UFC Atlanta mailbag: Kamaru Usman turns back the clock, Rose Namajunas as 125 contender, and Paul Craig’s upkick of doom

UFC Atlanta is within the books, and Kamaru Usman is again within the winner’s circle.

This previous Saturday, Usman turned again the clock, placing on a classic efficiency towards the surging Joaquin Buckley, taking a unanimous choice win. The victory re-inserted Usman within the welterweight title image and reminded everybody that Usman is likely one of the best possible fighters to ever step within the cage.

On high of that, Rose Namajunas additionally acquired again within the win column with a strong efficiency over Miranda Maverick, and some different issues occurred, so let’s discuss all of it.

Kamaru Usman

How do you assume prime Usman would have fared towards this present crop of contenders?

Right here’s the factor: Kamaru Usman is probably the second-greatest welterweight of all-time (individuals sleep on Matt Hughes, who was a licensed demon in his time) and nearly definitely one of many 25 biggest fighters of all-time. Once you’re that stage of fighter, you don’t go quietly into the evening. True all-time greats proceed to choose up significant wins years after their primes, and we noticed that on Saturday with Usman.

Right here’s the opposite factor: Usman, particularly, is well-served to age gracefully. Usman’s recreation was by no means actually about explosive athleticism or reactions, which means he ought to maintain up higher for longer, as age comes for athletic traits first. Usman is certainly previous his prime, however even this model of Usman can nonetheless be harmful towards the present crop of contenders.

Which leads me to my reply: fairly rattling effectively. The Usman of Saturday continues to be an absolute handful for the Shavkat Rakhmonovs and Sean Bradys of the world. The Usman of 4 years in the past? He’s an issue for them. A giant drawback.

Usman is a defensively accountable grappler, with elite takedown protection and strong, elementary hanging. That’s a tricky out any day of the week. God love Sean Brady, however even now, I’m unsure he may ragdoll Usman round, which means his underdeveloped hanging recreation can be an issue. 2020 Usman? I’m taking him comfortably. Now, as for guys like Jack Della Maddalena and Ian Machado Garry, they’ve a greater shot at Usman in both type, as they’re extra nimble on the toes and will, theoretically, mute a few of his offensive grappling.

That being mentioned, I’m nonetheless choosing prime Usman over nearly any welterweight ever, maybe even prime Georges St-Pierre. The person is an all-time nice for a cause.

Rose Namajunas

Can Namajunas turn out to be a champion at 125?

Can? Certain. Will? No.

At this level, it appears secure to name Namajunas one of many seven greatest flyweights on the planet, and nearly definitionally, anybody who’s that prime up can turn out to be champion. It simply takes a few fortunate breaks and one nice evening on the workplace. And for Rose particularly, she’ll want fewer breaks than others as a result of she’s so fashionable. However I wouldn’t guess the farm on her attending to the belt.

The issue for Namajunas is that she’s not a flyweight. Elite fighters can all the time discover success up a weight class, however in some unspecified time in the future, there come severe bodily limitations to combating above your pure weight. Manon Fiorot beat Rose by merely being larger, and Erin Blanchfield — who isn’t even a large flyweight — did one thing comparable. Even on Saturday, Miranda Maverick rattling close to tapped Rose as a result of she wound up on high and is a hoss. The margins for error get a lot smaller once you’re combating up, and that’s the core blocker for Namajunas proper now.

Nonetheless, there’s very a lot a world the place Zhang Weili strikes as much as problem Valentina Shevchenko, and whereas I favor “Bullet” in that one, if Zhang wins, it’s very doable the UFC goes for Zhang vs. Rose III. And once you gained the primary two encounters, you’ve gotta like your probabilities within the third as effectively.

Rodolfo Bellato and the upkick of doom

Who’s the higher actor: Bellato or Aljo?

Is flopping going to be a factor now? It was rewarded final evening

For these out of the loop, Rodolfo Bellato vs. Paul Craig led to a no-contest after an unlawful upkick from Craig resulted in one of the weird reactions I’ve ever seen from Bellato, who clearly appealed to the referee earlier than apparently going unconscious after which waking up with no concept what was happening. Since Saturday, I’ve watched each angle of this incident about 1000 instances, breaking it down just like the Zapruder movie, and I genuinely don’t know what occurred.

What I can say confidently is that one in every of two issues occurred. Both Bellato was hit with the upkick, and had a delayed response to the blow, a la Shane Burgos and Edson Barboza, OR Bellato went flopping for a DQ win and is a world-class actor. After a lot debate and dialogue, I’ve come down on the facet of the previous.

The large cause I believe it’s an trustworthy state of affairs is it is not sensible in any other case. It’s not like Bellato was dropping the struggle and wanted to do one thing so outlandish to try to get a free win. Bellato was most likely successful the spherical and was massively favored to win the struggle. Moreover, refs by no means DQ individuals within the UFC. By far the most certainly consequence in that state of affairs is a no-contest, which means Bellato would have ruined his personal probability at two paychecks or a bonus. That makes zero sense. Plus, I’ve seen MMA fighters act. They’re all horrible at it. No probability Bellato is that good.

So, as arduous as it might be to swallow, Occam’s Razor might be right right here, and that scene, whereas utterly weird, just isn’t nefarious. Typically bizarre stuff occurs in MMA.

Michael Chiesa

What the hell is Michael Chiesa doing together with his profession? No path, objectives or aspirations it appears.

Vibing, and it’s nice.

On Saturday, Chiesa gained a dreadfully boring choice win over Court docket McGee to choose up his third consecutive win and, extra importantly, transfer to 4-0 over fellow The Final Fighter champions. Afterward, Chiesa was open about simply kinda combating as a result of he loves it, and has some small objectives to shoot at. It was pretty, and I want extra fighters can be that trustworthy with themselves and with us.

Chiesa is rarely going to struggle for a belt, so why fake? One of many issues that frustrates me essentially the most about sports activities basically, and MMA particularly, is the ludicrous discourse round titles. Sure, titles are nice, however there may be far more to life than successful belts. Getting paid to do one thing you like to do is essentially the most anybody ought to ever hope for, and Chiesa is doing simply that.

Moreover, there was a time frame when Chiesa was one of many 10 greatest individuals on the planet at his job. That’s superior and one thing that ought to be celebrated as a substitute of checked out as “Properly, he didn’t win the belt.” If I can spend my skilled profession doing issues I like, and being among the finest individuals alive at that factor, I’ll think about mine a life well-lived. We must always all be so fortunate.

Islam Makhachev

What are your ideas on Islam not desirous to relinquish his 155 lbs belt? would it not be the funniest factor in UFC historical past if the evening earlier than they need to drop Illia Topuria and Charles Oliveira to Co-Foremost as a result of Islam refuses to vacate?

In fact, Islam didn’t need to vacate his title as a result of nobody would. There’s no profit to dropping the belt, and pure upside to preserving it. Topuria didn’t need to bail on his belt both, however the UFC seems to be finished with the champ-champ period, at the least for now. Which I wish to recognize, however I believe it’s silly.

The difficulty is what if Topuria/Makhachev lose? In the event that they lose, and nonetheless have their different titles, then both/each males may merely drop again right down to defend it, like we noticed with Alexander Volkanovski. However by vacating their titles, the promotion now places a considerably paper belt on another person, and if Makhachev/Topuria has to come back again to their respective divisions with their tail tucked, it’s a nasty look. If Topuria loses to Oliveira, and returns to featherweight to chilly Volkanovski once more, then what was the purpose of all that? Similar with Makhachev.

And I concern that is solely going to proceed now that Topuria opened the floodgates. As a result of whereas it looks as if he’s risking one thing, he’s probably not, and extra persons are more likely to comply with go well with.

The actual reply to that is to easily codify double-champ alternatives. You string collectively 5 title defenses, and bam, instant title struggle. In any other case, you must abandon the division absolutely and bump up and struggle a contender earlier than you will be in place to problem for a belt. As a result of in a meritocratic world, neither Topuria nor Makhachev deserves to struggle for a second belt proper now (albeit for very completely different causes), however that’s not the world we stay in.

Thanks for studying and due to everybody who despatched in tweets (Xs?)! Do you’ve gotten any burning questions on issues at the least considerably associated to fight sports activities? Then you definately’re in luck as a result of you possibly can ship your tweets to me, @JedKMeshew, and I’ll reply all the nice ones! It doesn’t matter in the event that they’re topical or insane, simply as long as they’re good. Thanks once more, and see y’all subsequent week.