- Joined
- Apr 10, 2008
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Props to Anthony Smith. He's now settled himself as a top contender with consecutive stoppages of Rashad, Shogun and now Oezdemir....two totally shopworn veterans and a guy who was fast tracked to a title shot against DC because there was no one else.
I'm a a fan of Smith, but he seems to have his limitations. He gets hit a lot, his chin is a little suspect, and most worryingly, he doesn't seem to have a gas tank. He was sucking HEAVY wind going into the third round when the pace wasn't even that high, and I wonder how the rest of that fight would of have played out had he not hit that TD that eventually led to the RNC. His last loss was to Santos who's also at LHW now, so maybe that's a rematch they can work with to decide who's next in line after Bones/Gus II.
But what a wreck the division is in: Smith is now #3, which seems fucking strange to say, but who else is there? Jan is on a 4 fight win streak, but against rather average comp, and he's proven to be somewhat of a gatekeeper with his hit and miss record over the years. Manuwa and Glover are done. DC obviously is never coming back to LHW and will sail off into the sunset after exposing BB and Brock (if that fight even happens).
The division rests entirely on Bones and Gus, who are head and shoulders above the rest of the top 10. I can't see Smith giving either of them any problems and like myself, even hardcore fans wouldn't be buying a PPV for Bones/Smith. Latifi is on a nice run, but he's 37 and his KO loss to Bader is still the last memorable thing fans associate with him. OSP hit his ceiling a while ago and it's never going higher.
LHW has been in tatters for years now, but how bad is it that a guy who went from undercards at MW to is now a title contender at LHW within 3 fights and only 1 top 5 win?
The UFC only got to where it is at now because of the LHW division - during the Couture, Liddell, Ortiz, Belfort, Griffin, Rampage, Wanderlei and Shogun era of 2004 - 2010 - but now the top 10 are rotating no-names and shopworn vets who shouldn't even be fighting.
I have a feeling Bones/Gus II is the last high-level interesting LHW title fight we will see in many moons, or at least the last interesting LHW title fight on paper until some new blood can rise himself tot he top.
I'm a a fan of Smith, but he seems to have his limitations. He gets hit a lot, his chin is a little suspect, and most worryingly, he doesn't seem to have a gas tank. He was sucking HEAVY wind going into the third round when the pace wasn't even that high, and I wonder how the rest of that fight would of have played out had he not hit that TD that eventually led to the RNC. His last loss was to Santos who's also at LHW now, so maybe that's a rematch they can work with to decide who's next in line after Bones/Gus II.
But what a wreck the division is in: Smith is now #3, which seems fucking strange to say, but who else is there? Jan is on a 4 fight win streak, but against rather average comp, and he's proven to be somewhat of a gatekeeper with his hit and miss record over the years. Manuwa and Glover are done. DC obviously is never coming back to LHW and will sail off into the sunset after exposing BB and Brock (if that fight even happens).
The division rests entirely on Bones and Gus, who are head and shoulders above the rest of the top 10. I can't see Smith giving either of them any problems and like myself, even hardcore fans wouldn't be buying a PPV for Bones/Smith. Latifi is on a nice run, but he's 37 and his KO loss to Bader is still the last memorable thing fans associate with him. OSP hit his ceiling a while ago and it's never going higher.
LHW has been in tatters for years now, but how bad is it that a guy who went from undercards at MW to is now a title contender at LHW within 3 fights and only 1 top 5 win?
The UFC only got to where it is at now because of the LHW division - during the Couture, Liddell, Ortiz, Belfort, Griffin, Rampage, Wanderlei and Shogun era of 2004 - 2010 - but now the top 10 are rotating no-names and shopworn vets who shouldn't even be fighting.
I have a feeling Bones/Gus II is the last high-level interesting LHW title fight we will see in many moons, or at least the last interesting LHW title fight on paper until some new blood can rise himself tot he top.
