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 absolute best fighters to ever step within the cage.

On prime 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 presumably the second-greatest welterweight of all-time (folks sleep on Matt Hughes, who was a licensed demon in his time) and nearly definitely one of many 25 best fighters of all-time. Once you’re that degree 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, specifically, is well-served to age gracefully. Usman’s sport was by no means actually about explosive athleticism or reactions, that 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 nicely. The Usman of Saturday remains 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 downside.

Usman is a defensively accountable grappler, with elite takedown protection and strong, elementary placing. That’s a tricky out any day of the week. God love Sean Brady, however even now, I’m unsure he might ragdoll Usman round, that means his underdeveloped placing sport 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 kind, as they’re extra nimble on the toes and will, theoretically, mute a few of his offensive grappling.

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

Rose Namajunas

Can Namajunas turn into a champion at 125?

Can? Certain. Will? No.

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

The issue for Namajunas is that she’s not a flyweight. Elite fighters can at all times discover success up a weight class, however sooner or later, there come critical bodily limitations to preventing above your pure weight. Manon Fiorot beat Rose by merely being greater, and Erin Blanchfield — who isn’t even a large flyweight — did one thing related. Even on Saturday, Miranda Maverick rattling close to tapped Rose as a result of she wound up on prime and is a hoss. The margins for error get a lot smaller whenever you’re preventing 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 attainable the UFC goes for Zhang vs. Rose III. And whenever you gained the primary two encounters, you’ve gotta like your possibilities within the third as nicely.

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 resulted in a no-contest after an unlawful upkick from Craig resulted in some 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 thought what was happening. Since Saturday, I’ve watched each angle of this incident about 1000 occasions, 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 all 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 aspect of the previous.

The massive cause I feel it’s an trustworthy state of affairs is it is senseless in any other case. It’s not like Bellato was shedding the battle and wanted to do one thing so outlandish to try to get a free win. Bellato was most likely profitable the spherical and was massively favored to win the battle. Moreover, refs by no means DQ folks within the UFC. By far the almost certainly final result in that state of affairs is a no-contest, that means Bellato would have ruined his personal likelihood at two paychecks or a bonus. That makes zero sense. Plus, I’ve seen MMA fighters act. They’re all horrible at it. No likelihood Bellato is that good.

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

Michael Chiesa

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

Vibing, and it’s nice.

On Saturday, Chiesa gained a dreadfully boring choice win over Court 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 preventing as a result of he loves it, and has some small targets to shoot at. It was beautiful, and I want extra fighters can be that trustworthy with themselves and with us.

Chiesa isn’t going to battle for a belt, so why fake? One of many issues that frustrates me probably the most about sports activities on the whole, and MMA specifically, is the ludicrous discourse round titles. Sure, titles are nice, however there may be way more to life than profitable belts. Getting paid to do one thing you like to do is probably the most anybody ought to ever hope for, and Chiesa is doing simply that.

Moreover, there was a time period when Chiesa was one of many 10 finest folks on the earth at his job. That’s superior and one thing that ought to be celebrated as an alternative of checked out as “Effectively, he didn’t win the belt.” If I can spend my skilled profession doing issues I like, and being among the best folks alive at that factor, I’ll take into account 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? wouldn’t it be the funniest factor in UFC historical past if the evening earlier than they should drop Illia Topuria and Charles Oliveira to Co-Primary 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 maintaining it. Topuria didn’t need to bail on his belt both, however the UFC seems to be completed with the champ-champ period, a minimum of for now. Which I wish to admire, however I feel 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 might merely drop again all the way 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 return 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? Identical with Makhachev.

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

The actual reply to that is to easily codify double-champ alternatives. You string collectively 5 title defenses, and bam, speedy title battle. In any other case, you must abandon the division absolutely and bump up and battle a contender earlier than you may be in place to problem for a belt. As a result of in a meritocratic world, neither Topuria nor Makhachev deserves to battle 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 because of everybody who despatched in tweets (Xs?)! Do you may have any burning questions on issues a minimum of considerably associated to fight sports activities? Then you definitely’re in luck as a result of you’ll be able to 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.