What’s Rumble ceiling in the current light heavy weight division

[Baltimore Bro]

I don’t believe anyone in the division have good enough wrestling to make him crumble or good enough hands to stop him and sees him becoming the new champ......I thinks he would destroy Reyes and Santos in the first round and could take the belt from Jan who I’m still not sold on

 

[Chosen]

Jiri vs Rumble is what I want.

 

[King in the North]

Hard to say because he’s been gone so long.

assuming he hasn’t lost a step? He can shut anyone’s lights off. Unfortunately I expect him to be, well, older. He can put on some fun fights but I wouldn’t bank on him winning the title.

 

[Naoya#1]

He could KO a Silverback gorilla

 

[Barteh]

He could KO a Silverback gorilla

But does he hit as hard as a Ford escort?

 

[mkt]

Hard to say because he’s been gone so long.

assuming he hasn’t lost a step? He can shut anyone’s lights off. Unfortunately I expect him to be, well, older. He can put on some fun fights but I wouldn’t bank on him winning the title.

Yeah, that's the biggest question. A LHW division full of strikers is ideal for him. A 30-year old Rumble runs through the division like butter as long as Cormier and Jones aren't around. But Rumble will be turning 37 in March and has had a long layoff.

 

[gunlok]

Johnny Walker with the right camp will be hitting like 3 Ngannous

But does he hit as hard as a Ford escort?

 

[Fioretti]

Book him some fights, and let's see. Enough of this speculative fuckery.

 

[Mesos]

If he fights anything like he used to he is legit the dark horse to win the belt...

 

[Spotless Mind]

Gets subbed by every single top ten fighter as long as they know not to stand with him.

 

[Rawplier]

Champ.

 

[mkt]

Book him some fights, and let's see. Enough of this speculative fuckery.

I don't think he can fight until February. He may regret the long layoff, though I sort of undrestood it: he couldn't beat Cormier and probably not Jones (especially at that time) but could destroy all the other LHWs. He was kind of stuck with no way to win a belt. Maybe he should've gone to Bellator (just like he left the UFC earlier) for a couple of years, knowing Cormier was older and would retire before he did. Then make one final go at the UFC. At least he'd stay active that way, and we know he'd beat Davis and Bader all day in Bellator, along with Nemkov and everyone else IMO.

 

[Chubi]

2016 Rumble is LHW champion without DC.

 

[Juan Bombadil]

If he comes back the fighter that he was he’ll be champ

 

[mkt]

Gets subbed by every single top ten fighter as long as they know not to stand with him.

You're assuming they can take him down (practically no real wrestlers left in UFC LHW) or survive 2 or 3 rounds until Rumble is so gassed he'd be easier to put on the ground. That's much easier said than done. Phil Davis couldn't do it nor could Bader. Maybe Glover? He already tried and got KO'd in 13 seconds.

 

[is a]

Can he still even make 205 at this point? He's gotten huge asf during his off season and even before his phase his in-cage weight was close to 230 or something (or something close to that; in the Arlovski fight).

If not, who in the LHW division is close to Cormier in the grappling department?

 

[Fioretti]

I don't think he can fight until February. He may regret the long layoff, though I sort of undrestood it: he couldn't beat Cormier and probably not Jones (especially at that time) but could destroy all the other LHWs. He was kind of stuck with no way to win a belt. Maybe he should've gone to Bellator (just like he left the UFC earlier) for a couple of years, knowing Cormier was older and would retire before he did. Then make one final go at the UFC. At least he'd stay active that way, and we know he'd beat Davis and Bader all day in Bellator, along with Nemkov and everyone else IMO.

I'd rather see him adjust his gameplan and keep going after the guy who beat him in the premier org. *Insert "sunshine and rainbows" speech*

 

[Fioretti]

Can he still even make 205 at this point? He's gotten huge asf during his off season and even before his phase his in-cage weight was close to 230 or something (or something close to that; in the Arlovski fight).

If not, who in the LHW division is close to Cormier in the grappling department?

The Arlovski fight was at HW, prior to his 205 run in the UFC, no?

 

[kevinramsdell]

I don’t believe anyone in the division have good enough wrestling to make him crumble or good enough hands to stop him and sees him becoming the new champ......I thinks he would destroy Reyes and Santos in the first round and could take the belt from Jan who I’m still not sold on

Elite, but not good enough to ever be champion. Has always been a pretty weak grappler & we've seen him legit quit in the cage. Scary KO power, but not well-rounded enough to ever be the champion.

 

[r-harper-1]

I feel Rumble is coming back for a cheque ....if he put in an effort against DC with the belt on the line ....I doubt he’ll be motivated to climb up the rankings