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Image credit: ITP MMA video titled "Arman Tsarukyan Wasn't Injured."
Lightweight in MMA has always been a shark tank due to it being the spot where the most average sized men can cut weight to. Well, almost always, but even when they axed it from the UFC, Gomi was still running shit overseas.
Over the last few years, we have had an absolute rat race with the title being passed around by the Two Princes of Dagestan before Islam vacated due to his love of baked goods growing with age.
Arguably, it is easier than ever to get a title shot at LW, yet we are seeing it enter an inactivity slump which we haven't seen in ages. No hunger, no one begging for a title shot outside of a small handful.
For a long time, seemingly the entire division wanted to add "Khabib/Islam's Skull" to their belt wall, perhaps as it's weight at the time was more than the gold itself (huge brow bones).
Now, while our new, flamboyant, German-Georgian-Spanish champion holds the belt while dropping bodies...there seems to have been a wall hit in fighters wanting to fight upwards at 155, and you people don't even have Dustin Poirier to blame anymore.
Let's go down the list and pick apart the issues in the division.
C. Topuria - Ilia and his brother announced earlier that while one was in camp, the other never would be. As an older brother, I respect it, as a fan of the sport, I hate it. He's guaranteeing inactivity. Won't see him till 2026, will be lucky to see him twice next year. Probably going through some emotional stuff after being BTFO by Crawford. 2 fights a year tops for Tops.
1. Islam - isn't even a LW anymore
2. Arman - More interested in grappling with 50 year old Ben Henderson, trying to find Nina onlfans, and blogging about/consuming copious amounts of food rather than fighting
3. Max Hollaway - Coming off of a brutal KO loss to Tops then retiring Dustin. Days as a top contender are probably done. Would rather he takes fun fights. Blessed vs Hooker?
4. Chucky Olives - coming off a brutal KO loss to Topuria, lost to Arman, still somehow back in there before either of them
5. Justin Gaethje - Has beaten Fiziev, with Ali ducking other fights for him demanding title shots. JG is in a weird spot, I've been pushing him to fight Hooker forever. They were scheduled, Hooker was injured, Justing boxed up Fiziev again. I feel like Justin might be wanting to go out on his shield against Topuria in one last title fight and retire. He's 36 and getting brutally slept isn't sustainable, but he's got another go in him. LET JUSTIN SLEEP
6. Dan Hooker - Speak of the devil. Hope his hand heals up and they can rebook him and Justin or Max in a FOTY.
7. Paddy - The Baddy has been on a roll, but he could use another big name to fight. Ferguson, Bobby, and Chandler are shop worn and held together by duct tape. Wouldn't mind seeing him against anyone ranked above him or Gamrot. He is large for the division, but I need to see him get one more serious win before I can confidently say he is a true contender. I learned my lesson with Darren Till.
8. Gamer Gamrot - The fight which Arman is actually ducking with his pasta consumption, Gamrot may be boring to watch much of the time (though not all at all) he has a plan in his head (allegedly) and he sticks to it. Two split decision losses and a single UD loss, he is the wrestling boogeyman of the division as long as his chin stays uncracked, he'll be a consistent issue. That and not dinging any judges cars in the parking lot.
9. Benny Dariush - Beat up Moicano (embarrassing for Money). Benny isn't even a once a year fighter. He is the only one to clearly beat Gamrot with a UD, yet that was three years ago, with 3 fights since for Benny.
Think he's winding it down.
10, 11, 12 - Fizzy, Moicano, and Chandler have all lost to guys above them, and should be taking any fight offered to get back in the green and try to climb while there is room.
Chandler is done for, he's already shop worn and old.
Fizzy might be able to keep himself mid ranked with a few wins as long as we keep him away from Gaethje, while Moicano has fumbled his position with the loss to Benny completely when it comes to title fights, guy will never be near gold again, so he probably doesn't really care how often he fights at this point.
13, 14, 15 - BSD just won a fight where I was picking against him by absolutely thrashing Ruffy whose room temperature fight IQ in that scrap allowing BSD to get back to his feet for no reason led directly to the finish.
Grant Dawson...guys I will be completely honest and tell you I have forgotten about Grant Dawson's existence since Bobby "King of CTE" Green put his lights out.
Outside of the top 15, we have a few people who I believe will be making splashes in the top 15 soon enough in Myktybek Orolbai (who is, I shit you not, a lawyer) strong as all shit with servicable grappling and an incredible fighting spirit, famous for his eye swelling to a grapefruit in a barnburner against Rebecki, Chris Duncan, and Nazim Sadykhov.
What do you guys think? I believe the lightweights really need to step up to the plate.
NO ARMAN NOT LIKE THAT!
