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I was looking at the light weight rankings and weighing up the upcoming fights and I noticed a few things.. (Longish, don't read it, I don't care)
What's really strange with light weight is there are no other high level wrestlers in the top ten. There are guys who have good wrestling, like Ferguson, but no top level credentialed wrestlers.
Strange since light weight is considered the premier weight class in MMA in terms of having the highest level fighters across the board.
Just outside the top ten you have some very good wrestlers but they aren't making very many moves up the ranks.
I think we have an old guard at light weight to a degree, I don't think Pettis, Ferguson, Cowboy, Barboza have many years left at the top just due to age and injury.. Then there are guys like Dustin, Al, Felder who aren't going to be champions, we know that now.
There there is Conor, Justin and apparently Kevin Lee left. Conor was good for a time but his peak has came and went and he lost to the champ already. Justin maybe can do something, big test with Cowboy and if he loese he will not make it to the belt clearly. Kevin Lee I don't even think about, shouldn't be in the top ten. What once seemed stacked is now looking like the same old faces.
Within the next 18 months/2 years I think we will see the new guard move in and take over the division, Gregor, Islam, Hooker, Do Bronx, CDF, Arman, Nasrat, Ismagulov
Looking at the rankings now and I think the slow cook and seasoning some of those guys are getting will help them in the long run, when they face the top 10 they will be prepared. Hooker jumped too soon and got served up by Barboza, a bit more experience and time and he will be back and maybe even gets a rematch.
I love Tony, my favourite guy to watch fight along with prime Lawler, and I think he has a chance against Khabib if he gets him soon, but win or lose I don't think he has many more fights in him. He's getting older now, always takes damage, always in wars, has had injury issues. Once that fight is done the division is wide open and we'll see big names being fed to up and comers, they wont all win but slowly but surely we'll see guys like Dustin and Justin and Pettis losing to Islam or Gregor or Hooker, staples of the division will move out of the top ten, Barboza will go, Al, Cowboy...
It's strange how light weight has panned out but I think Khabib is the 'GSP' of light weight, not in terms of fight style but in that he will probably sit at the top as a dominant champion for a few years to come now and soon the UFC will be looking for contenders who may pose a new threat and guys will be getting title shots off two wins just to get a new face in there
Cliffs - Light weight top ten is aging, coming out of its prime and soon we will see the new wave move in and take out the old guard
What's really strange with light weight is there are no other high level wrestlers in the top ten. There are guys who have good wrestling, like Ferguson, but no top level credentialed wrestlers.
Strange since light weight is considered the premier weight class in MMA in terms of having the highest level fighters across the board.
Just outside the top ten you have some very good wrestlers but they aren't making very many moves up the ranks.
I think we have an old guard at light weight to a degree, I don't think Pettis, Ferguson, Cowboy, Barboza have many years left at the top just due to age and injury.. Then there are guys like Dustin, Al, Felder who aren't going to be champions, we know that now.
There there is Conor, Justin and apparently Kevin Lee left. Conor was good for a time but his peak has came and went and he lost to the champ already. Justin maybe can do something, big test with Cowboy and if he loese he will not make it to the belt clearly. Kevin Lee I don't even think about, shouldn't be in the top ten. What once seemed stacked is now looking like the same old faces.
Within the next 18 months/2 years I think we will see the new guard move in and take over the division, Gregor, Islam, Hooker, Do Bronx, CDF, Arman, Nasrat, Ismagulov
Looking at the rankings now and I think the slow cook and seasoning some of those guys are getting will help them in the long run, when they face the top 10 they will be prepared. Hooker jumped too soon and got served up by Barboza, a bit more experience and time and he will be back and maybe even gets a rematch.
I love Tony, my favourite guy to watch fight along with prime Lawler, and I think he has a chance against Khabib if he gets him soon, but win or lose I don't think he has many more fights in him. He's getting older now, always takes damage, always in wars, has had injury issues. Once that fight is done the division is wide open and we'll see big names being fed to up and comers, they wont all win but slowly but surely we'll see guys like Dustin and Justin and Pettis losing to Islam or Gregor or Hooker, staples of the division will move out of the top ten, Barboza will go, Al, Cowboy...
It's strange how light weight has panned out but I think Khabib is the 'GSP' of light weight, not in terms of fight style but in that he will probably sit at the top as a dominant champion for a few years to come now and soon the UFC will be looking for contenders who may pose a new threat and guys will be getting title shots off two wins just to get a new face in there
Cliffs - Light weight top ten is aging, coming out of its prime and soon we will see the new wave move in and take out the old guard