{"id":150186,"date":"2025-09-17T17:04:09","date_gmt":"2025-09-17T17:04:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/150186\/"},"modified":"2025-09-17T17:04:09","modified_gmt":"2025-09-17T17:04:09","slug":"ufc-mailbag-breaking-down-the-middleweight-and-featherweight-title-pictures","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/150186\/","title":{"rendered":"UFC Mailbag: Breaking down the middleweight and featherweight title pictures"},"content":{"rendered":"

It was an eventful weekend to say the least.<\/p>\n

Over the past week, a whole bunch of stuff has happened. There was Noche UFC, where Diego Lopes handed the Fighting Nerds another loss by stopping Jean Silva; there was Canelo-Crawford, where Terence Crawford solidified himself as the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world and the best of his generation; and most importantly (to me at least), there was the devastating news that Anthony Hernandez is out of the fight with Reinier de Ridder and instead Brendan Allen will step in to face him at UFC Vancouver.<\/p>\n

So, let\u2019s talk about it.<\/p>\n

Featherweight Title Picture<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Given how recent Alexander Volkanovski vs. Diego Lopes 1 was, does Lopes need another win minimum before rematching Volk? If so, who should be his next opponent? A Movsar Evloev rematch, Yair Rodriguez, or Aljamain Sterling?<\/p>\n

100 percent. Honestly, he probably needs two.<\/p>\n

Lopes is a fan favorite, and the win over Jean Silva was impressive, but his fight with Volkanovski was not all that competitive. That\u2019s not to say Lopes couldn\u2019t win a rematch \u2014 Volk looked pretty old, and he\u2019s not getting younger \u2014 but he\u2019ll need to pay the iron price for it. Three wins over top guys.<\/p>\n

Fortunately, Lopes can do that in short order. He\u2019s a guy who basically never turns down a matchup and likes to stay active, so if he can avoid injury, Lopes could be fighting for the title again before next Christmas.<\/p>\n

As for who he should fight, the featherweight title picture is about as clear as mud right now, because you\u2019ve got three guys who all have some sort of case for it:<\/p>\n

Movsar Evloev is the guy who should get it, but we don\u2019t live in a meritocracy, and the UFC seems to hate him.Aljamain Sterling could get it because he\u2019s a former champion, and he\u2019s been a company guy, so the UFC might feel like they owe him something.And Lerone Murphy probably will get it because he\u2019s on a good run and coming off an impressive, high-profile knockout over Aaron Pico. Plus, he\u2019s got the transitive property working for him; had Pico won, Pico would\u2019ve gotten a title fight.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m going to assume Jean Silva losing means Murphy will, in fact, get the next shot at Volk, which is rumored to be in December. And since Evloev and Sterling just fought each other, it makes no sense to run that back. Instead, I think we\u2019re going to have to add Yair Rodriguez into this mix (who was rumored to be getting a title fight earlier this year) and have Aljo fight Yair, while Evloev and Lopes finally settle their beef with a rematch. And then it\u2019s the same situation as middleweight \u2014 whoever wins most impressively gets the next title fight.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

It looks like Fighting Nerds fell flat to aura of invincibility that they developed in previous year, once they got a bigger step up in competition than they could swallow, but who\u2019s fault is that? Is it mostly on UFC that threw them into the fire too early or was it team\u2019s mismangement?<\/p>\n

Man, it\u2019s been a tough year for the Fighting Nerds. The hottest team in MMA came into 2025 poised to make a run like old school American Kickboxing Academy or Miletich Fighting System, with three dudes maybe holding belts. Instead, every one of the big Fighting Nerds names fell. Ouch.<\/p>\n

People are quick to jump on the Fighting Nerds right now, but here\u2019s the thing: that\u2019s stupid. Are they on a bad run? Yes. Did they get \u201cfraud checked\u201d? Absolutely not. They lost to a bunch of very, very good fighters, which is what happens in this sport. Nobody wins every fight (except Khabib).<\/p>\n

The truth of the matter is that this is normal. Periodically, a new gym will pop up with a crop of fighters that take the sport by storm. It\u2019s one of the coolest parts about MMA that a few guys in a random gym anywhere in the world can figure out something new to bring to the table. But rarely does it end up a straight shot to the top. Gyms suffer setbacks, they learn, they grow, they get better. It\u2019s a journey. Just ask Team Alpha Male. City Kickboxing is an anomaly, not the standard to hold gyms to.<\/p>\n

I expect the Fighting Nerds to get better from this run. It may not have mattered, but Caio Borralho absolutely did not do himself any favors by cutting weight a month before UFC Paris. That was an own goal that didn\u2019t need to happen. Same for Jean Silva\u2019s entire personality.<\/p>\n

I love Silva. I\u2019ve been one of the biggest proponents of him out there, but he threw away a win and a title fight because he did not take the moment seriously. The moment he started to feel confident against Diego Lopes, he fought like your little brother playing Tekken, spamming the most ludicrous combos you\u2019ve ever seen. You can\u2019t do that stuff against high-quality, durable guys like Lopes, and he paid the price. Perhaps now that he\u2019s been punished for his tomfoolery, Silva will dial it back and become a better fighter, like how Justin Gaethje did after he finally started losing.<\/p>\n

So ultimately, these losses for the Fighting Nerds aren\u2019t indicative of some fundamental failing in the gym, and I don\u2019t expect they will see them this way. Losses are a natural part of the sport, and they just happen to have caught a few lately.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Is the fight between Reinier de Ridder and Brendan Allen still a title eliminator for both men? Is it possible that Allen can leapfrog the 4-man Grand Prix with a finish and be Khamzat Chimaev\u2019s first defense?<\/p>\n

Tragically, no. My beautiful violence goofball, RDR, was in the catbird seat for a crack at Chimaev, and it was taken all away from him.<\/p>\n

We all know the deal by now: Dana White declared that of RDR, Fluffy, Nassourdine Imavov, and Caio Borralho, whoever won most impressively would get the first crack at Khamzat. Well, Imavov soundly beat Borralho, but it was the exact sort of performance Dana White would not be quick to reward, unless there were no other options. Now, there aren\u2019t any other options.<\/p>\n

I am the biggest RDR fan out there, but even if he rolls into Vancouver and hits a flying gogoplata to tap Allen, you can\u2019t give him the next title shot. Imavov is undeniably the most deserving contender, and he\u2019s also the happiest man in MMA right now, because he knows he caught a break. Barring injury, there\u2019s almost no way Imavov gets leapfrogged now.<\/p>\n

But on top of that, it\u2019s a bummer because RDR vs. Fluffy was a banger of a fight. Don\u2019t get me wrong, RDR vs. Allen is a perfectly suitable matchup, but it\u2019s definitely not as compelling on its own, and without the stakes of the RDR vs. Fluffy matchup, it\u2019s a pretty big letdown.<\/p>\n

Thanks for reading and thanks to everyone who sent in tweets (Xs?)! Do you have any burning questions about things at least somewhat related to combat sports? Then you\u2019re in luck because you can send your tweets to me, @JedKMeshew<\/a>, and I will answer all the good ones! It doesn\u2019t matter if they\u2019re topical or insane, just so long as they are good. Thanks again, and see y\u2019all next week.<\/p>\n

0 Comments<\/a>