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Last Saturday, UFC 254 took place at Fight Island in Abu Dhabi and is an event that will be considered one of the most important in UFC history. In the main event, UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov put on the most impressive performances of his career, subjecting interim champion Justin Gaethje to a triangle choke in the second round. The fight cemented Khabib as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the sport and the greatest lightweight of all time. He also reaffirmed his position as one of the biggest stars in MMA and organized a possible super fight with Georges St-Pierre. Except, then Khabib retired.
It was a shocking turn of events for a man on the cusp of the sport that makes sense in hindsight. Earlier this year, Khabib lost his father Abdulmanap to COVID-19 and was deeply affected by the loss. Now, having already bet on being one of the best fighters of all time, there is nothing left to prove for Khabib, and after his victory on Saturday, he revealed that he promised his mother that he would not fight again. At just 32 years old, the sport has lost its biggest champion and one of its biggest stars.
But as you are taught in science class, nature abhors a vacuum. 155 pounds has always been the top division in MMA and Khabib leaves behind a lightweight division loaded with talent and stars. There are currently half a dozen other lightweight contenders who would make sense to pitch to a fight for the vacant belt. Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier are in talks for a rematch early next year, which may end up being for the vacant belt. Then there’s former Bellator lightweight champion Michael Chandler, who stood by the cage for UFC 254 to serve as the emergency backup fighter for the main event. The UFC is rumored to be interested in a fight between Chandler and former interim champion Tony Ferguson. And, of course, there is Gaethje, who lost his interim title on Saturday but remains the highest ranked fighter in the division.
Any combination of those contenders would be a useful way to start the post-Khabib era of the lightweight division, but that’s not the best way to crown a new champion. Sure, Poirier vs. McGregor is an excellent fight between the No. 2 and No. 4 ranked contenders, and it’s already in the works, but both men have already been strangled by Khabib. Crowning any of them champion so soon would make the belt seem empty, a given trinket rather than actually earned. To restore the luster of the lightweight title, the UFC needs to have a tournament to crown its new champion.
The UFC is not a fan of tournaments as they are inherently complicated promotional structures to run, yet in this case it seems like the only proper way to decide who carries the torch for the UFC’s main division. They wouldn’t have to host an eight-man grand prix (although they really should). Instead, the UFC could host a four-man tournament with Poirier, McGregor, Gaethje and Ferguson (sorry Michael Chandler, you stayed out), the four highest-ranked fighters in the division. And in this case, matching this tournament with the traditional seeded structure would work very well. Gaethje, the top ranked versus fourth ranked, is arguably the most exciting fight ever written, and Poirier, second ranked, and third ranked Ferguson, is not far behind. Both fights are guaranteed contenders for the Fight of the Year and the subsequent vacant title fight, either Conor vs. Tony, or one of three possible rematches, would be too.
The lightweight division has been the best division in MMA for more than a decade and just lost its biggest champion. Throwing the belt to whoever wins one more fight doesn’t establish who the best lightweight in the world is, it just gives the UFC a shiny item to put up fight posters and promote. Declare the winner of Conor vs. Dustin or Gaethje vs. whoever the new lightweight champion is would only serve to devalue the belt as a sign of true excellence. Not only that, but it would be disrespectful to Khabib Nurmagomedov. Khabib withdrew the undefeated and undisputed champion from the sport and restored legitimacy to the lightweight title. The least the UFC can do is honor that by making sure the next person to hold the title at least has to prove the latter.
“Today I want to say that this was my last fight. No way am I going to come here without my father. It was the first time after what happened with my father, when the UFC called me about Justin, I spoke with my mother for three days. She doesn’t want me to go fight without my father, but I promised her it would be my last fight. If I give my word, I have to follow this. It was my last fight here. “ – Khabib after his emotional victory.
“From what this guy has been through, we are all lucky to see him fight tonight.” – Dana White on Khabib’s last fight.
Justin looked overwhelmed, he looked like he was panicking, like he didn’t know what to do. The threat came from everywhere. From below, from above, from everywhere. It was just a masterful performance. “ – Georges St-Pierre on Khabib’s performance.
“With Khabib retiring, I’m No. 1. Poirier and McGregor are going to fight. They haven’t made it official, so if McGregor wants to bounce back and get the belt, I’m here. ” Justin Gaethje after the loss.
“It’s the fight that makes sense right now. Adesanya has a lot of options, but the fight that makes the most sense is Whittaker. ” – Dana White in the co-feature event.
Supply
Khabib Nurmagomedov: In what many said was the toughest test of his career, Khabib delivered his best performance. He fought Justin Gaethje on his feet and then swept him to the ground. If it’s not the GOAT, at least it’s grounded in the conversation.
Robert Whittaker: A lot of people were discarding Bobby Knuckles and now those people are eating crow. Whittaker has shown that he is still among the elite of the elite at middleweight and may well have earned a second chance at Israel Adesanya.
Phil Hawes: Hawes has been a highly publicized prospect for a while and just delivered an 18-second KO. He may have been the biggest winner of the week outside of Khabib and the lightweights who no longer have to fear Khabib.
Lauren murphy: The opponent may have been outclassed, but Murphy did what you’re supposed to do against inferior opposition and then got on the mic and dropped the most eloquent demand for a title shot of all time. Lucky is next at 125.
Neutral
Justin Gaethje: There is a strong argument that Gaethje’s actions went down, such was the level of dominance that Khabib displayed over him; however, with Khabib retiring, Gaethje appears to be the favorite to be in the middle of the vacant title fight.
Jared cannonier: While Cannonier missed a title shot by staying on the short end of the judges’ scorecards, he also had a fantastic fight with the former middleweight champion, and this time with one who isn’t incredibly older. Cannonier remains a concern at 185 pounds.
Alexander Volkov: Volkov stopped Walt Harris, but he looked a lot like him. The victory keeps him “in the mix” at heavyweight, but it doesn’t raise his profile or fan hopes that he will be a future champion.
Stock down
Walt Harris: Harris had been gaining some momentum in the heavyweight division, but now with two losses in a row, “The Big Ticket” is just another guy in the division.
Stefan struve: God loves Struve, but considering his medical history, it’s always terrifying to watch him compete, and for whatever reason, the man has never learned how not to get hit over the head with rights.
Alex Oliveira: Oliveira spent preparation talking about a different undefeated MMA fighter instead of his opponent, blew weight, and then got hit in the first round. It’s not exactly a great weekend.
In the grand scheme of things, nothing too terrible happened from a promotional / umpiring / judging point of view, but some classic MMA tropes certainly did reap their heads. First of all, the evaluation was quite poor, we were only saved by all the endings. Aside from the presence of a split tie (always a sign that something is wrong) two judges gave Justin Gaethje the first round and a judge scored Casey Kenney-Nathaniel Wood 30-27. This is not the best time for anyone.
The other thing to mention Daniel Cormier. All credit to DC, who handled the difficult job of commenting on his good friend’s fight very well. However, it is still insane that not only did the UFC allow it, but that the comment booth only had Cormier and Jon Anik. Given Cormier’s extensive history with Khabib, and the fact that it is now a well-known fact that wrestlers can hear commentators in the empty arena, DC should have been asked to refrain from calling the main event and leaving. the booth to Anik and a third party. commentator. It ended regardless, but it’s still shocking that it happened in the first place.
Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Georges St-Pierre: If, for some reason, Khabib isn’t done yet, none of the potential lightweight fights seem that much fun anymore. This fight is pretty silly, but it’s definitely a good time and the perfect ending to a hitherto perfect career.
Justin Gaethje vs. Conor McGregor: This will always be the fight to be done as it is the most exciting fight in the history of the sport. Now they can even put the belt on the line.
Robert Whittaker vs. Israel Adesanya: I don’t think Whittaker has any chance in a rematch with Izzy, but given his accomplishments in the division and these two wins, the man deserves the chance.
Jared Cannonier vs. Paulo Costa: Costa has already called this fight and it seems like the appropriate step for both men.
Alexander Volkov vs. Alistair Overeem: Fight that can be won and lost for both men, coming off victories over Walt Harris.
Lauren Murphy vs. Valentina shevchenko: I could have put “The winner of Shevchenko vs. Jennier Maia” but I did it because Shevchenko is winning that fight. Murphy is the next logical cannon fodder to feed the most dominant champion in the UFC now that Khabib is gone.
Magomed ankalaev vs. Johnny Walker: Two lightweights that are athletic and can break. Big step forward for Ankalaev.
