THE GREATEST DIVISION IN MMA RIGHT NOW
To identify which Division is the greatest in Mixed Martial Arts heading into 2022. You have to properly understand what makes a Division great. In my opinion (a very educated opinion) for a Division to be considered great it requires 4 things.
1. A Great Champion
You can't have a great Division without having a truly recognized Champion at the top of it. They have to have had at least one successful title defence. They have to have beaten some respected fighters in the past as well.
2. Worthy Challengers
A great Division needs to have at least a couple worthy challengers for the Champion to defeat. Preferably these Challengers should have different skill sets from each other. That way each opponent that gets a title shot presents a unique challenge.
3. New Blood
Nothing invigorates a Division better than new fighters on the rise. It provides new tests for the top contenders to prove themselves once again. It also presents a future threat for the Champion to be aware of.
4. A dominant Striker, Wrestler, and Submission specialist
You need to have one of each fighter in the Top 10 (preferably top 5) that are seen as unequaled in one particular discipline. That way the trip to the top would require a Mixed Martial Artist to prove that they can handle every type of fighter. Ideally that would be the case, and in the past was. In today's MMA many fighters get a pass on their way to the title fight unfortunately.
THE POPULAR CHOICE BUT WRONG CHOICE
Many MMA Analysts have continued to argue the strength of the UFC Lightweight Division. I just don't see it as being that spectacular. It is an enjoyable Division to watch for sure. Why it is entertaining is more about it's shortcomings than it's strengths.
When you look at my criteria you begin to understand why. First and foremost it doesn't have a great Champion. There is a reason why Charles Oliveira was considered the Underdog against Dustin Poirier. Who had he beat? He beat Michael Chandler to win the vacant belt. Chandler has yet to prove himself as a credible threat for the title. In fact Chandler was given the title shot because Poirier passed on it to fight McGregor for more money. He beat Tony Ferguson before that who was already on the downswing. Besides that there aren't any highly regarded fighters in his past fights that he has beaten. What makes matters worse is that he didn't have to beat, or even fight Khabib Nurmagomedov the lightweight goat and previous Champion. The second problem is of course Worthy Challengers. Are there any? Justin Gaethje is his next opponent barring any setbacks but does he deserve it? I would say that he is the obvious choice, but that's more about a lack of options. Gaethje is a great Striker and that's about it. I would argue that he is a better Striker than Poirier. Of course he lost to Poirier. Poirier is definitely the better mixed martial artist. Unless Gaethje connects with a really crisp shot. I would expect Oliveira to beat him in practically the same way he beat Poirier. Now the Division does have new blood with Makhachev, and Dariush. One of which will potentially earn a title shot by defeating the other. Unfortunately though the UFC Lightweight Division has some dominant Strikers, possibly a great Wrestler in Makhachev (we will see) but the only Submission specialist is the Champion.
THE GREATEST MMA DIVISION
BANTAMWEIGHT UFC & BELLATOR
When I began my research for this article I already had an idea of which Division and which promotion it would be. It actually came as a surprise to me that although I had the Division correct. Two promotions would be equally as appealing. Bantamweight is just ridiculous right now. Lets look at both promotions, and see why.
1. A Great Champion
-Sergio Pettis has cemented himself as the man to beat after knocking out Kyoji Horiguchi. 2022 has the Bellator Grand Prix tournament at Bantamweight so he will have to prove himself again.
-Aljamain Sterling is seen as a bit of a controversial Champion because he won by DQ. That's fine because his next bout will be the rematch with Petr Yan. The fighter that most people consider to be the true Champion. Whoever wins will be greatly respected.
2. Worthy Challengers
-Sergio Pettis might have to defend his title against teammate Raufeon Stots who only has one loss on his record in the Bellator Grand Prix. He also has to be prepared to fight Patchy Mix. Another fighter with only one loss on his record. Both fighters are definitely worthy opponents.
-The UFC Bantamweight division has 3 former champions making a comeback with TJ Dillashaw, Jose Aldo, and Dominick Cruz looking to get back to a title. Hard to argue with that.
3. New Blood
-Friend of our show Jornel Lugo is undefeated, and eager for a fight against a Top 5 opponent. Check out our interview with him on the podcast.
-Sean O'Malley is getting a lot of attention in the UFC. He has a huge Social media following, but backs it up with great Striking.
4. Dominant Striker, Wrestler, Submission Specialist
-Bellator Striker: Kyoji Horiguchi
-Bellator Wrestler: Magomed Magomedov
-Bellator Submission: Patchy Mix
-UFC Striker: Jose Aldo
-UFC Wrestler: Merab Dvalishvili
-UFC Submission: Marlon Vera
So that's my take. Take it or leave it. In my opinion you can't go wrong watching Bantamweight fights in either promotion. Anyone who is a true fight fan shouldn't miss an opportunity to watch any of the fighters I have mentioned.
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