Khabib Nurmagomedov was a dominant fighter and arguably the greatest lightweight ever! So when he retired as champion last October, it created a gaping hole in the title scene of the golden division in the sport. Nurmagomedov was a bad man. He had beaten every top guy in the division. With him retired, now what? This division is stacked with world-class talent. You have Dustin Poirier who may be the best fighter in the division since Khabib is done. Michael Chandler is new to the UFC but has been wrecking guys for years in Bellator. You also have a dangerous Justin Gaethje, an underrated Tony Ferguson, an emerging Charles Oliveira, and the notorious Conor McGregor. The UFC Lightweight title scene as clear as mud. Let’s grab some soap and water, and clean this up.
Dustin Poirier
Dustin Poirier is on a roll. Aside from losing to Khabib, he has been on the winning end of several fights against some tough competition. For all intents and purposes, he should be in the title match at UFC 262 in May. Instead, Poirier is going for the money. He is slated to fight Conor McGregor next. Conor is the biggest star in UFC history. Unfortunately, he’s just not the best fighter in the sport. Fighting McGregor is the big payday Poirier is wanting. Instead of chasing the title, he’s chasing the bag. They will soon have their trilogy fight, and Poirier made light work of McGregor this past January. It looks like he’s going to make short work of him again – and get paid.
Chandler vs Oliveira
The UFC lightweight title scene is clear as mud because this will be the match for the vacated title. This is no disrespect to either fighter, but it doesn’t make sense. This is a title worthy match, but not now. Chandler is new to the promotion. He has only had one fight. While he is a legend and dominant champion in his own right, he is new to a loaded division. Tony Ferguson dominated the division for years and never got a shot at the title. Chandler comes in and gets a shot after one fight. I don’t understand.
Charles Oliveira is a UFC mainstay. He has been a staple of the company but has never gotten a true big chance. He is currently on an eight-fight win streak. The biggest win of his career recently happened at UFC 256, beating Tony Ferguson. This is what propelled him to this match, but it still doesn’t make sense. This will be a great fight in May, but the champion won’t feel like the champ. One would even call it “fool’s gold”.
So Now What?
You have this stacked division. The number one contender is not fighting for the title. Fighters that were the number one guys not even 11 months ago are now out of the picture. While figuring out this division is a harder equation than trigonometry, it’s going to be fun to watch. We will get some crazy fights, and anyone can be champ. It’s going to be some fun Saturdays. While the title scene isn’t clear, I have 1080p resolution, so let’s go!
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2 Comments
Love this!
Thanks