Sup, hooligans!
It’s UFC 275 time. Let’s get cracking.
Is it possible for a glover to retire after he wins? Does he retire if he loses?
— Daniel Pompilio (@elpompilio) June 9, 2022
If Glover beats Jiri Prochazka tonight, he should 100 percent retire. He will be leaving on a high note. He won the title long after everyone gave up on him, then defended the belt against the new “it” guy, again against the odds. This is the best ending I’ve ever seen. It’s unlikely that he will accept it.
Based on how Teixeira has been talking, my best guess is that he still feels like he has more to give the sport, and let’s be honest, he does. Teixeira does not need to stop competing. He can continue to fight and collect paychecks regardless of whether he loses. But it’s not how I’d go about things.
Now, if he loses, Teixeira definitely should not retire. As you may have guessed, I am a huge supporter of ending your career high. Being knocked out in the first round by Jiri doesn’t make that possible. If Glover loses and wants to have a retirement tour, the UFC should absolutely give him a softball matchup, at a location of his choosing to go out on.
If Glover defends the belt, where do you rank him all time in the LHW division?
— Reese (@spicygambler) June 10, 2022
That is an excellent question. Let’s find out.
He’s definitely not surpassing Jon Jones, Chuck Liddell, Tito Ortiz, or Wanderlei Silva. You could probably make an argument that Glover has beaten better opposition but it doesn’t really matter, all those men mean too much to the sport to pass. The same probably goes for Quinton Jackson, Shogun Rua, and Frank Shamrock. Daniel Cormier is the case I find most interesting.
Although he’ll still be defending the title more than Glover (with seven fights), Cormier’s career will be shorter in this division. His success in both divisions is the real story. It would have been clear that Glover won the title. But, if Teixeira wins a defense of his title, then it will be a debate.
So based on the above, if Teixeira defends his title against Prochazka tonight, you can make an argument that he’s a top-five light heavyweight all-time, but no further up than five, and the truth is he’s probably still just a top-10 fighter. But since he’s already a top-10 light heavyweight all-time, I’m not sure his defense really even matters in the grand scheme of his legacy. Teixeira was able to cement his position by winning the belt. He’s now a no-questions-asked Hall of Famer, and that’s the bottom line.
How good is Jiri really? How high is his ceiling, if he wins Saturday? Long reign?
— AD (@adubz123) June 10, 2022
Truth be told, it is impossible to know.
Prochazka is probably the best athlete at light heavyweight right now, and in MMA, athleticism is a cheat code, but he does have clearly established deficiencies. He’s not a great wrestler, he’s definitely too reckless, and his chin isn’t bulletproof. Prochazka’s violent actions have made it seem like nothing matters. He’s a bit like a light heavyweight Justin Gaethje in that regard, and given how bad of a division 205 is compared to 155, being a light heavyweight Gaethje could lead to a sustained title reign. Glover is one of Jiri’s most difficult tests.
But if Jiri wins the belt, I doubt he has an extended reign because Magomed Ankalaev is actually the best light heavyweight in the world. Yes, he has a snoozer in his most recent fight against Thiago Santos, but that’s sort of Santos’ thing these days. Jiri would face Ankalaev if he was put against him. It would be fireworks, but Ankalaev would be fighting Jiri. If there is any 205er right now that I think could put together multiple title defenses, Ankalaev is the dude.
Is Dana open to Bullet chasing 135 gold with the main reason a lack of contenders (maybe aside from Tate-Murphy at 25, because the 35 contenders are )?
And I’m guessing Dana’s blocking Marina from a title shot as an extension of his “my way or the highway” philosophy.— Zak Kitzler (@KitzlerZak) June 9, 2022
For the first part: That certainly plays some role. There are few contenders at bantamweight (sorry Ketlen VIeira), and Shevchenko’s marketability is so high that it makes sense to have her fight there. A trilogy fight between two of the best female fighters in the world, Amanda Nunes and Julianna Pena is one the UFC could make. So it makes sense from that standpoint, too.
But I think Shevchenko to 135 is going to depend heavily on what happens in the scheduled Lauren Murphy vs. Miesha Tate bout at UFC 276. If Tate wins that, Shevchenko vs. Tate is a huge fight for the promotion and for Shevchenko as a champion, and so the UFC probably pulls the trigger on that and lets Ketlen Vieira get her bantamweight title shot. Shevchenko will then be able to fight the winner of the belt.
Marina Rodriguez is a mystery. Joanna Jedrzejczyk, Weili Zhang, and Carla Esparza are both heavily involved in the UFC. However, whoever wins tonight is de facto the next strawweight champion. Rodriguez will be the next champion of UFC, so Rodriguez could challenge Rodriguez for it. Or she may have to fight Rose Namajunas just so the UFC can continue to cycle the belt among the same five women.
Many attributing Karolina’s strong performance to training with Joanna. What does it mean for the rematch and JJ’s working relationship with KK? Any thoughts about the inverse: JJ working alongside KK? Weili living full-time in Thailand, any thoughts? She must be working to address JJ’s issues. Thanks!
— Trintendo (@Trincognito) June 9, 2022
I love Karolina Kowalkiewicz and have for some time. She is a great fighter. Joanna trained with Karolina’s better fighters for years. That’s the benefit of American Top Team. Karolina was very happy to be there, but Joanna will not feel the same way, particularly since Zhang and Kowalkiewicz could not have been further apart stylistically. It’s possible to give Kowala Bear a bat and still not hit the ground as Zhang or at the same pace.
Zhang did an excellent job in the first fight with regards to tackling kicks. Yes, Joanna landed a ton of them, but many of those lands were responded to with heavy counters on the feet. That’s how Zhang operates, and that’s how she dinged Joanna up and made the fight so rugged. Joanna wasn’t able to stay at distance and peck away with kicks freely like she would have preferred. Now, Joanna was also able to adjust as the fight went on, switching stances to give a new look, and tucking kicks into combinations more, which proved successful, but still, I don’t think Joanna’s leg kicks are a massive advantage for Joanna in this rematch, especially with the bout being only three rounds.
Does Rose get the loser from Weili-Jedrzejczyk next? And if so, which is a more intriguing trilogy?
— Anthony Benvenuti (@anthonybananaas) June 10, 2022
I strongly doubt it considering she’s 2-0 against both of them. Although it wouldn’t be the most terrible thing to happen, I would love for Rose to fight other people. She has been in FOUR rematches over the last five years. Let the new blood have a crack at her. Which is probably why she’s going to get Marina Rodriguez next in a title eliminator. While it is disappointing for Rodriguez and that we once again have the same title fighters, it is still a slightly new fight that’s a good one.
FOT prediction and your “low-key banger”
— Cad Bane’s Revenge (@Scot_McCreight_) June 9, 2022
Fight of the Night is almost certainly going to be Zhang-Jedrzejczyk II. Even though it’s only three rounds, their first fight was Fight of the Year. That HAS to be the betting favorite.
As for low-key banger, I’m going with Liang Na and Silvana Gomez Juarez. In her UFC debut, Liang Na threw caution to the wind and just came out scrapping. If that is your mindset, and you aren’t great defensively it tends to lead excitement. I don’t think of Juarez as a huge finisher on the feet so this is probably going to be a ton of pace and some cool scrambles. Can’t wait.
Okay, enough is enough. Settle in for a dope night of fights.
Thanks for reading and thank you for everyone who sent in Tweets! Do you have any burning questions about things at least somewhat related to combat sports? Then you’re in luck, because you can send your Hot Tweets to me, @JedKMeshew, and I will answer them! Doesn’t matter if they’re topical or insane. Send them to me and I’ll answer the ones I like the most. Let’s have fun.
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