If JDS beats Rothwell...

[L0ki]

Let's say JDS beats Rothwell with no controversy (at least 29-28 or at best KO).

What would you say that does for the HW division?

First, I wanna give props to Rothwell for taking the JDS fight. I had Ben and Reem as tied for the number 1 contender spot until Ben choked out Barnetto which gave him the edge and now accepting a fight against JDS in a high risk fight....

If Ben loses, to me, that would leave Reem as the clear cut number 1 contender. JDS would have recently beaten Rothwell and Stipe but lost to Alistair.

JDS would have had too recent a loss to warrant a title shot.

What would your thoughts be regarding the number 1 contender for the HW title should JDS win?

 

[KingOfThePikeys]

Reem or Miocic. The HW division sure is interesting now. A year or two ago, people were calling it the worst. But now it's pretty damn competitive and exciting. Times can really change quickly.

 

[Brock Tober]

I think JDS is done.

 

[subhuman trash]

JDS is going to KO Rothwell in the 1st.

 

[L0ki]

Reem or Miocic. The HW division sure is interesting now. A year or two ago, people were calling it the worst. But now it's pretty damn competitive and exciting. Times can really change quickly.

Always liked HW.

It's such a hard division. The biggest number a fighter has defended the HW belt in UFC history is a whopping 2.

People usually say a division is shallow when you have one guy at the top, who is there for whatever reason.

 

[FreeFace]

Rothwell by being hungry animal he is.

 

[BROWNPRIDE]

I like JDS but unfortunately hes done.

 

[KingOfThePikeys]

Always liked HW.

It's such a hard division. The biggest number a fighter has defended the HW belt in UFC history is a whopping 2.

People usually say a division is shallow when you have one guy at the top, who is there for whatever reason.

I love the division now, but I admit it wasn't my favorite until the last year and a half or two. I think everyone has just risen to a higher level in the past two years, and clear examples are Werdum, Miocic, Rothwell, Overeem, and even Mark Hunt. I think these 5 are better than they've ever been. Cain and JDS were awesome when they were the two top dogs, but a division is exciting to me when the top 5 or even 10 are very close. You are definitely right that it's a tough division and always has been.

 

[Codpiece]

HW is still really top heavy. Miocic, Rothwell and Reem are all valid contenders, and Cain ought to be two wins away from a shot at most. After them though it really drops off. I felt bad for Arlovski, he wont get another chance and deserved a title fight.

If JDS beats Rothwell then he will need one more win to secure a shot IMO.

 

[DVH]

The heavyweight division is getting interesting again, lots of good fights coming up. Rothwell/JDS, Mir/Hunt, probably Werdum/Miocic and hopefully Reem vs Velasquez or Arlovski on the UFC card in the Netherlands! Although I'd say that Reem vs Miocic would make sense.

 

[L0ki]

I love the division now, but I admit it wasn't my favorite until the last year and a half or two. I think everyone has just risen to a higher level in the past two years, and clear examples are Werdum, Miocic, Rothwell, Overeem, and even Mark Hunt. I think these 5 are better than they've ever been. Cain and JDS were awesome when they were the two top dogs, but a division is exciting to me when the top 5 or even 10 are very close. You are definitely right that it's a tough division and always has been.

Very difficult division.

People can say it's shallow and sometimes it can be somewhat accurate but it'c certainly not HW's fault.

Everyone and their momma knows a number of LHWs that could easily go up in weight.

When the interview kicks off and they are like 1:30 in when the reporter asks "how much are you weighing right now?" and the LHW will say "about 230-235"...

That's a decent sized HW.

Maybe a tad undersized, but I would imagine it would be easier to gain 5 or 10 lbs. than to lose 25 to 30.

 

[Senzo Tanaka]

I was a big JDS fan but I've given up on him. He's learned nothing after the Cain fights and his defense or lack thereof in the Reem fight was ridiculous. If he beats Rothwell, he just knocks Big Ben down a notch. I don't think it really helps JDS at all other than maybe his confidence. He has massive holes on his style that everyone with a brain can exploit now.

It was going to be JDS/Browne so if he beats Rothwell, might as well do that next.

 

[fightdonttweet]

I was a big JDS fan but I've given up on him. He's learned nothing after the Cain fights and his defense or lack thereof in the Reem fight was ridiculous. If he beats Rothwell, he just knocks Big Ben down a notch. I don't think it really helps JDS at all other than maybe his confidence. He has massive holes on his style that everyone with a brain can exploit now.

It was going to be JDS/Browne so if he beats Rothwell, might as well do that next.

Lol some fan you are.

 

[kadeebe]

All rankings are from Sherdog.
Ben(#7): Has beaten no one of note besides Overeem and Barnett. Overeem was #7 at the time and Barnett was on the bubble. Note: He beat Shaub(#10) before losing to Gonzaga(unranked).
Stipe(#5): Beat Hunt(#5) and Arlovski(#6) and looked good in a loss to JDS(#2). Interestingly, when he beat Gonzaga(#10) and Roy(#10) they were ranked.
Overeem(#3): Beat JDS(#2) and no one of note since Brock Lesnar(#2) in late 2010.

Personally I would go with Stipe because he has been good for a while and passes the eye test. He has a better recent resume than Ben and Overeem (IMO). Overeem has a one win resume at this time. It's a great win, but I want to see him beat someone else before throwing him in to get chin blasted by Cain or Werdum (at least the style match up is interesting in those cases. He has a decent chance of not getting knocked out and has good TDD). I'm not sold on Rothwell yet because he doesn't look good in there to me. I know wins are wins, but if we're combing through the contenders we might as well nitpick.

Bottom line: Stipe seems to be the most consistently skillfull and has great recent wins and losses.

 

[Mike]

Ben isn't a big enough name to push JDS into contention after how bad he's looked. It helps out JDS dropping reputation, and establishes either Miocic or Reem as #1 contender, so same as where we're at now. Reem should probably get a shot before Miocic imo.