Who's going to be the next American champ?

[VAfan]

i'm still giving cm punk time.

 

[hswrestler]

Probably Sean Brady at this point.

 

[Bowel-forged Stool]

Bo Nickel after 5 more years of development

 

[Roop Holstry]

Trevor Peek

 

[aogiri]

Buckley

 

[KO Shotz]

Kayla.

This is my pick too.

 

[Neck&Neck]

America needs some new prospects, it’s slim pickins right now

 

[Doctor Grudge]

Long shot here, but I am going with Gable Steveson, super strong, has been training with Jones and I feel that he would maul just about any Heavyweight on the planet once he gets a hold of them. With his size and strength I would be stunned if he had pillow fists.

he'd get absolutely destroyed lol. its not wrestling.

 

[Fergelmince]

One of the best things about mma is that it’s an international sport. I couldn’t give a f whether there’s any Americans even competing.

Here ya go, buddy

 

[HeffDoesWant]

Usada hasn't been gone long, give the NCAA boys some time to regain their pre USADA glory.

 

[Kertol]

Maybe Bo Nickal

 

[Bend NvR Break]

High level American athletes seem to taking a backseat to foreign fighters for 3 reasons imo.
1. Highly athletic Americans play other sports and make A LOT more money playing those other sports.
2. The UFC is purposely looking to sign foreign talent so more eyeballs are on the UFC globally. The American UFC market is pretty much set. It's just smart business to look to open up other markets.
3. Sean Strickland said it best and it's one of the few things I actually agree with him on: the 10K/10K standard UFC newcomers contract is terrible for American fighters. They have to get a 2nd and 3rd job just to survive. Let's say they win. That's 20K. Gotta pay your gym/manager 20-30% of your gross income. That's 5K. Then you have to pay taxes on your gross income. That's about a third. So about 6.5K. That leaves the fighter with a net income of about 8.5K for about 3-5 months. Depending on where you live that's not enough to live for 3-5 months. Between rent, car note, insurance, food, and other monthly living expenses that fighter would be in debt without a 2nd and possibly 3rd job.
Now take a foreign fighter that on 10K/10K. In a lot of places that fighter can move good off that 10K/10K life. They can live a upper class life off that because American money stretches WAY farther outside of the USA and Europe. I have a really close friend that retired from the army, moved to the Philippines and lives in a legitimate villa with 6 rooms, 3 bathrooms, a pool and it's a walking distance from the ocean for $700 a month. He spends less than $50 a month on food to fill up his fridge. Dude is living like a king at 39 years old off an army pension in the Philippines.

Anyway I'll get off my soapbox now. And before you ask I visited him this last November and had Thanksgiving there. Yeah I almost didn't jump on my flight home.

 

[theincognito]

Hot take: the very next one will be Joaquin Buckley.

Eventually (maybe):

"Fluffy" Hernandez
Aaron Pico (not soon but he's 5+ years younger than Islam)

 

[Elegant]

Sean can get the title again with some minor adjustments

 

[Mohawk Banditó]

There's always a chance Jones beats the HW champ Aspinall.

It's like they say,

Pico still has all the potential in the world.

 

[Mohawk Banditó]

Long shot here, but I am going with Gable Steveson, super strong, has been training with Jones and I feel that he would maul just about any Heavyweight on the planet once he gets a hold of them. With his size and strength I would be stunned if he had pillow fists.

As "next" American champion? Like, we're not going to have another American champ until some guy who hasn't even started his MMA career gets into the UFC and gets the belt?

 

[Limeade]

Payton Talbott.

Yes he lost to a journeyman. So did Merab on his way up the rankings. I still think he has potential.

 

[Meathead Jock]

Long shot here, but I am going with Gable Steveson, super strong, has been training with Jones and I feel that he would maul just about any Heavyweight on the planet once he gets a hold of them. With his size and strength I would be stunned if he had pillow fists.

His striking looked worse than Askren's on a clip he posted 3 years ago that he quickly took down due to the insults.

His ability to take people down as a heavyweight will be unmatched though.

--------

I will say Aaron Pico is the best chance at the next male USA champ. But I don't see there really being any new male USA champs in the next year and a half. I do think Belal beats Shavkat though.

 

[Meathead Jock]

As "next" American champion? Like, we're not going to have another American champ until some guy who hasn't even started his MMA career gets into the UFC and gets the belt?

Royval is really the only one who could seemingly get a title shot soon.

Strickland probably gets gifted a title shot if Khamzat beats DDP because the UFC will feel desperate for an American champ by the end of the year, especially if Shavkat wins.

I was tempted to pick Pico who is a long shot and not even in the company, but I could see him getting Chandler privilege. But that's a sign of how bad American MMA is right now.

 

[Mohawk Banditó]

Royval is really the only one who could seemingly get a title shot soon.

Strickland probably gets gifted a title shot if Khamzat beats DDP because the UFC will feel desperate for an American champ by the end of the year, especially if Shavkat wins.

I was tempted to pick Pico who is a long shot and not even in the company, but I could see him getting Chandler privilege. But that's a sign of how bad American MMA is right now.

I mean, it is bad, but there is no way it's bad enough to go pick a guy who isn't even in the sport, let alone the organization, let alone the rankings