Is the LHW division really that slim?

[Rhood]

As much as I like Alex Pereira fighting for the LHW title, I'm still wondering why the UFC really wanted him and several other fighters from MW to move up.
What happened to Jiri and Anka?
Are they done forever?

The card this weekend could've been Vettori vs Pereira, but instead we got something else.

 

[NoBiasJustMMA]

Jiri's manager announced that he is healthy but yes, the LHW division is pretty weak right now with Glover, DC and Jones either retired or in a different division and the UFC being outbid on guys like Bader, Davis and Anderson who likely beat top 10 UFC LHWs.

Theres not many LHWs in the UFC that can wrestle anymore, there's Ankalaev who's got good wrestling and then Ion Cutelaba who's top 15ish but just about any other LHW in the top 15 doesn't have very good offensive wrestling.

 

[Fact Checker]

The UFC doesn’t want Ankalaev anywhere near that belt. He can’t speak English and his style is very conservative. A marketing nightmare for them.

Jiri might not be the same after his injury.

Rakic is very injury prone and still not recovered

Jan is probably on his way out in a few fights

Hill is a one dimensional boxer and arguably the most illegitimate champ in org history


The LHW division is in shambles right now, they’re desperate to beef it up

 

[Chalky White]

The UFC made it clear that they don’t want Ank as champion. Jiri and Rakic are hurt.

It’s not surprising that they want Pereira fast-tracked, they did the same for him at MW, as well. He’s one of the UFC and Sherdog’s sweethearts.

 

[NoBiasJustMMA]

The UFC made it clear that they don’t want Ank as champion. Jiri and Rakic are hurt.

It’s not surprising that they want Pereira fast-tracked, they did the same for him at MW, as well. He’s one of the UFC and Sherdog’s sweethearts.

At MW Alex's short path to a title shot at least made sense mainly due to Izzy beating pretty much everyone in the top 10 already other than Strickland who Alex beat. At LHW it makes no sense other than they don't want a Ankalaev as champion.

 

[ferrisjso]

No the UFC has just fucked up the matchmaking for years.

 

[Khamzat]

The UFC doesn’t want Ankalaev anywhere near that belt. He can’t speak English and his style is very conservative. A marketing nightmare for them.

Jiri might not be the same after his injury.

Rakic is very injury prone and still not recovered

Jan is probably on his way out in a few fights

Hill is a one dimensional boxer and arguably the most illegitimate champ in org history


The LHW division is in shambles right now, they’re desperate to beef it up

Ankalaev is super boring.
Rakic is boring.

 

[JoeRowe]

Ankalaev is super boring.
Rakic is boring.

They should fight each other next

 

[Killer Kadoogan]

Yes

 

[trenton123]

What are you even talking about?

 

[WoozyFailGuy]

They should fight each other next

Might have the opposite effect of Francis vs Lewis, a fight so boring on paper it becomes a banger of the decade with both leaving the octagon with grapefruit sized hematomas on multiple parts of their bodies.

 

[djason1988]

LHW has been thin since even before Jon pseudo-retired. Most the LHW legends and elites had either retired or changed org, and jon retiring was the nail in the coffin. Jan was a journeyman who suddenly became champ, and Glover was what, 44?, when he got the belt after a decade of losing to lhw elite. You can't look at guys like Jiri or Hill and tell me that they would have been Champs in any other weight class with their skillsets.

 

[Khamzat]

They should fight each other next

OMG, that would be a no-touch MMA

 

[Davidjacksonjones]

Yes, they are pretty slim compared to HW fighters

 

[Dave Poodle]

The only reason for Alex cutting down was the Adesanya fights. His size is better suited to LHW, he's popular which that division needs right now and there's entertaining fights up there with Jiri, Hill and Walker plus a possible title fight vs Izzy at LHW. They'd much rather that than Analaev or Rakic even if they could beat him.

 

[SuperAlly]

Yes.

Next question.

 

[TankAbbott4Eva]

I haven’t seen that much from Nemkov but I really think he could win the UFC belt straight up

 

[Cartiac]

LHW is certainly in a rebuilding stage. After watching Jon Jones dominate for over a decade with no sign of anyone capable of beating him it is pretty hard to get excited about the division especially when none of them even fight.

Alex brings a little life due to his association with Izzy, but weight classes exist for a reason. Even the biggest MW is still going to be a small LHW and lack of MMA skill is really going to show when combined with a size disadvantage.

 

[doggo]

The UFC doesn’t want Ankalaev anywhere near that belt. He can’t speak English and his style is very conservative. A marketing nightmare for them.

Jiri might not be the same after his injury.

Rakic is very injury prone and still not recovered

Jan is probably on his way out in a few fights

Hill is a one dimensional boxer and arguably the most illegitimate champ in org history


The LHW division is in shambles right now, they’re desperate to beef it up

Aljo after the DQ was that most illegitimate

 

[NoBiasJustMMA]

I haven’t seen that much from Nemkov but I really think he could win the UFC belt straight up

I have seen a lot of Nemkov's fights he would absolutely win the UFC LHW belt and is easily the most well rounded and best LHW currently.