After Jones/Gane, there is little left for Tom

[Human Bass]

There's Almeida and Gane, and anyone UFC can build up as a contender after them. Possibly UFC can poach Ngannou back if PFL drops the ball like they are doing. But yeah, of the active roster Aspinall vs anyone besides Jones can't really carry a card or sell crazy.

Almost zero chance that a bitter Dana accepts an old Ngannou .

 

[Thy]

considering how long it takes ufc to make fights happen. Those 3 fights will prolly last his career.

 

[Alpha_T83]

While I do agree, it wasn't long ago that people were saying welterweight was dead with no future, and now look at it. Contenders can rise up.

Pavlovich was supposed to be the HW interim champion and Aspinall broke the mold. We might get more UFC heavyweights shooting up the ranks in the future.

 

[Tweak896]

Almost zero chance that a bitter Dana accepts an old Ngannou .

Ehh he's taken back others who have done worse. No doubt he would lock him down with an 8 fight contract though if it happens. Crazy part is we haven't seen Ngannou really KO someone on the feet since Stipe in 2020, so we're talking about potentially 6 years later and he has had knee issues since. He's wrestled Gane and Renan to win. KO'd by Joshua.

He looked good in Fury fight, but if you watch closely, there wasn't much mobility and he sat back for counters, only landed when Fury overconfidently moved forward recklessly. We honestly have no idea where the hell he is at right now and I expect him to get worse over time, he's at the stage in his career where he has to rely on secondary skills to pull the win.

 

[Human Bass]

While I do agree, it wasn't long ago that people were saying welterweight was dead with no future, and now look at it. Contenders can rise up.

Pavlovich was supposed to be the HW interim champion and Aspinall broke the mold. We might get more UFC heavyweights shooting up the ranks in the future.

We should have talent, Buchecha and Gable should be already in the ufc. But Dana is cheap about prospects even when the division really needs them.

 

[RockyLockridge]

should have paid Ngannou his worth and let him fight Fury and HW wouldn’t be in quite this bad of a predicament. We would at least have the best HW’s in the world under the same banner and it would make for more compelling matchups as more up and comers moved through the ranks.

It's funny to me that they let go of ngannou and dropped rozenstruik who is better than atleast half the division.

 

[RockyLockridge]

We should have talent, Buchecha and Gable should be already in the ufc. But Dana is cheap about prospects even when the division really needs them.

I don't think gable is a fighter

 

[CatchtheseHands]

Ehh he's taken back others who have done worse. No doubt he would lock him down with an 8 fight contract though if it happens. Crazy part is we haven't seen Ngannou really KO someone on the feet since Stipe in 2020, so we're talking about potentially 6 years later and he has had knee issues since. He's wrestled Gane and Renan to win. KO'd by Joshua.

He looked good in Fury fight, but if you watch closely, there wasn't much mobility and he sat back for counters, only landed when Fury overconfidently moved forward recklessly. We honestly have no idea where the hell he is at right now and I expect him to get worse over time, he's at the stage in his career where he has to rely on secondary skills to pull the win.

Uhh Francis being able to rely on secondary skills to win shows how much he's improved and that he's a threat all around. I don't know how that's a bad thing or means he's declined.

 

[cburm]

HW is extremely shallow. There is Jailton, but it is a matter of TDD.

And after that...rematch Blaydes or Volk?

The only decent promise we have is Tallison Teixeira and we have yet to be certain about him.

If Aspinall manages to break Stipe record, there is little else to do besides retire in mma and do some boxing for easy saudi money.

And no, Porter Parker is not a contender

If Tom was smart he would a had 2 fights by now racking up an easy win streak and making a case for himself.. get his contract done quick and threaten to go to pfl for a Francis super fight and retire..

 

[cburm]

Imagine if the UFC kept Francis they'd have a legit hw division and it would of probably Ben the best division in the UFC...

Tom would have fights Jon Jones more than likely stayed at lhw or retired...

Tom gane Francis volk would be top 4 with room for up and comers if Jon was in the mix he'd be a contender because Francis wouldn't be waiting on that shit for years.

 

[Tweak896]

Uhh Francis being able to rely on secondary skills to win shows how much he's improved and that he's a threat all around. I don't know how that's a bad thing or means he's declined.

I'm just saying how sometimes you see guys in their later career use secondary skills. Not saying it's completely over for Ngannou, just I'm not sure the ferocious striker we used to know is the same.

Examples like Usman/Hendo mostly dropping their wrestling and becoming strikers. Shevchenko turning into a wrestler later on. Usually are signs they aren't as dominant as they once were at their specialty later on. Ngannou has been complaining about his knees too, even walking out to Fury.

 

[arcadeperfect]

Could be wrong but think one of the Big foot fights was maybe a short notice type deal? Looking back I really can't think of any other reason why he'd get a rematch .

Was it the 1st or 2nd fight where Big foot got sliced open so badly the cage looked like the killing floor of an abattoir?

1st fight was the bloody massacre, 2nd fight was a quick KO.

 

[arcadeperfect]

Now there's a chance for a HW champion to just demolish and lap the division and break/make records.

 

[Fedorgasm]

Bring back Francis

He's the only one that can save the division.

If he came back they wouldn't even need Jones. Whoever won between Tom and Francis would have the most legitimate claim to the HW title.

 

[xhaydenx]

Wrong, bro.

Thomas Petersen and Mitch Parkin looms.