The UFC's Heavyweight Division Could Be Experiencing The Dire Revitalization Its Needed For A While Now
If you’re a die-hard fan of the UFC, you probably know the Heavyweight Division hasn’t necessarily been booming like it was in years past since, well, years past. Stipe Miocic is the current champion at the company’s heftiest division, and while he could realistically be considered “the greatest heavyweight mixed martial artist in UFC history”, he didn’t garner nearly as much attention as he deserved until he faced off against Francis Ngannou in January, and even then, he was considered an underdog in that fight because the oddsmakers were swayed by the public’s love of “new blood” in what used to be the most entertaining weight class Dana White had to offer. Miocic went into Boston and dominated Francis, shutting down “The Predator’s” hype machine for the time being, and solidifying himself as the baddest man on the planet, and one very important question arose then…who’s next?
Immediately after the UFC 220 main event, I realized the answer was Daniel Cormier, the Light Heavyweight Champion of the World (who formerly stood across the octagon from 265-ers), because there wasn’t a single person in Miocic’s division that actually deserved a shot at his strap. Which is clearly an issue. How was that the case, you ask? Well, the younger heavyweight prospects that have risen up over the past few years either didn’t pan out, or were thrown to the fire too early against established guys, and had their fire put out quickly. The older heavyweights who’s names remained as slight draws would receive opportunities based on their will to juuuuuust get the job done a lot of the time, and eventually the “Top 15″ could’ve been shaved down to a “Top 5″ and nothing would’ve changed. It was the same crop of guys that you could count on one hand that were entering and exiting a revolving door of title opportunities. Until now?
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29-year-old Alexander Volkov defeated Fabricio Werdum in England today via knockout in the fourth round (as you saw above), and in his shadow stand multiple young prospects in the division ready to change the guard – Curtis “Razor” Blaydes, Tai Tuivasa, and Francis Ngannou (don’t write him off just yet). It appears as if the wheels are now in motion for a resurgence among the big dogs that’s been needed for a while now. After UFC 226 in July, things are going to get VERY interesting…especially if Daniel Cormier wins and vacates the title in disinterest of fighting his teammate Cain Velasquez, who will be returning shortly afterward. I’m very excited for it.