This past weekend at UFC on Fox 18 we saw the UFC Heavyweight title picture get even more complicated.
Ben Rothwell was able to submit one of the best grapplers in MMA Josh Barnett with the now famous “gogo” choke in the second round. This was the first time Barnett was finished from a submission in his long historic career.
Rothwell’s impressive victory creates plenty of confusion as to who receives the next shot at current champion Fabricio Werdum.
Rothwell made some very good arguments as to why the Stipe Miocic, once promised a shot, shouldn’t receive the next title fight in a post-fight interview with Ariel Helwani.
He argued Miocic’s wins over Mark Hunt and Andrei Arlovski are not enough to leapfrog him into the next title shot with Werdum. Rothwell also added that himself and Miocic were scheduled to face this past fall in a number one contenders bout but Miocic pulled out with an injury.
Rothwell also said his winning streak is far more impressive than Miocic and he is the deserving challenger to Werdum.
In a once shallow division in the UFC, this is a certainly a great result for the promotion. They now have several viable contenders who are all deserving of competing for the title of “baddest man on the planet”
So let’s settle this mess.
Siding with Rothwell’s opinion on Miocic not receiving the next title shot is the correct play. He’s only on a two-fight winning streak and his wins over Hunt and Arlovski are a little bit weak comparing to the other contenders at this time. Miocic also isn’t a big sell for the UFC, so he’s not going to bring a lot of attention to the title fight just off his name.
Rothwell himself is quite deserving of the next crack at the champion. Having four straight finishes on his resume and three finishes in a row over top shelf competition is definitely something he can bring to the bargaining table with the UFC. His win this Saturday will have him in the eyes of the MMA mainstream fans which is very important in what sells a fight.
Rothwell versus Miocic is the fight to make here in a title eliminator. They were already scheduled to compete in these exact same stakes, and with both of them coming off the biggest wins of their careers now is the perfect time for the match up to happen.
This leaves the former champion and the biggest draw in the division.
Cain Velasquez was set to face Werdum this Saturday at UFC 196 but had to pull out of the fight with a back injury. At this point in Velasquez’s career I think just about everyone from the UFC, fans and media has had just about enough of these constant injury setbacks as I have previously stated.
This will leave Velasquez on the sidelines for now. Sorry Mexico.
Now brings Alistair Overeem. Overeem is the one who the UFC is going to give the title shot to. He has three straight victories and one of them coming by TKO just recently in December over former heavyweight champion Junior dos Antos.
Overeem and Werdum also have a history with one another. Overeem already defeated Werdum by decision when they competed against each other in Strikeforce. Selling that rematch aspect of the fight is certainly something the UFC has in their minds.
Overeem is a big name in the mainstream fans’ eyes. From his Pride days, Strikeforce and K1, the Dutch kick boxer brings a lot of attention to him when he steps inside the octagon. He’s also finished his contract with the UFC and the promotion would hate to see him go to their number one competition in Bellator.
Overeem and his management are smart enough to recognize this and they’ll sign a contact agreement that guarantees he’s next in line to challenge Werdum.
This is a very disappointing outcome for Miocic, as Dana White promised him a title shot with his win over Arlovski. But just ask Meisha Tate or Tyron Woodley about promised title shots. Things change and quickly become uncertain in this fast moving sport where one night can change a person’s fate.
This all sets up a mouthwatering all-heavyweight card that could take place on Memorial Day weekend. This wouldn’t be the first time this has happened in the promotion.
UFC 146 featured an all-heavyweight card on Memorial Day Weekend as well with the Main Event being Dos Antos versus Mir. The card was a big success, doing 540,000 buys and every fight on the card was decided by a finish.
There’s all these heavyweights right now who are reasonably healthy and none of them scheduled to fight at the moment. These opportunities don’t come up often for the UFC so they must capitalise on this situation. The timing is perfect and everyone would love to see all the big boys on one card together.
Here is a potential card:
Alistair Overeem vs Fabrico Werdum-Heavyweight Championship
Ben Rothwell vs Stipe Miocic- Title Eliminator
Junior dos Antos vs Andrei Arlovski
Antonio Silva vs Todd Duffee
Marcin Tybura vs Stefan Struve
They’ve got my $50.
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