Rumored Michael Chandler getting tested by USADA?

[careto]

The LW division is where you see the most difference between the 2 promotions. The UFC's LW division is leaps and bounds ahead of Bellator. It is much much closer in the other weight divisions, particularly FW and WW.
So Chandler would go to a murderer's row of a division but I think he would be fairly successful in the UFC, for sure top 10 and potentially top 5, but never champion though.

 

[Bend NvR Break]

We probably have different standards for "making waves". I would think Mousasi getting the belt and being 4-1 is making waves. Bader being double champ is making waves. Fitch beat Daley in a boring decision and fought to a draw with Rory and everyone forgot about him. Nobody clamored to have him back to to have a rematch.

Mousasi did EXACTLY what he was suppose to do. Was he ever an underdog in any one of his fights.
Bader did what he was suppose to do at LHW. Once again was he ever an underdog? (I'll admit what he's doing at HW was surprising but I think it's a telltale sign that Bellator's HW division is hot garbage. Kongo, who is a lifelong striker, is in the mix for a title by using wrestling tells me everything I need to know about that division)
Both those guys were top level guys in the premier organization for fighting in the world. They should have went to the 2nd tier league and dominate. That's not surprising. That's not making waves imo. Nemkov beating Bader is making waves. Mousasi losing is was surprising AF and the that was a wave. It upset the natural order of how things are. Some unknown guy comes from left field and beats him for a title.

I think Lima and maybe Pitbull can cross over to the UFC and make waves.

To me, making waves means doing unexpected things. Fitch drawing with one of Bellator's diamond signings was making waves imo. That was not expected.

 

[Zebra Cheeks]

The point is that these fighters were dominant in every promotion they went. They werent scrubs in the UFC and then were dominant in Bellator; they had successful careers in both promotions.

Yes but they weren’t champions

 

[Doctor Lenovo]

Is he dead? LOL

 

[careto]

Yes but they weren’t champions

This is more a matter of the UFC having a lot more depth in most of the divisions, rather than a matter of these guys not being legit. The UFC has more depth in their divisions to prove their legitimacy and a longer path to the title, whereas in Bellator you are always a couple of fights away from a titleshot. However, not being a champ in the UFC does not equate being a scrub or not being a top fighter. Mousasi, for example, was screwed out of a couple of title-shots and could have been very possibly been champ.

 

[careto]

Mousasi did EXACTLY what he was suppose to do. Was he ever an underdog in any one of his fights.
Bader did what he was suppose to do at LHW. Once again was he ever an underdog? (I'll admit what he's doing at HW was surprising but I think it's a telltale sign that Bellator's HW division is hot garbage. Kongo, who is a lifelong striker, is in the mix for a title by using wrestling tells me everything I need to know about that division)
Both those guys were top level guys in the premier organization for fighting in the world. They should have went to the 2nd tier league and dominate. That's not surprising. That's not making waves imo. Nemkov beating Bader is making waves. Mousasi losing is was surprising AF and the that was a wave. It upset the natural order of how things are. Some unknown guy comes from left field and beats him for a title.

I think Lima and maybe Pitbull can cross over to the UFC and make waves.

To me, making waves means doing unexpected things. Fitch drawing with one of Bellator's diamond signings was making waves imo. That was not expected.

We agree on most points, although making waves to me just means you are being successful, not necessarily doing something unexpected, because then the favorites would never be able to make waves.
HW division is garbage all over tbh, Kongo is top 5 in Bellator and would probably be top 10 in the UFC. In the UFC Marcyn fucking Tybura is ranked...this is a shallow shallow division all over.

 

[MeatWagon06]

They’ll probably book him against Cowboy.

 

[MeatWagon06]

Ill Will Brooks left Bellator with the belt. How'd his UFC career turn out?

And Eddie left with the belt just to immediately lose to Cowboy in his first UFC fight.

Lima is the only person I see making a serious splash in the UFC. Nemkov? With Jon gone and Rumble not actually being scheduled for a fight yet LHW is wide open. That's because UFC LHW sucks not because Bellator has a good LHW division.

That roided Cuban guy was the biggest Bellator hype failure.

 

[Bend NvR Break]

That roided Cuban guy was the biggest Bellator hype failure.

??

 

[No Skill Gap]

This is more a matter of the UFC having a lot more depth in most of the divisions, rather than a matter of these guys not being legit. The UFC has more depth in their divisions to prove their legitimacy and a longer path to the title, whereas in Bellator you are always a couple of fights away from a titleshot. However, not being a champ in the UFC does not equate being a scrub or not being a top fighter. Mousasi, for example, was screwed out of a couple of title-shots and could have been very possibly been champ.

Now I'm responding to the Moraes comment but also everything else:

- On Moraes, yeah he's good for sure. Good name drop, but still he's not even a champion in the UFC after 7 fights. He went undefeated in an org with far less competition and quality (WSOF) and came to the UFC and lost to Assuncao immediately then went on a nice run. Similar to Alvarez from Bellator. But he lost to Cejudo and arguably lost to a semi-washed Aldo.

So yeah he's good but he's not some awesome example of how other orgs stockpile all these talent that's "secretly better than the UFC!" as people suggest. He alone does not make the narrative and idea true, even if he arguably as singular case is world class/UFC elite

There's a few examples of guys here and there that can compete in the top 5-10 probably, maybe even be elite or champions. But the examples are few and far between if they aren't in the UFC, that's the simple reality of it. Outside of Pride, WEC, Strikeforce...since then and even Strikeforce less so, it just simply doesn't exist.

Here's a list of names of studs from other orgs since then: Eddie Alvarez, Ben Askren, Justin Gaethje, Marlon Moraes, Will Brooks, Hector Lombard, etc.

Yeah one real belt between them all, one interim belt as well. Some success, some duds, Mostly mixed even with the most successful like Alvarez and Gaethje.

Here's a list of some names that were decent in the UFC but were studs in Bellator/other: Gegard Mousasi, Ryan Bader, Phil Davis, Matt Mitrione, Chieck Kongo, ~Rory McDonald (belt), etc.

Yeah guys who had some success but were never elite outside McDonald, having way more success in Bellator than the UFC in a very clear trend. Hmm I wonder why.

 

[Gio]

 

[BEATDOWNS]

Chandler vs Hooker
Do eeet.

 

[careto]

Now I'm responding to the Moraes comment but also everything else:

- On Moraes, yeah he's good for sure. Good name drop, but still he's not even a champion in the UFC after 7 fights. He went undefeated in an org with far less competition and quality (WSOF) and came to the UFC and lost to Assuncao immediately then went on a nice run. Similar to Alvarez from Bellator. But he lost to Cejudo and arguably lost to a semi-washed Aldo.

So yeah he's good but he's not some awesome example of how other orgs stockpile all these talent that's "secretly better than the UFC!" as people suggest. He alone does not make the narrative and idea true, even if he arguably as singular case is world class/UFC elite

There's a few examples of guys here and there that can compete in the top 5-10 probably, maybe even be elite or champions. But the examples are few and far between if they aren't in the UFC, that's the simple reality of it. Outside of Pride, WEC, Strikeforce...since then and even Strikeforce less so, it just simply doesn't exist.

Here's a list of names of studs from other orgs since then: Eddie Alvarez, Ben Askren, Justin Gaethje, Marlon Moraes, Will Brooks, Hector Lombard, etc.

Yeah one real belt between them all, one interim belt as well. Some success, some duds, Mostly mixed even with the most successful like Alvarez and Gaethje.

Here's a list of some names that were decent in the UFC but were studs in Bellator/other: Gegard Mousasi, Ryan Bader, Phil Davis, Matt Mitrione, Chieck Kongo, ~Rory McDonald (belt), etc.

Yeah guys who had some success but were never elite outside McDonald, having way more success in Bellator than the UFC in a very clear trend. Hmm I wonder why.

You are implying that in order to be successful in the UFC you need to be a champion and that is simply not true. Just because Moraes and Gaethje are not champs doesnt mean they are not elite. There is a plethora of examples of fighters that have been massively successful without been champs.
Plus, nobody is saying that there are all these hidden fighters in obscure organizarions that are better than the UFC elite. The argument is that they would be able to compete and be successful in the UFC. Particularly considering the UFC LW division is a murderes row anyone in the top 10 is a successful fighter. Chandler, for example, would probably not be champion but could very probably have a successful stint in the UFC and crack the top 10 maybe even top 5 during his prime.

 

[Dorkman]

you're being super dishonest with this post, tons of people said that. People, and I mean lots of them, were like "I don't know if these WEC guys can hang, ufc is a different animal, they arent better than our UFC contenders like Jim Miller and George Sotiropoulos and they sure can't beat Edgar/Maynard/Penn.

If I feel like it i might even dig up so me polls but this was a super common opinion in the MMA opinion but its an opinion people felt stupid for after so they don't claim it, like Strikeforce fighters can't hang or Johnny Walker is guy to beat Jon Jones.

I do agree Bellator doesn't have a potential UFC champ but it's damn close. Pitbull could have been champ but he's past it now. Chandler could have gotten a title hot but probably doesn't win. I think Lima is nearly as good as Usman, Usman is just a terrible matchup for him, etc.

Lima is easily the best guy they have, and I would legitimitely like to see him and Usman tangle. Legit intriguing

 

[brawlnsprawl]

Give him Eddie Alvarez!

 

[Wormwood]

Just like the wec fighters weren't UFC caliber either ? I remember that statement failed too lol.

Don’t forget Strikeforce as well.. I will say, I was a little disappointed how some Pride fighters transitioned to the UFC... not all, but some. I guess it’s also a numbers game.

 

[Finding Deebo]

??

Hector Lombard

 

[MeatWagon06]

??

I’d forgot his name. Hector Lombard. Super hyped Bellator champ that failed in the UFC

 

[kenetics]

Don’t forget Strikeforce as well.. I will say, I was a little disappointed how some Pride fighters transitioned to the UFC... not all, but some. I guess it’s also a numbers game.

Alot of pride fighters were toward end of career too. They were already fighting for a while.

 

[joeson]

I look forward to Chandler being a shadow of his Bellator self and losing vs mid-tier fighters, followed by comments about how Bellator fighters are not on the same level as UFC fighters, followed by others comments about how Chandler is passed his prime and would have done better if it was a bunch of years ago, followed by comments about Bendo, Rory MacDonald and Mousasi and how unspectacular they have been in Bellator.

Rinse and repeat.