The light heavyweight division has played a major role in the success of the UFC and the sport of MMA as a whole.
Without the success of Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz in the 2000s, it’s hard to say if the sport could’ve evolved to the point where it is today.
The amount of attention Liddell and Ortiz brought to mainstream and hardcore fans was unprecedented during that era.
The current top of the light heavyweight is still strong, with Jon Jones, Daniel Cormier, Anthony Johnson and Alexander Gustafasson producing quality pay-per-view headline bouts.
But outside those top four, the division is very shallow.
Glover Teixeira, Rashad Evans, Mauricio Rua and Ryan Bader are on the back ends of their careers, and it’s hard to say how this division is going to look in several years. It feels like we’ve been seeing the same fighters inside the top ten at light heavyweight for the last five years.
When Evans got injured, he was ranked inside the top five in the UFC. When he came back two years later and fought Ryan Bader, he was still ranked inside the top five. In no other division that would happen. Look how fast heavyweight and welterweight rankings move.
Half the fighters inside the top ten are 34 or older. This surely has the UFC’s attention.
When Cormier defended his belt against Gustafasson at UFC 192, the did 250,000 PPV buys – a bad sign for the once-premier division in the UFC.
Without Jon Jones, who is contemplating a move to heavyweight, this division doesn’t have enough new star power to drive forward. Even a European star like Gustafasson competing for a championship didn’t lead to PPV purchases.
The only man in his twenties trying to climb the division’s rankings is Corey Anderson, who hasn’t shown anything that tells us he can make a lasting impression.
It’s not panic mode for the UFC yet, but if we don’t see a new crop of fighters, this division will become hard to market.
Follow Matthew on Twitter @matthewmyersmma
Let’s get ready to rumble! Pick a fighter and place your bets with PlayUp for great odds. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.
Nikita Tszyu has overcome a nasty mid-fight moment to score a unanimous points win over Danilo Creati and retain his Australian super welterweight title…
A bloodied Tim Tszyu has been cruelly denied in his quest to emulate his legendary father Kostya and become a unified world boxing champion…
Liam Wilson has suffered further heartbreak in Arizona, the Australian boxer losing his super-featherweight world-title fight against Mexican Oscar Valdez. In front of a…
Tim Tszyu has the chance to emulate his legendary father as a unified world boxing champion after the stakes were dramatically raised for his…
Australia's Alexander Volkanovski has lost his UFC featherweight title to Ilia Topuria, with the Spaniard scoring a stunning second round knockout in the main…
Jason Moloney has survived an enthralling 12-round world title defence against Saul Sanchez in Canada, opening the door to a blockbuster unification fight in…
