Hot Take LW is a mess because UFC sidelined Arman

[Koya]

Ilia will run through Gaethje with ease

Max/Oliveira is a great fight but both already lost to ilia and aren't getting any younger.

Paddy is tough but he has a ceiling for now and needs a rebound fight, the Hooker fight seems to be next.

BSD is fun and finishes fight but I see him beating everyone but the top 3, Ilia will exploit his defensive flaws and against Max/Do Bronx I'm not sure how it goes his reckless style is a tossup against them.

What's Gamrot doing anyway ? Fighting Ruffy next maybe ?

And honestly Arman beats all of those guys.

The fight we needed to see was Ilia/Arman, that would have been a true world championship level fight. We got robbed of it and have to see Ilia knock out Gaethje under two rounds and then fight the aging version of Max/Charles winner. It sucks.

 

[RockyLockridge]

Arman sidelined Arman

 

[Koya]

Arman sidelined Arman

It was 13 months ago. The guy has fought and won since. Are we going to talk about that until 2027 ? Let bygones be bygones and give us the fight we want.

 

[RockyLockridge]

It was 13 months ago. The guy has fought and won since. Are we going to talk about that until 2027 ? Let bygones be bygones and give us the fight we want.

And he only fought once in that time and it wasnt until somewhat recently. He didn't have to wait 13 months he could have rebounded against gamrot right away and probably got put into the vacant title fight but he chose not to.


His current situation is the consequence of his own decisions not the consequence of pulling out a fight. He made decisions after that lead here.

 

[Koya]

As d he only fought once in that time and it wasnt until somewhat recently. He didn't have to wait 13 months he could have rebounded against gamrot right away and probably got put into the vacant title fight he chose not to

The past is the past. He's fought and won recently as you said. He's available NOW. He's way better more of a challenge to Ilia than Gaethje TODAY. Do we want the best fights where the best fight the best or just some WWE style pretend matchups ?

 

[RockyLockridge]

The past is the past. He's fought and won recently as you said. He's available NOW. He's way better more of a challenge to Ilia than Gaethje TODAY. Do we want the best fights where the best fight the best or just some WWE style pretend matchups ?

Yeah except gaethje fought twice in that period and because he waited so long to fight hooker, the UFC am probably already had the gaethje vs paddy event planned and booked for the paramount debut had he decided to fight earlier instead of turning down fights and being a diva hed have probably been put in that position. Now there is an interim champ so he'll have to wait some more, which he seems to be okay with, waiting. So he can do it some more I guess.

We might want to see the best fights, but Arman has to want it too. None of his behaviours align with wanting it.

 

[Koya]

Yeah except gaethje fought twice in that period and because he waited so long to fight hooker, the UFC am probably already had the gaethje vs paddy event planned and booked for the paramount debut had he decided to fight earlier instead of turning down fights and being a diva hed have probably been put in that position. Now there is an interim champ so he'll have to wait some more, which he seems to be okay with, waiting. So he can do it some more I guess.

Gaethje fought a guy he already beat that came off an horrible injury as a replacement and another guy that we all knew was overrated. He's also pushing 40 and has lost two title fights before, he got the opportunity.

Gaethje is an paper interim champ.

I was asking about you but it seems you're perfectly ok with the circus and not seeing the best fight the best because it sticks up to Arman somehow. Why do you care ? Dana has brainwashed you.

I don't give a F what the UFC thinks I only know that the two best LW are Ilia and Arman and I want them to fight.

 

[Koala]

Arman wanted to entertain a sex worker, and injured his back

 

[balkanbomber85]

Arman vs. BSD is definitely the fight to make.

Looking at their last four opponents, both fought Dan Hooker and Beneil Dariush, and both finished them quickly.

To go deeper, Arman also faced Charles Oliveira and Joaquim Silva, while BSD fought Ruffy and Prepolec. One could argue that Arman’s two others are slightly better. However, it took him around 2.5 years to put those four wins together, whereas BSD did it in less than 9 months.

For that reason, this would be the perfect fight to determine who deserves the next title shot after Gaethje.

 

[Koya]

Arman vs. BSD is definitely the fight to make.

Looking at their last four opponents, both fought Dan Hooker and Beneil Dariush, and both finished them quickly.

To go deeper, Arman also faced Charles Oliveira and Joaquim Silva, while BSD fought Ruffy and Prepolec. One could argue that Arman’s two others are slightly better. However, it took him around 2.5 years to put those four wins together, whereas BSD did it in less than 9 months.

For that reason, this would be the perfect fight to determine who deserves the next title shot after Gaethje.

I like this fight as a fight fan. I don't like it as a BSD fan. Wouldn't complain if it's made tho.

 

[Koya]

Arman wanted to entertain a sex worker, and injured his back

The drill he did is an extremely common wrestling drill. They do it everywhere, all the time. At least in freestyle, can't talk about folkstyle as I'm not American. In my son's wrestling club the adult wrestlers do it every time before training.

Edit: just type wrestling neck bridge circles and it will pop up

 

[RockyLockridge]

Gaethje fought a guy he already beat that came off an horrible injury as a replacement and another guy that we all knew was overrated. He's also pushing 40 and has lost two title fights before, he got the opportunity.

Gaethje is an paper interim champ.

I was asking about you but it seems you're perfectly ok with the circus and not seeing the best fight the best because it sticks up to Arman somehow. Why do you care ? Dana has brainwashed you.

I don't give a F what the UFC thinks I only know that the two best LW are Ilia and Arman and I want them to fight.

You do realize that making arman vs illa right now would be WWE tier match making right?

You realize when the WWE just wants to make the match up they think fans will be most interested in, the just make the match up regardless right? If this were the WWE, gaethje would just lose the interim title to Arman on raw the week before wrestlemania like you want him to.

this isn't the WWE.

Timings are made, Matches are scheduled. The guy gaethje was supposed to fight was hooker. the same guy who you want to give the shot to for arman beating. If gaethje beat hooker instead of fiziev, We already know you'd ignore that and want the fight to go to arman anways.


I know most of that goes over your head, but what about OTHER FIGHTERS who have HAVE BEEN FIGHTING and SHOWING UP TO THEIR FIGHTS and NOT TURNING DOWN FIGHTS

Why should they have to sit in wait while arman never fights and gets THEIR title shots? Because that's the match up KOYA FROM SHERDOG wants? Maybe grow up a little.

arman can fight BSD and solidfy his contendership. Then he can fight the winner of Illa vs Gaethje.

 

[188912345]

I think it's a weak argument that Arman "only beat Hooker" when the other guys in the top 6 clearly didn't want to fight him.

One type of fighter get titleshots over besting Fiziev or 39 year old Chandler, whereas Arman had to beat Charles, then successfully make weight as a replacement, and then beat Hooker (who just had beaten Gamrot), and still didn't get it.

The interim fight was a bit of a farce.

 

[RockyLockridge]

I think it's a weak argument that Arman "only beat Hooker" when the other guys in the top 6 clearly didn't want to fight him.

One type of fighter get titleshots over besting Fiziev or 39 year old Chandler, whereas Arman had to beat Charles, then successfully make weight as a replacement, and then beat Hooker (who just had beaten Gamrot), and still didn't get it.

The interim fight was a bit of a farce.

he didn't get it because he waited too long. by the time he actually fought hooker the fight between paddy and gaethje was already booked. MAYBE if he had done it earlier he'd have gotten but the waiting is all on him, We KNOW he was offered fights before that and he himself said he turned them down. He is the reason why he is offbeat with the rest of the division, the timing of his fights. he was offered the fight with gamrot, who has a win over him him BEFORE he ever lost to hooker. He didn't take it. that's his own fault. no matter how much you hate dana or the UFC, this only can fall on him.

 

[PrideNverDies]

A wise Diaz once said, if you don't make it to the war, you lose the war. Also prime Diaz and Cowboy tool this hot headed idiot

 

[188912345]

he didn't get it because he waited to long. by the time he actually fought hooker the fight between paddy and gaethje was already booked. MAYBE if he had done it earlier he'd have gotten but the waiting is all on him.

My point is that it's clearly a very, very different criteria based on perceived popularity/fighting style/marketing, which is something I'm personally annoyed with, since I just would like to see the best compete without a lot of politics, like in most sports.

Otherwise it just lowers the quality of the product and devalues the actual meaning of being a champion/interim champion.

 

[RockyLockridge]

My point is that it's clearly a very, very different criteria based on perceived popularity/fighting style/marketing, which is something I'm personally annoyed with, since I just would like to see the best compete without a lot of politics, like in most sports.

Otherwise it just lowers the quality of the product and devalues the actual meaning of being a champion/interim champion.

that's a bit silly.

If a player in "most sports" gets suspended for breaking a rule and they are the best player, should they just get exempted from Disciplinary action because they are the best? If SGA gets a 5 game suspension during game 1 of the NBA finals, Should we just let it slide because we want to see a better game and a better finals series? because in my eyes, thats what you're asking for. and as far as im concerned, that's MORE politics via exemption from what we expect to be commonplace guidelines.

MMA isn't a team sport, there is going to be much more politics because you don't have 16 teams vying for a top 8 placement. you have 6-7 people at a time vying for JUST one spot. So every little thing you do is going to be weighed against your contemporaries. Those who appease the wishes of the promotion will be rewarded. Arman viloated the promotions wishes then did absolutely nothing to get back into their good graces. I'm not sure why the promotion SHOULD bend over backwards to give him what he wants. MMA has ALWAYS been a game of what you've done lately. It seems like you want to forgo this just for a guy you like.

If when Hooker pulled out of the gaethje fight, Justin said "Nah Im not fighting fiziev. He doesn't move me forward in the division and I gain nothing from taking that fight, because not only have i areadly beaten him, but he's coming off a serious injury on short notice. Pull me from the card" Do you think he'd have gotten the interim title headliner against paddy? the answer is obviously not.

 

[mangokush]

Arman took away Dana's snow & blackjack money since Dana had to pay Moicano almost a million to save that card because Arman was to have a bad weight cut under the guise of an "injury"

Arman will never get a title shot for those actions
Dana's pettiness will make sure of that

 

[Kung Fu Kowboy]

 

[Mohawk Banditó]

They made this Justin problem, they can't skip it now.

Arman will have to take another fight, honestly, but the point should be that he shouldn't have had to.

I get thinking he could be punished for not making it to the title fight, but even when "You had a title shot in your hand that never materialized" happened in the past? It usually didn't take too much of a turnaround to get the promised title shot back.

He didn't get rebooked for the title fight he had originally been booked for? Ok. But then he wasn't booked for the vacant title that followed. So then he beats one of the only other few contenders with a ranked streak, but despite that, he wasn't picked for the interim fight. And now that means he just can't be picked next because of the unification.

Mind you, although everyone now thinks Hooker is a can, the UFC thought Justin should have beat him to get his own title shot, and when that fight fell through, Justin instead fought a guy directly 2 steps below Hooker and got it anyway.

So when Arman beat the #1 contender and a guy fthe UFC had booked to fight for the title in Charles, and the guy the UFC had slotted in what was essentially an eliminator in Hooker, then anyone still thinking Arman should deserves a sideline might as well think the UFC should have just cut him entirely