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UFC 236 fell last Saturday and gave us two new acting champions, in two of the most exciting divisions of the sport at the moment. It also gave us an instant classic that is the favorite for the fight of the year and perhaps in conversation for the best fight of all time. Let's talk about all this, as well as the developing countries.
Best fight of all time?
Where is Israel against Gastelum in the best fights of all time?
– Andi Ben List Jakobsen (@AndiJutlander) April 16, 2019
I'm on record saying that Robbie Lawler vs. Carlos Condit is the best fight I've ever seen. When this battle was over, I felt as exhausted as Lawler and Condit watched as they put their arms against the cage to recover. But I never felt like Saturday night after watching Israel, Adesanya and Kelvin Gastelum, leaving pieces of themselves scattered in this cage.
In reality, it's hard to call it the best fight of all time, because I was sitting in front of the cage, which is very different from the home viewing experience. But I can tell you that after the fight, everyone in the press row looked like being in a car accident. Personally, I had so much fun watching it that the main event, as excellent as it was, still felt tamed; like being attacked by a bee after fighting a grizzly bear.
Therefore, even if it is premature to say that the best fight of all time is premature, I can say with certainty that it is now my favorite fight of all time, and I am pretty confident that it is the one of the best five fights of all time.
The title light photo
Should Tony Ferguson have the winner of Poirer-Khabib or should Khabib have the winner of Poirer-Ferguson?
– Eric Stinton (@TombstoneStint) April 16, 2019
Ooooo is an excellent question. If you limit me to one of these two answers, then Tony Ferguson should get the winner of Khabib Nurmagomedov against Dustin Poirier. Ferguson has done more than enough to earn a legitimate title. Dustin has an interim belt, which apparently means that he will get the next spot at Khabib and the winner will win this fight against Tony. Finally, there should be some semblance of order in the lightweight division.
But, if you just want to know what should happen for the light weight, Tony should have the chance to move to Khabib. Like Poirier, Tony won an interim belt and deserves his long court appearance. And even with the Max Victory, Tony's lightweight CV is undeniable. Right now, Khabib and Tony are the two best 155 on Earth and they have to fight for supremacy. Dustin is ready to intervene if something happens (as it always seems to be the case with Khabib-Tony), but otherwise, Dustin can get the winner of this fight and the lightweights will be fully cleansed.
And during this time, Justin Gaethje against Conor McGregor is perhaps even better than Adesanya-Gastelum.
The domination of Khabib
Is there a cultural prejudice in rejecting Khabib's rule? Whenever a new challenger emerges, the MMA media discuss their odds (now Poirier) while exaggerating the past achievements of his opponents (Johnson tagged him, Al made 5 rounds (most unbalanced decision) from the history of the UFC)) …
– Helles Mammut (@ HellesMammut80) April 19, 2019
I'm not sure it's true in general (I do not know many people who reject Khabib's dominance), but let's just say it's true. I do not think cultural differences have anything to do with that, I think it depends on Khabib's fighting style.
Wrestling will always be a part of MMA, but in recent years fewer and fewer "clean grapplers" have been successful in the higher echelons of MMA. So when fans see a fighter like Khabib, who is so addicted to takedown, all they can think of is "what happens when he can not get it?" But what Khabib is doing is so far ahead of the rest of the MMA that's almost ridiculous. There will be a day when Khabib will not be able to face anyone, but I do not anticipate that he will soon arrive in the lightweight division. This is a completely different type of animal and I will not be shocked if he will retire unbeaten in the next few years.
The next defense of Max's title
Does Frankie Edgar really deserve a title?
– DJ Turner (@DJTurnerWSJS) April 18, 2019
Merit? Probably not. He's only on a winning streak after all. But it makes sense as the next title challenger for Max.
If Alexander Volkanovski beats Jose Aldo, he certainly deserves the next title. But if Aldo does not stop competing with his competitors, Frankie is a good challenge for Max. He only lost to the elite elite, he is a former champion and the two were already supposed to fight once before. Moreover, as big as he is, his reign over the title was small. He has beaten Aldo twice and Brian Ortega. If he really wants to be part of the Hall of Fame, Max must organize and extend the title race. Give Frankie a last chance to win gold in the second division and let Max start organizing a title race.
The most entertaining fighters
most entertaining atm
– Charlie Tubb (@NewTeeb) April 18, 2019
This list begins and ends with Justin Gaethje. He is the most exciting fighter in the history of this sport. And even though Dustin Poirier's recent run was close to nirvana, Gaethje's entire career was fierce. After Gaethje, Poirier and Max should be discussed, as well as Conor McGregor. Love it or hate it, when was the last time Conor was in a boring fight?
Turning to light weight, Thiago Santos has been great lately, as has Johnny Walker. Robbie Lawler was once the owner of this list and still hangs around the edges. Likewise, Donald Cerrone always has it. Marlon Moraes throws heat, and as much as people mean that Demetrious Johnson was boring, it's nonsense. This guy is still gangbusters.
Drugs: Are they bad and should we care?
When will anyone create a new mma organization that allows PEDS so we can see how close we can get to Tokka and Rahzar from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2, the secret of the loam? pic.twitter.com/KjmuapREnF
– Tim (@ timpanda3) April 18, 2019
In competitive powerlifting, they tested and not federations. "Drug Free" competitors can compete in untested Federations if they wish. Could this format exist in MMA? Would the commissions even allow it?
– Devin Gabriel (@ DevinGabriel6) April 19, 2019
I've had a number of variations on this same theme, so let's get to it in one section.
I'm not an expert on the rules, but I guess promoters probably should not say "we do not care what you're doing" for a lot of legal reasons. However, it is quite feasible to be open and not to have a drug test or to have a quick night test, which is basically the same thing, so yes, I think that's format could exist. I also think it's a good idea.
If you are a fighter and want to take medicine to improve your performance, prolong your career, speed up your recovery, or just because you love them, you should be able to do it. Most drug tests in the MMA are arbitrary and there are a number of very good arguments against its adoption. However, you should not be able to do PED and compete with someone who has the impression of not doing these things. So if an organization makes it clear that they're not interested in it and the fighters want to compete, I'm very supportive. And you know what, the fans would be too.
Although a lot of fans might say "do it right" or whatever, they do not care, because at the end of the day, we're all in the game for spectacular moments. The DCs are just medical sciences giving the fighters a way to give us more, so as long as these moments come against volunteer participants, I'm all for it. I leave you with my favorite argument for DCs in sport:
Usain Bolt is the fastest human being of all time. It's so fast, it's ridiculous. And he has never failed a drug test. If it's a legitimately clean athlete who has never consumed any banned substance in his life, turn it on to gas right away. How fast can he go? Can he pass a cougar? I want to see incredible things that push the boundaries of the human imagination. So let Francis Ngannou on the sauce and see if he can destroy a building.
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