Anyone who follows the sport knows who Weidman is. Most know he is probably the best fighter next to Silva in the division too.
Silva would rather clown cans in the cage than fight someone who may present a challenge.
From now on I will be calling him little Fedor, or Lil' Fedor.
People know Bonnar. Weidman is obviously good, but he doesn't really have any sort of draw yet. It would be like putting Glover Teixeira in a main event. Yes he's good, and people who follow the sport know that, but the business side of MMA is that main event fighters need to have some sort of equity to attract people who are just occasional watchers of the sport.
People know Bonnar. Weidman is obviously good, but he doesn't really have any sort of draw yet. It would be like putting Glover Teixeira in a main event. Yes he's good, and people who follow the sport know that, but the business side of MMA is that main event fighters need to have some sort of equity to attract people who are just occasional watchers of the sport.
Did Jon Jones have equity or a "name" when he was given a title shot?
Thales Lietes? Patrick Cote?
You put the best fighters in the cage for the title. Anything less than that and you become boxing.
One reason Weidman isn't getting a shot is because he's never fought on PPV, and because his lone exposure to a large audience on Fox was a borefest.
Vera, Hamill, and Bonnar are names, even though they shouldn't be. Beating them gives a fighter more cred than beating Munoz and Maia even though it shouldn't.
Ryan Bader
Vladimir Matyushenko
Brandon Vera
Matt Hamill
Jake O'Brien
Stephan Bonnar
Andre Gusmao
Those were his UFC fights before getting the title shot.
Not exactly the cream of the crop.
I actually agree with you, they've both beaten around the same level of guys and the comparison is fair. Jones was hyped when he beat Bader, but he wasn't a big name. He was flashier than Weidman so he was out there a bit more, but Weidman has a great pedigree as well.
The only thing I'll say is that the UFC didn't want Jones to challenge for that title at that time, they got pushed into it with the Rashad injury so its hard to say its the same thing. They wanted Jones to have another fight, and I think that's where we are at with Weidman. Barring superfights, I think Silva/Bisping and Weidman/Boetsch are perfectly good next fights and Weidman has to be on deck if he wins that one.
I also think Silva is actually making a mistake by not fighting Weidman ASAP. The guy is growing so quickly and combined with Silva getting older it could be a mistake unless his plan is to avoid him forever.
I think Weidman stomps Boetsch and then calls out Silva, maybe even to almost Sonnen-levels to ensure he gets that fight. I still take Silva to beat Weidman, but its close. I'm excited for Weidman - I think he could be the next dominant champ in the UFC.
He looked a little lackluster against Maia. But then again, not a lot of people make Maia look bad.
Weidman has looked excellent otherwise though. Not sure who else there is for him to fight for a title shot. Maybe Bisping? Bisping likely would be the most well rounded fighter he will have faced to date.
He looked a little lackluster against Maia. But then again, not a lot of people make Maia look bad.
Weidman has looked excellent otherwise though. Not sure who else there is for him to fight for a title shot. Maybe Bisping? Bisping likely would be the most well rounded fighter he will have faced to date.
I would give him a pass for that one. He took the fight on 10 days notice and had to cut around 30 lbs. If he had a full camp, I think he could have made Maia look bad.
Fabio apparently had to have nose surgery after the fight so he's probably out for quite a while to heal up. Wonder if Rampage really wants to fight Glover still knowing his acting career can derailed after he needs facial reconstruction surgery.
Maia/Rory while Fitch gets the winner of the Hendricks vs. Kampmann fight. GSP is going to fight Silva so the winner of that WW fight needs to stay occupied.
Maia/Rory while Fitch gets the winner of the Hendricks vs. Kampmann fight. GSP is going to fight Silva so the winner of that WW fight needs to stay occupied.
Rory has a fight already. Fitch and Maia fought on the same card so timing works well for them. Also doesn't really make sense to give Fitch to the winner of that fight. That Hendricks/Kampmann fight will likely be a #1 contender fight. Plus, Hendricks and Fitch fought only a year ago. If Hendricks won, it'd mean fighting Fitch, Kos, Kampmann, and then back to Fitch. Doesn't make sense.
Maia/Fitch is a great fight for both and their places in the division. Hopefully we see it. (Did I really just say I hope to see a Fitch fight?!)
I'm not sure Silva will be so motivated to fight Jones, just as GSP likely isn't very motivated to fight Silva. In both cases a fighter has a lot to lose.
If either guy steps up and loses, especially for a guy like Anderson late in his career, suddenly people will start to suggest he fought nothing but cans and the myth was finally busted (just as a few goofballs around here have been doing with Fedor).
Both fighters take their legacy very seriously, as it is not only their livelihood, but also something they take a great deal of pride in. Unless they see something in the other fighters' games they can exploit, I'm not so sure we'll see these fights happen. Even if Dana offers the "boatloads of money" he suggests.
Rory's fight takes place just two months from now. The winner of Hendricks/Kampmann would theoretically be shelved for a long time if it's a #1 contender fight. I expect Maia and Fitch to fight, but don't think it's the best move. All that leaves MacDonald with is another potential mismatch to make. He hasn't beaten enough to get a #1 contender fight, so I'm not sure what the answer is there.
Maia/Rory while Fitch gets the winner of the Hendricks vs. Kampmann fight. GSP is going to fight Silva so the winner of that WW fight needs to stay occupied.
