Is The Light-Heavyweight Division Overrated?
Let me start out by saying that this is not a rant about the divisions place in the history of the sport. Equally I have nothing against the reigning light-heavyweight champion Jon Jones. Jones deserves all the praise he receives and there is no doubt that he is one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world. The focus of this article is very much on the rest of the current top five.
Let’s cast our minds back a few years and think the Light-Heavyweight title picture just after Rampage Jackson took the belt from Chuck Liddell. In the five years that followed there have been six different champions and only three of them went on to defend the title. That could be perceived as a sign of the talent all of these fighters and a testament to just how competitive the division is. However I think that all of these men are flawed fighters in their own way and they faced opponents who were able to take advantage of those flaws. Rampage is overly dependent on his boxing, Forrest is too aggressive, Rashad was too willing to engage in a stand up fight, Lyoto is unable to adjust to his opponent’s style and Shogun is just inconsistent. That is not say that Jones is flawless, his creativity in the striking is very exciting bit it occasionally leaves him open to counters but so far no one has been able to take full advantage. Jones knows how to use his physical advantages to compensate for his technical deficiencies.
Speaking of technique I can’t help but feel that none of the high level fighters at 205 pounds are better than their counterparts in other weight divisions. Evans is a great wrestler but he is not on the same level as Georges St-Pierre. Shogun’s Mauy Thai is excellent but it’s no comparison to Anderson Silva’s. Machida is the only one with a unique style but his style is flawed given it’s over dependence on footwork and off beat timing. However it was not so long ago that Shogun’s Mauy Thai was considered the best in the sport and that Machida’s Karate style seemed unstoppable. So perhaps the problem lies in a lack of development. As good as Shogun was in his Pride days that was five years ago so returning to that form is not enough to be the best anymore. I would actually argue that Henderson is the man who has evolved the most of the potential contenders. Yes he hasn’t added much but he has emphasised his striking more in an attempt to compensate for his lack of size in the Light-Heavyweight division. That is more than Machida or Shogun can say as they continue to fall back their old tricks.
I find it interesting that Jones is criticised for the amount weight he cuts but no one said that cutting weight is against the rules. As far as I’m concerned if he can make the weight then he’s a Light-Heavyweight not a Heavyweight. Sometimes we still get size mismatches but how much more can be done to prevent that? Unless they introduce a system where reach, height and weight are taken into account Jones will still be too big for most of his opponents. I personally feel that the rest of the division should consider that they are the ones who need to change weight. My current top ten ranking has Jones, Henderson, Evans, Shogun and Machida within the top five. I would guess that Evans, Shogun and Machida could all make it too middleweight if they wanted to and Hendo has fought at 185 pounds in the past. If these fighters aren’t pushing themselves to the limit then they shouldn’t complain that another fighter is.
Now you might be reading this thinking what right do I have to complain about fighters not losing enough weight? I readily admit that if you are what you eat then I’m about 90% fried chicken (my belly is currently propping up my laptop as I write this). That being said I have no ambition to be a professional fighter and these guys do. Therefore you can’t compare them to me or any other normal human being for that matter. They have to be compared to the best fighters out there and if there is someone else who just works harder than you then don’t complain that he has advantages over you. Equally if you apply the logic that people who don’t or can’t do what these men do shouldn’t criticize them then by that logic you can’t complain about anything. Next time your internet fails don’t complain because you don’t provide the internet to millions of people (and if you do then don’t complain about my writing because you don’t do that).
I am not trying to have a go at these fighters because they always give it everything they have on fight night. Shogun is actually my favourite fighter and has been since he fought Machida. I don’t doubt his heart or his desire to win but I do doubt his devotion at times. It’s frustrating at times to know that a fighter is capable of doing so much more.
Despite all this you might be wondering how any of this makes the Light-Heavyweight division an overrated division. After all I just said I’m not trying to attack these guys and I wouldn’t blame you for thinking that is the point of this article. All of the fighters I have looked at have already achieved so much over the years especially Hendo and Shogun. However MMA is a ‘what have you done lately’ sport so successes from five years ago don’t get you a free pass today. As exciting as Machida’s fight with Bader and (to a much lesser extent) Shogun’s fight with Vera is it’s hard to care knowing that neither is likely to reclaim the title if they do win. I can’t help but think that another loss would be the best thing for these men, it might be the only way to make them realise that something has to change.
By Rowan Wynne.
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