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By: Shawn Ennis, MMATorch Senior Columnist The UFC light heavyweight division is one of the deepest, if not the deepest, of all the divisions in MMA. And in the land of 186-205 pounds, the organization holds most of the top talent in the world. We'll start, as always, at the top.
THE CHAMP
Rashad Evans (13-0-1): Evans became the second man to make the trek from TUF winner to UFC champion as he took that title from the first man to accomplish such a feat in Forrest Griffin. Evans, who started off as almost a pure wrestler, has brought his game full-circle, adding lethal striking to his resume and showcasing some nasty ground and pound along the way. Evans will also hold a speed advantage over most opponents, which presents an interesting set of problems if you can't keep up with him. After wins over Griffin and Chuck Liddell, many have him as Fighter of the Year in 2008. But heavy is the head that wears the crown, and no one will know this better than Evans pretty soon. His skills will be tested when he presumably faces off against another former champion in Quinton Jackson some time this spring.
THE CONTENDERS
Quinton Jackson (29-7): It looks as if "Rampage" will be no worse for wear coming off of his legal issues in California, and that's good news for the UFC. Jackson wants a rematch with Forrest Griffin to avenge his defeat at UFC 86, but will likely get the first crack at new champion Evans. Even if a rematch with Griffin were plausible at this point, the affable Georgian will reportedly miss half or more of 2009 with a hand injury. Jackson will provide an interesting matchup for Evans, as the former champion is a powerful striker with very few holes in his game. If Jackson can deal with leg kicks and the speed advantage that Evans will surely have, he could give the champion fits.
Lyoto Machida (13-0): Machida has not been what one would call a "crowd-pleaser" during his 5-0 stint with the UFC. The only fight he has finished since 2006 was his arm triangle submission victory over Sokoudjou in December of 2007. One can hardly blame him, however, as his style allows him to avoid pretty much all punishment. His fight against Tito Ortiz was the only one that saw him get into a little bit of trouble, as Ortiz almost sunk a triangle choke in the third round. Machida will face a very stiff challenge at UFC 94 when he faces off against Thiago Silva in what is presumably a number one contender's fight. I put him in this category because it certainly wouldn't be implausible to have Machida challenge for the title immediately. However, a contender bout with Silva also makes sense.
A STEP OR TWO AWAY
Thiago Silva (13-0): The Brazilian is 4-0 in his UFC campaign, and he has finished eight of his last nine fights inside the first round. He will face the aforementioned Machida at UFC 94, and his straightforward, in-your-face style could present problems for the evasive, counter-fighting contender. Silva is a very dangerous striker with a mean streak, and he's a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt on top of that. This will be an extremely intriguing fight to see if there is a chink in Machida's armor, and specifically to see if Silva will be able to find and exploit it.
UP AND COMERS
Luis Cane (9-1): Cane has looked extremely impressive in his three UFC fights, as he completely dismantled the tough Jason Lambert and then weathered an early storm against Sokoudjou before pouncing on his winded opponent in the second round. Cane is another fighter who has shown a propensity for striking, which will make him fit right in at 205 pounds. Cane will take on the always dangerous Keith Jardine at UFC 96.
Jon Jones (7-0): In his Octagon debut against Andre Gusmao at UFC 87, Jones came in as an underdog and was considered by some to be cannon fodder for the former IFL standout. As it turned out, Jones was the one who would keep his undefeated record intact by winning the decision in that fight. Jones won't have it any easier in his next fight as he takes on the returning Stephan Bonnar at UFC 94. Jones is one to watch, and his scrap with Bonnar could be a good one.
Jason Brilz (16-1-1): Brad Morris dropped down from heavyweight after losing to Cain Velasquez in his UFC debut, and he may have thought the size advantage would give him a shot against smaller competition. Brilz had different plans as he dominated Morris for a round and a half before pounding him out in the second. Brilz looked very good on the ground in his debut, and it remains to be seen whether he can have continued success against better competition. Brilz hasn't lost since 2002, and he'll look to keep that streak going as he will fight Tim Boetsch at UFC 96.
Steve Cantwell (7-1): The erstwhile WEC Light Heavyweight Champion made his UFC debut at the "Fight for the Troops" show in December, grotesquely popping the arm of Razak Al-Hassan in the process. After losing his first fight to Brian Stann, Cantwell has bounced back impressively, winning four straight. With his win over Al-Hassan, Cantwell validated his place in the UFC. He'll probably be on the undercard a time or two before really getting some exposure, but he's definitely one to keep an eye on.
ON THE REBOUND
Forrest Griffin (16-5): Griffin didn't take his loss to Rashad Evans as hard as he took the one to Keith Jardine, but maybe it's because he was no longer a hunted man. The UFC's first ever Ultimate Fighter winner will bounce back and be just fine though, because he's got a good fan following and is a fun fighter to watch. Those are two attributes that the UFC doesn't take lightly. Griffin will likely be out of action until July or later, but a rematch with Quinton Jackson is always interesting for his return. Not to mention possible fights with Chuck Liddell and Wanderlei Silva, should Silva decide to stay at Light Heavyweight.
THE POOL
And now we wade into the deep and dangerous waters of the Light Heavyweight pool. There is arguably no other division with a greater number of fighters who would have a reasonable shot at beating the current champion on any given day. Speaking of which, we'll start with the last man to beat Forrest Griffin before Rashad Evans came along, and that's Keith Jardine (14-4-1). "The Dean of Mean" rebounded well after his brutal KO loss at the hands of Wanderlei Silva (32-9-1) by beating Brandon Vera (9-3) in what was Vera's second fight at 205 pounds. He'll face off next against up-and-comer Luis Cane at UFC 97 in Montreal in what is a very intriguing fight. Vera will try to rebound from his loss to Jardine when he takes on Michael Patt (12-3) at UFC 96. Patt didn't get to show much of what brought him to the Octagon in his debut loss to bruiser Tim Boetsch (8-2), who leveled him with a right hand before finishing him on the mat in the first round at UFC 88. I've been interested to see what Boetsch can do on the ground since his loss to Matt Hamill (5-2) at UFC Fight Night 17 in April, and it looks like I'll get that chance when Boetsch fights the aforementioned Jason Brilz at UFC 96. Speaking of Matt Hamill, though, he looked very good in dispatching of Reese Andy (7-3) at UFC 92 and will fight again very quickly as he takes on the debuting WEC veteran Mark Munoz (5-0) at UFC 96.
We talked a bit about Wanderlei Silva earlier. Silva looked to have gotten his mojo back after throttling Jardine at UFC 84, but it didn't last long as he was knocked out cold at the hands of the former champion, Quinton "Rampage" Jackson. Questions abound concerning "The Axe Murderer"s future in the Octagon – most notably whether he will continue fighting at light heavyweight or move to middleweight. One option that keeps resurfacing is a rematch with Chuck Liddell (21-6) some time down the road. While that would probably turn out to be another entertaining slugfest, it wouldn't have the same title implications that it might have had if neither man had lost since their last fight (in which case the fight probably wouldn't be happening again in the first place. And I say this even though we don't know whether it actually will happen again. But I digress.) Another former Pride standout who hasn't quite found the success in the UFC that everyone expected is Mauricio "Shogun" Rua (16-3). It's not fair to judge the Brazilian's Octagon career after going 0-1 under the UFC banner (to the eventual Light Heavyweight Champion, no less), but Rua did look pretty lackluster in a losing effort against Griffin in September of 2007. He'll get a chance to redeem himself and prove that he's still the same fighter as before when he gets a rematch with Mark Coleman (15-8) this Saturday at UFC 93. Coleman will fight at light heavyweight for what I believe is the first time at the event. There will also be two more contenders fighting at 205 pounds who do not normally compete at that weight during UFC 93. Rich Franklin (24-3) and Dan Henderson (23-7) both typically compete at middleweight inside the cage. Franklin will return to 205 for the second time recently while Henderson will return to LHW for the first time since losing to Quinton Jackson at UFC 75. They'll fight at light heavyweight for the chance to coach opposite Michael Bisping on the next season of "The Ultimate Fighter", after which they'll cut back to 185 to fight Bisping, presumably for a title shot against a champion who has beaten them both soundly. Did I mention that either man will probably flatten Bisping? Oh well. The champion who beat both of them, by the way, may or may not make his way back to 205 at some point down the line. In his first appearance at light heavyweight, Anderson Silva (23-4) crushed James Irvin (14-5) inside of three minutes. Irvin, the consummate standup fighter, has not been heard from since.
Elsewhere in the light heavyweight division, Eric Schafer (10-3-2) will make his return to the Octagon this Saturday night when he faces Antonio Mendes (15-3). Schafer started off 1-2 in the UFC with losses to Michael Bisping and Stephan Bonnar (11-4) before racking up a couple of wins outside the promotion. He came back in September with a submission win over Houston Alexander (8-4) at Fight Night 15. That loss pushed Alexander to 2-3 in the UFC, with his other losses coming at the hands of Thiago Silva and James Irvin. Few would be surprised if Alexander makes a return, however, due to his aesthetically pleasing style and interesting story. Bonnar will also return soon, namely at UFC 94 against Jon Jones. The aforementioned Antonio Mendes falls into the category of 0-1 fighters in the UFC light heavyweight division. Also in this category are Brad Morris (9-4), who lost to Jason Brilz, Razak Al-Hassan (6-1), who was armbarred into oblivion by Steve Cantwell, Thomas Drwal (14-2), who lost to Thiago Silva, and TUF alumni Kyle Kingsbury (7-2), Jules Bruchez (0-1), Shane Primm (1-1), and Vinicius Magalhaes (2-3). Drwal will make his return against the debuting Ivan Serati (10-2) on Saturday night, while none of the others have any return date set as of this writing. On the other side of the coin of course are the winners at the TUF Finale – Tom Lawlor (5-1), Eliot Marshall (6-1), Krzysztof Soszynski (16-8-1), and TUF winner Ryan Bader (8-0). I won't pretend to have any idea about what's ahead for these guys. Soszynski has some fights against name guys, and Bader shows some promise, but the others I just can't remember. So it goes with me and "The Ultimate Fighter."
There aren't many top names in the light heavyweight division that aren't under contract to Zuffa, but the one that stands out the most to me is Vladmir Matyshenko (21-3). "The Janitor" has won eight straight since his last fight in the UFC (a KO loss at the hands of Andre Arlovski) and has looked rejuvenated as of late. He'll fight another top fighter not under UFC contract, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (15-3). "Lil Nog" has reeled off three straight wins since his shocking (at the time) KO loss to Sokoudjou (5-3) almost two years ago. His fight with Matyushenko at Affliction's "Day of Reckoning" event will give an idea of where both fighters are now. Speaking of Sokoudjou, however, he'll take on the fourth name fighter not under contract to the UFC, and that's Renato Sobral (31-7). "Babalu" was banished from the UFC when he refused to let go of a rear naked choke against David Heath (9-4) at UFC 74. Heath has been unspectacular at 1-1 since leaving the UFC. Back to the subject though, the Sobral-Sokoudjou fight should be pretty good if Sokoudjou doesn't get tapped immediately. Of course, that leaves us with the homeless wonder, Tito Ortiz (15-6-1). The once-unstoppable force is on the outs with Dana White again and finds himself looking for a ring or cage wherein he can ply his trade. The only question is whether anyone will pay him the money he wants for being the fighter he is today and not the fighter he was in 2000-2002. Time will tell, but I don't see anyone being able to put up the cash outside of White and the Fertittas.
Well, that's about it for now. Anyone missing? Anything off base? Or am I pretty much right as usual? If you're so inclined, let me know what you think in the comments.
History of the UFC Light Heavyweight Title
12/21/97 – F. Shamrock def. K. Jackson (Submission)
3/13/98 – F. Shamrock def. I. Zinoviev (KO)
5/15/98 – F. Shamrock def. J. Horn (Submission)
10/16/98 – F. Shamrock def. J. Lober (Submission due to strikes)
9/24/99 – F. Shamrock def. T. Ortiz (Submission due to strikes)
*Shamrock vacates title*
4/14/00 – T. Ortiz def. W. Silva (Decision)
12/16/00 – T. Ortiz def. Y. Kondo (Submission)
2/23/01 – T. Ortiz def. E. Tanner (KO)
6/29/01 – T. Ortiz def. E. Sinosic (TKO)
9/28/01 – T. Ortiz def. V. Matyushenko (Decision)
11/22/02 – T. Ortiz def. K. Shamrock (TKO)
*Ortiz leaves the UFC due to contract dispute*
6/6/03 – R. Couture def. C. Liddell (TKO)
9/26/03 – R. Couture def. T. Ortiz (Decision)
1/31/04 – V. Belfort def. R. Couture (TKO due to cut)
8/21/04 – R. Couture def. V. Belfort
4/16/05 – C. Liddell def. R. Couture (KO)
8/20/05 – C. Liddell def. J. Horn (TKO)
2/4/06 – C. Liddell def. R. Couture (KO)
8/26/06 – C. Liddell def. R. Sobral (TKO)
12/30/06 – C. Liddell def. T. Ortiz (TKO)
5/26/07 – Q. Jackson def. C. Liddell (KO)
9/8/07 – Q. Jackson def. D. Henderson (Decision)
7/5/08 – F. Griffin def. Q. Jackson (Decision)
12/27/08 – R. Evans def. F. Griffin (TKO)
Longest Title Reign: Tito Ortiz – 952 Days
Most Title Defenses: Tito Ortiz – 6
Current Title Reign: Rashad Evans – 19 Days
Definitions/Parameters: The Champ: Self-explanatory The Contenders: Fighters who could fight for the title immediately and be taken as legitimate contenders. Fighters coming off of a loss will not typically be in this category. A Step or Two Away: Fighters who could be in contention for a title with another victory or two over legitimate competition. Up and Comers: Fighters who have no more than three fights in the UFC, who have shown promise. They're not always undefeated, but they have potential. On the Rebound: Coming off of a high-profile loss or a loss in a fight that they should have won, and it will take a while to get the momentum back. Typically a champion who just lost his belt, as there's really nowhere else to put them. The Pool: Other fighters of note within the division, who could work their way into the top three categories by going on a run and/or proving themselves/proving themselves again in the Octagon. Also those outside the UFC who could make an impact.
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