This weekend was a dream come true for sports fans. Making headlines for a long-time leading to this weekend was talk of the Superbowl; and while the NFL might have shined as the Broncos and Seahawks took to the field on Sunday, this event did not steal the thunder from the UFC card that aired the night before. UFC 169 featured not one, but two title fights. Just like after every fight card, there are questions to be asked. Days later, the big questions still linger. It is my hope to begin to tackle these questions.
Will Urijah Faber ever earn a shot at the UFC bantamweight title again?
Likely not. Faber is one of the best mixed martial artists in the world, and one of the most loved. He’s been around the sport for a long time, but despite that, keeps getting better. This is proven by his four fight win streak leading into his rematch with champion Renan Barao. All the improvements in the world proved not to be enough though, as the result of the rematch was the same; Renan Barao saw his hand get raised. Some people describe Faber as “always the bridesmaid, never the bride”. In his UFC career, this statement holds some truth. He has a solid 6-3 record, with all of his fights coming against top competition. However, all of his losses have come in title fights. It would nearly be impossible to sell a third fight between Barao and Faber given Faber’s 0-2 record against him.
The only possibility I can see of Faber getting another bantamweight title shot is if former champ Dominick Cruz should return and dethrone Barao . Cruz is unbeaten in the Octagon, but was forced to vacate his title due to a long layoff caused by injury. A third fight between Faber and Cruz is still interesting because the two split their first two fights. However, in order for the third matchup to be a title fight, Cruz must beat Barao first, and that is no easy task.
Another factor to consider is Faber’s age. Now in his mid-thirties, he doesn’t have many years left in his fighting prime. And after losing his sixth straight world title fight (including WEC), he might not even have the motivation to make another run at the title. With all these factors working against him, it seems highly unlikely that we will ever see Urijah Faber holding he UFC Bantamweight strap.
Jose Aldo: Featherweight or Lightweight?
For a long time, featherweight champ Jose Aldo has considered making the move from featherweight to lightweight. And after yet another successful title defense, his sixth straight in the UFC, against Ricardo Lamas, the answer to which weight class Aldo will fight next in (should be) lightweight. He’s expressed his interest in switching weight classes, and current lightweight champion Anthony Pettis welcomes the idea of a superfight between the two. So, it seems like a real possibility these two will meet in the cage. Also, Aldo has virtually cleaned out his division at this point. Six straight elite featherweights have stepped up to challenge Jose, and six straight elite featherweights have came up short. It’s becoming a question of whether anyone at all can beat Aldo at this weight class? Should he seek true challenges in his fighting career, a move to lightweight seems preferable. Finally, the weight cut has caused serious health problems for Aldo in the past. After all, he’s huge for a 145 pound fighter and must cut a lot of weight. At lightweight, the cut wouldn’t be nearly as harmful to his health and he still would be big in the weight class. Thus, fans should expect to see Aldo as a lightweight in his next fight, likely against the aforementioned Pettis in a long awaited UFC Superfight.
Will the UFC hold on to Frank Mir?
Former heavyweight champion Frank Mir has hit a rough patch in his career. Its been such a rough patch, that it’s probably safe to say his career is on the decline. He’s lost four straight, and even though those losses came against great competition, that many losses usually signals a release of a fighter. It’s also not just that Mir has been losing, it’s the way he’s been losing. In two of those four losses, he was knocked out. The other two losses, he was completely dominated for three rounds.
Mir is clearly not the fighter he used to be. Some people say the UFC will keep him around because Mir still makes great money for himself and the company (reportedly he’s made around $200,000 in recent fights, and that is despite the losses), so that means he must be doing good business for the company, right? Mir is still paid a lot even though he’s on a decline because of his past, not his present. He was a former champion, and based on his previous success, he’s going to expect to be given more than just scraps by the UFC to compete. And he is being paid well. But he isn’t winning. Essentially, the UFC is paying him big bucks for him to lose in the octagon.
At some point, a losing fighter is no longer as big a draw, as fans will simply expect him to lose his fight and not be intrigued by the matchups. If this happens for Mir, and fans lose interest, his big ticket will mean that he is doing more harm for UFC financially then good. It would be easier for the company to release him. The determination the UFC must make is where this occurs, and I personally think that they will believe it is better to cut their losses now. I think that a release is the course of action the UFC will take with Mir.
Mir is still a great fight analyst and commentator, and he might receive a cozy desk job from the UFC, but other than that I think his fighting days, for the UFC at least, are over. But only time will tell.
The little things…
Now that the big questions have been answered, I’ll just go over some of the lesser things to be considered with regards to UFC 169. Lightweight Abel Trujillo picked up his second straight victory, making him 3-1 in the UFC, with all wins coming by way of stoppage due to strikes. He doesn’t have the best record at lightweight, but it’s a solid one, and whenever he wins, he does so impressively. Expect him to get a step up in competition in his next fight, possibly even a top ten contender…. Renan Barao successfully defended his title for the first time as undisputed bantamweight champion. He has no shortage of challengers. Surging bantamweights Raphael Assuncao and TJ Dillashaw are on the verge of title shots, while the previously mentioned Dominick Cruz should return to the title picture when he is finally injury free and returns to action, whenever that might be. Fans should anticipate Barao fighting one of these three men next… Ali Bagautinov defeated the seemingly unstoppable John Lineker in an important flyweight fight. What’s next for Bagautinov after earning his third straight win? Well, while I think he isn’t quite ready for a title shot, I believe he will earn a fight with former title challenger John Dodson, in a fight that will go a long way to helping decide the number one contender at flyweight.
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