Sorting Out the Light Heavy Weights
In what is arguably the deepest division in MMA, the 205lb division has recently become anybody's guess. Let's try and sort it out a little bit.
via media.ufc.tv
#10 Luis Arthur Cane Cane (9-1 MMA) (2-1 UFC) has recently broken the top ten in January's META rankings. His wins are against Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou and Jason Lambert. All nine of his wins did not see the judge's score cards. His lone loss comes via DQ for knees to the head of a grounded James Irvin. He could either step up in competition or fight guys ranked below him depending on availability of other fighters. Look for him to be a dark horse in 2009. #9 Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua Rua (16-3 MMA)(0-1 UFC) was once touted as the number one guy at 205, but a loss to Forrest Griffin and a 15 month layoff due to injury has seen his stock drop. His upcoming fight should be an easy one as he fights a relatively insignificant Mark Coleman. Look for Shogun to fight Chuck Liddell if he wins. A win over Chuck could set up a rematch with Rampage Jackson. #8 Thiago Silva The undefeated Silva (13-0 MMA) (4-0 UFC) will look to propel himself in the rankings with a win over Lyoto Machida. Silva has stopped all four of his UFC opponents in impressive fashion. A win could land him a title shot in 2009, while a loss will put him at the end of a long line. #7 Keith Jardine Jardine (14-4-1 MMA) (6-3 UFC) is in a tough spot. With wins over two former champs in Liddell and Griffin, one would think he is next in line. However, he is 2-2 in his last four, with his wins coming by way of split decision. The UFC has no reason to get rid of him as they currently pay him peanuts. He would probably be better served fighting Babalu and Tito Ortiz outside the UFC. We might see him fight Cane in his next fight. #6 Wanderlei Silva Silva (32-9-1 MMA) (2-4 UFC) is coming off a devastating KO from his nemesis Rampage Jackson. A move to middleweight is the only thing that really makes sense for him. He has lost 4 of his last 5 fights. Keep in mind it was all against top competition. Still, number 6 on META shows a lack of objectiveness in the media polls. #5 Chuck Liddell Liddell (21-6 MMA) (16-5 UFC) is also struggling of late. Dropping 3 of his last 4 after coming off a 7 fight win streak. Few have dominated a division like him and a change in training camps could get him back there. Although he says he wants Jardine, a battle with Griffin or Shogun is on his horizon. Batting .250 in his last four fights is not top 5 material. #4 Lyoto Machida Machida (13-0 MMA) (5-0) could get a title shot with an exciting win over Thiago Silva. A boring win could see him in non-title fights for awhile. While many feel he deserves first crack at Rashad's belt if he beats Thiago, that would be his first win over a current top 10 fighter. Don't be surprised if Machida does not fight for the belt in 2009. #3 Forrest Griffin Griffin (16-5MMA) (7-3 UFC) wants back in the title fight and could get one with a good win. A Liddell fight would be big money and if I could only see one fight all year that would be the one I would pick. #2 Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson Rampage (29-7MMA) (4-1 UFC) is all but officially getting Evans in his first title defense. This match makes sense as the UFC attempts to grow their African-American fan base. Look for the UFC to give it a big push and expect fireworks when the bell rings. If Rampage loses, look for him to get a rematch with Griffin or Shogun. #1 Rashad Evans Evans (13-0-1 MMA) (8-0-1 UFC) hasn't gotten much of a chance by the public to hold his title for long. Since everyone seems to underestimate him, I will go out on a limb and say he reigns 205 for awhile. Fast hands and a good wrestling pedigree have got him here, and could be the recipe to stay for awhile. A few successful title defenses and we should finally see a little stabilization in the most star studded division in MMA. Look for guys like #13 Rich Franklin and #21 Steve Cantwell to make some waves in the top 10. All rankings come courtesy of January's META rankings.
The FanPosts are solely the subjective opinions of Bloody Elbow readers and do not necessarily reflect the views of Bloody Elbow editors or staff.
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14 comments
Comments
I fully expect LHW to be a division where the belt changes hands regularly. There is so much talent, yet I don’t view any of them as unbeatable. i would be surprised to see any one fighter dominate the division over the next few years.
Eliot Marshall: Bader won. Like I said in the episode, I'm not going to make any excuses. It's my job to be able to deal with when somebody's doing that. It's not his job to change up his tactics.
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by BJJDenver on Jan 12, 2009 6:21 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Machida & Rampage
My feeling is that they’ll take turns holding the title before long and could take part in a series of fights over the next few years. It’s such a crowded field, but I really believe these two are just that little step above the rest (w/ Rua’s injury troubles, Chuck and Wand regressing, and some of the younger guys either not good enough, or not quite there yet).
by Blackout612 on Jan 12, 2009 7:27 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
rampage should learn to check those kicks though.. I think that if machida and page fought now, machida would win no doubt.. I dont think he’d land the kind of hooks that did in wand and chuck. I see that playing out much like the forrest fight, but much more decisive, if not a stoppage, for machida.
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by Anton Tabuena on Jan 13, 2009 8:35 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
It would be nice to know if Franklin/Henderson are going to continue to fight at 205 or drop down when there is a mega-fight.
by steveoc24 on Jan 12, 2009 9:08 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Well..
We already know that the winner of their fight will face Bisping at 185. Franklin has been saying for a very long time that he’s been gradually moving his comfortable bodyweight back up to 205. He may only now be approaching that territory (notice how Bisping and Dana talk about how big he is on the newest Vlog). I actually feel that is why he’s not totally on board with the TUF thing. I’d expect him to stay big for the duration of the build up and make a cut.
But (un)lucky for him, he’s not going to have to worry about any of that.
by Blackout612 on Jan 13, 2009 12:03 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
MACHIDA
i think if machida wins the title, he will be the 1 lhw to make a good run at defending it several times. i know alot of fans don’t care much for machida, but i like him alot.
by bdw on Jan 12, 2009 10:19 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
AGREED
lyoto is good enough to reign for quite some time. its too bad people grew up on fake wrestling so if it dont bleed then it aint good. machida has a style and grace that is liken to anderson silva the G.O.A.T. soon enough people will see how truly difficult it is to defeat this man.
by georgehouse on Jan 12, 2009 11:18 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Nice pro wrestling strawman. This is the most common appeal of Machida fans who can’t stand that some fans don’t like Machida and/or don’t find him exciting.
There are plenty of fighters who not only display amazing skills in every facet of the game, but also fight aggressively and put people away on a regular basis. Machida isn’t one of them at this time.
by Hardcharger on Jan 13, 2009 10:02 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
The winner of Henderson-Franklin should fight the winner of Machida-T.Silva for the next shot at the title after Rampage. Thinking of all the possible combinations makes me crazy.
by klown on Jan 13, 2009 2:25 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
Damn Rashad looks a lot smaller then Tito.
Look at Tito’s face cause of the draw, due to the point being deducted.
by J_Maddux on Jan 16, 2009 4:57 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Machida is the next LHW champ after Rampage, if Rampage beats Rashad.
by J_Maddux on Jan 16, 2009 5:00 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
klown's LHW Top 15
1. Evans
2. Griffin
3. Jackson
4. Henderson
5. Liddell
6. W.Silva
7. Jardine
8. Rua
9. Machida
10. Ortiz
11. Cane
12. Sobral
13. Sokoudjou
14. Nogueira
15. T.Silva
by klown on Jan 27, 2009 3:29 AM EST reply actions 0 recs























