Undeserved title shots, by division

SeattleFightFan

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EDIT: I’ve made multiple changes in the first few hours of this thread.

Caveats:
  • In my order of most offensive to least offensive undeserved title shots. IMO of course.
  • I excluded interim titles (e.g. Nog v Mir I), title vacancies (e.g. Penn v Stephenson), late replacements (e.g. A Silva v Cote), and TUF 4 winners (GSP v Serra & Silva v Lutter)
  • Post-TUF era.
  • If I left out a fight, I probably thought it wasn't an offensive undeserved title shot. Or I missed it.
  • I tried to be unbiased. For example, I'm a big Nick Diaz fan, but Diaz v GSP is my WW #1.
Lesson Learned: ~25 (IMO) undeserved (of varying degrees) title shots in 15 years. So <2 a year. Not as bad as I expected.

Final Note: If you disagree with any of these 8 lists I want to hear it, but please add your own improved list as well. Thanks.

HW
  1. Couture v Sylvia
  2. Brock v Couture
  3. DC v Stipe I
  4. Arlovski v Eilers
LHW
  1. Jones v Sonnen
  2. Chuck v Horn
  3. Chuck v Randy III
  4. Rua v Jones
MW
  1. Bisping v Hendo
  2. Bisping v GSP
WW
  1. GSP v Diaz
  2. Woodley v Till
  3. GSP v Hardy
  4. Lawler v Condit
LW
  1. Conor v Alvarez
  2. Frankie v Henderson II
  3. Penn v Edgar II
  4. Penn v Sanchez
FW
  1. Aldo v Frankie I
  2. Aldo v Jung
BW
  1. Faber v Cruz
  2. TJ v Cody II
  3. TJ v Barao II
FlyW
  1. DJ v Cariaso
  2. DJ v Borg
 
Last edited:
Most of them were great fights.
 
Randy Couture. The Legend and HOF lost to Barnett (popped for roids) fought Ricco for HW strap and lost. Next fight was beating Chuck for interim 205 belt, after beating Tito for the belt he would then lose twice to Chuck over the next few years before retiring. Came back and fought Sylvia to once again regain the heavyweight belt... Pretty sure he has the record for title fights coming off a loss...
 
Randy Couture. The Legend and HOF lost to Barnett (popped for roids) fought Ricco for HW strap and lost. Next fight was beating Chuck for interim 205 belt, after beating Tito for the belt he would then lose twice to Chuck over the next few years before retiring. Came back and fought Sylvia to once again regain the heavyweight belt... Pretty sure he has the record for title fights coming off a loss...
No one cares or asked about randy, leave your spiels to yourself
 
Randy Couture. The Legend and HOF lost to Barnett (popped for roids) fought Ricco for HW strap and lost. Next fight was beating Chuck for interim 205 belt, after beating Tito for the belt he would then lose twice to Chuck over the next few years before retiring. Came back and fought Sylvia to once again regain the heavyweight belt... Pretty sure he has the record for title fights coming off a loss...
I had Randy v Sylvia in my HW list.

At LHW:
I left out Randy v Chuck I because it was an interim title.
And then beating Chuck justified Randy v Tito for the actual title.
And of course Randy v Chuck II was legit.

But you're right about Randy v Chuck III. I'll add it. I think it's less egregious than Chuck v Horn, so I put it at #3. Thanks.
 
Chael V Jones after Chael had just lost to Silva.
Yoel V Izzy after Yoel was 1-3 in his last 4 and lost twice to the guy Israel finished.
Aldo V Cejudo if rumours are to be believed with Aldo coming off 2 losses.
Holm V Nunes. Holm got gifted it purely based on her being the only former champion she hadn't beaten.
Ken Shamrock V Tito. Ken was 37, riddled with wrestling injuries and 1-2 in his last 3 and 3-3 in his last 6.
 
Edgar vs Bendo
Edgar vs Penn
both needed rematches due to the controversial nature of the first fights.
 
If anyone is deserving of an immediate title fight in a weightclass above, it would be a goat of the division. So I think you are wrong.
 
Edgar v Holloway could go into the featherweight category.
 
If anyone is deserving of an immediate title fight in a weightclass above, it would be a goat of the division. So I think you are wrong.
Well, Nick Diaz did beat Gomi, but calling him a LW GOAT to justify his GSP fight is a bit much, don't you think?

(yes i'm fucking with you)
 
Caveats:
  • In my order of most offensive to least offensive undeserved title shots. IMO of course.
  • I excluded interim titles (e.g. Nog v Mir I), title vacancies (e.g. Penn v Stephenson), late replacements (e.g. A Silva v Cote), and TUF 4 winners (GSP v Serra & Silva v Lutter)
  • Post-TUF era.
  • If I left out a fight, I probably thought it wasn't an offensive undeserved title shot. Or I missed it.
  • I tried to be unbiased. For example, I'm a big Nick Diaz fan, but Diaz v GSP is my WW #1.
Lesson Learned: 31 (IMO) undeserved (of varying degrees) title shots in 15 years. 2 a year. Not as bad as I expected.

Final Note: If you disagree with any of these 8 lists I want to hear it, but please add your own improved list as well. Thanks.

HW
  1. Couture v Sylvia
  2. Brock v Couture
  3. Arlovski v Eilers
  4. Tim Sylvia v Gan McGee
LHW
  1. Jones v Sonnen
  2. Tito v Ken
  3. Chuck v Horn
  4. Chuck v Randy III
  5. Jones v Belfort
  6. Rua v Jones
MW
  1. Bisping v Hendo
  2. Bisping v GSP
  3. Silva v Leites
WW
  1. GSP v Diaz
  2. Hughes v Castillo
  3. Woodley v Till
  4. GSP v Hardy
  5. Hughes v Penn
  6. Lawler v Condit
  7. Woodley v Thompson II
LW
  1. Conor v Alvarez
  2. Frankie v Henderson II
  3. Penn v Edgar II
  4. Sherk v Florian
  5. Pennv Sanchez
FW
  1. I got nothing. Maybe Aldo v Jung
BW
  1. TJ v Cejudo
  2. Faber v Cruz
  3. TJ v Cody II
  4. TJ v Soto
  5. TJ v Barao II
FlyW
  1. DJ v Cariaso
  2. Ray Borg
Sherk vs Florian for a vacant, reinstated belt tho
 
Chael V Jones after Chael had just lost to Silva.
Yoel V Izzy after Yoel was 1-3 in his last 4 and lost twice to the guy Israel finished.
Aldo V Cejudo if rumours are to be believed with Aldo coming off 2 losses.
Holm V Nunes. Holm got gifted it purely based on her being the only former champion she hadn't beaten.
Ken Shamrock V Tito. Ken was 37, riddled with wrestling injuries and 1-2 in his last 3 and 3-3 in his last 6.
Was chael a potential late replacement for Hendo ? And then they just scrapped the card and scheduled Chael Jones anyways
 
Overeem getting a Strikeforce title shot after getting KTFO in one round just a few weeks earlier is pretty laughable--almost as laughable as who he had to fight.
 
Wasnt Jones a replacement for Rashad against Rua?
 
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