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The UFC returns with another big card Saturday in Miami with UFC 314, in which the vacant featherweight title is up for grabs. Will Alexander Volkanovski once again become “The Great,” or are we entering the Diego Lopes Era?
The pay-per-view main card is full of big fights and even bigger questions, so we here at Uncrowned are here to address the most pressing among them.
It's the old vs. the new this weekend in the UFC featherweight division. Which era will prevail? (Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)
Jeff Bottari via Getty Images
Petesy: Damn, Chuck. That’s cold.
Truth be told, I did pick Diego Lopes to win this fight. However, that was before I saw the kind of shape that "Volk" is in. It then dawned on me that I will probably remain significantly behind our current Uncrowned picks leader Drake Riggs in the standings, and you, our once great champion who has fallen off. Wait a second, are you the Uncrowned pay-per-view picks version of Alexander Volkanovski?
Realistically, I think there are a lot of doubts around Volk ahead of this one. That said, I don’t think too many people would be completely shocked if they woke up on Sunday morning and heard he derailed the hype train that’s been endlessly boarding since Diego Lopes and his beautifully quaffed hair arrived in the UFC.
Chuck: Aren’t we all headed to the laundry? I arrived there back in 2006 or so. It’s not so bad being washed.
Volkanovski has one big thing working in his favor on Saturday night. He should be rested and restored after fighting 16 times in seven and a half years. Now with 14 months away and all that time to focus, I do think he’ll be closer to his vintage form than some think. Remember when he was saying he didn’t handle idle time well? That he jumps into fights sometimes because he gets up to no good otherwise? I think he’s turned a corner there, judging from the shape he’s in (as you mentioned).
The problem is that Lopes has been a hellacious problem since debuting less than two years ago. Had he had a full camp for Movsar Evloev, he might be undefeated right now. At 30 years old, hungry, and in his prime, I can’t go against Lopes here.
Chuck: On the one hand, Volkanovski was a pretty prolific champion. He defended the title when he had it six times in three years, with a foray to lightweight jammed in there too. The UFC loves a champion who’s ready to go.
Problem is, "Volk" has chewed up most of the guys in his vicinity in the rankings, thus making fresh matchups a little problematic. The UFC loves to keep things moving. Lopes has leapfrogged a couple of contenders who’d like nothing more than to get their hands on him. He has that backstory with Movsar Evloev already, so there’s a good title fight there. If Patricio Pitbull emerges, that could be fun. You have Max Holloway and Yair Rodriguez. No shortage of viable challenges for Lopes.
My guess is he would be the desired champion here.
Diego agrees with you, Chuck. (Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)
Chris Unger via Getty Images
Petesy: I’m fully aware this is a copout, but I genuinely think it’s a win-win.
There will be a massive outpouring of emotion for Volkanovski if he gets his hand raised. In terms of him already clearing out the division, I think there are a number of prospects emerging in the championship stakes that will keep him busy. Evloev is currently in the Magomed Ankalaev spot, and you also have the likes of Lerone Murphy and Arnold Allen, who could be one or two wins away from emerging as contenders. You mentioned Patricio Pitbull as potential new blood as well, should he get the nod over Rodriguez.
As for Lopes, he’s a fresh face for the golden waistband and he is already beloved by the fan base. I’m prepared for all of the hyperbole in the aftermath of him winning this contest. Even though he’s unranked in the current standings, I can already picture the debates on X in the aftermath focused on: "Is Diego Lopes pound-for-pound No. 1?”
Next question, I’m getting splinters on my behind from all this fence sitting.
Petesy: I’ve covered Pimblett for a very long time, and I see the commentary about how he’s getting an easy path and has had everything served to him on a silver platter … you know, the kind of thing they say about every surging prospect since the beginning of time. One thing people don’t seem to recognize about “The Baddy” is that he is 100% about this life, and he has been ever since he showed up on the regional scene as a scrawny teenager.
Let’s not forget people were asking the same questions of the Liverpudlian before his Manchester clash with King (not Bobby) Green — and look what happened then.
Chandler is definitely the toughest test of his career, but I think Pimblett is primed for moments like this, and it’s the perfect time for him to take a leap into title contention. He has the X-Factor, he is polarizing, but most importantly, he can fight.
Choose your words carefully, gentlemen. Liverpool is watching. (Adam Davy/PA Images via Getty Images)
Adam Davy - PA Images via Getty Images
Chuck: I think a lot of the Pimblett skepticism (and hate) stems from that first UFC fight with Luigi Vendramini, who had Pimblett in a little trouble in the opening exchanges. It was the kind of thing the “Told ya so!” crowd latched onto and carried into his next couple. We heard a lot of grousing after he got the nod against Jared Gordon too, because it was a close fight. That made Pimblett into a robber. He had figgy pudding all over his face.
Truth is, he has looked damn good, for the most part. Yes, it was a compromised version of Tony Ferguson that he battered, but that was a thankless ask — he got through it. He went right through King Green, which all leads to Chandler. Maybe he is catching Chandler on the downswing, but there’s nothing wrong with that. These are all high-stakes fights at this point, and he’s 6-0 in the UFC so far.
If he beats Chandler, we have to take him seriously as a contender.
Chuck: Dude. This is one of those hypotheticals that makes the purists squirm, and I know you have war stories about it, so I cede the floor here.
Petesy: Thank you, Chuck, I do indeed. I mentioned this possibility to our great editor-in-chief Shaheen Al-Shatti and our sensational colleague, Ben Fowlkes, on an episode of "The Craic" a few weeks back, and they scoffed at the idea, Chuck. SCOFFED! I know it’s still a long shot, but the more you look at the lightweight title conundrum, a win for Pimblett might give the UFC a way out of the situation.
Let’s get this straight, I want the Islam Makhachev vs. Topuria matchup, but our lightweight king apparently won’t make up his mind until all is said and done at UFC 315. To add to that, both Charles Oliveira and Topuria seem to think they’re next in line.
Should they go with Oliveira, I think Pimblett would be a great way to introduce Topuria to the lightweight fray, so I don’t want to rule it out completely.
Chuck: I will take it a step further, Petesy. If the UFC goes with Oliveira to face Makhachev, and if Pimblett gets by Chandler, Topuria and Pimblett is the fight to make. They have all that bad blood, just need to hitch the UFC’s marketing team to it. Presto!
It's still a bad idea, Petesy. (Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports)
USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect / Reuters
Petesy: I can see a world where Patricio Pitbull gets put in that spot, to the detriment of the obvious contender at featherweight, Movsar Evloev. I think it will only take this fight to determine whether he will ever contest for a UFC title due to the version of Rodriguez we saw in his last outing.
As I said at the time, Rodriguez somehow managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory against Brian Ortega — a fight that would have very likely steered Rodriguez toward a massive showdown with then-champion Ilia Topuria.
I really like the fight for Pitbull, but if he comes up short, at 37 years old, I think we can effectively rule out him ever claiming UFC gold.
Chuck: Yeah, I don’t think the UFC would stick Pitbull in there against Rodriguez if they didn’t want to jumpstart a contender campaign. I love these types of fights, when the longstanding partition comes down and you get to see how a guy like Pitbull does against top-five staples.
If he beats Rodriguez, I definitely think he’s right there for a title. I think this is the only reason he’s hung around, to see if he can add a UFC belt to his collection. He would’ve retired if there wasn’t this last dangling carrot out there. My guess is he’s communicated this effectively to the UFC.
Patricio Pitbull finally makes his UFC debut on Saturday. (Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)
Chris Unger via Getty Images
Chuck: I want to say the latter, just to find out if Rogan agrees with him on this front; if he unfurls a wall map of the world, lays it down on the canvas there, doubtful any curvature can be spotted with the naked eye.
But I’ll say the former, Silva beats Mitchell. I saw Silva on Monday of fight week out in Miami, and he was already morphing into the "Lord' figure he turns into, where his pupils turn black and he starts getting snappish and generally unpleasant. Those demons he carries around don’t stay buried too deep, Petesy. They are right there, ready to surface at any time.
Petesy: Oh no, you’re not one of those round-earthers are you? I hate those guys.
Jokes aside, I think everyone is looking at this like it’s going to be some punishment beating for Mitchell’s ridiculously stupid comments about Adolf Hitler, and it absolutely could be that. But, in my opinion, the same disparity that exists between Silva and Mitchell in the striking realm is completely flipped if this fight hits the ground.
I have Silva winning this fight, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Mitchell manages to suffocate the Brazilian with his stellar ground game. If it plays out like that, we can all take a collective smoke break to prepare ourselves for the insanity that will come in Mitchell’s post-fight interview.
Continue reading...
The pay-per-view main card is full of big fights and even bigger questions, so we here at Uncrowned are here to address the most pressing among them.
You must be registered for see images
It's the old vs. the new this weekend in the UFC featherweight division. Which era will prevail? (Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)
Jeff Bottari via Getty Images
1. Somebody said recently that Volkanovski isn’t fully washed, but he’s on his way to the laundry. Harsh, or is there truth in that?
Petesy: Damn, Chuck. That’s cold.
Truth be told, I did pick Diego Lopes to win this fight. However, that was before I saw the kind of shape that "Volk" is in. It then dawned on me that I will probably remain significantly behind our current Uncrowned picks leader Drake Riggs in the standings, and you, our once great champion who has fallen off. Wait a second, are you the Uncrowned pay-per-view picks version of Alexander Volkanovski?
Realistically, I think there are a lot of doubts around Volk ahead of this one. That said, I don’t think too many people would be completely shocked if they woke up on Sunday morning and heard he derailed the hype train that’s been endlessly boarding since Diego Lopes and his beautifully quaffed hair arrived in the UFC.
Chuck: Aren’t we all headed to the laundry? I arrived there back in 2006 or so. It’s not so bad being washed.
Volkanovski has one big thing working in his favor on Saturday night. He should be rested and restored after fighting 16 times in seven and a half years. Now with 14 months away and all that time to focus, I do think he’ll be closer to his vintage form than some think. Remember when he was saying he didn’t handle idle time well? That he jumps into fights sometimes because he gets up to no good otherwise? I think he’s turned a corner there, judging from the shape he’s in (as you mentioned).
The problem is that Lopes has been a hellacious problem since debuting less than two years ago. Had he had a full camp for Movsar Evloev, he might be undefeated right now. At 30 years old, hungry, and in his prime, I can’t go against Lopes here.
2. What’s the better outcome for the UFC — having a new champion like Lopes, or getting Volkanovski back on top?
Chuck: On the one hand, Volkanovski was a pretty prolific champion. He defended the title when he had it six times in three years, with a foray to lightweight jammed in there too. The UFC loves a champion who’s ready to go.
Problem is, "Volk" has chewed up most of the guys in his vicinity in the rankings, thus making fresh matchups a little problematic. The UFC loves to keep things moving. Lopes has leapfrogged a couple of contenders who’d like nothing more than to get their hands on him. He has that backstory with Movsar Evloev already, so there’s a good title fight there. If Patricio Pitbull emerges, that could be fun. You have Max Holloway and Yair Rodriguez. No shortage of viable challenges for Lopes.
My guess is he would be the desired champion here.
You must be registered for see images attach
Diego agrees with you, Chuck. (Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)
Chris Unger via Getty Images
Petesy: I’m fully aware this is a copout, but I genuinely think it’s a win-win.
There will be a massive outpouring of emotion for Volkanovski if he gets his hand raised. In terms of him already clearing out the division, I think there are a number of prospects emerging in the championship stakes that will keep him busy. Evloev is currently in the Magomed Ankalaev spot, and you also have the likes of Lerone Murphy and Arnold Allen, who could be one or two wins away from emerging as contenders. You mentioned Patricio Pitbull as potential new blood as well, should he get the nod over Rodriguez.
As for Lopes, he’s a fresh face for the golden waistband and he is already beloved by the fan base. I’m prepared for all of the hyperbole in the aftermath of him winning this contest. Even though he’s unranked in the current standings, I can already picture the debates on X in the aftermath focused on: "Is Diego Lopes pound-for-pound No. 1?”
Next question, I’m getting splinters on my behind from all this fence sitting.
3. We keep asking for UFC to actually challenge Paddy Pimblett. Is he ready for Michael Chandler?
Petesy: I’ve covered Pimblett for a very long time, and I see the commentary about how he’s getting an easy path and has had everything served to him on a silver platter … you know, the kind of thing they say about every surging prospect since the beginning of time. One thing people don’t seem to recognize about “The Baddy” is that he is 100% about this life, and he has been ever since he showed up on the regional scene as a scrawny teenager.
Let’s not forget people were asking the same questions of the Liverpudlian before his Manchester clash with King (not Bobby) Green — and look what happened then.
Chandler is definitely the toughest test of his career, but I think Pimblett is primed for moments like this, and it’s the perfect time for him to take a leap into title contention. He has the X-Factor, he is polarizing, but most importantly, he can fight.
You must be registered for see images
Choose your words carefully, gentlemen. Liverpool is watching. (Adam Davy/PA Images via Getty Images)
Adam Davy - PA Images via Getty Images
Chuck: I think a lot of the Pimblett skepticism (and hate) stems from that first UFC fight with Luigi Vendramini, who had Pimblett in a little trouble in the opening exchanges. It was the kind of thing the “Told ya so!” crowd latched onto and carried into his next couple. We heard a lot of grousing after he got the nod against Jared Gordon too, because it was a close fight. That made Pimblett into a robber. He had figgy pudding all over his face.
Truth is, he has looked damn good, for the most part. Yes, it was a compromised version of Tony Ferguson that he battered, but that was a thankless ask — he got through it. He went right through King Green, which all leads to Chandler. Maybe he is catching Chandler on the downswing, but there’s nothing wrong with that. These are all high-stakes fights at this point, and he’s 6-0 in the UFC so far.
If he beats Chandler, we have to take him seriously as a contender.
4. So ... is it crazy to think Paddy could be next in line for a fight with Ilia Topuria with a victory?
Chuck: Dude. This is one of those hypotheticals that makes the purists squirm, and I know you have war stories about it, so I cede the floor here.
Petesy: Thank you, Chuck, I do indeed. I mentioned this possibility to our great editor-in-chief Shaheen Al-Shatti and our sensational colleague, Ben Fowlkes, on an episode of "The Craic" a few weeks back, and they scoffed at the idea, Chuck. SCOFFED! I know it’s still a long shot, but the more you look at the lightweight title conundrum, a win for Pimblett might give the UFC a way out of the situation.
Let’s get this straight, I want the Islam Makhachev vs. Topuria matchup, but our lightweight king apparently won’t make up his mind until all is said and done at UFC 315. To add to that, both Charles Oliveira and Topuria seem to think they’re next in line.
Should they go with Oliveira, I think Pimblett would be a great way to introduce Topuria to the lightweight fray, so I don’t want to rule it out completely.
Chuck: I will take it a step further, Petesy. If the UFC goes with Oliveira to face Makhachev, and if Pimblett gets by Chandler, Topuria and Pimblett is the fight to make. They have all that bad blood, just need to hitch the UFC’s marketing team to it. Presto!
You must be registered for see images
It's still a bad idea, Petesy. (Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports)
USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect / Reuters
5. How will Patricio Pitbull fare in his UFC debut against Yair Rodriguez? And at age 37, is he on a fast track to a title shot if he wins?
Petesy: I can see a world where Patricio Pitbull gets put in that spot, to the detriment of the obvious contender at featherweight, Movsar Evloev. I think it will only take this fight to determine whether he will ever contest for a UFC title due to the version of Rodriguez we saw in his last outing.
As I said at the time, Rodriguez somehow managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory against Brian Ortega — a fight that would have very likely steered Rodriguez toward a massive showdown with then-champion Ilia Topuria.
I really like the fight for Pitbull, but if he comes up short, at 37 years old, I think we can effectively rule out him ever claiming UFC gold.
Chuck: Yeah, I don’t think the UFC would stick Pitbull in there against Rodriguez if they didn’t want to jumpstart a contender campaign. I love these types of fights, when the longstanding partition comes down and you get to see how a guy like Pitbull does against top-five staples.
If he beats Rodriguez, I definitely think he’s right there for a title. I think this is the only reason he’s hung around, to see if he can add a UFC belt to his collection. He would’ve retired if there wasn’t this last dangling carrot out there. My guess is he’s communicated this effectively to the UFC.
You must be registered for see images
Patricio Pitbull finally makes his UFC debut on Saturday. (Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)
Chris Unger via Getty Images
Bonus question: What’s likelier — Jean Silva beating Bryce Mitchell via early knockout, or Mitchell winning and subsequently proving the Earth is flat in his post-fight interview with Joe Rogan?
Chuck: I want to say the latter, just to find out if Rogan agrees with him on this front; if he unfurls a wall map of the world, lays it down on the canvas there, doubtful any curvature can be spotted with the naked eye.
But I’ll say the former, Silva beats Mitchell. I saw Silva on Monday of fight week out in Miami, and he was already morphing into the "Lord' figure he turns into, where his pupils turn black and he starts getting snappish and generally unpleasant. Those demons he carries around don’t stay buried too deep, Petesy. They are right there, ready to surface at any time.
Petesy: Oh no, you’re not one of those round-earthers are you? I hate those guys.
Jokes aside, I think everyone is looking at this like it’s going to be some punishment beating for Mitchell’s ridiculously stupid comments about Adolf Hitler, and it absolutely could be that. But, in my opinion, the same disparity that exists between Silva and Mitchell in the striking realm is completely flipped if this fight hits the ground.
I have Silva winning this fight, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Mitchell manages to suffocate the Brazilian with his stellar ground game. If it plays out like that, we can all take a collective smoke break to prepare ourselves for the insanity that will come in Mitchell’s post-fight interview.
Continue reading...
