UFC Fight Night 127 Preview
Things in the heavyweight division have been at the same time exciting and stagnant in recent months.
The UFC has seen new prospects rise through the rankings but sitting at the top of the heap is the best heavyweight of all time.
There is a strange division in the UFC’s heavyweight division right now as the champion is just too good for any of the big challengers.
It is a rare occurrence in any promotion as the division is a mix of older fighters and young rising stars.
The older fighters have all already had their shot if not multiple shots at Stipe Miocic and the title.
The younger fighters haven’t proven enough to earn their shot at the title and if they do they are nowhere near the level of the champion.
Francis N’Gannou proved that last point in the most recent heavyweight title fight as Miocic showed why he is the greatest heavyweight in the history of the UFC.
Although N’Gannou had all of the hype around him as a young potential champion he proved to be on a different level than Miocic.
The win by Miocic led to a realisation that the younger or up and coming fighters might not be ready for that top spot.
So it leaves the entire division in a strange spot as there doesn’t seem to be anyone ready to take on the champion, at least not yet.
With that in mind, the champion will go outside of his division to fight in one of the biggest super fights in the history of the UFC.
He will take on light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier in July and as he gets ready to take another step towards the Hall of Fame the rest of the division is left sorting themselves out.
It is up to the others in the heavyweight division to prove that they are good enough to fight Miocic and potentially take a title.
From now until the super fight in July there will be any number of heavyweights looking to prove that they belong in that spot.
When the UFC returns to London two will take centre stage representing both sides of the division.
In one corner is the man many believe to be the closest to the title in Fabricio Werdum who has consistently been one of the best heavyweights in the UFC.
He has risen to that point because he brings the rarest of skills to the heavyweight division and does it better than anyone.
There are not many heavyweights that make their living on the ground especially not with Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.
Werdum is one of the best BJJ practitioners in the UFC and when he takes that to a group who makes their living through standing and trading he has a lot of success.
That has put him to the top of the division and has been looking for a rematch with Miocic since he lost the title to the current title holder.
He will take another main event fight in the hopes that his third straight win will put him in the crosshairs for a rematch with Miocic and a chance to win his title back.
He will take on a rising fighter in Alexander Volkov who has been a part of the new wave of heavyweights.
It has been a long time since the UFC has seen this many heavyweight fighters just beginning to make a name for themselves.
They have been led by N’Gannou who has received most of the attention but this new wave is full of talent and potential.
Volkov has won his last five fights including his first three fights in the UFC after he made the move from M-1.
In taking out veterans like Stefan Struve and Roy Nelson he has certainly shown that he can hang with the old guard in the division.
Now he takes on a completely different challenge and one that will go a long way to proving whether he is ready for the title or not.
Werdum has great striking but he will certainly try to take this fight to the ground which is exactly what hurt N’Gannou in his fight for the title.
If Volkov can fight his fight and avoid the ground game of Werdum he will take his sixth straight win and will show that he can last with one of the best ground fighters in the world.
That will show that he is ready for the title fight and give the UFC another true contender but if he can’t the UFC could be in line for a rematch.
Either way, this fight will go a long way to determining the future of a division that has a bright future ahead.
The Sport Addiction 