unless Okami and Boetsch win but who else would be down for Belcher vs Costa Boetsch vs Belcher Costa vs Okami
With Anderson being a nonchalant as he has been about defending the MW title, it makes sense. I wish he cared more about the title than a elementary school student does about a goldfish.
I wouldn't be opposed to any of those matchups, but I would rather the Belcher/Okami winner fight Lombard and the Costa/Boestch winner either fight Weidman or welcome Rockhold into the UFC.
I actually would rather see Lombard vs Rockhold. Former Bellator champ vs former SF champ. I'd honestly put Lombard and Rockhold ahead of any of Okami, Belcher, Boetsch and Costa.
I think Lombard is really overhyped. His best wins are Schlemenko and Palhares, who are both tough guys, but he has a 1-3 record in the big leagues and the vast majority of his fights outside of UFC and PRIDE were squash matches, either against not very good fighters or young prospects. Also, it's really hard to justify giving Lombard a better fight than the Boestch/Phillippou winner. I know a lot of people think Hector won that fight but they both looked so terrible it's hard to call robbery. I think the winner of Belcher/Okami would be a good next step for him and would tell us exactly how good he is (or isn't). Rockhold deserves a guy with a lot of momentum, and I think the only choices that make sense are either the Costa/Boestch winner or Weidman, but it would be a shame to see either Chris or Luke lose right now. IMO they're far and away the most interesting matchups for Anderson.
Boetsch was battered by Okami for two rounds, and was lucky to squeak by Lombard (i thought Lombard beat him by the way). If Belcher beats Okami, he deserves a number one contender match against Weidman (he will be healthy in May). Winner of Vitor/Bisping gets Silva in Brazil in the summer. If Belcher loses and Boetsch wins in convincing fashion, give him a number one contender match against Weidman (the original matchup). Otherwise, let Boetsch face the SF champ Rockhold. That is the way how it should be. Joe Silva take notes.
I think Weidman said he'd be back June-ish, if Boetsch wins on Saturday and is cool waiting, i'd still like to see that scrap
I'd give Lombard Bisping whether he wins or loses. And there is little chance imo that Costa beats Boetsch. Lets be real, just b/c Boetsch doesn't have the biggest mouth or personality, there's just not enough on Costa's resume that screams out victory, and i know people are lining up to bet on him b/c of his slight underdog status. Boetsch was a monster at 205. I like TS' idea for matchmaking, although i would guess that they make Belcher vs Vitor if both win b/c that fight was already supposed to happen. Lets hope it does and Belcher doesn't get an inflated ego like he usually does and try to test his grappling strength against Okami, who he should beat if it stays on the feet.
At what point will people realize your previous resume has absolutely nothing to do with whether you win a fight or not? God I don't know how many times I've seen someone say insert random fighter can not beat insert random more experienced fighter because of their previous resume. Costa has shown very solid takedown defense and Boetsch striking is nothing more than average. There's a reason the oddsmakers have this fight as a toss up. Also if Bisping wins he'll get a title shot.
while I see your point, he lost to Catone and his last 4 wins are against some fairly meager competition, going to a decision against McGee and Fukuda. Although i like Fukuda, neither him nor Mcgee have better striking than Boetsch. So in this instance, we know one guy can hang with top competition and is probably in the top 10, whereas Costa hasn't fought anyone in the top 15 or 20. And Boetsch is one of the toughest nuts to crack.
and none of that makes any difference in this fight. Boetsch got finished by punches by Matt Hammil and dominated by Jason Brilz. Literally nothing you have said has anything to do with who wins this fight. If this is how you predict fights be glad you do not bet money on them.
Still dont kno why the UFC didnt make Boetsch vs Belcher & put Costa against Okami instead? Boetsch & Belcher are both possible contenders. Costa needs a top 10 fighter to test him & Okami def is not in title contention. Those 2 matchups make more sense then the current ones.
My breakdown of the div: Boetsch is unlikely to get a shot if he beats Costa. Costa certainly won't get it if he's the victor. They like Alan, his comeback story and his style. If he comes through on Sat, he'll be one fight away from a shot or gets it straight away. Okami has a long road to go, that may be neverending. He'll be a upper level gatekeeper for f.e. Philippou to get a shot at Silva. Munoz would also be a test, another guy that just was a contender. If Bisping beats Vitor, he gets a title shot. Vitor doesn't, but gets another contender. Maybe Belcher (if he wins) or Boetsch if Weidman isn't available. Or Lombard. Lombard gets a winner or Munoz. Probably the former. Vitor or Belcher. That's for the next title shot if Weidman is still out (he'll come back and gets a contender fight). They won't make a Boetsch rematch this soon, and the Okami fight can burn a contender. Costa isn't marketable yet, he'll need more fights before getting a eliminator.
Belcher/Boetsch is what I expect, winner getting a t/s. If Costa was to win, he'd be a solid first UFC fight for Rockhold. I'd quite like Costa to win, Boetsch/Lombard left a horrible taste in my mouth, but Boetsch is a cool dude.
