LHW title contenders

Current Title Fight: Machida vs Shogun

#1 Contender: Evans vs Rampage

Next in line:

A) If Jones beats Vera then the winner of Jones vs Couture

or

B) Lil Nog is he can beat Griffin

Should be Page/Shad winner, then Nog if he beats Forrest

tolivendiewithLA wrote:

Should be Page/Shad winner, then Nog if he beats Forrest

+1

agree with la

I doubt they would make a matchup between Jones and Couture. Jones isn't a big name yet and Dana knows that fight would end via massacre

bobbitt15 wrote:

I doubt they would make a matchup between Jones and Couture. Jones isn't a big name yet and Dana knows that fight would end via massacre

If Jones beats Vera that'll be the 2nd free fight he's headlined and won. Then what better way than smashing a MMA legend to gain even more popularity and make a name for yourself.

Farmer1906 wrote:

bobbitt15 wrote:

I doubt they would make a matchup between Jones and Couture. Jones isn't a big name yet and Dana knows that fight would end via massacre

If Jones beats Vera that'll be the 2nd free fight he's headlined and won. Then what better way than smashing a MMA legend to gain even more popularity and make a name for yourself.

Technically he lost to Hamill last fight.

OUSOONERSOU wrote:

Farmer1906 wrote:

bobbitt15 wrote:

I doubt they would make a matchup between Jones and Couture. Jones isn't a big name yet and Dana knows that fight would end via massacre

If Jones beats Vera that'll be the 2nd free fight he's headlined and won. Then what better way than smashing a MMA legend to gain even more popularity and make a name for yourself.

Technically he lost to Hamill last fight.

I forgot that. I don't hold it against him. He beat Hamill and Hamill knows it just like we all do.

I would like to see Randy Couture take on Rich Franklin while he waits for Machida and Shogun to finish their business.

Dana's official line was after the winners of Shogun/Machida and Rampage/Evans are decided they will see how "Randy fits in the puzzle". Most analyists think this means that Couture gets the nod if the Evans vs Jackson winner looks unimpressive or the fight is controversial.

If you ask me, Minotoro deserves the fight if he beats Forrest immediately and Jon Jones deserves the fight if he beats Vera impressively immediately. But for whatever reason the UFC doesn't want to infuse new blood into the title hunt yet.

I don't know that the UFC wants to give Rampage a title shot at all if things are similar to how they were between him and Dana/UFC when he walked away and announced his return. Rampage says he is just finishing out his contract and doesn't care about the title, and Rampage really cost the UFC in a big way by walking out on that fight, for several reasons. Not only did it waste the momentum for that season of TUF, but it forced them to patch together other cards in the shuffle to fill main events, forced them to make a fight with Silva to give Evans a new opponent that utterly tanked and made Evans look bad even if he won, and it also prevented the UFC from being able to use BJ Penn to counter Strikeforce and Fedor.

Does anyone know what Rampage's twitter says lately?

The UFC is going to weigh options and figure out if they can produce a marketable title fight with the winners of those fights, but clearly they don't have high hopes for what will happen if Couture is still a likely canidate after his bout with Coleman.

Evans can't carry a card on his own, we know that now after the last card he headlined tanked, and Rampage isn't likely to be granted a title shot if the situation hasn't changed. I think though, if Shogun wins, a rematch between Rampage and Shogun would be highly marketable, maybe enough to make the UFC see past what Rampage has done to them.

I am not sold on a rematch between Evans and Machida. Even if Evans knocks Rampage out impressively I don't know how marketable a rematch between those two could possibly be considering how one sided the last fight was and how one sided a potential rematch would appear to be to anyone observing.

Evans vs Shogun is a fight people might like to see. If they end up winning impressively that matchup would legitimately generate intrique.

Machida vs Rampage, should those two pan out might also be something the UFC could consider, especially since Machida is a really really bad match up for Rampage. The UFC could figure that Machida, if he beats Shogun soundly in the rematch, would probably walk through Rampage stylistically. This could milk one more big fight out of Rampage before he walks away.

You must read this wall of text.

I agree, but I also agree that if Jone beats Vera that Randy would be a natural next step for him to take. They can't keep trying to hold Jones back forever. He needs to start making leaps instead of babysteps.

The UFC is making strides with Jones. He is headlining their pilot card on VS, and the UFC shot down the idea of Jones vs Davis because Dana doesn't believe Davis is ready for Jones yet. This tells me Jones has moved out of the prospect category and into the late 2010/early 2011 contender cycle.

Farmer1906 wrote:

bobbitt15 wrote:

I doubt they would make a matchup between Jones and Couture. Jones isn't a big name yet and Dana knows that fight would end via massacre

If Jones beats Vera that'll be the 2nd free fight he's headlined and won. Then what better way than smashing a MMA legend to gain even more popularity and make a name for yourself.

I agree that it would gain recognition for Bones, I just can't see them doing that to Randy

bobbitt15 wrote:

Farmer1906 wrote:

bobbitt15 wrote:

I doubt they would make a matchup between Jones and Couture. Jones isn't a big name yet and Dana knows that fight would end via massacre

If Jones beats Vera that'll be the 2nd free fight he's headlined and won. Then what better way than smashing a MMA legend to gain even more popularity and make a name for yourself.

I agree that it would gain recognition for Bones, I just can't see them doing that to Randy

Doing what? Giving him another headline and #1 contender shot against a inexperienced LHW.

Farmer1906 wrote:

bobbitt15 wrote:

Farmer1906 wrote:

bobbitt15 wrote:

I doubt they would make a matchup between Jones and Couture. Jones isn't a big name yet and Dana knows that fight would end via massacre

If Jones beats Vera that'll be the 2nd free fight he's headlined and won. Then what better way than smashing a MMA legend to gain even more popularity and make a name for yourself.

I agree that it would gain recognition for Bones, I just can't see them doing that to Randy

Doing what? Giving him another headline and #1 contender shot against a inexperienced LHW.

You could see it that way, or you could see it as feeding him to a younger, faster, stronger fighter that would cause tramatic brain injury to him inside three minutes.

Wolfgangsta wrote:

Farmer1906 wrote:

bobbitt15 wrote:

Farmer1906 wrote:

bobbitt15 wrote:

I doubt they would make a matchup between Jones and Couture. Jones isn't a big name yet and Dana knows that fight would end via massacre

If Jones beats Vera that'll be the 2nd free fight he's headlined and won. Then what better way than smashing a MMA legend to gain even more popularity and make a name for yourself.

I agree that it would gain recognition for Bones, I just can't see them doing that to Randy

Doing what? Giving him another headline and #1 contender shot against a inexperienced LHW.

You could see it that way, or you could see it as feeding him to a younger, faster, stronger fighter that would cause tramatic brain injury to him inside three minutes.

If he's worried about getting hurt then he should quit fighting. Everyone is younger & faster.

I didn't say he was worried. But he should be. Jon Jones would maul Randy Couture and it would be an ugly beatdown.