UFC Fight Night 138 Preview
Things have gotten a little hazy in the UFC lately with one fight taking precedence over everything else.
Conor McGregor tends to do that as his return fight took the focus away from everything else going on in the UFC.
That is just what happens when the biggest name in the sport steps into the octagon and for everyone else they just have to take a back seat.
It only gets more magnified with the situation after the fight and the fallout from the unplanned fight outside of the octagon.
It has been the conversation in MMA for weeks now so the UFC will likely be happy to get back to the fight game.
Their first time back will feature two fighters who had a lot of momentum heading into the new Conor era.
They were fighters being talked about especially in a division where the title race has been a bit of a mess.
With Daniel Cormier now holding both belts, there is uncertainty at the top of the light heavyweight division.
Nobody truly knows where they stand as Cormier is likely not here for much longer giving him a few fights to choose from.
With his next fight announced in the heavyweight division, the light heavyweight division is taking a backseat.
That could be over soon as there are rumours that Cormier will be stripped of the belt soon, especially with Jones returning to fight Alexander Gustafsson in December.
With that uncertainty, the only thing that fighters in the division can do is keep winning and hope that it puts them in the conversation when things get clearer.
Two fighters on their way to the title conversation are Volkan Oezdemir and Anthony Smith who have been fast rising prospects in the division.
Oezdemir has already tasted the title with a title fight against Cormier in his last fight, a fight that he lost in the second round.
Before that fight, he took four straight wins and rose fast in a division that was lacking young stars like him.
That loss to Cormier was a rough one but it might have been too much too soon for a fighter entering his fifth UFC fight.
Since that loss, it has been tough for Oezdemir to find a fight with three straight cancellations before finally getting the headline spot at UFC Fight Night 138.
He takes on Smith who has been impressive in his last few fights and is looking like a legitimate challenger.
Although he did take a loss against Thiago Santos at the beginning of the year he has put together two straight wins and they have been impressive.
Both were first-round knockouts and before his loss to Santos, he had three straight knockout wins.
Smith has proven to be a finisher and with exciting finishes, he was beginning to make a name for himself in the division.
Now he takes on someone that many consider to be one of the best in the division for his fourth fight this year.
Smith will be the most active fighter this year and taking three wins out of four fights could bring his name right back to the forefront.
Neither fighter really knows where a win will take them heading into a new year but all they can do is win.
With Cormier nearing the end of his career and looking for big fights and a controversial return for a former champion there is still a lot left to be determined.
They can only control what they do right now though as they head into a fight looking to take a win and enter the conversation for the title.
To do that they will need to continue their impressive performances and prove that they belong among the best.
The Sport Addiction 