This content is protected is coming off two great wins over Evan Dunham and Shane Roller, but has stiff competition for the number 1 contender spot from This content is protected , while the winner of the This content is protected vs This content is protected fight in August will surely have a claim as well. Who should be next in line for the Edgar-Maynard winner? And This content is protected is on a stunning tear right now, beating Kim, Hardy, MacDonald and Ellenberger in his last four. The only other viable contender for a title shot would be This content is protected (though he is injured, has unfinished business with Penn, and has already been dominated by GSP), seeing as Rick Story lost recently, though if This content is protected beats Jake Shields in September he surely becomes viable. Who should be next in line for the GSP-Diaz winner? :bbb:bbb:bbb
Condit is next for GSP, he'll be the threat on the feet that people think Diaz is Mel is probably 3rd in line, maybe Clay or the loser of Miller Hendo
Guida Guillard should happen next , should Melvin Guillard beat Clay Guida , he would have to get a shot at the title , and likewise Guida ....... Fitch Condit should now take precedence over Fitch Penn 2 IMHO ....... Condit for me is the closest challenger to Fitch's #1 contender ranking , that ofcourse is in the UFC , Nick Diaz is obviously getting his shot before Fitch and Condit , one more big win for Condit and for me he's worthy of a shot , knowing the UFC and the way they work , they will probably match Condit with Brenneman and have him wait in the wings for St Pierre , this a) stops St Pierre moving to MW and b) keeps Condit out of harms way thus creating a credible WW title fight starring St Pierre against an opponent he hasnt already beaten
Condit should be next. Not because he beat Kim, Kim barely beat Nate Diaz; but because there will be no one left if GSP beats Nick Diaz.
Condit should have to beat the winner of Shields Vs Ellenberger first IMO. Guillard should fight Pettis next I think. See who is sticking around near the top for the forseeable future (Guida would've been better but they're both Jackson fighters so very doubtful) After Frankie and Maynard finally finish their trilogy, with Guida beating a guy who was primed for a shot and I think he deserves a shot. After last night, his run of Dos Anjos, Gomi and Pettis is looking pretty damn good. Lightweight is stacked.
If Jim Miller beats Henderson he deserves a shot, end of story. After that then we can start talking Guillard, Guida, and whoever else is in line.
Sheilds got a title shot because it was in his contract , regardless of all the hype and the UFC primetime build up show IMHO after his performance against Kampmann he didnt deserve it . Jon Fitch is the number 1 contender behind GSP , Condit has to be ranked number 3 in the world IMO , therefore he's right in the mix . GSP Diaz is happening , so Fitch Condit is a no brainer , until Condit beats Fitch , he should not be allowed to step in the cage for the title ......... Guida and Guillard have already said they will fight each other if it comes to it
Fitch has got to rematch BJ first. Fitch will only hold back others from getting a chance to beat GSP, as he himself has no chance. Fair play to Clay and Melvin if true :good
Penn Fitch 2 is a fight nobody barring the UFC really wants Agree'd on your second point , but Condit loses to Fitch IMO so what do you do ?? :huh
Agree with the first point, but it will happen. On your 2nd point, I agree, but if Fitch wants to be champ but cannot beat the champ, why not let someone more stylistically suited have a go and then Fitch can try and beat them for the title. Fitch is the clear no.2 in the div' IMO, but he has little chance of beating the champ. Then again, not many Welters do (here's hoping Nick will just be too f'n hard ;-) :bbb) I'm not saying I think Condit would beat GSP though!!!!
I won't pay to see Fitch fight GSP again. He got demolished the first time and has showed nothing in the past few years that says a 2nd shot would be any different, meanwhile GSP is still improving in leaps and bounds, even if he has forgotten how to finish a fight. Condit could be a very convincing challenger, not that I think he'd win, but he certainly has the highlight reel to justify a shot. IF Ellenberger beats Shields then he has a strong case for a shot as well. I don;t see either Shields, Fitch or GSP going particularly well for Ellenberger considering was Rocha did to him in the first round. So anyway, Condit first, then Ellenberger if he gets past Shields. LW is a ****ing nightmare right now. Miller, Guida and Guillard are all deserving of a shot, in that order, IMO. But there's also guys that are a little green or on shorter winning streaks that still look amazing and would make for fantastic fights, Siver, Barboza, Olivera, Bendo, Cerrone. Even the guys with recent losses have looked awesome leading up to (or even during) their defeats, Sotiropoulos, Pettis, Lauzon, Bocek. No matter what happens at the top of the division, the mid-top tier guys are going to keep trading losses, and we're going to see less guys on 6, 7 and 8 fight win streaks and it's going to end up more like middleweight with guys coming into title fights after 2 or 3 wins.