2020 LW champ fighting Saturday night?

[mkess101]

With Khabib potentially moving up in weight (or retiring if you believe his dad?) and Tony turning 35 next month, the best 2 fighters in the division are absolutely no lock to still be relevant for the title 2+ years from now. The division is obviously stacked (Poirier, Gaethje, Al, etc.), but is one of these 2 guys the potential champ in waiting?



Hernandez has been really impressive, but is he champ material down the road? Well rounded and improving, 2 years from now is he in the title mix? I have yet to see real flaws in his game, will be interesting to see how his fight with Cerrone plays out.



Gillespie is probably the best grappler in the division not named Khabib (and I'm not convinced he's not as good or better than Khabib--at least as a top position grappler). His quality of opponent hasn't been amazing, but he's unbeaten and thoroughly dominated a good fighter in Vince Pichel his last time out. In the past he's had a tendency to maybe brawl a bit too much, but when he puts people on their backs he both holds them down AND does damage or subs them. The guy is a BEAST. He is 31, so he needs to get a big step up in competition after he likely runs through Yancy.


So...what do you think? Are we looking at our LW champ in 2-3 years maybe with one of these guys?

 

[Deleted member 545701]

2020?

I feel like we'll be seeing Conor Tony and Khabib fight for the next 2-3 years, so until they leave, these guys aren't getting that title, especially when Ferg and Khabib are active

 

[mkess101]

2020?

I feel like we'll be seeing Conor Tony and Ferguson fight for the next 2-3 years, so until they leave, these guys aren't getting that title, especially when Ferg and Khabib are active

Like I said, Khabib's dad has said he could fight 2-3 more times and retire. Or the weight cut could just become too difficult (he had seizures prior to the Conor fight due to it) and he moves to 170. And you will not find a bigger fan of Tony than me, but he's gonna be 35 next month. By mid 2020 he's gonna be 37 and a half years old, and his style is NOT suited to him being able to do this for TOO much longer.

 

[Franklin U.]

Irish dragon .....my 155 dark horse. You know where you heard first.

 

[Mr.Maelstrom]

GG will be a champ

 

[maxi diablo]

If he finishes Cerrone, then yeah.

 

[mkess101]

Irish dragon .....my 155 dark horse. You know where you heard first.

I'm a huge Felder fan. I love guys with endless heart like he has. But he's 33 and nowhere near a title shot. As much as I think it would be awesome, I'm not seeing it.

 

[mooseman17]

I like Gillespie a lot but I fear he may be a bit undersized.

 

[Donking91]

I like Gregor. Would like to see him vs a top ten if he gets past Yancy. Shit put him against Hernandez if they both win

 

[mkess101]

I like Gregor. Would like to see him vs a top ten if he gets past Yancy. Shit put him against Hernandez if they both win

I doubt they'll kill off a rising contender like that, but they've done it before so maybe you are on to something. If they do that, the winner is likely only one more win after that away from a title shot.

I've favor GG over Hernandez as of now. I think because he doesn't self promote and only fought twice in the last year, people forget just how dominant a grappler that Gregor is.

 

[supnmunm]

2020?

I feel like we'll be seeing Conor Tony and Ferguson fight for the next 2-3 years, so until they leave, these guys aren't getting that title, especially when Ferg and Khabib are active

Tony and Ferguson eh..

 

[mkess101]

I like Gillespie a lot but I fear he may be a bit undersized.

Yeah he's not a big 155'er at all. But...not cutting much weight may mean better cardio and more longevity for him? He's ragdolled everyone so far, even bigger guys. But we'll see when he steps up in competition.

 

[Franklin U.]

I'm a huge Felder fan. I love guys with endless heart like he has. But he's 33 and nowhere near a title shot. As much as I think it would be awesome, I'm not seeing it.

Well 33 isn't bad at all and doesn't have that MMA mileage on him so who knows.He beats Vick (and he's favored to do so) and take in account he's been ultimate company man in having fights fall through and moving up to save a fight or 2..... again , who knows - those hellbows get nastier and nastier and maybe he earns/gets fill in call - crazier things have happened .

 

[Deleted member 545701]

Tony and Ferguson eh..

Damn dude I'm retarded I didn't even see that

 

[mkess101]

Well 33 isn't bad at all and doesn't have that MMA mileage on him so who knows.He beats Vick (and he's favored to do so) and take in account he's been ultimate company man in having fights fall through and moving up to save a fight or 2..... again , who knows - those hellbows get nastier and nastier and maybe he earns/gets fill in call - crazier things have happened .

Yeah not saying it's impossible. Just unlikely. It would be cool to see, he's a true warrior.

 

[VaskisRanger]

I like Gillespie a lot but I fear he may be a bit undersized.

nah the guy beats up on middleweights in the gym

 

[TjDillashawCombo]

Cerrone probably submits or tko Hernandez

 

[mkess101]

Cerrone probably submits or tko Hernandez

I'm not counting out Cowboy at all. I think he presents challenges that Hernandez hasn't encountered yet. Should be a great fight.

 

[xx madskillz xx]

Irish dragon .....my 155 dark horse. You know where you heard first.

Not happening.

 

[Wise1]

I like to mess around with the vCash but I don’t make bets unless I’m fairly confident. As far as FightNight143 goes, Hernandez is the only fighter I’m betting on.

Champ material? His performance against Cowboy will be a great gauge. Anything less than a finish will be disappointing imo.