Yes, No, Maybe So
By Eddie Sanchez
The UFC is peaking at the moment, which is insane to say when you think of the historical greats that have made their name with this promotion, like Georges St. Pierre, Anderson Silva and Chuck Liddell to name a few.
At the moment, it seems like every weight class can make an argument for being the premier within the sport, but when push comes to shove, it’s likely the Lightweight division that takes the cake.
As you can see, the division is unbelievably stacked. We have some of the biggest names, greatest legacies and true rivalries littered throughout the rankings. While Khabib is still holding the belt captive, most expect that distinction to change at some point in the near future.
Naturally with the six of the division as deep as it is, the fans would like to see some natural law and order by way of UFC bouts on ESPN+ and ESPN PPV.
Since UFC 257, much of the talk regarding future bouts in the Lightweight division has surrounded the top four names. Each of these men could make a legitimate claim for an immediate title shot and each possible matchup is one that would definitely headline a top selling PPV card.
According to sources, we may actually get the Poirier-McGregor trilogy before the top four of the division gets settled. There are millions of fans out there interested in this bout, but there naturally is a question regarding the fairness of this fight taking place.
Conor McGregor has lost two out of his last three fights to Poirier and Khabib respectively. How can the UFC justify him getting an immediate rematch against a guy who is the number one ranked contender for a division, that is expecting its belt to be vacated relatively soon?
With Gaethje, Oliviera and Chandler sitting within striking distance of a title-shot, there will for sure be many fans who will question whether the UFC is prioritizing cash over legitimacy (the short answer is yes, as does nearly every other sport in the world).
To amplify the situation slightly more, it has been pointed out that Olivieria has turned down two opportunities to take on Chandler. If the UFC plans on staging the Poirier-McGregor trilogy, then we are almost certain to see the UFC make a third attempt to secure a Chandler-Olivieria bout.
If that fails again, then Gaethje would likely be the next one to get offered to one of the two men. Any of these possible fights would be amazing and provide fireworks, but there is a guarantee that one of those three men would get the short end of the stick and basically get shafted by the promotion.
Politics within sports will always be a thing, but the UFC is risking going down the same path that boxing has struggled with for years. Short term monetary games hurt the long term legitimacy of the sport.
If, and this is a humongous if, McGregor is to avenge his defeat, he would likely be in line for the next title shot, which is absolutely ridiculous considering his record at the lightweight division and the current standing of those that sit ahead of him in the rankings.
While it’s far too soon to make a definite claim based on the youth of these rumors, the social media warriors are already chirping and as soon as a fight gets confirmed for anyone in this division, these rest of the dominos will surely fall in place almost immediately after.
How do you think the UFC should maneuver with the Lightweight division as dense as it is?
