Who's up next for Jon Jones, GSP & Silva?
Every fight fan found themselves asking the same question after Jon Jonesʼ decisive victory over Rampage Jackson at UFC 135. Whoʼs next?
Of course, we all know Jones will fight Rashad Evans next. But the broader issue is about more than just Jones and his next fight. The question refers to the stranglehold Jones, Anderson Silva and George St. Pierre have on their respective titles. While all three of these fighters have formidable opponents scheduled in the near future, no one thinks any of them will be relinquishing their belts any time soon.
These three, arguably the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world, are simply on a different level than anyone else in the game. Their mental preparation, training camps and skills are world class. While everybody in the fight world knows styles make fights, there doesn’t seem to be any serious challenge in any of their respective weight classes. There’s a good chance we wonʼt see any of the belts changing hands for years.
After the jump we take a look at each of these champions and the opponents looking to dethrone them:
The 24-year-old Jones will face his toughest test to date when he takes on Rashad Evans. Rampage certainly looked in the best shape of his career at UFC 135, but he has nowhere near the quickness of Evans. Evans’ striking is formidable and he has clearly regained his knockout power (ask Tito if ever lost it). Although no one in the sport can match Jones’ freakish athletic ability and 84.5 inch reach, Evans will be the best athlete he has faced.
Jones and Evans have a natural animosity towards each other that should also make this fight very interesting. Jones will be the more focused for this bout than any of his career, making it also the most dangerous. Evans is a tall mountain for the young champ to climb, but if he crests it there will be no looking back.
If Jones gets past Evans he will be looking at a short list of future foes. Shogun Rua will fight Dan Henderson at UFC 139. The winner will most likely get a shot a Jones. The champ dismantled Shogun to get the belt, but Shogun was coming off a major injury. He looks like he has returned to old form, but if the two met again the result would likely be the same. Henderson is a world class wrestler who would have no chance standing up with Jones. This would be the least formidable of his future tests even though Hendo is one of the toughest men in the buisness.
That leaves us with Loyota Machida and Phil Davis. The UFC is looking to schedule a fight between the two, which would be the biggest of Davis’ career and reveal his true colors. Davis is a freakish athlete (even more so than Jones), which could pose problems, but his lack of striking and big fight experience would be a major problem when facing the champ. Machida, when on his game, is one of the best fighters in the world. He could definitely pose a threat to Jones, but unless he secures a KO of Davis he probably won’t get a title shot.
Jones certainly has the toughest potential opponents of the three champs, but his youth, preparation and will to be the best should help him hold onto the belt for a very long time.
Risk of losing belt: Low-Medium
Silvaʼs complete and utter domination of Yushin Okami at UFC 134 reaffirmed why he is the master of mixed martial arts. He is the best striker in the world and makes his vicious knockouts look smooth and easy. However, Silva was tested by a steroid-laced Chael Sonnen at UFC 117 in a fight that is still a mystery in minds of many fight fans.
The middleweight division is the weakest of the three mentioned here, but it’s unclear whether that is an ode to the greatness of Silva or a lack of quality competition. Silva has basically destroyed every major player in the division except for Sonnen. The elite wrestler smothered Silva for five rounds, pounding him on the ground. Many thought Sonnen had discovered the recipe for success against Silva after their title bout, but Sonnen was Okamiʼs training partner for 134 and we all know what happened there.
Sonnen will fight contender Brian Stann at UFC 136 and if he takes care of business a rematch with Silva will be scheduled immediately. But we think Silva will be ready for Sonnenʼs ground game this time around. He is still upset over Sonnenʼs positive test for steroids and will look to make an example of him. Sonnen shouldnʼt be hanging around for more than three rounds if the rematch happens.
Vitor Belfort is probably the most dangerous foe after Sonnen and Silva disposed of him with one of the greatest knockouts we have ever seen. Barring a mega-fight with GSP or Jones (don’t count on it) Silva could retire as champion.
Risk of losing belt: Low
There is no arguing the talent in the welterweight division, which is arguably among the deepest in the sport. But despite that slew of talent, there isnʼt one man who sticks out as a real scare to champion GSP.
An analogy for the amateur marine biologists out there: The Great White is the biggest and most feared shark followed by the Tiger and then the Bull. GSP is the Great White of the division, but there is no Tiger and a bunch of Bull sharks.
The Bull sharks certainly have some bite but they donʼt strike fear in you like a big Tiger shark does. The list of Bull sharks in this division goes on and on: Jon Fitch, Carlos Condit, Nick Diaz, B.J. Penn, Jake Ellenberger, Josh Koscheck, Jake Shields. One would look at the list and argue that GSP could very well lose his title to anyone of those fighters. They would be very wrong.
Diaz, GSPʼs biggest threat, lost his shot at the title after refusing to show up for the press conference. He was replaced by Condit who destroyed Dong Hyun Kim at 132. Condit’s style is dangerous but donʼt expect the fight to go the full five (even though we havenʼt seen a GSP TKO since Penn. We have a hunch). Diaz will face Penn on the undercard and if he can handle the legend he will get another shot (assuming his attitude shapes up). Diazʼs knockout power and relentless nature would be the test for GSP that many have been looking for.
Jon Fitch will also get his shot at the title if he doesnʼt slip up. The world-class wrestler would love to try and take GSP to the ground and roll around for five rounds. Trust us, nobody wants to see that fight. Having already disposed of Koscheck and Shields, that leaves us with the real dark-horse of the division: Ellenberger. He did in seconds what GSP couldnʼt do in 5 rounds when he KOʼd Jake Shields. Ellenberger still has things to prove but if he improves in his next fight we could see him and GSP stepping into the octagon in the near future.
The bottom line is that nobody in the sport trains harder or more relentlessly than GSP. He is a true champion in every sense of the word. Unless a mega-fight with Silva happens, GSP will be the king of the ocean for a long time to come.
Risk of losing belt: Low