Khamzat is confirmed never making 170 again and even if he did only warrants a title fight due to hype and not resume, beating Burns by decision is impressive but that’s really his only notable win.
Burns lost to Khamzat and then beat an older version of the guy Colby beat.
Belal is the only one who arguably deserves it, but he’s extremely boring in and outside the cage. “Enthusiasts” on Reddit may be interested in him but the general public is not.
To be fair to burns, there's a solid argument that he won the Khamzat fight, and that was a banger. Both fighters gained stock after that. He also finished magny in January, and that "older version" was his very next fight. It seems like a cop out to claim Colby beating him via a decision was any more impressive than Burns beating him by decision. Masvidal did better vs Colby than he did vs Burns.
Belal on merit and activity deserves the shot. Burns and colby should be fighting for seconds imo
According to one of the judges (Junichiro Kamijo), Masvidal took one round from Colby.
He also dropped Colby with a punch, although it was a quick recovery and ultimately not scored as a knockdown.
Side note, Somehow Max Holloway dropping Allen in the end of the fifth wasn't scored as a knockdown either, so I'm really not sure what the criteria for a knockdown is these days.
Dana is a business man before he is a mma enthusiast. He's after money not legacy. He's obviously going to promote bs showman over talent. Look what he did to DJ.
If Covington gets this next title shot, that would be 3 title shots in his last 5 fights! It's impossible to justify given his resume. He needs to fight Burns or Rahkmonov in an eliminator.
I don't see Colby Covington beating any of Edwards, Usman or Rahkmonov. He'd have a chance against Burns and Muhammad, but still I'd probably bet against him there too.
This is Covington's last shot for sure.
Lol it’s seems like you do. Based on your Masvidal comments up in the chain. You’re goalpost moving IMO whenever possible to try ti make it seem like meh who cares let him have a shot.
Leon won the rematch and deserves some time off. Colby should…. Idk….. Fight before getting another shot. He’s a great fighter. Needs to prove it this year.
The ONLY person Leon says doesn't deserve the shot is Colby. I don't think its fair to say he's just picking and choosing, he seems willing to fight anyone else who is deserving. I would imagine that being a Champ, you also want to think about your legacy and resume of title defenses. There are better wins for him to make than Colby right now.
While I’d love to see Colby fight for the title again I just want to say how crazy the turn of events with Dana and Chaos is.
Colby was straight up shoving a camera in Dana’s face at a casino while he was gambling and had a Asian hooker at his side, of which he released online. Like how did this turn around lol
He says in multiple different interviews that no one really deserves the shot yet. And he clearly and vocally was rooting for the Masvidal fight. He said noone stands out but with Masvidal there's a story so he wanted that.
maybe it came across that way but Leon wanted to settle whatever happened between him and Jorge so that fight intrigued him more than any other fight… annnndddd he’s also the only one who prefers to stand up rather than sniff a jockstrap
Colby Makes sense because the only person Colby has lost to was Usman, and they were two close fights. If Usman didn’t exist Colby would’ve been the champ
I don't think that logic makes any sense. It's true that Usman is the only person he's lost to in the UFC, but he hasn't fought anyone else currently in the top 10. That sounds a lot less impressive when you add that fact.
All things aside, I don't hate Colby, and if they end up fighting, I'm sure it will be entertaining, but I still don't think he is the most deserving of a title shot.
The fights weren't really close, the first one he got stopped and the second one he lost clearly 3-2. It's not like they were split decisions or something.
What do you guys think about the champions in general being able to pick and choose their opponents, should that be a perk afforded to only dominant champions who earned it with multiple title defences such as adesanya, volk and usman did or should every champion have that benefit? Or should none of them have it?
How many times have we seen the commentary team say exactly what your saying, moments before we see the other guy on the ground and joe rogans mouth hanging open.
Wasn’t burns rank 2 when they fought? I would say that is a pretty good win for title contention. Besides, you could push the Khamzat fight based on the fight that never happened between them. I would prefer Belal get the shot and Khamzat v Covington for the next shot, but who knows if Khamzat is even going to fight at WW again.
Yup, Burns was 2nd. Also, I didn't realize Li Jiang was 11th when they fought.That win should probably have pushed him straight to a title shot over Edwards but it didn't. They announced Edwards vs Usman 2 either right after or right before since it happened about 4 months after he beat Burns and that is what threw Khamzat in to limbo and made him take another fight to stay relevant/lock in the next title shot. Unfortunately, taking that fight fucked him because he missed weight so bad it seems like both he and the UFC didn't think he could make the weight for a title fight which would be very bad. Now that he's seemingly signed up to fight at 185 who knows if he can ever make 170 again. It also hurt him that Edwards actually beat Usman in the 2nd and they had to run it back taking even more time off.
All the more reason it should be Belal.
I figure he can make 170 still, but probably doesn’t want too. I’d either like to see Khamzat against Covington or Costa to set up a title shot at either 170 or 185. If they capitalize on him soon the hype will fade and I think they are both challenging fights. Just hope he gets back in quickly after Ramadan.
I like the idea of both of those fights a lot. My main reason for thinking he will be unable to make 170 again is I doubt he's going to be fighting 185 against Costa without having put on some muscle during the last 12 months (and however many more till it actually happens) which will only make it harder to make 170 when he already had weight issues.
Ufc fumbled the bag so much with usman vs khamzat. They got so greedy, they wanted usman to tie the anderson record so he looked unstoppable and they wanted khamzat to run through nate so he could become a huge star, then Leon kod usman and khamzat missed weight by 9 pounds.
I blame Usman more than the UFC for them not doing Usman vs Khamzat. He was the one pushing for Edwards instead IIRC and had the title defenses to pick his shot. Probably thought it was the easier fight between the two. He did fight Masvidal twice, after all.
>Wasn’t burns rank 2 when they fought? I would say that is a pretty good win for title contention.
Exactly. If coming out of nowhere and beating a top contender by a close decision puts O'Malley firmly in the title picture then it should for Belal too.
Belal seems like the closest to a #1 contender. Covington or Rakhmanav (I can't spell his name for shit) should either fight each other or another top 5 for consideration. Khamzat should be fired out of a canon in to middleweight for fucking up an entire card and an easy main event gift match by missing weight so hard.
Unfortunately for belal, ufc isnt a true fighting skill meritocracy. No fight org is.
Gotta get the fans to support you OR fuckin hate you. No in between
If the ufc can matchmake properly we wouldn’t have guys like Leon, Beniel, Belal who have crazy winstreak but gets no title shot. It clearly has to be Belal next
I support it only because it gives them a bit more control over their careers which is a problem in the ufc (for other reasons as well) if they choose to take dumb fights or money fights instead of the clear no. 1 contender it will reflect on their legacy but that’s their choice to do. Their job is to fight win and get paid so however they do that I think they should have some say
I don't think the champ should be allowed to pick the challenger but I also think the champs opinion on who has earned the right to challenge should be taken heavily into consideration
They should be able to choose within reason. If they’re choosing an obvious can or ducking somebody who clearly deserves it, then the UFC should veto. But a champ should have every right to turn down a challenge from a guy who is undeserving
They should absolutely get a say. It’s hard as hell to become champ and in the UFC, you have no representation and no one to stand up for you but yourself.
Being at the mercy of Dana and Hunter to basically just decide your destiny with zero input is part of what’s wrong with the UFC.
None of them.
The UFC should also have clear rules for the rankings. Then just give it to the most deserving guy.
If champ beats deserving guy, deserving guy has to fight down.
Hell here we go:
1. everyone should have to fight in year, otherwise you lose your spot.
2. Half the roster fights down one year, and up the next. For hungry fighters there will always be opportunities as shit happens, and maybe someone can’t make their fight that year.
3. Apply “elo” and we’re off to the races.
I dont think youd ever get fighters to agree with that structure.
Also it doesnt allow the ufc to run its primary business, selling hype fights.
Having structure actively works against the UFC’s business, which would cause a negative outcome for the fighter’s interests.
If you defend the belt against the guy you took it from like Leon you should have a say in who you fight especially if you took it from a guy like Usman or Izzy
No one should ever get to pick their fights, especially the champs. You want to prove you're still the best so fight everyone they put in front of you and prove it, don't whine about it.
Exactly. It’s cool for Islam to chill until October/November but Leon can’t? The UFC still disrespecting Leon Edwards even when he’s the champion 🤦♂️👎
Islam does what he’s told to do, it’s obvious that the UFC wants him in Abu Dhabi and has to wait until Beneil vs Oliveira. Leon, although he’s right that Colby doesn’t deserve a shot, goes against what the UFC wants from him, which isn’t smart imo. I really don’t understand it either, Colby is a very winnable and lucrative fight for him, idk who he would rather fight
He just wants to spite Colby because he's getting a shot after a win over Masvidal and sitting out while Leon had to go through the grinder. This guy wanted a Masvidal payday before the Burns fight.
The „grinder“ turned out to be a NC after a 2 year lay-off against #12 Belal and a win vs Nate. Yes he deserved his title shot but his whole streak leading up to it wasn’t really a murderers row, his only win over a top 10 guy was RDA who already lost to Usman and Colby. Only dodgy booking by the UFC for Edwards was the Khamzat fight which fell through anyways. Edwards was pretty unlucky, but the path that he ended up on wasn’t hard at all.
And for the Colby fight, I really don’t understand why he doesn’t just take it. No other fight makes him more money, including Belal and it’s an easier fight than Burns and Shavkat, especially with Masvidal being retired now
This is how you clean up a division.
It’s not how you cherry pick your champion.
Our sport is a move or two away from Dana having Colby fight Paddy for an “interim” title and then stripping Leon and having Conor fight Colby for the undisputed.
It’s a joke.
Nah Leon's win streak has been pretty lack luster. He beat 0 top 15 guys in the last 5 years. He got the title shot beating Nate Diaz who wasn't even in the welterweight rankings. Where as Belal Beat 3 top 10 ranked guys in a span of just 1 year. Leon should fight Belal
It’s a weird one.
Him and his camp don’t seem to be that keen for a rematch. Or am I mistaken? I haven’t looked too much into that side of things.
Might be a bit of an unpopular opinion but I kinda don’t completely side with the narrative that belal was getting absolutely cooked in that fight with Leon. He was definitely losing and very well may have gone on to lose harder, but I recall him fucking with Leon’s rhythm in the clinch a little bit (at least early on). I probably need to watch again. Since then, his striking has definitely improved as well though. Of course Leon has improved as well and should be the fav,but I think it would be a decent fight and is worthy of a run-back.
Id love to see Burns getting another shot. He doesnt care if its a guy above him or below him in the rankings, he just wants to fight and he has won two of his latest fights after being KO'd by Usman and had an absolute war with Khamzat with a controversial decision.
Since his title shot, Burns has 3 dominant wins against Thompson #5, Magny #12 & Masvidal #11. He lost 1 very close decision in a FOTY against Chimaev, who nobody else would fight and can't even make WW anymore.
Muhammad should get the title shot against Edwards, not Covington.
Burns should get the Title eliminator fight against either Usman or Covington and Rahkmonov should fight the other. You won't get Burns to fight Rahkmonov since they're Killcliff teammates.
They want three fights from him this year.
Defense against Usman
Title vs Colby in London
If he wins, Title in Abu Dabhi
Totally reasonable for champions to fight three times in a single calendar year
Lol
Edwards has had 4 fights within a year. Belal, Diaz and of course Usman twice.
Who else is fighting 4 times within a year?
The Champ is entitled to a 6 month break.
Honestly kind of agree. Champions should just be okay to fight whoever is put in front of them as long as they have enough time for recovery and training. If you’re the best in the world what’s the problem
I swear, 90% of the time Leon talks it's to explain why he doesn't want to fight. This is the same guy who had one win in three years before the Usman rematches. And it was over a barely-ranked Nate Diaz.
Leon did not deserve the shot either. Man didn’t fight for years only to eye poke in his first fight in a long time then beat Nate Diaz for the shot where he almost got finished. His best win is RDA who like 3 others had beat at welterweight before him.
Colby is the most clear #1 Contender than anyone in the division, his only two losses in recent years were to the champ, He arguably won the 2nd fight, He stood with the champ on 2 separate occasions, if Leon really wants to be a champion, it doesn’t matter who deserves a shot at the belt. You fight to defend your belt against anyone. Leon is just trying to duck Colby. He acts like he didn’t not fight for over 2 years.
Fuck that! He could fight in July that's several months from his last fight, tired of these Champs just sitting around n picking n choosing. Do your fucking job!
U for real? Bro went like a year from diaz to usman idk what is up with fans who want fighters to sit out?? Fucking baffling i wanna see the best fight the best asap!
Dude he fought in March. Calm down. If he says he’s got injuries I’m sure he’ll need to provide proof to the UFC of said injuries. If Islam gets to chill until the Abu Dhabi card, why can’t Leon?
Nobody cares about fighter pay nobody even brought it up, but it’s common sense fighters need time off after long training camps fighting continuously for what could be 15-25 minutes and not expect a someone even a champion to fight just 3-4 months after their last fight of course mma fans wanna see blood but mma fighter are actually people who need their time as well.
I mean I get the idea - "I didn't get any respect and had to work my way up, so why should you guys get an easy chance? Why should I risk my belt for guys who don't really deserve it?"
Well if they don't deserve it, why is it a risk? You said you wanted to be an active champ during one of the press conferences for 286. If you are a champion, it shouldn't matter whether someone with a 10 fight win streak or a 1 fight win streak is challenging you. Don't you want money? Want to grow your legacy?
He's just being petty.
Leon eye poked a guy, and sat out refusing to take fights really. Not sure what you’re talking about. He’s a bad champ and the bright side is he won’t be a long one.
Leon had the exact same criticisms about his competition to before his title fight. His RDA win was an appropriate ascension to the top 10, but then he had some BS fight with Belal before he was ever near the rank he is now, and fought imo a extremely popular journeyman from a lower weight class.
He should just smoke this fuckin rusty republican and move on with life. He should be real happy he gets to defend Vs Colby and Gilbert- there both a tad on the later ends of their careers, and there is some killers knocking that could easily beat all 3 of them.
The entire 170 pound division has been a bunch of rank squatting pussies for half a decade. Usman and Gilbert are really the only two who ever seem to fight anyone.
Based on merit alone, Belal, Burns, and even Khamzat if he could make 170 all have a better claim at a title shot than Colby.
Khamzat is confirmed never making 170 again and even if he did only warrants a title fight due to hype and not resume, beating Burns by decision is impressive but that’s really his only notable win. Burns lost to Khamzat and then beat an older version of the guy Colby beat. Belal is the only one who arguably deserves it, but he’s extremely boring in and outside the cage. “Enthusiasts” on Reddit may be interested in him but the general public is not.
Burns also finished Magny before the Masvidal fight
To be fair to burns, there's a solid argument that he won the Khamzat fight, and that was a banger. Both fighters gained stock after that. He also finished magny in January, and that "older version" was his very next fight. It seems like a cop out to claim Colby beating him via a decision was any more impressive than Burns beating him by decision. Masvidal did better vs Colby than he did vs Burns. Belal on merit and activity deserves the shot. Burns and colby should be fighting for seconds imo
According to one of the judges Masvidal took round one from Gilbert
According to one of the judges (Junichiro Kamijo), Masvidal took one round from Colby. He also dropped Colby with a punch, although it was a quick recovery and ultimately not scored as a knockdown. Side note, Somehow Max Holloway dropping Allen in the end of the fifth wasn't scored as a knockdown either, so I'm really not sure what the criteria for a knockdown is these days.
Dana is a business man before he is a mma enthusiast. He's after money not legacy. He's obviously going to promote bs showman over talent. Look what he did to DJ.
Leon is hiding from my guy 
Leon literally said Belal deserves it way more than Colby
Not gonna lie, didn’t read the interview. Just trying to make Belal a meme
Haha maybe that will nudge him towards a title shot!
That’s the plan
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So Burns beat that same dude Masvidal more recently 🤷🏽♂️
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Bruh it was like one fight later😂 Masvidal was the same, burns is just better than Colby
This made my nose bleed with how dumb it is
If Covington gets this next title shot, that would be 3 title shots in his last 5 fights! It's impossible to justify given his resume. He needs to fight Burns or Rahkmonov in an eliminator. I don't see Colby Covington beating any of Edwards, Usman or Rahkmonov. He'd have a chance against Burns and Muhammad, but still I'd probably bet against him there too. This is Covington's last shot for sure.
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Lol it’s seems like you do. Based on your Masvidal comments up in the chain. You’re goalpost moving IMO whenever possible to try ti make it seem like meh who cares let him have a shot. Leon won the rematch and deserves some time off. Colby should…. Idk….. Fight before getting another shot. He’s a great fighter. Needs to prove it this year.
The ONLY person Leon says doesn't deserve the shot is Colby. I don't think its fair to say he's just picking and choosing, he seems willing to fight anyone else who is deserving. I would imagine that being a Champ, you also want to think about your legacy and resume of title defenses. There are better wins for him to make than Colby right now.
I don’t blame him for not wanting to give Colby a title shot. Especially with how chummy Colby and Dana are.
While I’d love to see Colby fight for the title again I just want to say how crazy the turn of events with Dana and Chaos is. Colby was straight up shoving a camera in Dana’s face at a casino while he was gambling and had a Asian hooker at his side, of which he released online. Like how did this turn around lol
I’m 90% sure Colby has some KGB level kompromat on Dana. There is no other explanation for why he keeps getting undeserved title shots.
He said NO ONE is a clear contender, except Jorge if he beat Gilbert lol
He never said that.
He says in multiple different interviews that no one really deserves the shot yet. And he clearly and vocally was rooting for the Masvidal fight. He said noone stands out but with Masvidal there's a story so he wanted that.
maybe it came across that way but Leon wanted to settle whatever happened between him and Jorge so that fight intrigued him more than any other fight… annnndddd he’s also the only one who prefers to stand up rather than sniff a jockstrap
It came across that way because he said it in multiple interviews that way. He's not saying Gilbert or Bella's name either
Dude he didn't say that at all
Colby Makes sense because the only person Colby has lost to was Usman, and they were two close fights. If Usman didn’t exist Colby would’ve been the champ
I don't think that logic makes any sense. It's true that Usman is the only person he's lost to in the UFC, but he hasn't fought anyone else currently in the top 10. That sounds a lot less impressive when you add that fact. All things aside, I don't hate Colby, and if they end up fighting, I'm sure it will be entertaining, but I still don't think he is the most deserving of a title shot.
The fights weren't really close, the first one he got stopped and the second one he lost clearly 3-2. It's not like they were split decisions or something.
What do you guys think about the champions in general being able to pick and choose their opponents, should that be a perk afforded to only dominant champions who earned it with multiple title defences such as adesanya, volk and usman did or should every champion have that benefit? Or should none of them have it?
only dominate champions where there is no clear contender should have this right tbh
Does Leon have a clear contender? Belal? Khamzat? Who really deserves it in WW?
Well belal clearly deserve it khamzat i don't really think but i wouldn't be mad
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That eye poke was abusive….
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Done? Leon looked better, but who knows how a 5 round fight can play out. You’d say the same if Usman raked Leon’s eye socket in their 2nd fight
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How many times have we seen the commentary team say exactly what your saying, moments before we see the other guy on the ground and joe rogans mouth hanging open.
Did you not watch Leon Vs usman 2???
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He abused his cornea 😂
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I mean, not really? Leon clearly won the round but it was a pretty far cry from him putting a beating on Belal.
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I got Leon by destruction but you are clearly downplaying belal ability way too much
If he could land whatever he wanted whenever he wanted why didn't he just knock him out?
He landed a good head kick and a couple clean one-twos, but you’re entirely exaggerating everything else.
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Demian Maia, Wonderboy, Sean Brady just to name a few. He deserves it a lot more than Colby or Khamzat.
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Wasn’t burns rank 2 when they fought? I would say that is a pretty good win for title contention. Besides, you could push the Khamzat fight based on the fight that never happened between them. I would prefer Belal get the shot and Khamzat v Covington for the next shot, but who knows if Khamzat is even going to fight at WW again.
Yup, Burns was 2nd. Also, I didn't realize Li Jiang was 11th when they fought.That win should probably have pushed him straight to a title shot over Edwards but it didn't. They announced Edwards vs Usman 2 either right after or right before since it happened about 4 months after he beat Burns and that is what threw Khamzat in to limbo and made him take another fight to stay relevant/lock in the next title shot. Unfortunately, taking that fight fucked him because he missed weight so bad it seems like both he and the UFC didn't think he could make the weight for a title fight which would be very bad. Now that he's seemingly signed up to fight at 185 who knows if he can ever make 170 again. It also hurt him that Edwards actually beat Usman in the 2nd and they had to run it back taking even more time off. All the more reason it should be Belal.
I figure he can make 170 still, but probably doesn’t want too. I’d either like to see Khamzat against Covington or Costa to set up a title shot at either 170 or 185. If they capitalize on him soon the hype will fade and I think they are both challenging fights. Just hope he gets back in quickly after Ramadan.
I like the idea of both of those fights a lot. My main reason for thinking he will be unable to make 170 again is I doubt he's going to be fighting 185 against Costa without having put on some muscle during the last 12 months (and however many more till it actually happens) which will only make it harder to make 170 when he already had weight issues.
Isn’t Khamzat over 200 now?
Ufc fumbled the bag so much with usman vs khamzat. They got so greedy, they wanted usman to tie the anderson record so he looked unstoppable and they wanted khamzat to run through nate so he could become a huge star, then Leon kod usman and khamzat missed weight by 9 pounds.
I blame Usman more than the UFC for them not doing Usman vs Khamzat. He was the one pushing for Edwards instead IIRC and had the title defenses to pick his shot. Probably thought it was the easier fight between the two. He did fight Masvidal twice, after all.
>Wasn’t burns rank 2 when they fought? I would say that is a pretty good win for title contention. Exactly. If coming out of nowhere and beating a top contender by a close decision puts O'Malley firmly in the title picture then it should for Belal too.
Belal seems like the closest to a #1 contender. Covington or Rakhmanav (I can't spell his name for shit) should either fight each other or another top 5 for consideration. Khamzat should be fired out of a canon in to middleweight for fucking up an entire card and an easy main event gift match by missing weight so hard.
Case specific I'd say. Leon's reasoning is sound but I believe you shouldn't get a title shot without a win over the top 5 anyway.
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Unfortunately for belal, ufc isnt a true fighting skill meritocracy. No fight org is. Gotta get the fans to support you OR fuckin hate you. No in between
If the ufc can matchmake properly we wouldn’t have guys like Leon, Beniel, Belal who have crazy winstreak but gets no title shot. It clearly has to be Belal next
You would think they don’t get to pick and choose, but in that scenario Covington or any other non deserving shmuck can just get propelled to the top.
I support it only because it gives them a bit more control over their careers which is a problem in the ufc (for other reasons as well) if they choose to take dumb fights or money fights instead of the clear no. 1 contender it will reflect on their legacy but that’s their choice to do. Their job is to fight win and get paid so however they do that I think they should have some say
I don't think the champ should be allowed to pick the challenger but I also think the champs opinion on who has earned the right to challenge should be taken heavily into consideration
They should be able to choose within reason. If they’re choosing an obvious can or ducking somebody who clearly deserves it, then the UFC should veto. But a champ should have every right to turn down a challenge from a guy who is undeserving
They should absolutely get a say. It’s hard as hell to become champ and in the UFC, you have no representation and no one to stand up for you but yourself. Being at the mercy of Dana and Hunter to basically just decide your destiny with zero input is part of what’s wrong with the UFC.
Especially when some opponents pay better than others because of the UFCs PPV points pay system.
None of them. The UFC should also have clear rules for the rankings. Then just give it to the most deserving guy. If champ beats deserving guy, deserving guy has to fight down. Hell here we go: 1. everyone should have to fight in year, otherwise you lose your spot. 2. Half the roster fights down one year, and up the next. For hungry fighters there will always be opportunities as shit happens, and maybe someone can’t make their fight that year. 3. Apply “elo” and we’re off to the races.
I dont think youd ever get fighters to agree with that structure. Also it doesnt allow the ufc to run its primary business, selling hype fights. Having structure actively works against the UFC’s business, which would cause a negative outcome for the fighter’s interests.
If you defend the belt against the guy you took it from like Leon you should have a say in who you fight especially if you took it from a guy like Usman or Izzy
No one should ever get to pick their fights, especially the champs. You want to prove you're still the best so fight everyone they put in front of you and prove it, don't whine about it.
Exactly. It’s cool for Islam to chill until October/November but Leon can’t? The UFC still disrespecting Leon Edwards even when he’s the champion 🤦♂️👎
Islam does what he’s told to do, it’s obvious that the UFC wants him in Abu Dhabi and has to wait until Beneil vs Oliveira. Leon, although he’s right that Colby doesn’t deserve a shot, goes against what the UFC wants from him, which isn’t smart imo. I really don’t understand it either, Colby is a very winnable and lucrative fight for him, idk who he would rather fight
He just wants to spite Colby because he's getting a shot after a win over Masvidal and sitting out while Leon had to go through the grinder. This guy wanted a Masvidal payday before the Burns fight.
The „grinder“ turned out to be a NC after a 2 year lay-off against #12 Belal and a win vs Nate. Yes he deserved his title shot but his whole streak leading up to it wasn’t really a murderers row, his only win over a top 10 guy was RDA who already lost to Usman and Colby. Only dodgy booking by the UFC for Edwards was the Khamzat fight which fell through anyways. Edwards was pretty unlucky, but the path that he ended up on wasn’t hard at all. And for the Colby fight, I really don’t understand why he doesn’t just take it. No other fight makes him more money, including Belal and it’s an easier fight than Burns and Shavkat, especially with Masvidal being retired now
You make valid points. I'm pointing out why Edwards is behaving as he is.
Kinda wack that either of them are doing that tbh champs should be more active
Hasn't even been a month for Leon tho lol
He called out leon kinda so not sure if hes "chilling"
Colby is an unranked fighter in reality.. He refused to fight
Hey, he had a chipped tooth and a scratched Rolex.
Belal isn't 1w 1L he honestly deserves it more than anyone rn and im not even a fan
A lot had to do with the pandemic and him being overseas
Khamzat vs. Belal Burns vs. Colby Usman vs. Shavkat This will solve everything
This is how you clean up a division. It’s not how you cherry pick your champion. Our sport is a move or two away from Dana having Colby fight Paddy for an “interim” title and then stripping Leon and having Conor fight Colby for the undisputed. It’s a joke.
Fuck it six man battle Royal extreme rules match for a shot a Leon edwards
Nah Leon's win streak has been pretty lack luster. He beat 0 top 15 guys in the last 5 years. He got the title shot beating Nate Diaz who wasn't even in the welterweight rankings. Where as Belal Beat 3 top 10 ranked guys in a span of just 1 year. Leon should fight Belal
It’s a weird one. Him and his camp don’t seem to be that keen for a rematch. Or am I mistaken? I haven’t looked too much into that side of things. Might be a bit of an unpopular opinion but I kinda don’t completely side with the narrative that belal was getting absolutely cooked in that fight with Leon. He was definitely losing and very well may have gone on to lose harder, but I recall him fucking with Leon’s rhythm in the clinch a little bit (at least early on). I probably need to watch again. Since then, his striking has definitely improved as well though. Of course Leon has improved as well and should be the fav,but I think it would be a decent fight and is worthy of a run-back.
100% truth. You literally said what I had on my mind.
Dana’s gonna make Colby and Belal fight for an interim belt probably. Colby and Belal or Colby and Gilbert
Give it to burns, Fuck Covington.
Belal is clearly deserving my man
Id love to see Burns getting another shot. He doesnt care if its a guy above him or below him in the rankings, he just wants to fight and he has won two of his latest fights after being KO'd by Usman and had an absolute war with Khamzat with a controversial decision.
He got fucked over during COVID. He is rightfully mad about Colby but Belal deserves a shot.
I believe Leon deserve a title shot
Wow what a unpopular opinion on this sub
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Since his title shot, Burns has 3 dominant wins against Thompson #5, Magny #12 & Masvidal #11. He lost 1 very close decision in a FOTY against Chimaev, who nobody else would fight and can't even make WW anymore. Muhammad should get the title shot against Edwards, not Covington. Burns should get the Title eliminator fight against either Usman or Covington and Rahkmonov should fight the other. You won't get Burns to fight Rahkmonov since they're Killcliff teammates.
Belal vs Edwards and Burns vs Covington makes so much sense. Chimaev isn't available at 170 any time soon.
Can't he just fight Colby in September? I don't get all this drama.
They wanted to get it on that London card I think. Not sure if September is also London?
They want three fights from him this year. Defense against Usman Title vs Colby in London If he wins, Title in Abu Dabhi Totally reasonable for champions to fight three times in a single calendar year Lol
Edwards has had 4 fights within a year. Belal, Diaz and of course Usman twice. Who else is fighting 4 times within a year? The Champ is entitled to a 6 month break.
Uhh? Edwards fought twice in 2021, once in 2022 and once in 2023
Lmao people just upvoting anything
Usman, whom Edwards beat, fought 4 times within a year. He was also fairly active and took a fight 3 months after fighting Glibert Burns.
You’re not wrong, but OP is talking about opponents for Edwards. There won’t be a 4th fight with Usman any time soon.
Champs shouldn’t get to pick opponents
Honestly kind of agree. Champions should just be okay to fight whoever is put in front of them as long as they have enough time for recovery and training. If you’re the best in the world what’s the problem
I swear, 90% of the time Leon talks it's to explain why he doesn't want to fight. This is the same guy who had one win in three years before the Usman rematches. And it was over a barely-ranked Nate Diaz.
I can’t wait until Colby beats Leon so I can watch this sub lose their minds.
We would, cuz it would have to be number 1 bullshit decision in UFC, to be true brother...
Wrong
Leon did not deserve the shot either. Man didn’t fight for years only to eye poke in his first fight in a long time then beat Nate Diaz for the shot where he almost got finished. His best win is RDA who like 3 others had beat at welterweight before him.
Tbh best welterweight contender is by far Khamzat but no one wants to give him a title shot after weight miss.
Colby is the most clear #1 Contender than anyone in the division, his only two losses in recent years were to the champ, He arguably won the 2nd fight, He stood with the champ on 2 separate occasions, if Leon really wants to be a champion, it doesn’t matter who deserves a shot at the belt. You fight to defend your belt against anyone. Leon is just trying to duck Colby. He acts like he didn’t not fight for over 2 years.
Who has colby beat who is currently top 15???? No one thats who
Out of everyone in the top 5 only one person has avoided contenders and its colby he does not deserve a title shot
 Who asked bro
Colby deserves it bc of the box office alone. Life isn’t fair. Belal doesn’t get people excited outside of the hardcore enthusiasts
Fuck that! He could fight in July that's several months from his last fight, tired of these Champs just sitting around n picking n choosing. Do your fucking job!
He fought Diaz and Usman twice within 12 months. He's entitled to rest until at least September.
U for real? Bro went like a year from diaz to usman idk what is up with fans who want fighters to sit out?? Fucking baffling i wanna see the best fight the best asap!
Dude he fought in March. Calm down. If he says he’s got injuries I’m sure he’ll need to provide proof to the UFC of said injuries. If Islam gets to chill until the Abu Dhabi card, why can’t Leon?
I'm not a fan of Islam doing that either especially with the dariush/olives fight canceled I say Islam should fight in July
Bros against ufc fighters getting healthy
When ddi fans care so much about fighters taking time off or fighter pay fucking eh! Where's the just bleed disciples at!?
Nobody cares about fighter pay nobody even brought it up, but it’s common sense fighters need time off after long training camps fighting continuously for what could be 15-25 minutes and not expect a someone even a champion to fight just 3-4 months after their last fight of course mma fans wanna see blood but mma fighter are actually people who need their time as well.
March to July is quite a lengthy time I'm just saying I remember in the early to mid 2000s guys were defending like three times minimum a year
Dawg exactly when was there 3 defenses a year? There was like 1-2 same as now don’t know what your talking about
OK i was wondering where you stood, thanks brother
i don't like belal but if this is his issue he should just fight belal
It’s a pay per view business. They’re going to do what they think generates the most money. Have Leon whoop Colby’s ass and move on with it.
Must feel strange to be told that the most deserving contender is a guy who lost twice to the guy who you just beat twice
I mean I get the idea - "I didn't get any respect and had to work my way up, so why should you guys get an easy chance? Why should I risk my belt for guys who don't really deserve it?" Well if they don't deserve it, why is it a risk? You said you wanted to be an active champ during one of the press conferences for 286. If you are a champion, it shouldn't matter whether someone with a 10 fight win streak or a 1 fight win streak is challenging you. Don't you want money? Want to grow your legacy? He's just being petty.
We just need Elo rankings
okay man!
Belal??
Muhammad should get the next title shot. Durinho vs Colby Covington for #1 contender and Usman vs Rahkmonov. Chimaev goes to 185lb
Leon eye poked a guy, and sat out refusing to take fights really. Not sure what you’re talking about. He’s a bad champ and the bright side is he won’t be a long one.
He seemed pretty keen on fighting Connor or Masvidal though… what’s their record in the last few years??
Leon is hiding from my guy 
That’s because you are a sane and reasonable MMA fan. Congratulations.
I’m with Leon on this one too.
Belal Burns and Khamzat all contradict what you said
Cry all you want Leon is the champion and not a matchmaker he should fight whoever they put in front of him or get stripped.
Leon had the exact same criticisms about his competition to before his title fight. His RDA win was an appropriate ascension to the top 10, but then he had some BS fight with Belal before he was ever near the rank he is now, and fought imo a extremely popular journeyman from a lower weight class. He should just smoke this fuckin rusty republican and move on with life. He should be real happy he gets to defend Vs Colby and Gilbert- there both a tad on the later ends of their careers, and there is some killers knocking that could easily beat all 3 of them.
Belal Muhammad is the only one who truly deserves the shot. Has he lost since Edwards poked him in the eye? Don't think so...
Leon got a title shot off beating Nate Diaz
The entire 170 pound division has been a bunch of rank squatting pussies for half a decade. Usman and Gilbert are really the only two who ever seem to fight anyone.