UFC 171 has come and gone and we have a new Welterweight champion for the first time in six years. That man is Johny Hendricks, who defeated Robbie Lawler by decision. However, as much of a solution that gave us a new champion, the UFC has to move forward now without the biggest star in the division, Georges St. Pierre. How they will approach his absence, we can only wait and see. With the number of high profile stars on the card though, the future of the welterweight division hinges greatly on the fighters of UFC 171.
Hendricks is a fan favorite with his signature left hand that knocked out Martin Kampmann and Jon Fitch in less than a minute total in both fights COMBINED. Big Rigg, however, still has to prove that he can hold onto that belt. As we look ahead for his future, it has to be taken into consideration as to recent news regarding his injuries. It has been announced that he will require surgery on his bicep which will leave him out for eight months. In the meantime, the UFC has many matches to arrange to determine the next contender to take a shot at Mr. Hendricks.
First off, we had another big time welterweight fight at UFC 171 with Tyron Woodley defeating Carlos Condit by way of TKO (injury) in the 2nd round. Many view this a fluke injury and no credit should be given to Woodley, but I find that slightly disrespectful. Woodley is just as responsible for that as Chris Weidman was for checking a leg kick that broke Anderson Silva’s leg. An impressive win over the former interim champion should vault him straight into title contention, and I believe it does. Another man is right there waiting for his shot at the title as well. Rory MacDonald is coming off an impressive Fight of the Night performance victory over Demian Maia. So, let’s match these two together in a number one contenders’ fight and see who is more deserving of the next shot for gold. Since Hendricks is out until about November and then a camp we could match these two in Vegas at UFC 175 in July, or maybe earlier at 174 in Canada. This would open up an end of the year title bout in Vegas.
Hendricks wasn’t the only fighter in that title bout. Robbie Lawler also put on one hell of a performance and is just as a deserving of a high profile fight and an opportunity to get back into the title picture. I would personally like to see him matched up with Condit, but with his injury (torn ACL) he will be out for a while as well. So maybe give him some time off and take on Matt Brown, if he proves successful against Erick Silva.
This is where the matchmaking can vary heavily depending on who really wants to fight who, location, and of course timetables for return from injuries. So we’re going to avoid all the variables and just be simple with who we want to see fight regardless of their desires.
Hector Lombard looked good in a decision victory over Jake Shields on Saturday. I believe Lombard has earned the opportunity to fight a top guy in the division. However, his lack of ferocity against Shields made it seem like he was playing it safe. After each Judo throw he would let Shields get back into open guard and then wait for a standup. I would pit Lombard against the winner of Tarec Saffiedine and Jake Ellenberger, who meet next month at UFC 172, and give him another chance to show some finishing skills.
The biggest winner I saw from UFC 171, besides the new champ, was Kelvin Gastelum. Although there was nothing incredible about his win, it was a hard fought decision win over Rick Story, a longtime vet of UFC and this has broken him into the UFC rankings. I think he needs another fight before he is matched up with a bigger name, so I’d like to see him against veteran Mike Pyle. Gastelum shows promise in the division but a true test vs. Pyle could show if he’s really ready for the next step.
A few ideas that also seem good for the moment is a rematch between Demian Maia and Dong Hyun Kim who’s first fight ended in an injury to Kim. Maia is coming off two disappointing losses to Rory MacDonald and Jake Shields, and Kim is surging since his loss to Maia, recently knocking out John Hathaway with a spinning back elbow earlier this month. Additionally, I’d think Gunnar Nelson needs a step up in competition, but as I’ve run out of top 15 fighters to work with, a fight with Mike Pyle would also help him in the same sense that it helps Gastelum.
Finishing up this charade is one last thought that could throw a huge monkey wrench in it all: Nick Diaz. As he is known to throw wrenches in every plan, as well as middle fingers, wolf tickets, and other expletives, he would be the perfect man to make the new welterweight division extremely interesting again. Endless opportunities exist for the Stockton bad boy, but one fight that resonates is against Robbie Lawler. When Diaz fought Carlos Condit, he was being outmaneuvered and complained that Condit moved too much, but Lawler is the stand in front of you and throw bombs kind of guy, which plays directly into Diaz’s style. These two would make for a brawl to remember and also make an interesting mix up in the title picture. With a win over Lawler it would put Nick right up there with the top three guys in the division.
The other huge fight that isn’t likely to happen, but with Diaz’s charming personality, might is a rematch with Georges St. Pierre upon his return. Many think that Georges is planning a return sooner than we expect and I for one think his return will come at the end of the year. With Lawler and MacDonald already in the books and a fight with Hendricks scheduled, a rematch between pure good GSP and pure evil Nick Diaz could be the best welterweight fight of the year. Added with title implications and the animosity between the two, it could be a big money maker for the UFC.
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