UFC welterweight division needs a Grand Prix?
On Saturday in Dallas, Texas, UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre hoped to learn the name of his next challenger….
On Saturday in Dallas, Texas, UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre hoped to learn the name of his next challenger.
Martin Kampmann and Mike Swick were tabbed as possible No. 1 contenders. However, that faded when Swick was forced to pull out of UFC 103 with an injury. In his place, Paul Daley, a dangerous striker with the reputation for sub-par grappling, stepped up on short notice.
Over the past 12 months, Daley (22-8-2) lost to Jake Shields and Nick Thompson, and wasn’t anywhere near a top-10 ranking, let alone a shot against St. Pierre. Of course (big surprise) the 26-year-old power puncher pasted Kampmann for a first-round stoppage on Saturday.
Immediately after UFC 103, talk immediately centered on Daley meeting Swick to determine the division’s next No. 1 contender. I have a hard time buying either as legit threats to G.S.P. In four fights at 170, Swick hasn’t faced a ranked opponent. Kampmann, just 2-0 in the division before running into Daley, was going to take care of that. But the main reason Swick and Kampmann were listed atop the challenger heap is the fact that neither had fought St. Pierre (19-2).
Nearly every legitimate threat to St. Pierre resides in the UFC, and most have already lost to the champ. (The only top-tier welterweight who doesn’t is Shields, and the dangerous Californian recently moved up to 185 pounds, where he’ll fight Jason Miller on Strikeforce’s Nov. 7 card.)
It’s no wonder then that welterweight, notwithstanding a deep pool of talented fighters, feels so muddled and unappealing right now.
So I’m proposing something that should but won’t happen. The UFC would benefit greatly from occasionally putting together Pride Grand Prix-style tournaments to establish No. 1 contenders. And I can’t think of a division more perfect for this than 170 pounds, especially with St. Pierre about to re-enter the gym after injuring his groin this summer against Thiago Alves.
Tournaments are an easy promotional tool: Just set up the brackets and let ’em go. With the names the UFC could plug into a four- or eight-man event (played out over multiple shows; none of this multi-fight in one night stuff), and with credibility that would be bestowed on the winner, it makes sense. Mix and match Jon Fitch, Josh Koscheck, Mike Swick, Thiago Alves, Matt Hughes, Dan Hardy, Dustin Hazelett, Anthony Johnson, Paul Daley, Martin Kampmann, Ricardo Almeida and the many others. Sounds fun, no?
Of course, considering the politics and posturing we’re seeing from fighters and their camps surrounding title shots these days, the tourney format could also go a long way in alleviating headaches for the UFC. It would help determine a clear picture for fans wanting to understand how and why fighters earn their way up the ladder in the UFC. And the do-or-die aspect of single-elimination tourneys is always compelling to watch.