Mendes retired
Who do you all like to be Rockhold's first fight at the new weight class?
Oezdemir already had a fight lined up v Reyes for late March. I think Gus, Latifi, and Corey Anderson are the only realistic options for Rockhold at the top of the division.Due to Rockhold's huge ego, I think he's going to want somebody in the top 5. I'll go with Volkan.
I hadn't seen anything about Volkan vs. Reyes. If that happens, then I'd go with Gus. If Gus is looking for bigger fights, well, Rockhold is a name at least.Oezdemir already had a fight lined up v Reyes for late March. I think Gus, Latifi, and Corey Anderson are the only realistic options for Rockhold at the top of the division.
So what happens with DC now? I think he has backed off that strict retirement deadline he had earlier and he's hurt right now but when and who does he fight next? When we had this discussion previously we were talking about whether he'd fight Lesnar at UFC 233 in Anaheim or UFC 235 in Vegas. 233 got cancelled and Jones is headlining 235 now so those are out and we have no idea what's going on with Lesnar. Will it be Lesnar/Stipe on one of those PPVs in April/May or does he just wait for Jones in the summer?
Who do you all like to be Rockhold's first fight at the new weight class?
I think Miocic will be DC's next fight, but not sure when it happens.
If Rockhold wants to jump right in and not ease into it then I wouldn't be against a Gus fight. The two of them were talking about fighting before, it's probably the biggest and most interesting fight for Gus, and it gets Rockhold in the title picture if he wins.
That would make sense with the uncertainty around Lesnar and Jones already scheduled to fight Smith. If it happens in April and DC wins then he could turn around and fight Jones in July.
If he does that, I'd prefer he vacated without fighting Stipe. Cain-Stipe for the vacant belt would be awesome. If DC were to fight Stipe again and beats him, it takes away from Stipe-Cain since Stipe would be coming off 2 losses. If Stipe wins, then there almost has to be a trilogy fight, right?DC has always said that HW is Cain's division. If Cain beats Ngannou, it wouldn't surprise me if DC gives up the HW belt and drop to 205lbs for his final fight. Maybe DC fights Miocic before that, but maybe he just waits to see what happens with Jones & Cain in March.
If he does that, I'd prefer he vacated without fighting Stipe. Cain-Stipe for the vacant belt would be awesome. If DC were to fight Stipe again and beats him, it takes away from Stipe-Cain since Stipe would be coming off 2 losses. If Stipe wins, then there almost has to be a trilogy fight, right?
Edit: Of course Cain has to get to Fight Night let alone beat Francis for any of that to matter.
I really like Stipe, but I could go either way with him getting a title shot. On one hand, he got KO'ed in the first round. Yeah, he should win at least a fight to get a title shot. On the other, you look at Joanna or even worse Cody getting immediate rematches after getting KO'ed early. Why shouldn't Stipe? He's the longest reigning HW champ of all time and it's not like there's a ton of challengers at HW.I still want Miocic to actually fight someone else and earn his title shot instead of just sitting around waiting. But yeah, Cain v Miocic would be a really fun fight.
I also kind of want to see JDS vs DC if DC is going to stick around for a bit.
I really like Stipe, but I could go either way with him getting a title shot. On one hand, he got KO'ed in the first round. Yeah, he should win at least a fight to get a title shot. On the other, you look at Joanna or even worse Cody getting immediate rematches after getting KO'ed early. Why shouldn't Stipe? He's the longest reigning HW champ of all time and it's not like there's a ton of challengers at HW.
Stipe-Cain would just be so much fun. They are widely considered the 2 best HW of all time, so to have them fight not only for the belt but the unofficial title of HW GOAT...
I really can't imagine DC sticking around long enough for JDS. At this point, I think he fights Brock or Stipe. Then I think he would only maybe stick around for another shot at Jones. If he fights anyone but those 3 guys, I'd be really shocked. Although, I probably had that same feeling before he fought Lewis. So who knows.
I really like Stipe, but I could go either way with him getting a title shot. On one hand, he got KO'ed in the first round. Yeah, he should win at least a fight to get a title shot. On the other, you look at Joanna or even worse Cody getting immediate rematches after getting KO'ed early. Why shouldn't Stipe? He's the longest reigning HW champ of all time and it's not like there's a ton of challengers at HW.
Stipe-Cain would just be so much fun. They are widely considered the 2 best HW of all time, so to have them fight not only for the belt but the unofficial title of HW GOAT...
I really can't imagine DC sticking around long enough for JDS. At this point, I think he fights Brock or Stipe. Then I think he would only maybe stick around for another shot at Jones. If he fights anyone but those 3 guys, I'd be really shocked. Although, I probably had that same feeling before he fought Lewis. So who knows.
I think Rockhold v Latifi makes the most sense based on where things are right now, but I'm not sure Rockhold takes that fight as it's a weird style matchup. I will guess Rockhold v Shogun is his first fight at 205lbs.
Maybe in UFC history, but I'm pretty sure most would consider Fedor ahead of both of them in MMA all-time rankings
Latifi would fold him in half and bounce him off every wall in the octagon. Real bad style match up for Rockhold. I didn't think he had the chin to fight MMA any more given his getting KO'd in two of his last 3, let alone to move up and face guys with even more power. Don't think this move will end all that well for Luke, but maybe he'll surprise me.
The good thing is that 205 sucks so there's an easy path to Rockhold getting to the top. He can be a top guy in the division and given a title shot by beating Shogun and Corey Anderson. Easy stuff.