he took just one loss through 11 appearances in the division. After main event finish wins over Eddie Alvarez and Justin Gaethje (a past undisputed and interim champ respectively), he was given a shot to face featherweight champ Max Holloway for an interim lightweight title.

Poirier went five rounds against the striking aficionado to capture the belt and win via unanimous decision. Poirier beat Holloway where he is at his best, getting a jump on the talented knockdown artist in the early rounds with clean combinations. Holloway unsurprisingly made the fight close, but not narrow enough for many to consider him victorious.

Holloway had built up an untouchable image heading into that fight, putting together 14 consecutive wins that grew in importance. After stopping legend Jose Aldo twice, he out-gutted Brian Ortega in a stand-up war to defend his belt once again.

While there will always be ways that people take things away from that fight, notably that Holloway had moved up a weight class and that the bout was actually for an interim title instead of the real deal, it’s still certainly a huge victory arguably the biggest of Dustin Poirier’s career. He took out one of the best while they were at their peak, and did so elegantly.

Over the next few years, Poirier would struggle against the absolute best and style on anyone below that level. He lost fights to Khabib Nurmagomedov, Charles Oliveira, and Justin Gaethje, three names you could basically define a division’s entire era with. But against a past-prime Conor McGregor or a rising contender like Benoit Saint-Denis, he would put on a show. Dustin Poirier was a main event draw during this time, with his duo of non-title fight appearances against McGregor both headlining pay-per-view cards.

A Perfect Ending Isn’t Necessary

Islam Makhachev vows to sleep Dustin Poirier at heated UFC 302 press conference listen to your coaches and box with me — Mandatory Credit: Zuffa LLC

Just to list the absolute cliff notes of Poirier’s career, you need about 500 words. Poirier has accomplished a lot and left a print on the UFC’s history that even some champs likely won’t leave. Knowing the ins and outs of his career begs the question: How much does he even really need that belt?

It’s obvious that Poirier earning the title would be the best ending possible for his career. Dustin Poirier clearly sees earning the title as a way to complete his run as a fighter and show how great he truly is. He has used the phrase “finish the story” recently, a line that WWE’s Cody Rhodes used to illustrate a lengthy career arc that culminated with him sitting atop the world of professional wrestling.

But wrestling has the privilege to actually choose how stories end. WWE decided that Rhodes would get to reach the top of the mountain, but Poirier isn’t afforded the same luxury. Anything could happen at UFC 302, and oddsmakers seem inclined to think that the night will end with Makhachev still possessing the 155-pound division’s gold.

A championship belt is what everyone is after in MMA, but it’s not the singular litmus test for greatness. Many top names, including champs, can’t say that they have had the career longevity of Dustin Poirier. Few can get one title shot, come back from a loss to earn another, and then do it yet again. Dustin Poirier has just one thing left to prove in the sport, which means he’s proven way more than almost all of his colleagues.

Dustin Poirier’s story could have the perfect ending. But even if it doesn’t, he’s told a hell of a story.

The UFC heavyweight mess – Here’s how we get out of it

UFC’s heavyweight division has become a disaster. What should be changed?

Who is the best fighter at heavyweight? Depends on who you ask.

If we’re going by the books? Jon Jones is the best in the world. He’s the division’s top champ, which by definition puts him above everyone else. But when logic sets in, things get more confusing. Jones hasn’t fought in more than a year. Tom Aspinall, the interim champ at heavyweight, earned his title last year and is already on track to defend in just a couple of months. Does that make him the best?

The issue with this “best” question is a simple way to describe the issues at heavyweight currently. Due to delays in fights and a promoter who hasn’t stepped in to end a reign, heavyweight has found itself in a usual position with two champions who have gotten comfortable sharing the throne.

A slow-moving division isn’t new for heavyweights in the UFC. With the undisputed title being put on the line on average less than once a year since 2019, it’s been a weight class dragging its feet title fight-wise for a while. But the current two-title dilemma that it finds itself in lasts much longer than many delays we have seen recently. It’s an issue with no clear end in sight, and with unavoidably bad optics.

How the UFC Heavyweight mess Got Here

When Jones captured the UFC heavyweight championship in early 2023, an optimist might have thought that the class would finally receive a consistent champion. After UFC iced out Francis Ngannou for a year, making his run with the belt uneventful, the division could have used a more workhorse fighter on top.

Sure, Jones had no shortage of controversies while reigning over the light heavyweight division, but he was a face that defined an era and cleaned out a roster. Maybe he could have done that for heavyweight. And for a moment, it looked like he could be an active fighter: Eight months after winning his title with a first-round finish of Ciryl Gane, Jones was expected to face former champ Stipe Miocic at Madison Square Garden.

Jon Jones weighs up Alex Pereira and Tom Aspinall fights after UFC return decisions decisions — Mandatory Credit: Zuffa LLC

The fight would have been a passing of the torch. Miocic is 41 and hasn’t fought in more than three years, but is remembered for the three title defences that made him a more successful heavyweight champ than any other in UFC history. A victory for Jones would further cement that it was officially his era, and shut down any complaints that Miocic was deserving of a title opportunity after Francis Ngannou ended his second title run with a scary knockout in 2021.

But a torn pec put a massive road bump in Jones’ title reign and took him out of the fight. The injury not only prevented the champ from fighting in New York, but also meant that he would be benched for a significant period of time, cutting into a serious chunk of 2024 as well.

With Jones on the bench, UFC tried to keep the division moving. No, they didn’t strip the champion who was set to go more than a year without defending his belt, they introduced an interim title. England’s Aspinall earned the gold with a swift finish against Sergei Pavlovich.

An interim is, by definition, a placeholder. As the Cambridge Dictionary defines it: “temporary and intended to be used or accepted until something permanent exists.” However, this title soon became more regular than, well, the regular title.

It was announced this week that Aspinall will defend his belt at UFC 304 against Curtis Blaydes. A fine matchup, but one that keeps the division in a puzzling position. The person who is supposed to be the true champion sits on the sidelines, while the man with a supposed temporary belt goes out and faces legitimate contenders.

At least once the fight between Blaydes and Aspinall is done with, we can finally unify the titles and have a singular true best fighter in the class, right? Well, if you ask Dana White, no. He’s still hoping to make the bout between Jones and Miocic, and Jones is hinting that his next appearance will be around November. This means we could see an interim title exist for more than a year before even getting to discussions about unification. That is not ideal.

What Can Be Done?

Tom Aspinall accuses Jon Jones of playing games I don't know what's going on — Mandatory Credit: Chris Unger – Zuffa LLC

This is an ugly mess. With all of the obligations and complications, UFC’s heavyweight division has become a disorganized room that needs a full makeover. From an inactive champ to owing a fight to someone who isn’t even involved in the current title picture, to a pair of belts that need to be unified sometime before things start to look absurd, the promotion has a complicated puzzle to solve.

There’s a world where UFC can fix all of these problems by simply handling them when the right opportunity comes. But the truth is, that would likely take a long time. It’s hard to imagine a reality where a year from now we will have an undisputed heavyweight champion that has faced Miocic and unified the titles through a fight. And even with that generous estimation, that’s still a year and a half of an interim champion, which feels bizarre.

Realistically, it doesn’t make sense for Jones to be the champion at the moment. If someone asks who is the best active heavyweight in the world, it feels dishonest to say it is Jones. Why? He’s simply not active. It’s no knock on his fighting abilities or accomplishments to say that he isn’t fighting at the moment, which should realistically take him out of the equation so the class can keep moving.

Would stripping Jones of his title due to injury kill his momentum? Absolutely not. When he would return and inevitably get another title fight, the crowd that had come out to support him in the past would show up once again.

He was stripped for wrongdoing in three different instances during his light heavyweight title years and remained a star nonetheless. Why would freeing up a title for injury—instead of an issue where he can take the blame—hurt him? Jones is absolutely deserving of a title shot and should receive an opportunity once he is ready to fully return, whether it be in November or on a later date. But there’s no reason for him to sit with the belt when he can’t contribute anything to the division.

It feels tough to decide what’s right for Miocic. While on paper it’s hard incredibly to justify him getting a title fight since he hasn’t fought in years, is 41 and coming off a nasty knockout defeat, it also feels like he has been a victim of circumstance. He should have received a shot at the title way sooner, instead of just quietly waiting for all of this time.

After the UFC kept him waiting for too long, it feels easy to consider him a contender who isn’t worthy. Miocic was likely guaranteed a shot after the end of his title reign and has been waiting for ages for it. Because of that, it would be somewhat cruel if UFC changed course now.

If UFC really owes Miocic a title shot, they should get it over with quickly. UFC probably wants to make a fight between Jones and Miocic specifically because its two guys from a specific era and it can be marketed as a super-fight. But hat fight is becoming not only less realistic but less attractive as each day passes by. In a perfect world, Miocic would return in a non-title fight first to show the type of shape he’s in, which it seems like many are questioning. If that can be done, great, do it.

What Will Actually Happen, If Anything?

Stipe Miocic warns Jon Jones true power at UFC 295 anything can happen — Mandatory Credit: Josh Hedges – Zuffa LLC

With those changes, you have a weight class full of active fighters who are keeping the title picture moving. Of course, these are combative changes that won’t please everyone. It’s easy for a columnist to say: “Okay and take this from that guy, and tell the other guy he shouldn’t get the title fight.” It’s another thing to actually make those moves and then deal with the potential blowback from them.

UFC has two options in front of them. They could let their heavyweight class figure itself out over the next year and some change, keeping the division’s title picture awkward and confusing to outsiders for the entire time. Or they could put in some calls and make some changes that could immediately put the division back into shape, although not without some scrutiny from corners of their fanbase and fighters. They could let their division continue to make little sense for a long time, or take control and show that holding the top title in a weight class means something. There’s certainly less shame in one of these options.

Review – An Honest Ronda Rousey Pulls No Punches In New Memoir

A look at Ronda Rousey’s new memoir.

Ronda Rousey might not be a unanimous fan favorite. Some take issue with comments she has made in the past, like calling herself the greatest fighter ever, and others are definitely critics of her 14-fight MMA career, where back-to-back losses against Holly Holm and Amanda Nunes took her out of the sport for good.

But there’s no doubt that when discussing fighters who shaped the modern years in MMA, you can’t go far into that conversation without mentioning “Rowdy.” Because of this, Rousey’s story is perfect for a memoir.

‘Our Fight’ Provides Honest Perspective Of Rousey’s Champion Years

Ronda Rousey hits out at MMA media over concussion claims they hate me it's fine — Mandatory Credit: Zuffa LLC

Rousey’s latest book, “Our Fight: A Memoir,” is different from her prior published title due to its timing. Unlike her prior release, Rousey is now past her years as a fighter and wrestler, giving her stories a start and ultimate end. But a good story isn’t always told right. This begs the question: Does Rousey provide a good recounting of details in her April release?

Memoirs can bend the truth. They can allow figures to provide a retelling of the past through rose-colored glasses. It can give a public figure the chance to tell you that things didn’t actually go as poorly as you might have thought they did, or that unfortunate events that hit them were actually someone else’s fault. Ronda Rousey’s book doesn’t attempt to do any of this.

In “Our Fight,” readers are brought into the unfiltered mindset of one of MMA’s most influential names. Rousey isn’t afraid to discuss failure or low points in her career. In fact, it felt like Rousey sped past the glory of her MMA popularity and instead allowed more time to explain struggles in her career. And Ronda Rousey certainly doesn’t sugar-coat her feelings about anyone or anything she has experienced.

Is it because the former bantamweight champ is simply a tell-it-like-it-is figure? Or because she seems at peace with leaving MMA and professional wrestling behind her, leaving no incentive to avoid publicly burning bridges? Either way, there’s a sincerity to hearing her perspective that makes it seem like she is neither trying to protect her image nor exaggerate life experiences.

Rousey comes off as an intense character, one that isn’t uncommon to find in athletes. When she feels a way about someone, it’s a strong feeling. Once you’re done reading this book you will know who she hates (Vince McMahon, WWE producer Bruce Pritchard, and former rival Miesha Tate to name a few) and you will be fully aware of the close circle that she trusts (The Four Horsewomen, husband and former UFC fighter Travis Browne).

It’s that same intensity that comes back to bite her at times. When she lost her bantamweight title to Holly Holm, she remembers it completely derailing her life. Everything revolved around being the best, and when she suddenly wasn’t, she was lost. She also reflects on how the sacrifices she made throughout her combat career meant that she was not having experiences in life as much as she hoped.

Both of those anecdotes—telling the stories of sacrifice and loss—are something that you can hear about from likely any fighter. But hearing it from Ronda Rousey, where there was heightened attention in the mainstream, is incredibly intriguing. Her work ethic set herself apart from others and made her a trailblazer in an industry, but it came at a cost.

The Cost Of Being A Fighter

Looking at her career in retrospect, Ronda Rousey was able to provide stellar insight into the life of a fighter and the negative impacts it had on her. Arguably one of the strongest chapters in the story sees Ronda Rousey revisit times in the past when judo and MMA trainers pushed her hard possibly too hard. She recounted these training sessions but looked at it through a different lens: When does tough, hard training cross the line into abuse?

She’s also open about how head trauma severely affected her career and could come back to haunt her. It’s often referenced in the book how prior concussions and damage to the head meant that, by the start of her MMA career, she could hardly even take a punch. Training sessions would end with her seeing “camera flashes” when she closed her eyes, a common symptom of head trauma.

Years after the wear and tear that she took from her combat sports career, she started to worry about long-term symptoms that might haunt her in the years to come. Did she not remember much of her time travelling the world for work because she was focused on the task at hand, or because her memory was already fading significantly? She’s not entirely confident about what the answer is.

There’s also a respectable bluntness when discussing the self-inflicted pains that Ronda Rousey went through in her career. While she lived in a pressure-cooker setting that certainly didn’t have safeguards in place from pushing herself beyond her limits—something which arguably deserves some blame as well—both her MMA and wrestling careers ended because she had burnt herself out mentally and physically.

The competitive edge that was constantly pushing her was at times working at a much more aggressive pace than what she was able to realistically endure. A recurring example of this was Ronda Rousey’s vow to UFC promoter Dana White that she would be available anytime, anyplace for them. Upholding this promise even when she became one of the promotion’s top stars meant that she ended up competing in eight title fights over the course of four years. This level of activity, which is nearly unmatched, eventually pushed her out of the sport.

The Verdict: Is Ronda Rousey’s Book Worth Reading?

Ronda Rousey accusses WWE star of inappropriate behavior he pulled the string of my sweatpants — Mandatory Credit: WWE

While Ronda Rousey’s stories are captivating and interesting—likely elevated by her sister Maria Burns-Ortiz, a journalist who helped co-author the book—it’s important to remember that you’re simply hearing one perspective. There are parts of the book that you might disagree with, like certain grudges or feelings. Among the more questionable moments is Rousey seemingly still harbouring hard feelings for rival Miesha Tate, whom she last fought more than a decade ago. But the honest feelings that Rousey holds toward everyone mentioned in the book make the stories feel like a genuine reflection of her thoughts.

This book might not appeal to you if you only want to hear about one facet of Ronda Rousey’s life. If you’re only interested in Rousey’s MMA career, the first half of the book will provide juicy details that will keep you hooked. But, if along with that MMA fandom comes a disinterest in professional wrestling, the lengthy inside baseball talk about her time in WWE might lose you. Rousey goes in-depth with each topic, meaning a passion or interest in the entertainment genres will enhance your experience when reading about the stories. If Ronda Rousey’s life is a story you want to hear, from Judo to Wrestlemania, this couldn’t be a better book for you.

Whether you like or dislike Ronda Rousey, her impact on MMA cannot be denied. Because of that, experiencing all of her big moments in the UFC cage from her seemingly genuine perspective makes this a worthwhile book. Clocking in at just under 300 pages, this book won’t consume too much time if you’re an avid reader. When considering all of these factors, it’s hard to not recommend the book to someone who wants to hear beyond-the-mat info about MMA and inside the ropes details from her WWE career.

Eye pokes aren’t just a glove problem

Eye pokes are a problem. Is there a way to reduce them besides changing gloves?

Here’s a story that you have probably seen play out countless times before: A fighter gets accidentally poked in the eye. Oops! The referee warns his opponent to be careful as if they had no clue their fingers could inflict such damage to one of someone’s five senses. The match resumes, with one fighter still trying to blink away the pain caused by the incidental blow. But then moments later, it happens again.

Eye pokes are a common occurrence on MMA cards. Along with the usual moves like guillotine chokes, armbars, calf kicks and double leg takedowns, a thumb or middle finger jabbing into an opponent’s eye is something that viewers of the sport are accustomed to seeing.

For a long time, the frequency of eye pokes has been considered a flaw of the UFC glove. Compared to the gloves of Pride FC, for example, where fingers are slightly bent so that they cannot stick outward at an opponent as easily, UFC’s gives their fighters a lot more freedom. Pundit Joe Rogan loves the gloves that Trevor Wittman designed, saying they would be a suitable replacement for the ones used by the UFC. The years-long plea from viewers and pundits for UFC’s gloves to get changed was finally answered recently, although the jury is out on if the change will stop one of the biggest glove-related qualms.

A New Glove Appears, but will the issue of eye pokes be fully resolved?

When the promotion revealed a new glove earlier this month, the promotion made a big deal out of it. They touted how it would protect a fighter’s hands more and include a futuristic microchip that would track who the gloves belong to (think Apple’s AirTag, but for face-punching devices). But there was an immediate question people had that wasn’t really answered too well: Will the gloves reduce eye pokes?

The answer? Well, maybe, but no promises. In this piece by MMA Fighting’s José Youngs and Alexander K. Lee, the question was posed to UFC Performance Institute Senior Vice President Duncan French. He noted that the test run of the gloves in Dana White’s Contender Series saw fewer eye pokes than usual. Is there a direct correlation between the gloves and the number of eye pokes? He wasn’t willing to say just yet.

“We hope that that is a consequence of a redesign and the nature of the glove, but we’re all watching moving forward to ensure that this is going to be the case,” he said.

Could be a fix, or not. We’ll have to wait and see when equipment debuts at UFC 303.

If we tune in for UFC 302 and Islam Makhachev, Dustin Poirier, or somebody else on the card suffers pokes to their eye or eyes, what will we do? Design another glove? Good luck convincing the UFC, who just revealed a new glove for the first time in who knows how long. But what if I told you there are other fixes? As Kevin Hart said in his straight-to-Netflix movie recently: “If you can’t hack the tech, you gotta hack the people.”

Gloves Aside, How Can We Reduce Eye Pokes?

Fouls in MMA are, to an extent, legal. As long as you make a mistake and it looks believably unintentional, you are let off with a warning. The second time around, you might get a strong warning. That’s different from a soft warning because, well, it’s strong. There’s not much that actually stops fouls from happening in these instances. Apart from the possibility that a mistake could be so grand that it causes a fight to end in a no contest, is there really an reason to avoid making such errors?

It is the referee’s discretion to determine which fouls constitute a point deduction. “Only a referee can assess a foul,” the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts say. But quite frankly, the warning system currently in place isn’t strict enough. A change has to be made. The issue is, determining what type of change would be positive really isn’t easy.

Where Do You Draw The Line?

If you have initial pushback against the idea of making the rules around fouls stricter, that’s understandable. While most athletes in other sports are punished for mistakes no matter their true intent (think fouls in basketball, penalties in football), the rigid scoring of MMA means that any sort of punishment would be quite strong.

There are few comparisons to the type of punishment that getting a point knocked off a round is like. Trip someone in hockey? Your team gets a disadvantage for just two minutes, which could be a forgettable moment in the game by the end. Commit a minor foul in a basketball game? Your opponent gets to add one or two points to their score total which could surpass 100 by the end. However, in MMA, your chances of winning become significantly slimmer if a point is deducted.

It is quite honestly hard to draw the line. As it stands right now, if every foul resulted in a point deduction, we’d be seeing a lot of results go very differently. Does that mean that taking away one point due to a singular foul is too strict? Maybe. But on the other hand, how much is it really a foul if there’s no punishment attached to it? A fighter is essentially escaping scot free the first ors second time around currently. Maybe, making fouls more strict will scare fighters into being more cautious with how they move, thus causing fewer fouls to happen.

It’s hard to figure out how this change can be properly made, and I’m not going to propose a hard rule that MMA should abide by. Instead, I think this is something that people within the industry should discuss more. Fighters, trainers, referees, pundits, and more. The eye pokes discourse should not start and stop with changing the gloves.

The way it’s set up right now, there’s no incentive for fighters to be careful about what they do. While most fouls are honestly unintentional, they could also arguably be happening because making such errors are an afterthought in training and competing. With stricter rules, that could change.

An improved glove that reduces eye pokes would be big for MMA and is important for UFC to focus on. And who knows, come UFC 303 we might be seeing a new glove that actually makes significant changes. However, eye pokes cannot be completely abolished in MMA with an equipment change. With the way gloves must be designed, allowing fingers to poke out, they are inevitable. To limit the issues further, a stricter interpretation of the rules must be followed as well.

3 fighters who should receive a title shot after UFC 300

Three title contenders that came out of UFC 300.

It’s quite rare that a UFC card will put forward not one, but two title contenders. But on the one-of-a-kind night that was UFC 300, which had high-level matchups from the opening bout to the main event, many potential title matchups were set up.

Coming out of last weekend’s show from Las Vegas, there are a few fighters who seem to have a clear case for a championship bout sometime in the future. Before we finally move on from what is likely the card of the year and arguably an event that can be compared to some of UFC’s best, let’s discuss some names who deserve a chance at gold soon.

Max Holloway

Even heading into last weekend, Max Holloway had a decent argument for a featherweight title fight.

His track record at featherweight has been phenomenal, but simply not enough to get him a chance against the king of the division in recent years. Why? Because the long-time champ, Alexander Volkanovski, beat him three different times since 2019. With a trio of losses to the top name, it was hard to justify another title fight for Holloway. However, when Ilia Topuria stopped Volkanovski earlier this year to become the new champion, things changed.

Now, Holloway is a fighter who has, apart from his losses to one fighter, gone undefeated at featherweight for a decade. Wins over Yair Rodriguez, Calvin Kattar, Arnold Allen, and many others in the weight class. With the stellar record he has over the past few years against quality opponents, he had a solid argument for a fight against Topuria. That’s a pretty good resume, and it’s worth remembering: This was before he had his massive performance at UFC 300.

In retrospect, Saturday night was icing on the cake. Holloway put together an incredible striking performance against lightweight Justin Gaethje. He then finished it off with a career highlight, scoring a last-second walk-off knockout punch to end the fight in viral fashion. The fight turned Holloway not only into a strong contender but also a fighter riding the momentum of a popular performance.

UFC 300 could have been a disaster for Holloway. He might have had a weaker argument for a title fight if he lost, even though the bout was in a different weight class. But luckily he doesn’t have to worry about that anymore. Now he can figure out what, if anything, he needs to do for a title shot.

Some might say that Holloway’s numerous title fight losses to Volkanovski and the fact that he has been in so many wars in the past give him rough odds in a fight against Topuria. There’s no doubt that Topuria will be a tough assignment for him, although it simply is the right fight to make at this moment. Since he is well qualified for a championship chance and is still in a high-level performance part of his career, it feels like the perfect time to give him a chance against Topuria.

Arman Tsarukyan

Just after Arman Tsarukyan overcame Charles Oliveira in a competitive three-round decision, it looked like he would be a solid next challenge for Islam Makhachev. However, just a few hours later, it became clear that he would actually have to be the next-next challenger. This was because it was announced later in the evening that Dustin Poirier would challenge for Makhachev’s belt at UFC 302.

While Tsarukyan can’t say he’s next in line for a shot, he might be able to make that case in just a couple of month’s time once the lightweight title goes on the line once again. Due to UFC 300 and 302 being close together, it actually works quite well for Tsarukyan, if he is next up for a shot. And he should be, here’s why.

Heading into this weekend, Tsarukyan already had a strong record at lightweight. However, unlike a situation like Max Holloway, he definitely had to do more to justify a fight against Makhachev. He had nine wins at lightweight, and his two losses along the way came with interesting stories. In 2019, he lost to Makhachev, which is a defeat that has aged gracefully. And in 2022 he dropped a decision to Mateusz Gamrot, a five-round result that was highly debated. Just check out this MMADecisions page to see how people felt about that one.

Tsarukyan has lots of wins to discuss as well. He stopped Beneil Dariush in just over a minute, beat Damir Ismagulov on scorecards and finished Joel Alvarez with strikes. His win over Oliveira this weekend—while definitely a close fight—is easily the biggest victory of his career.

It was just months ago that Oliveira was up next for a title shot. After suffering an injury in camp, the former champ was removed from his UFC 294 bout against Makhachev. He hadn’t fought in between that time and last Saturday, meaning his status as a top lightweight near a title opportunity hadn’t faded that much. Tsarukyan took that momentum from him with a narrow win and is arguably one of the best-suited challengers for the belt. That is, at least after Poirier, according to the matchmakers.

Kayla Harrison

Women’s bantamweight isn’t a very populated division, meaning it doesn’t take much for a fighter to climb the rankings. If you have a few strong performances, it’s easy to make a case for a title shot.

Kayla Harrison might only have one UFC fight to her name, but she seems to also have an incredibly strong argument for the title match that she has been incredibly focused on for months — following her outing at UFC 300.

Harrison won her promotional debut in dominant fashion, submitting Holly Holm with a rear naked choke in the second round. Her victory came after a week of questions that called into doubt how she would do: Would Harrison struggle to make bantamweight, a class that she has never gone as low as? Will the weight cut hurt her performance? How will she do against UFC-level talent? By making weight, performing normally in the class and putting together a win that made her look like the far more skilled athlete, it silenced a lot of the critics and put her in a great position in the division.

Harrison’s pre-UFC career must also be considered when weighing whether she should receive a title fight. She is coming over after a 16-fight PFL career, mainly fighting up at the rarely-seen women’s lightweight division. While she never had any huge wins in the PFL, her multi-year dominance in the promotion gave her a reputation that followed into her UFC run.

Harrison was placed fourth in the bantamweight standings this week, putting her below just a few other fighters. The only fighter ranked above her that hasn’t received a title shot in the past is Ketlen Vieira. There’s certainly a case to make that Harrison isn’t the definitive next challenger for the bantamweight belt. However, when you consider that she is a fresh face in the division, had a strong debut against a respected opponent, and has the hype from her successful PFL run, it seems likely that she could get an opportunity for a title soon. And if she does get that chance, it’s hard to argue against it.

UFC 300 Was A Big Night For Making Contenders

Even when looking beyond examples of fighters who could get a title shot immediately, UFC 300 had many bouts that presented talents who could be just one fight away from being in that position.

Take for example former light heavyweight champion Jiri Prochakza, who stopped Aleksandar Rakic in the second round. Or Aljamain Sterling, who bounced back from a title loss and won his featherweight debut. Jessica Andrade might have even gotten a step closer to a rematch against Zhang Weili with her prelim victory over Marina Rodriguez.

It will be interesting to look back on UFC 300 in a few months and see where the winners on this show have gone. Chances are, at least a few will be in title shots, and maybe even one of them will go on to become champion.

Who would you grant a title fight off the back of UFC 300?

Alex Pereira at heavyweight? Not now, thanks

Alex Pereira might have a heavyweight run in his future. But for now, he shoudl focus on his main division.

Alex Pereira continues to chase bigger and better goals, but is he getting ahead of himself?

The incumbent UFC Light Heavyweight Champion made quick work of Jamahal Hill last Saturday, stopping him in the first round. After the fight, he threw out the ambitious idea of not only fighting as soon as next month in Brazil but doing so up at heavyweight.

Let’s ignore the highly unlikely scenario of him appearing at UFC 301 and discuss the much more possible division move for the champ. Pereira at heavyweight doesn’t seem like a bad idea, and there are certainly interesting matchups in the weight class for him. This includes a fight against interim champ Tom Aspinall, which has even been teased by the heavyweight titleholder on social media. But the question should be asked: Is now the right time for Alex Pereira to chase another belt? Here are a few reasons why it might be best for the champ to keep defending his belt.

The Case For Alex Pereira To Stay At Light Heavyweight

Alex Pereira unlikely to fight at UFC 301 next month after suffering second broken toe against Jamahal Hill — Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas – USA TODAY Sports

The first reason is simple: Alex Pereira has the chance to become the next face of the light heavyweight division and to dominate it in a way that hasn’t been seen for a while.

For the past few years, light heavyweight has been without a consistent face of the division. After long-time light heavyweight king Jon Jones—who ran rough shot for the better part of a decade—left for heavyweight in 2020, it was hard to tell what would happen next.

Poland’s Jan Blachowicz looked to be someone who could have a run, but his time with the belt wasn’t substantial. After defending it once, beating middleweight champ Israel Adesanya who made the jump up 20 pounds for a fight, he lost the title to Glover Teixeira in an upset result.

Teixeira immediately dropped the title to Jiri Prochazka. An injury made Prochazka then also lose the belt. Blachowicz and Magomed Ankalaev fought for a vacant belt, but it ended in a draw. Jamahal Hill beat Teixeira for the vacant title, then also had to relinquish the championship after suffering an injury.

Safe to say, light heavyweight was a mess for years. But since late 2023, it has looked like the class might be settling in with a new star in Alex Pereira.

Fresh off his dramatic two-fight series against long-time rival Israel Adesanya at middleweight, Alex Pereira made the move up to light heavyweight. Considering how thin Alex Pereira had to become to make the 185-pound limit before, there was no worry about how he would look up a class. He fit like a glove instantly, beating Blachowicz to earn a title shot in 2023.

Pereira captured his second-ever UFC title last November, stopping Prochazka in a fight for the vacant title. This didn’t prove too much about a long-time star staying on top of the division yet: We have seen so many become champs but have only witnessed one actually defend their title since Jones.

Fast forward to last weekend, Alex Pereira made the first big step toward cementing a long-term legacy at 205 pounds: He cleaned the clock of Hill, sleeping him in just over three minutes to win in the main event of UFC 300. The victory was his third time beating a former champ in the division and was his fourth UFC title fight.

But the win was just that: A first step. There’s so much more that Alex Pereira has to do at light heavyweight before going into legacy discussions. How many more times can he defend his belt? How can he do in the weight class against fighters that can challenge him more with grappling or wrestling?

Light heavyweight was the division of one top star for a long time. But when looking at the past few years, it’s clear that nobody has been able to fill Jones’ shoes. Can Alex Pereira change that? Absolutely. In fact, based on the performances we have seen so far, it looks like he has the talent to stay on top of the class for quite some time. But here’s the thing: That legacy hasn’t been fully built yet. As much as Alex Pereira has the potential to be something bigger, that doesn’t matter until he has actually gone out and done the work.

Light heavyweight has gone through turmoil for years, with the title picture being a revolving door. After burning through so many names at the top, it would be entertaining to see if Pereira can break that pattern and stay on top for a longer period of time. Personally, that is a much more intriguing storyline than pursuing fights elsewhere.

You might be asking: Well, can’t he achieve those goals at light heavyweight and chase a career at heavyweight? Sure, that’s of course possible. However, it just seems too unlikely. Jumping between divisions would mean it would take longer to build up his resume at 205 pounds, as opposed to simply fighting just in one division. And remember, Alex Pereira is 36. He’s not past his prime by any measure, but he’s the oldest current champion and won’t be getting any younger.

When you think about how much Jones’ run appealed to the public and how his time as champ made the light heavyweight division one of the most popular in the UFC, there’s also a marketing opportunity here. If Alex Pereira can focus on the division he’s currently in and try to become the next man to actually have dominance, popularity will follow. But it’s much harder to achieve that level of success when you’re also heading up a weight class and working on side projects. Sure, getting another belt would be big as well. But becoming a top name in a division that has lacked consistency for years would be just as big.

The Logistics Of A Double Champ

gettyimages 2148569356 612x612 1 — Mandatory Credit: Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

An important factor to remember with top fighters switching between divisions is that they hold up weight classes. Let’s look over at KSW, where arguably the best two-division champion in MMA exists. Salahdine Parnasse, a titleholder at featherweight and lightweight, has fought between two divisions for a couple of years. Because of the time that it takes to rest in between title fights, coupled with the fact that he can only accommodate one division at a time, KSW has had to put together many interim title bouts over the past couple of years. Even in a case like Parnasse, the top of the standings gets clogged.

If the light heavyweight division was moving slowly at the moment and there was time for Alex Pereira to try something else, it would make sense. But we’re simply not in that situation at the moment.

Second-ranked Magomed Ankalaev is in great positioning for another shot at the belt, coming off a dominant finish win over Johnny Walker last January. And riding the momentum of his win against Aleksandar Rakic on Saturday, Prochazka has the case to eventually get another chance as well. There are other names rising up the rankings that, in a year or so, could be solid names to challenge Alex Pereira.

If Alex Pereira hopes to maintain champion status at light heavyweight, it feels right to say he should establish his run a little more before looking outside his division. When there are worthy contenders who are ready for that fight, there’s no real reason to ship your champion out to another class. Once he can truly clean out the class—something he will certainly do if he can keep putting on performances as dominant as last weekend’s—a discussion about a trip up to heavyweight should be had.

The Truth: Being Double Champ Ain’t Easy

The past decade has shown that it’s incredibly hard for a double-champ to sustain success in the UFC. Through the five times that a fighter has become a two-division champion, just one reign saw a talent defend either of their belts more than one time, and that was Amanda Nunes. Brazilian standout Nunes, however, is an oddity. She competed at bantamweight and featherweight, a pair of divisions that have few fighters. Featherweight, in fact, basically died out after she retired last summer.

The most notorious double-champ, Conor McGregor, never defended either of his belts during his time as double champ. Daniel Cormier and Henry Cejudo won just one fight after entering double champ status (However it’s worth noting that Cejudo relinquished one of his belts to focus on a single division).

This is clearly a small sample size, so it isn’t any case-closing argument. However, it poses this question: If becoming a double champ is an accomplishment so rare that it has only happened a few times in the UFC’s three decades of existence, shouldn’t the opportunities only realistically be given to those who surpass their peers by a wide margin? A two-division title opportunity shouldn’t be given to any champ with just one win in his class, but instead, someone who has shown a level of consistency at the top.

None of this is to take away from the stellar work that Alex Pereira has put on. He’s an incredibly accomplished champion who showed Saturday that he deserved to be in the main event spot at UFC 300. To say that he can do big things outside of his current weight class someday is not unrealistic. However, it’s not a discussion that should be entertained just yet. Let’s see more magic from “Poatan” at light heavyweight, then maybe come back to this conversation.