The problem with trying to locate a top contender before the last top contender has even had his day in the cage is that sometimes you get your wish. That’s what happened in the main event of Saturday’s UFC on FOX 15 event, where Luke Rockhold (14-2 MMA, 4-1 UFC) ended the contender conversation in a crowded middleweight division with a dominant second-round submission win over former UFC light heavyweight champ Lyoto Machida (22-6 MMA, 14-6 UFC).
His win was so dominant (watch the Rockhold vs. Machida video highlights), in fact, and so impressive, that as he turned his attention to current UFC middleweight titleholder Chris Weidman (12-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) during his post-fight interview, it was easy to temporarily forget that the champ already has other plans.
Anyone remember Vitor Belfort (24-10 MMA, 13-6 UFC)? Brazilian guy? Loves weird haircuts? Been around in the sport since you could show up wearing wrestling shoes and pummel a man with your bare fists? Yeah, him. Lest we forget, MMA’s best source of bizarre interview quips has got next in the UFC’s 185-pound class. So why are we so quick to fall in love with the idea of Weidman vs. Rockhold for the UFC middleweight strap?
On some level I get it. We’re a what-have-you-done-for-me-lately kind of sport, and what Rockhold just did is demolish a former champ who was last seen giving Weidman all he could handle in a failed bid for the belt. He didn’t just beat Machida. He took something from him. He stepped in against a fighter who, at his best, is the human equivalent of a physics exam that smacks you in the face when you get a question wrong, and he made him look like a slightly buzzed karate instructor who couldn’t wait to get out of there and go home.
After a performance like that, it makes sense that we’d want to see Rockhold against somebody higher up the totem pole. And you can’t go too much higher than Machida without getting to the very top.
Thing is, though, Belfort is already there. He’s been there since last year, watching and waiting as his title shot gets delayed by one setback or another, only some of which were self-inflicted. The next thing you know, he hasn’t fought in almost a year and a half, and the resurrection of “The Phenom” goes from the story of the year to a stale old legend we dimly remember hearing once upon a time. You hear people talk about the middleweight division, and they sound like they’re one step away from writing Belfort’s obituary.
Thing is, though, Belfort is already there. He’s been there since last year, watching and waiting as his title shot gets delayed by one setback or another, only some of which were self-inflicted. The next thing you know, he hasn’t fought in almost a year and a half, and the resurrection of “The Phenom” goes from the story of the year to a stale old legend we dimly remember hearing once upon a time. You hear people talk about the middleweight division, and they sound like they’re one step away from writing Belfort’s obituary.
But, admit it: Something about a Weidman vs. Rockhold showdown just feels right. It feels like the future, which is hard to say any fight including Belfort, who’s closing in on 40 and comes with just a little too much performance-enhancing baggage for our troubled times.
Weidman and Rockhold seem like a pairing we might actually be able to feel good about. It’s also one that feels kind of inevitable, as annoying as it might be for a guy like Belfort, who’s waited a long time just to be overlooked.
From the UFC’s perspective, it’s a fantastic problem to have. One division, many bankable contenders. Rockhold and Belfort could both get struck by lightning, and still the UFC could call on Ronaldo Souza to save the day. Face it: You can’t swing a Fram Cam without hitting a viable contender in the UFC middleweight division right now.
Good for the UFC. Good for us, even, since it makes the 185-pound the closest thing we can find to an injury-proof division in a sport that’s anything but. With guys like Rockhold hanging around as our backup plan, how can we go wrong? Other than, you know, being so concerned about the fantasy fights we might see in six months that we forget all about the ones we’ve got booked for next month.
Luke Rockhold Deserves to be Next, But Let's Not Forget Who's First
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