The UFC have a bit of an issue with what was traditionally one of their most exciting divisions.
Sitting atop the UFC welterweight throne is a champion who has had three successful title defences against top-tier opposition. While that’s a very impressive feat for Tyron Woodley, Dana White seems to have a huge issue with his style of fighting.
White was so frustrated over Woodley’s comprehensive decision win over terrifying jiu-jitsu threat Demian Maia in his last outing that he tore him to shreds in the post-fight presser.
“No. You asked fans if they want to see Woodley fight again. I think that would be a flat out no. Who wants to pay to see Tyron Woodley fight again?”
Woodley’s razor-thin win in the rematch against Stephen Thompson at UFC 209 also earned its fair share of criticism.
Worst welterweight title fight I've ever seen. Woodley owes the fans better performances. #UFC209
— Dan Hardy (@danhardymma) March 5, 2017
The problem with Woodley is that he is currently the best 170 lber in the promotion. Stand-up or wrestling may have been what he was best at in the past, but since that golden strap was wrapped around his waist, he has proven that what separates him from the chasing pack is his ability to win fights.
“The Chosen One” will sit on the sidelines for a while to allow his shoulder to heal up, which actually works out well for the promotion. As things stand, there is no clear-cut number one contender because he has already beaten the top three-ranked fighters.
Should Jorge Masvidal manage to defeat Thompson, he would likely get the next crack at the belt and the same could be said of Colby Covington if he gets passed Maia in Sao Paulo. However, further down the rankings there are plenty of fighters who are edging closer to title contention but are just not quite there yet.
Streaking welterweights like Rafael dos Anjos, Kamaru Usman, Darren Till and Santiago Ponzinibbio are lacking that one win over a marquee name to thrust themselves into that number one spot, but former interim champion Carlos Condit might just be the guy to help the division sort itself along.
Yo! @seanshelby
what's up big guy…? I'm wanting to fight in December or January… what say you!?— Carlos Condit (@CarlosCondit) September 19, 2017
Condit is the embodiment of why MMA records can be misleading. Although he’s 2-5 in his last seven trips to the Octagon, they’ve all come against the cream of the crop. There’s no shame in being submitted by Maia, while many people felt he did enough to beat Robbie Lawler in their 2016 fight of the year contender that went to a split decision.
He lost to Georges St-Pierre when he was an unbeatable champion and Johny Hendricks just before Bigg Rigg went on to bring GSP to the brink and claim the vacant title against Lawler. His loss to Woodley came as a result of a torn ACL and partially torn meniscus from a leg kick. He owns wins over the likes of Rory MacDonald, Nick Diaz, Dan Hardy, Dong Hyun Kim and most recently, Thiago Alves.
If he gets his wish, we could see Condit return at the big UFC 219 card on December 30, the UFC 218 Detriot event or two fight nights in Fresno and Winnipeg at the end of the year.
