Brett Okamoto, ESPN Personnel Editor
This weekend’s UFC Combat Night time in Las Vegas includes a pair of eminent welterweights — Rafael dos Anjos and Vicente Luque — in the principle match.
It’s a 170-pound show off Saturday (7 p.m. ET on ESPN/ESPN+, with prelims at 4 p.m. on ESPN/ESPN+) bout between two names who elevate a accumulation of recognize with fanatics however are combating to preserve their place in a crowded grassland. The section has a slightly pristine champ in Leon Edwards, whose handiest identify protection thus far was once a right away rematch towards Kamaru Usman.
There are strikes to be made at welterweight, and this section may just glance massively other by means of the top of the 12 months. When will the 170-pound identify be up for grabs? Does Khamzat Chimaev nonetheless have a era inside the section? What emerging potentialities are at the verge of stardom? Shall we solution the ones questions and extra, however first — let’s get started with the obese combat this Saturday.
What’s at stake on this weekend’s leading match between Rafael dos Anjos and Vicente Luque?
For RDA? Very slight.
Dos Anjos’ stature on this recreation is already in-built cement. He’s a former light-weight champion and is thought of as a difficult out for somebody at light-weight or welterweight. He isn’t, sadly, open as a real identify blackmail in both section. Either one of the ones two statements are most probably going to stick the similar, irrespective of what occurs Saturday. If he loses, he’s a longtime title with fuel nonetheless within the tank however isn’t on a identify trail at 155 or 170 kilos. If he wins, that’s lovely a lot nonetheless the case. No person shall be clamoring for him to get a combat that places him within the identify image, even supposing he would store that hope alive a slight with a victory.
It’s other for Luque, who’s seven years more youthful and was once creeping into identify rivalry as not too long ago as 2021. He’s misplaced his latter two and hasn’t gave the look of a identify challenger in both. He’s recognized for an competitive, fan-friendly taste, however his perceived ceiling begins to release if he can’t beat a 38-year-old dos Anjos, whose extra herbal weight magnificence is light-weight, extra so than welterweight.
It’s been 5 months since a welterweight identify combat. How for much longer?
Both November or December. The assurance is Edwards and his staff want a identify protection towards Colby Covington at UFC 295 in November, because the co-main match beneath Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic. Will the UFC walk at the side of that hour? We’ll see. The UFC has a number of issues to consider: what’s owed on those numerous athletes’ guarantees, the pay-per-view time table itself, and so on. Edwards vs. Covington may create extra trade sense to the UFC if it headlines UFC 296 in December in Las Vegas. There are a few things to determine, however Edwards vs. Covington will occur in a type of months.
Would a Kamaru Usman vs. Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson matchup be regarded as a ‘resignation’ combat?
I uncertainty it. It is a recreation the place any combat could be a resignation combat, however neither of the ones two are speaking like they’re on the finish so I gained’t leap to that hypothesis.
Usman was once one negligible clear of protecting his identify towards Edwards one 12 months in the past, because the Negative. 1 pound-for-pound fighter on the planet. And he’s been very original about his hobby stage within the fitness center. He says he’s nonetheless taking part in the method of finding out — which doesn’t provide itself to any resignation communicate.
Would the loser be out of identify rivalry?
It wouldn’t glance lovely for both one. A loss could be terrible to both in their identify aspirations. However those two are nonetheless preventing at an overly prime stage. They’ve reached some degree of their careers the place they earn just right cash. Usman’s trauma historical past is (and has been) a slight relating to, however Thompson has a slightly blank invoice of fitness. Negative, I don’t see this as a resignation combat in any respect. If and when it occurs — each opponents are serious about a November or December strike — it’ll be a combat towards two of the most productive welterweights on the planet who simply badly want a win to stick within the championship race.
Khamzat Chimaev is again, at middleweight. However is “Borz” carried out at welterweight?
I’m going to mention incorrect. It feels find it irresistible at this time. He seems to be large in each video he posts. He’s scheduled to stand Paulo Costa in October, and if he wins, I consider he’ll get a middleweight identify shot. Clearly, he neglected weight for his latter welterweight look towards Nate Diaz in 2022, which prompt a wild all set of cases to avoid wasting the UFC 279 card. There isn’t a reason why for him to ever walk again to welterweight. However that’s at this time.
If he continues to achieve success within the Octagon, all bets are off on what demanding situations he’d tackle. The potential for successful 3 titles — welterweight, middleweight and brightness heavyweight — will all the time be alluring. You’ll be able to’t inform me for a 2d that Chimaev wouldn’t be licking his lips for a matchup towards Edwards. He has the ultimate self assurance that he’ll win that combat. And if the UFC was once to present him age in order his weight indisposed and create a run at a identify, nearest no matter occurs at middleweight, discussions could be had. I pledge it. So, may just he be carried out at welterweight? Sure, in fact, that’s an opportunity. However to close the door on it completely is untimely.
What’s one title that deserves extra consideration at welterweight?
Shavkat Rakhmonov. He’s undefeated with a problematic talent all set for somebody within the section. Belal Muhammad is up there, too, however Muhammad is in any case getting some popularity and is in a valuable spot nearest that short-notice win over Gilbert Burns in April. Rakhmonov remains to be drifting in just a little of a matchmaker’s purgatory. It’s been crispy for the UFC to fasten him indisposed fights, particularly with somebody ranked forward of him. That’s a part of why he was once committing to combat Kelvin Gastelum, earlier than Gastelum was once compelled to tug out of that bout. Gastelum hasn’t even fought at welterweight since 2016, and Rakhmonov was once committing to combat him because the Negative. 6-ranked welterweight within the section? That tells you all you want to understand in regards to the matchmaking problem he’s turn into.
Ultimately, alternatives do come when you store successful, and Rakhmonov is a superb guess to store successful. I’m assured he’ll turn into a prominent participant within the welterweight identify soil in 2024.
