UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones received a massive compliment yesterday when pound-for-pound kingpin Anderson Silva said he didn’t think he could beat Jones one-on-one (via MMA Fighting). While “Bones” made it clear he appreciated the kin…
UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones received a massive compliment yesterday when pound-for-pound kingpin Anderson Silva said he didn’t think he could beat Jones one-on-one (via MMA Fighting).
While “Bones” made it clear he appreciated the kind words, he doesn’t believe Silva’s comments really mean a whole lot at the end of the day.
Honored to hear the statements Silva made regarding a super fight me earlier today.. Doesn’t change much, still working hard
Despite fans and analysts alike hoping for a superfight between Silva and 170-pound titleholder Georges St-Pierre since mid-2009, GSP has always been, at best, lukewarm on the idea.
GSP was the first fighter to say Chris Weidman, a friend and occasional training partner, would finish Silva at UFC 162 this Saturday (via Sportsnet).
Therefore, the French-Canadian believes there is no reason to be talking about a match up between him and Silva anymore.
As expected, “The Spider” sees the situation differently, stating that St-Pierre had a chance to fight him, but never seized the opportunity (via MMA Mania).
With all that in mind, talk of a fantasy fight between Jones and Silva began to heat up after Bones decimated Silva’s old rival, ChaelSonnen, at UFC 159 in April.
The win marked nine in a row for the 25-year-old New York native, also tying the UFC light heavyweight record with five successful title defenses in a row.
Of course, the talk of a Silva vs. Jones showdown would die a quick death if either fighter isn’t able to take care of business in their upcoming title defenses.
Silva has to take out Weidman this weekend, which would give him a 17-0 record inside the Octagon, including 11-straight middleweight title defenses.
Meanwhile, Jones meets hot prospect Alexander Gustafsson in the headlining bout of UFC 165 this September.
Has Silva officially ruled himself out of any superfights inside the cage or is there a realistic possibility he still steps up to the plate and fights Jones next year before calling it a career?
JohnHeinis is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. He is also the MMA Editor for eDraft.com and contributes MMA videos to The Young Turks Sports Show.
The Canadian champ has cited Silva’s size as a prohibiting factor, but has stopped short of saying that he didn’t think he could beat the pound for pound king. Monday’s comments from Silva may or may not still be the champ acting coy with the media, teasing us with suggestions, denials and non-answers, but it is certainly more direct than anything he’s ever said before on the topic.
“Jon Jones is different,” Silva said. “He’s large. He’s young. But, in the fight, I see in Jon Jones, I see myself from a long time ago. He’s very smart.”
(Silva vs. Jones: A dream fight that will continue to exist only in the realm of oddly proportioned fan-art. / Illustration via IsraelFelix)
The Canadian champ has cited Silva’s size as a prohibiting factor, but has stopped short of saying that he didn’t think he could beat the pound for pound king. Monday’s comments from Silva may or may not still be the champ acting coy with the media, teasing us with suggestions, denials and non-answers, but it is certainly more direct than anything he’s ever said before on the topic.
“Jon Jones is different,” Silva said. “He’s large. He’s young. But, in the fight, I see in Jon Jones, I see myself from a long time ago. He’s very smart.”
When asked if he’d have any advantages over Jones, Anderson could only cite his experience. “I don’t know,” he said.
“In my opinion, ‘Spider’ has more experience than Jon Jones, but that’s the only advantage.”
Do you think this spells the end of the Silva vs. Jones pipe dream, taters? Or, is Silva just once more entertaining himself with his own interviews, or perhaps psyching himself up for the challenge of fighting a man he doesn’t think he can beat?
“So you want to be a fighter?”The motto for the long-running reality series The Ultimate Fighter is catchy, but, frankly, no one just wants to be a fighter.How about: So you want to be a star?Better yet, a superstar?The difference between the middle-ti…
“So you want to be a fighter?”
The motto for the long-running reality series The Ultimate Fighter is catchy, but, frankly, no one just wants to be a fighter.
How about: So you want to be a star?
Better yet, a superstar?
The difference between the middle-tier fighters in the UFC and the elite is a wide void, separated by millions of dollars collectively. The top fighters are paid more, sponsored by bigger, better brands, and more highly publicized.
But there is also a gap between the stars of the UFC and the promotion’s superstars.
The division between the two categories is not as great as the division between the stars altogether and the rest of the UFC roster, but there is still a difference between being Anderson Silva and being VitorBelfort.
Perhaps the easiest way to understand whether a fighter is a superstar or just a star is by examining his or her pay-per-view track record.
If a fighter is sent to headline, or even just fight, on a free card, that fighter has not achieved superstar status (the lone exception to that rule is the heavyweight title fight between Cain Velasquez and Junior dos Santos who fought in the main event of UFC on Fox 1).
Here is an example:
VitorBelfort has been in three PPV headliners since rejoining the UFC back in Sept. 2009. He’s 1-2 in those fights, with losses against middleweight champion Anderson Silva and light heavyweight champion Jon Jones.
Since his loss to Jones at UFC 152, Belfort has headlined two UFC on FX events, which is at least a mild relegation, and displays that he is not the superstar he once was.
“The Phenom” is huge in Brazil, though, and both of his most recent wins have come in front of his fellow countrymen. But superstars don’t headline free cards. When he has headlined pay-per-view events—against Rich Franklin, Anderson Silva and Jon Jones—the buy-rates have been strong. But if the UFC thought he was the primary reason for the buys, they wouldn’t be so eager to throw him on FX cards.
For what it’s worth, Belfort‘s fight against Rich Franklin (back when Franklin was still a top middleweight) did over 300,000 buys (according to Wrestling Observer Newsletter), while his fights against Jones and Silva did far more. His fight against Franklin is a more telling figure since Jones and Silva sell PPV‘s no matter who they are matched against.
Here’s another example:
Benson Henderson, the UFC lightweight champion, has fought on three pay-per-views in his UFC career, winning all three of those fights (he’s undefeated in the UFC). But, as the 155-pound champion, he has headlined just one PPV event, with his last two title defenses coming on free cards.
“Bendo,” champion or not, is hardly a superstar. In his rematch with Frankie Edgar at UFC 150, the PPV broadcast drew just 190,000 buys.
Henderson is set to headline UFC 164 against TJ Grant, which will mark his return to PPV for just the second time out of four title defense opportunities.
It’s tempting (if not easy) to mistake Henderson and Belfort for superstars—Henderson is a champion, Belfort scores plenty of highlight reel knockouts. But neither quite make the leap into that tier. They’re stars, sure, but take a look at what makes a superstar in terms of the PPV aspect.
Georges St. Pierre, Anderson Silva, Jon Jones, Jose Aldo, and Ronda Rousey are the only current UFC champions never to fight for or defend their titles on a free UFC event.
Here’s what they average in title fights when they headline PPV‘s:
• Georges St. Pierre: 689,000 buys • Anderson Silva: 490,000 buys • Jon Jones: 531,667 buys • Jose Aldo: 272,500 buys • Ronda Rousey: 450,000 buys
Let’s take a look at the other champions, who have fought on free television at least once:
Obviously, Jose Aldo is the odd man out in the top list, while Cain Velasquez serves that role in the bottom list.
Aldo struggles to get the buys the other four listed receive, and that brings his superstar status into question. But the fact that he is never put on free television says a lot about him. Also, his division is still developing and is not yet as popular as the original weight classes, which is another factor that hurts his popularity, at least to some extent (more on that later).
Meanwhile, Velasquez headlined the highly-successful UFC on Fox 1, which disqualified him for the top list and, if the “No Free Event” rule is in place, he can’t be a superstar, right?
Wrong, he’s the exception, and, for the record, so is dos Santos. The UFC needed a huge main event to headline that card, and it lead to almost six million viewers.
Competing in the main event or main card of a free event does not mean a fighter is not a contender or a star. It simply means he or she is not yet a superstar. In order to achieve that status, one must have the PPV numbers to back it up.
But weight classes also play a role in PPV billings, like it or not. They also play a large role in a fighter’s likelihood in becoming a superstar.
It’s the way of the sporting world, more often than not.
Fans enjoy the MLB power-hitters like Miguel Cabrera, Carlos Gonzalez, and Chris Davis. They don’t enjoy contact hitters nearly as much. Tony Parker is one of the top point guards in the NBA, but LeBron James jerseys are the far hotter sell.
In the UFC, something similar is happening; the fans pay much more attention to the bigger weight classes. That’s simply how it goes in combat sports. Fans want the heavyweights, not the flyweights.
Even look back at boxing over the years and a similar trend is apparent. Boxers such as Muhammad Ali, George Frazier, Mike Tyson, and Joe Louis, all former heavyweight champions, are some of the sport’s biggest stars.
And who is the biggest superstar in UFC history? Brock Lesnar, the former heavyweight champion.
Who are the biggest stars now? Anderson Silva, Georges St. Pierre, Jon Jones, and Cain Velasquez, all 170-pounds or bigger.
The lighter weight classes are still attempting to assimilate into the UFC framework, as is apparent by the popularity that the original weight classes garner, except perhaps for lightweight.
Of course, Ronda Rousey and Jose Aldo have gained strong fan bases, but the UFC has heavily promoted each, while giving each PPV headliners.
Lighter champions such as RenanBarao, Dominick Cruz, and Demetrious Johnson, as well as the entire flyweight, bantamweight, and featherweight divisions, will need more attention from fans before any lighter fighter can break into the superstar level.
And the UFC executives are trying to garner more attention for the lighter guys by putting them on free cards. If they were superstars, their fights would come with a price. If those fighters could draw strong PPV numbers, they’d headline major events.
But they aren’t, and they can’t. Not yet.
Leave that to the Silvas, the St. Pierres of the UFC—the superstars.
(“All right, boys, break it up.” Photo via Getty Images.)
Josh Burkman’s incredible and somewhat controversial (MAZZAGATTI!!) walk-off submission of the nearly-unsubmittable Jon Fitch at WSOF 3 (video here) may be old news by this point, but it’s been keeping us up nights here at CagePotato ever since. Not because of how shocking or unpredictable it was, but because we couldn’t honestly recall the last time we saw a fighter act as judge, jury, executioner and medieval corpse disposer during his own fight.
The walk-off knockout, while equally entertaining and respectable, is a lot easier to come by based on its definition alone. The walk-off submission, however, is an entirely different beast, so let’s take a look back at eight classic examples of this phenomenon (in no particular order) to honor those who were actually able to pull it off. Enjoy.
Ah yes, the very first walk-off submission in UFC History. In every sense of the word.
(“All right, boys, break it up.” Photo via Getty Images.)
Josh Burkman’s incredible and somewhat controversial (MAZZAGATTI!!) walk-off submission of the nearly-unsubmittable Jon Fitch at WSOF 3 (video here) may be old news by this point, but it’s been keeping us up nights here at CagePotato ever since. Not because of how shocking or unpredictable it was, but because we couldn’t honestly recall the last time we saw a fighter act as judge, jury, executioner and medieval corpse disposer during his own fight.
The walk-off knockout, while equally entertaining and respectable, is a lot easier to come by based on its definition alone. The walk-off submission, however, is an entirely different beast, so let’s take a look back at eight classic examples of this phenomenon (in no particular order) to honor those who were actually able to pull it off. Enjoy.
Ah yes, the very first walk-off submission in UFC History. In every sense of the word.
To recount the story of the very first UFC event would be a disservice to as learned an audience as you Taters, but suffice it to say, it was a clusterfuck. Sumo wrestlers getting their teeth kicked out by savateurs 1/3rd their size, future professional wrestlers breaking street fighters legs with whatever the hell “submissions” were supposed to be…it was a mess. But at the center of the chaos was a man with a modest goal: Proving that he was the best fighter (with the best fighting style) on the entire goddamned planet. That man was Royce Gracie, and his first step toward immortality came in the form of a guy wearing one boxing glove and some sick Nikes.
You know how the story goes, Gracie took Jimmerson down and mounted him almost immediately. Completely out of his element and likely believing that the man on top of him was about to rape his bellybutton, Jimmerson tapped. The tap was so baffling that neither Gracie nor the ref truly knew what had happened, but after a moment to clarify that yes, Jimmerson was getting far too old for this shit, Royce stood up and walked away, his first UFC victory secured. To this day, the referee involved has no idea what the f*ck went down that night.
Otherwise known as the walk-off submission that did not get Jon Jones some fans, Bones’ guillotine of Lyoto Machida at UFC 140 was a work of cold-blooded perfection. Having arguably lost the first round of his UFC career, Jones caught Lyoto coming in with a beautifully timed left hand late in the second. The light heavyweight kingpin then snatched up the choke and pressed Machida against the fence, utilizing the almighty power of the fulcrum to put the Brazilian out on his feet.
It was a finish made all the more impressive when you consider that “The Dragon” is a Jiu-Jitsu black belt himself who had never been submitted in his previous 19 contests. Yet Jones was able to choke him unconscious with what appeared to be minimal effort, then drop him to the canvas like a bag of piss-stained bed sheets. Not bad for a guy who claims that Jiu-Jitsu is his “weakness.”
Otherwise known as the most Diazian submission in the history of the brothers Diaz.
After securing the TUF 5 plaque by successfully disabling Manny Gamburyan‘s shoulder with a set of nunchucks backstage at the season finale (you didn’t know about that?), the younger Diaz passed his first two post-TUF tests with flying colors, successively submitting Junior Assuncao and Alvin Robinson. Diaz would meet his first true test, however, when he was booked against Kurt “Batman” Pellegrino at Fight Night 13.
As is often the case with a Diaz fight, birthday party, or family trip to Old Country Buffet, there was a preexisting beef that needed to be squashed here. You see, Pellegrino used to be a member of Team Renzo Gracie. Then he wasn’t. Therefore, traitor. It was a rivalry that, uh, rivaled such rivilous rivalries as Duke vs. UNC, Anthony vs. Roth, Zimmer vs. Martinez…you get the point. It was also a fight that Pellegrino was utterly dominating with top control and some vicious ground and pound in the first round. The fact that he was making “bitch ass lady sounds” whilst doing so did not take away from this fact.
But there’s an old 209 adage that, loosely translated, states, “It’s damn near impossible to finish a Stocktonian.” Or perhaps it goes, “It’s damn near impossible for a Stocktonian to finish High School.” In either case, a bloodied and bruised Diaz rallied in the second, and brilliantly countered a Pellegrino takedown by pushing off the fence and positioning his legs to set up a triangle choke in mid-air. And when a Diaz knows he has your number, the taunting begins. Although not necessarily a “walk-off” submission, the fact that Diaz was able to prematurely celebrate with both Stockton standby taunts (the muscle flex and the Heybuddy) is arguably just as badass.
See also: Diaz vs. Guillard
Shinya Aoki vs. Mizuto Hirota – K1 Dynamite!! Power of Courage 2009
Otherwise known as the “talk-off, walk-off” submission.
Speaking of two guys who absolutely hated each other, DREAM lightweight champion Shinya Aoki was rather public about his beef with Sengoku champion Mizuto Hirota in the weeks leading up to their battle at Power of Courage 2009. He called the fight a “disgrace” to his family, pretended to not know who Hirota was, dressed like a schoolgirl; pretty standard stuff, really. Hirota returned fire by mocking Aoki’s fighting style, saying some particularly nasty things about his family, and calling him a “repulsive” person. So when these two clashed heads on New Year’s Eve, we expected that at least one of them would be kicking off 2010 in a hospital bed. As is usually the case, we were spot on.
Hirota never stood a chance, truth be told. Aoki secured a takedown within the opening seconds of the round, worked his way to mount, secured a police-style hammerlock and started cranking. To his credit, Aoki gave Hirota every chance in the world to tap, even warning Hirota what was coming at one point. As the man himself put it:
He was very disrespectful to me before the fight. When I had his arm, he had a chance to tap and he chose not to. I’m not going to give up the submission just because my opponent is too arrogant to not tap. So I broke his arm.
That’s right, a “talk-off” submission. Hirota refused to tap and Aoki obliged with a snap. Taking a page right out of the Diaz playbook, Aoki then proceeded to flip off his injured opponent and the attending audience before disappearing backstage. So technically, this was a “talk-off, flip-off, walk-off” submission.
On the “next page” of our tribute: An absolutely brutal IFL gem, a legend’s final triumph, and a future legend’s most shocking loss…
Phil Davis, the No. 8 ranked light heavyweight, will meet No. 1 ranked Lyoto Machida at UFC 163 in August. Will a victory in Rio be enough for Davis to potentially challenge for the gold later this year?Yes,it will be. There are several factors at play…
Phil Davis, the No. 8 ranked light heavyweight, will meet No. 1 ranked LyotoMachida at UFC 163 in August.
Will a victory in Rio be enough for Davis to potentially challenge for the gold later this year?
Yes,it will be.
There are several factors at play for Davis to get a title shot, but first and foremost, lets focus on winning.
A win at UFC 163 will mark Davis’ third in a row—the other two victories in the streak are Wagner Prado and Vinny Magalhaes. While not exactly marquee victories, they are still consecutive wins.Only one fighter ranked above Davis would have a longer winning streak than three: Glover Teixeira.
Of the fighters ranked ahead of Davis currently, two are coming off losses and two are previous victims of his.
In a 2011 fight between Antonio Rogerio Nogueira and Davis, Davis took home a unanimous decision.
Since that loss, Nogueira has pulled off consecutive victories over Tito Ortiz and Rashad Evans. Those two wins are certainly better than Davis’, but in making a case for a title shot Davis still holds a head-to-head win over Nogueira.
Aside from the win streak, Davis will have knocked off the No. 1 contender in Machida. Adding that to his resume will only add to his claim for a title shot.
Davis can even claim being the only current blemish on Alexander Gustafsson‘s record. Gustafsson is next up for Jon Jones at UFC 165.
With a win, there is only one likely fighter to be ahead of Davis, and that is No. 3 ranked Teixeira; he has not lost a single fight since 2005. His win streak and momentum will almost definitely win out over Davis.
One of the biggest things in Davis’ favor is the upcoming title fight itself.
Machida has been promised a title shot, but according to Dana White at the UFC 161 pre-fight press conference Jones doesn’t want to fight Machida because he already defeated him. The champion wants new challenges, but he has already defeated half of the top 10.
And should Gustafsson win, there is little doubt he would want to try and erase the memory of the loss with a rematch against Davis.
No matter who wins at UFC 165, Davis has a legitimate claim for the next title shot.
First things first, a very dangerous fighter awaits him. A victory against Machida would elevate Davis in to the top five, and a win over the top-ranked light heavyweight would give him a leg up on his competition. Looking too far down the road is dangerous, but it is hard to avoid taking a glance at the top of the mountain.
A win in Rio puts Davis near the summit.
In the current landscape of the division, a win over Machida makes Davis’ title aspirations very realistic— he would be in the catbird’s seat.
So, could he be next in line at the light heavyweight crown?
There is little doubt a win over Machida does just that for Davis. He has all the right things going for him to make it happen.
Now just comes that pesky little detail of defeating LyotoMachida.
The first half of 2013 may have been mired in questionable title shots, but it appears—at least for now—the latter part of the year will see some justification in the realm of championship opportunities.While Nick Diaz and Chael Sonnen step…
The first half of 2013 may have been mired in questionable title shots, but it appears—at least for now—the latter part of the year will see some justification in the realm of championship opportunities.
While Nick Diaz and ChaelSonnen stepping into title contention roles had varying angles of debatable validity, the decisions to bump those fighters to the front of their respective lines left many in the MMA world scratching their heads in confusion.
The mercurial Stockton native had been absent due to a suspension handed down after a failed post-fight drug test following his loss to Carlos Condit at UFC 143. Granting Diaz a title shot not only meant he was leapfrogging a red-hot Johny Hendricks, who at the time was riding a four-fight winning streak and has tacked on two more since, but he was also doing so coming off a loss.
UFC President Dana White chalked the decision to put Diaz in the fight up to champion Georges St-Pierre’s adamant demands that the proud Stocktonian was the fighter he wanted to face next.
When the most dominant champion in the history of the welterweight division asks to settle a grudge match, it is easy to see why the promotion heeded to his request. Then again, it’s the fight business and the blurred lines of what is truth and what is promotional hype-machine are never really clear.
Things looked a bit different in the light heavyweight division. Champion Jon Jones was set to defend his title against No. 1 contender Dan Henderson at UFC 151 last summer and the divisional race appeared to be in full swing. That is, until a knee injury forced the former Olympian out of the bout just eight days shy of the fight, leaving a chaotic vacuum in the main event.
With “Hendo” out, ChaelSonnen offered his services, but the young champion refused to accept the change of opponent on such short notice. A venomous Twitter campaign from the former middleweight contender ignited a rivalry which only grew hotter after the entire event was cancelled in light of the mayhem.
The “Gangster from West Linn” would eventually get his title shot at UFC 159, and the results weren’t in his favor as Bones dismantled the sport’s best mouthpiece in the first round.
Following the victory over Sonnen, rumors once again sparked up about a potential superfight between Jones and middleweight king Anderson Silva, which would have pushed the divisional process further out of whack. Without a natural flow up and down the ladder throughout weight classes, prospects cannot rise and would-be contenders cannot become title challengers.
To put it in simple terms: Disrupting a divisional race to make high-dollar matchups stalls things out. Granted, had those weight classes been void of having contenders at the ready, then hand-picking opponents to make championship fights makes sense. But that wasn’t the case in either division, and fortunately it appears things are getting back to normal, for the most part.
A Long-Awaited Welterweight Showdown
Few divisions have faced more turbulence over the past two years than what the welterweight division has endured. The circus that started with UFC 137 in October of 2011 finally came to an end this past March at UFC 158 as St-Pierre and Diaz squared off inside the Octagon and determined who was the superior fighter.
Over the 16-month stretch between the originally scheduled bout and when the two welterweights finally collided in Montreal, a series of substitutions and scrambles took place, with Diaz and Condit eventually squaring off for the interim title at UFC 143 in February of 2012. And while the divisional upper tier was sorting itself out, Hendricks was making his climb up the ladder.
Two months before Diaz and Condit danced in Las Vegas, the former two-time NCAA Div. I wrestling champion scored the biggest win of his career by knocking out perennial contender Jon Fitch at UFC 141. “Bigg Rigg” starched the former No. 1 contender 12 seconds into the fight and unveiled his thunderous left hook on the sport’s biggest stage.
The victory over Fitch marked the third consecutive for Hendricks and put his name on the radar as a fighter to watch in the 170-pound division.
The 29-year-old Texas native would take huge steps forward in his next two outings with wins over Josh Koscheck and Martin Kampmann. In almost a mirror-image of the fight with Fitch, Hendricks salted “The Hitman” with a big left hand that put the Danish striker out on the canvas.
In the aftermath of his victory over Kampmann, Hendricks appeared to be next in line for a title shot. He had strung together five consecutive victories and was the consensus No. 1 contender in the eyes of the MMA community. But then the news of St-Pierre versus Diaz at UFC 158 broke, and Hendricks once again found himself on the outside looking in.
Rather than sit on the sidelines and wallow in frustration, Hendricks decided to keep the dice rolling. Where he was originally slated to face Jake Ellenberger at UFC 158, the surging contender jumped on the opportunity to face former interim champion Carlos Condit when his opponent fell out due to injury. Hendricks edged out the Jackson’s MMA fighter in a gritty three-round war, and in the process, eliminated any chance he would be skipped over once again.
While talk lingered about a St-Pierre vs. Silva “superfight” later this year, it appears those rumors have been put to rest. Earlier this week, the L.A. Times reported GSP would face Hendricks later this year on November 16 (the card is yet to be announced), making the long-awaited showdown a reality.
It is the fight Hendricks has been working for, and now he’ll finally have the opportunity.
A New Challenge Emerges at Light Heavyweight
At 25 years old, Jones is undoubtedly one of the most dominant champions in UFC history. Furthermore, the pound-for-pound phenom is just one win away from surpassing “Hall of Famer” Tito Ortiz as the most prolific light heavyweight champion to ever wear the strap. Jones will have the opportunity to make another entry into the record books when he faces Alex Gustafsson in September at UFC 165.
Dana White confirmed the bout at the post-fight media scrum for UFC 161, and the announcement of the championship tilt between Jones and Gustafsson is a breath of fresh air for the 205-pound fold.
Former title-holder LyotoMachida appeared to be the next in line following his win over Henderson at UFC 156, but with a lack of dominance in the bout, and having already lost to Jones, the UFC decided to give the surging Swede the nod.
While there is no shortage of potential title contenders in the light heavyweight ranks, the reality of this collection posing a legitimate threat to Jones narrows the field considerably. The Jackson’s MMA fighter has defended his belt successfully on five occasions, with each coming in dominant fashion.
The only opponent the champion has failed to finish during his reign was Rashad Evans, but despite “Suga” making it to the judge’s scorecards, the decision was certainly lopsided in Jones’ favor.
On paper, Gustafsson presents several interesting challenges for Jones. “The Mauler” is a tall, rangy striker who has proven the ability to use his length to his advantage. That being said, in the matchup with Jones, Gustafsson will still give up nearly eight inches in the reach department—a tool the young champion has absolutely exploited against the opposition in past showings.
Jones has quickly become one of the all-time greats in mixed martial arts, and whether or not Gustafsson can derail his meteoric rise remains to be seen. Nevertheless, granting the 26-year-old Team Alliance fighter a title shot is a step in the right direction because there is no doubt it is an opportunity Gustafsson has earned.
He has won six consecutive showings, with the most recent coming against former champion Mauricio “Shogun” Rua at UFC on Fox 5 last December, and the chance to fight Jones is a deserved step for the young contender.
The Featherweight Madness Continues
While title pictures are beginning to make sense once again for most of the divisions under the UFC banner, there are still a few mysteries lingering. Despite having all the necessary tools in place to have a breakout year, the featherweight division is still battling chaos every step of the way.
Champion Jose Aldo is still holding court as the most dominant champion to ever compete at 145 pounds, and a host of hungry contenders are scrapping their way up the ladder to contention. With those pieces to the puzzle in place, the environment is perfect for a heated divisional race, but parts of the machine continue to come loose.
Ricardo Lamas, Chad Mendes and Cub Swanson have all been on tears over the past 18 months, but none have come close to getting a chance to fight Aldo. Granted, both Mendes and Swanson have faced the Brazilian phenom previously, but have done enough impressive work to earn another opportunity.
Lamas, on the other hand, has been fighting upstream the entire time. “The Bully” has notched four consecutive victories since dropping to featherweight, with his most recent coming at the expense of former No. 1 contender Erik Koch at UFC on Fox 6 in January. The Chicagoland native left the Duke Roufus-trained fighter a battered and bloody mess during their tilt and made a solid case for a title shot in the process.
But it was a case that would fall by the wayside as newly minted lightweight contender Anthony Pettis decided he wanted to fight for the featherweight crown, and a matchup with Aldo was set for UFC 163.
Much like Hendricks at welterweight, Lamas decided to keep moving rather than wait for things to play out in the championship picture. He accepted a bout with Chan Sung Jung and the fight was set as the co-main event for UFC 162 in July. While it wasn’t officially announced, Lamas hoped a victory over the “Korean Zombie” would solidify his status as the No. 1 contender, but in another strange turn, those hopes were dashed as well.
After a knee injury forced Pettis out of the bout with Aldo, the UFC announced Jung would fill the void in the main event of UFC 163. This move left Lamas without an opponent and he was eventually removed from the July 6 card entirely.
While Jung is certainly the more recognized fighter where fans are concerned, it’s hard to argue Lamas to be the more deserving option. Jung is coming off a year-long layoff, and while his three consecutive victories notched prior to injury were solid, they fall short of equaling the caliber of the opponents Lamas has defeated during his run.
To make matters more confusing, there is no clear-cut road in the aftermath of Aldo vs. Jung at UFC 163. The pound-for-pound great has talked about jumping up to compete for the lightweight title should he defeat Jung, and there is always the chance of Pettis getting a rescheduled shot at the crown if he chooses to keep a drop to featherweight as an option.
