The UFC Lightweight Title Picture

MMAEYES wrote:

bobbitt15 wrote:

Frankie-BJs first fight was terrible. Edgar didn't push the pace nearly as much and neither of them landed a damn punch the last 3 rounds. They both looked very blah. He neutered Diego in the first round and Diego is also tailor made for BJ, and Kenny didn't do anything except hold him while Keith yelled shoulder pressure from outside the cage. I don't expect him to gas that badly when guys don't actually do anything

What the hell kind of drugs were you on when you watched that fight? There was all kinds of action in that fight.

They both landed at a terrible % and the number of hard clean strikes were few and far between

I voted for Gilbert coming over. Champion vs Champion at LW doesn't get any better then a current UFC champ vs SF champ Gil Melendez. The guy is hot right now and he is killing his competition. After that you let the other guys fight it out for a shot. I think Bendo will beat Clay or Melvin so I see him fighting for a title in a year from now. He would beat Pettis down if they fought again. I think he was nervous in that fight and screwed himself. Siver is just blah to me and I don't even want to think about him fighting for a title. I coulda swore he used to sucks balls a few years ago?

I voted for BJ to drop down and win the title again.

The ligthweight division is about to start acting a lot more like the LHW Division, in which no oe person is able to dominate. Which is just fine with me.

timthebim wrote:

I voted for BJ to drop down and win the title again.

That's what I want also. I would rather see him fight CC but that is gonna happen already. I had to go with what should happen and not what I want. I can always enjoy seeing BJ fight for the LW title although I don't see him dropping down ever again. After his run in WW I bet he retires. I hope not.....but it is gonna happen.

I'd like to see Melendez get the next shot, Guida's become boring.

http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2011/10/5/2469921/ufc-136-frankie-edgar-vs-gray-maynard-lightweight-state-union
UFC 136 will be headlined by a Lightweight fight that is over three years in the making. Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard III
is a rematch of my personal pick for 2011 Fight of the Year (so far)
and a classic Lightweight title fight. But it's also the end of the line
for a two man feud that has controlled the top of the division for the
past year. Which means it's time to start looking ahead at what is yet
to come. This is a somewhat new experience for the division - the last
time anyone other than Edgar, Maynard, or last champion B.J. Penn fought for the Lightweight title was Diego Sanchez challenging at UFC 107 two years ago.

Next in Line:

Lightweight has always been a very tough division to reach the top
of. It's a talent rich division, with so many tough names hovering at
the top, that at any point, the apparent next in line can lose. Nowhere
is that more apparent than in the cases of Jim Miller and Anthony Pettis.

Had things gone just a bit differently back at UFC 125,
it would likely be Pettis challenging for the belt this weekend. But
after the Edgar vs. Maynard rematch was set, Pettis decided to face Clay Guida,
who put an end to the WEC champion's title run (for now at least). The
other likely next #1 contender over the past few months was Jim Miller,
but like Pettis, he was knocked off his perch, this time by Ben Henderson.

So, who's the next title challenger? Seems like it has to be the winner of Clay Guida vs. Ben Henderson at the Fox debut show on November 12. If that fight is not broadcast, it will be criminal.

Key Match Ups:

A lot of good stuff on the way at Lightweight that should help us
sort things out after Guida vs. Henderson, but as always at Lightweight,
any of these fighters have a long road to a title challenge.

• Melvin Guillard vs. Joe Lauzon
  (UFC 136) - Guillard is on a great 7-1 run, knocking out many opponents
  spectacularly. He seems to have developed into the kind of mature
  fighter that is capable of a real run at the top. Lauzon had good
  success a few years ago, but he's gotten lost in the shuffle and is 2-2
  since 2010. A win here would help, but he has some rebuilding to do.
  
• Anthony Pettis vs. Jeremy Stephens
  (UFC 136) - WEC champion Pettis came into the UFC an automatic (if a
  bit questionable) #1 contender, but the Guida loss really cooled his
  run. He needs a big win here, but Stephens is a formidable opponent.
  
• Donald Cerrone vs. Dennis Siver (UFC 137)
  - Cerrone built a name for himself at the end of the WEC, claiming the
  interim WEC Lightweight title. It's been almost three years since he
  lost to anyone other than Henderson, and he's now 3-0 in the UFC with
  impressive wins. Siver had a forgettable run in the UFC back in
  2007-2008, but then came back in 2009 and has gone 7-1 since. If
  Guillard wins this weekend, I would anticipate him facing the winner of
  this one next.
  
• Gilbert Melendez vs. Jorge Masvidal (Strikeforce)
  - This fight is a huge question mark, with Melendez in the works to
  jump over to the UFC any day now. If he does, this will be off, and he
  could potentially jump straight to the head of the line and challenge
  the Edgar vs. Maynard winner.
  

Future Contenders:

A few other Lightweights don't have things scheduled at the moment, but have to be considered "in the mix."

• Edson Barboza
  - Probably a bit early to put him on this list, but he's faced an
  increasingly tough level of competition and he is yet to lose. His next
  fight should keep moving him up.
  
• Jim Miller - Despite the Henderson loss, he's still in the upper
  levels of the division. With a 20-3 record, and a recent 7 fight UFC win
  streak, he's a real contender who could be just one big win away from a
  shot.
  
• Josh Thomson
  - Along with Melendez and Masvidal, he's the Strikeforce fighter with
  the best shot at making an impact in the UFC Lightweight division.
  Things have been a bit up and down for the ex-Strikeforce champion in
  the past few years, and he could use a win next time out.
  
• Matt Wiman
  - Wiman seems like the kind of career journeyman destined to have good
  fights in the midcard, but his last few performances have shown a new
  and improved Wiman. I can't see him actually challenging for the belt,
  but he belongs with these names.
  

I voted Gil, if he comes over after beating Masvidal or with having not faced him, he should get the shot. MMA world knows where he stands, he has been top 5 or better in the best division in MMA for the better part of two years already, he needs no tester BS fight in order to get a shot at the winner this weekend. If he is not coming over for an immediate title shot, then why pull him now at all?

Whoever comes out of the crazy flying hairball will get the title shot

Either way, I think they all need a daum haircut

Bump.

bigbeastcardinal12 wrote:

I voted for Gilbert coming over. Champion vs Champion at LW doesn't get any better then a current UFC champ vs SF champ Gil Melendez. The guy is hot right now and he is killing his competition. After that you let the other guys fight it out for a shot. I think Bendo will beat Clay or Melvin so I see him fighting for a title in a year from now. He would beat Pettis down if they fought again. I think he was nervous in that fight and screwed himself. Siver is just blah to me and I don't even want to think about him fighting for a title. I coulda swore he used to sucks balls a few years ago?

Winning!

Lol.