Garbage Time Hot Takes: UFC Edition Vol. 1
A 165 division is NEEDED
Fairly agreed upon by most fans and analysts. The jump from 155 to 170 is just unnecessarily big, and the introduction of this division would allow for so many dream fights.
Ilia Topuria has genuine GOAT trajectory
Another fairly agreeable take, not the GOAT yet but putting on a hell of a run. KO’s the top 2 featherweights of all time, and then moves up and KO’s fan favorite and top LW Charles Oliveira. Not many 3 fight streaks measure up to that. Add in the fact that he is now a two division champion and looking to have fights with the likes of Arman Tsarukyan, Paddy Pimblett, and most notably Islam Makachev. If Ilia can win those 3 fights, particularly with finishes, I at least will be considering him in the same category as Jon Jones.
Islam is a better version of Khabib and would win
Starting to get a tad spicier here. Khabib has the edge when it comes to dominance but he also had the easier path to the title and the easier fights with the title. He also never went to move up to 170 and retired too early. These facts plus the fact that Islam is the significantly more well rounded fighter, make me lean in Islams favor.
Aljamain Sterling will be champion at 145
This take will likely ruffle some feathers, but it really shouldnt. Aljo went the distance in a competitive match with Movsar, the guy who everyone thinks will dethrone Volk. Aljo is very high IQ and I could see him getting a victory in a rematch with Movsar. As for the rest of the division he is absolutely the most proven grappler, and if he is able to get past Brian Ortega this summer, he is right there in title contention. Guys like Diego Lopes, Jean Silva, and of course Movsar will cause trouble, but Aljo has the tools to win against all three of them.
Fighting Nerds are the best team in the UFC right now
It is a little early for this claim but I will make it anyway. Mauricio Ruffy is the only member of the main quartet without a number by his name but everyone knows that will be changing after his next fight. His striking has garnered comparison to the likes of Conor Mcgregor in his early days. Ruffy needs to work on his gas tank but the sky is the limit for him in a stacked LW division. WW Carlos Prates lost his last bout against Ian Gary, a guy who many believe is promptly in line for a title opportunity. Prates needs to crisp up his defensive grappling to stay in the deep end with the sharks at WW, but another guy where the sky is the limit. Jean Silva and Caio Borrahlo are the final 2 members of the ranked Fighting Nerds and are both likely fighting for the title if they win their next bout. Jean is a mad man with inhuman power in his hands while Caio is a slick grappler who can control where the fight takes place. I believe Jean will be a champion, sadly I think Caio will struggle against fighters like Khamzat and Anthony Hernandez, but if Jean and Caio grab the belts within the next year and Ruffy and Prates break into the top 10, there's not really an argument for any other team.
Manel Kape is the only FW who can compete with Pantoja
They already fought back when Kape was debuting with the UFC and it was more competitive than most of Pantojas recent defenses, he defended takedowns well, reversed positions, and landed clean strikes even in a loss. Kape has skill in every aspect of MMA, beating fighters who use all sorts of styles. He has a championship pedigree in Rizin, where he Knocked out Kai Asakura before joining the UFC. The only reason Kape hasnt earned his title shot yet is because of his constant cancellations. While there is no defending the countless cancelled bouts, you also cannot deny the skillset that Kape possess and the pedigree he has earned.
Light Heavyweight is just as skillless as Heavyweight
Home of the worst champion in UFC history, Jamahal Hill, simply pit the light heavyweight division is bad. When you look at the names in the top of the division, there is a 38 year old Alex Pereira who seems to want to rematch Ankalaev only during Ramadan, Jiri Prohaska who despite being KO’d by Alex twice has still not developed any sort of defense within his striking, You then have Carlos Ulberg and Khalil Rountree. Both are good, neither are great. Then rounding out the top 5 is Jan Blachowitz and Jamahal Hill. Blachowitz will be retiring any day now and simply isn't in his prime, the same can be said for Jamahal but he sucked in his prime as well. Compare that to 2011 when the top 5 was Jones, Cormier, Gustafsson, Rashad, and Machida, its night and day. All in all, its simply a bad division. Heavyweight isnt much better but heavyweight at least has specialists like Gane and Almeida who excel in striking or grappling and a Tom who is genuinely well rounded and good everywhere.
Zhang Weili is the pound for pound #1 all time in womens MMA
While Amanda Nunes has the better resume, and is the GOAT when it comes to accolades and legacy, Zhang Weili is the more complete fighter, and in terms of pure skillset is the best women to step in the octagon. Her striking is more dynamic and fluid compared to the power boxing focus of Nunes, her takedown ability is more diverse and relies less on strength and power but technique and timing, she has solven every puzzle thrown at her whether it be elite grapplers like Amanda Lemos or elite strikers like Joanna Jedrzejczyk, and he cardio is proven to go all five rounds where Amanda has been seen to fade into the championship rounds. Nunes, while dominant, often relied on a significant size and power advantage — especially at bantamweight, where she overwhelmed smaller natural flyweights and undersized strikers. Against opponents she couldn’t bully physically (like Valentina Shevchenko or Julianna Peña), she struggled to impose her game or maintain dominance. Weili, on the other hand, routinely outperforms fighters who match or exceed her physicality. Amanda Nunes had an iconic run and is the most decorated female fighter of all time. But Zhang Weili is the best. Her skillset is more diverse, her style is more evolved, her wins are based on mastery - not size, power, and intimidation. In a pound-for-pound fight, Weili is the harder puzzle to solve.
Aspinall is great, but extremely overrated — every elite HW from the last era (Cain, JDS, Stipe, Francis, Jon) would beat him comfortably. Jailton might do it now.
Tom Aspinall is undeniably talented, but his hype has outpaced his actual body of work. He’s extremely fast and athletic for a heavyweight, his boxing is crisp and his grappling is strong, but he is untested. Hes never been into deep waters, never faced a true pressure wrestler, and simply isnt as proven as the heavyweight greats of the past. Here's why the past legends Junior Dos Santos, Stipe Miocic, Francis Ngannou, Cain Valasquez, and Daniel Cormier would all beat him, and why each matchup would be a nightmare in their primes.
The most “winnable” fight for Aspinall out of the legends I have named is Francis Ngannou, which is a scary prospect. Tom is the faster and more technical fighter here, but like in all other Francis fights, he needs one moment of connection to put anyone's lights out. Put simply, Tom needs to be perfect for 25 minutes to avoid a kill shot from Francis, and im just not comfortable betting on that when he hasn't seen the third round yet. Next would be Junior Dos Santos, JDS has lightning fast hands and would be able to outmatch Tom in the boxing game, he has a proven chin and gas tank from going to wars with legends like Stipe and Cain. If Tom is able to implement his wrestling he may have a chance, but that is a big if with JDS’ elite take down defense and KO power. It is tough to believe that Tom could win a firefight with JDS when there are so many questions about his gas tank and chin. Stipe would be the next best matchup for Tom but is still a hard counter to Toms skillset. His boxing is phenomenal, he’s gritty and tough, his IQ and adaptability are top tier, he’s taken power shots from Francis Ngannou, and he’s a former D1 wrestler who has gone the distance with the likes of Daniel Cormier. The path to victory for Tom against a prime Stipe is just too narrow to be likely. Onto Toms second hardest matchup of the heavyweight legends, Cain Velasquez and his relentless pressure is something that Tom Aspinall has never seen before. Cain will not give Aspinall any space to blitz in with his 1-2 that has been the downfall of most of his opponents, he will be in Aspinalls face from bell to bell and would drown Tom over a 5 round fight. Few in any weight class are able to match a prime Cain Valesquez in cardio and pure chain wrestling, it would be too much for Tom. Speaking of wrestling, the Olympic medalist Daniel Cormier is another nightmare matchup for Tom Aspinall. Another fight that Tom will just be worn down and beat for 5 rounds. Daniel Cormier has a case for being one of the best pure wrestlers in UFC history and Tom is still untested. DC would wear Tom down mentally just as much as physically on his way to a victory. Finally, there is the GOAT of the sport, and the man who retired in infamy for ducking a fight with Tom. While Tom is great he needs to get past competitors like Jailton Almeida's pressure wrestling and elite grappling or Cyril Ganes dynamic striking to prove his skillset truly holds up against the legends I listed.
Middleweight Today Is Better Than Ever — Neither of the Division’s GOATs Would Be Champ Today, or Arguably Crack the Top 5
The middleweight division has evolved stylistically past the point where point-fighting strikers like Adesanya and Silva could dominate the way they did in their primes. The best fighters in the division today are relentless pressure specialists with strong wrestling, a suffocating pace, and no interest in playing range games for 25 minutes. Guys like Dricus du Plessis and Sean Strickland don’t flinch at feints and don’t respect flashy movement — they walk straight through it. They pressure, overwhelm, and break opponents mentally and physically. You don’t get to sit back and play chess when your opponent is sprinting through the front door with volume, takedowns, and cardio. Caio Borralho and Anthony Hernandez are stylistic nightmares for both Izzy and Silva. They’re not going to let either guy dance around the cage, keeping their distance waiting for perfect counters, they’re going to force them into ugly clinch exchanges, grind them against the cage, shoot off the breaks, and chain wrestle until they’re on top. Silva never dealt well with forward pressure and takedown threats simultaneously, and Izzy struggled every time someone forced him out of a clean striking rhythm. Pressure fighting is the standard of the middleweight division today, and is nowhere near as rare as it was even just a few years ago while Izzy reigned. And by the way, I haven’t even mentioned the biggest stylistic problem of them all — Khamzat Chimaev. His ability to explode into takedowns, control from top, and keep a breakneck pace early would pose a massive challenge to either guy. Izzy got exposed by Strickland’s forward pressure and jab — how would he deal with that same pressure plus the constant threat of a level change from a physical freak like Khamzat? Silva, who relied heavily on distance management and rhythm, would be completely suffocated before he ever got a read. Khamzat's physical advantage, unreal aggression, and pure wrestling prowess would likely be enough to drown both these legends before the championship rounds.
Even if you look back at the top 5 that Adesanya defended his belt against — guys like Paulo Costa, Jared Cannonier, and Marvin Vettori were considered top contenders when they barely hold a candle to the new wave. Those fighters were hesitant, one-dimensional, or mentally outmatched before the fight even started. At the end of the day, the middleweight division has passed its legends by — the pace, pressure, and physicality that once overwhelmed opponents is now the baseline just to be competitive, and the styles that made Silva and Adesanya great simply wouldn’t be enough today.