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[The Return Of......]

I have always thought Weidman was the next in line simply because well....who else was there. But his little rant hear got me to thinking...who has he really beat to earn the shot? I mean, since when does sitting out a year getting surgery get you an automatic title shit that you never really had to begin with?

The winner of Weidman Munzo was going to be in the mix... it was none other than professional shit talker Chael Sonnen who sat that, after Weidman had a humble post fight interview and said that Weidman should be next, that he can beat Silva and that he should call Silva out.

I have never been quick to dismiss Weidmans win's. They are good solid wins, however its not like they are so impressive that everyone stood up and said OMG someone give this guy a fucking title shot.

I would like to see Weidman take a fight when he comes back before getting Silva. Hell if Hendo has to have a fight after his injury then Weidman definitely should.

[Bork_Lazer]

Since the topic of Sonnen's title shot against Jones came up, I figured Id drop my 2 cents on it since I wasnt really in the board when all of that happened. Well, first let me start with the claim that he bypasses people for his title shots. Really the only time he talked his way into a title shot was against Jones, when he first got his shot against Silva, he earned it fair and square with back to back wins over Marquardt and Okami which is no easy feat and its not like there was any other contender out there really in front of him. And for his second shot, he put 2 wins together against a decent oponent in Stann and a solid fighter in Bisping after giving Silva by far the hardest test of his UFC career, so again I think he earned that title shot as well. Granted he talked a lot, but he backed it up in the ring as well. I really dont think anyone can make a case as to why he didnt deserve his first shot and I know the vast majority of people wanted to see that rematch.

Now, on to the Jones shot, and this might be a bit of a stretch but I thought Id share a possible scenario I thought about. Please keep in mind this is complete speculation. But I think there is always two sides to everything, specially when it comes to such a big company like the UFC. We have to remember this all happened very fast and only about 8 days before a huge event. Henderson gets injured and now the UFC has to scramble to find an opponent, they go down the list as they said, Machida/Shogun/Evans... all the way to Sonnen, who says yes. The problem is Jones says no and the event gets canceled. Now, I think its possible that Sonnen signed the doted line to save the event and after that Jones declined, so I think its possible that clever Sonnen put a caveat in that contract stating that he would get his shot no matter what. Again this is total speculation, but I dont think its impossible, we cant forget that there is a lot behind the scenes, lawyers, agents, sponsors... anyways feel free to shoot my theory down.

PS I understand why fighters like Machida and Shogun turned down the fight as they has a lot to lose from a title shot in such short notice where Sonnen really had nothing to lose.

PPS Its very hard for me to actually defend Sonnen as Im not a fan and was not a fan at all of his promotion against Silva as a mater of fact Id be happy to see him lose to Jones and retire. But I do my best not to be biased.

[AnchorPunch]

Originally Posted by Bork_Lazer

Now, I think its possible that Sonnen signed the doted line to save the event and after that Jones declined, so I think its possible that clever Sonnen put a caveat in that contract stating that he would get his shot no matter what. Again this is total speculation, but I dont think its impossible, we cant forget that there is a lot behind the scenes, lawyers, agents, sponsors... anyways feel free to shoot my theory down.

Look at what Sonnen makes to show... The guy is an amazing shit talker but clearly teerrrrrrible at negotiating contracts.


End of the day, here's how I see it:

1. Sonnen earned both his MW shots.
2. Sonnen didn't earn his LHW shot but TUF needed saving and DW was pissed at the other contenders.
3. Silva's early UFC career wasn't as impressive; he's fought some great names over the years though and looked (oddly) better each time.
4. Munoz was pretty softly ranked at 3-4. But he's pretty Bisping-esque in his ability to be ranked higher than anyone he's fought.
5. Weidman isn't acting entitled, he's acting like the guy DW declared the #1 contender, which he did.
6. However, Weidman might be a worse shit talker than Sonnen is a negotiator.
7. You should still have to take a non-title fight after injury, surgery, or suspension.
8. I hope something absolutely bananas happens at LW or WW soon just so we can stop having Silva, Jones, Sonnen, and Weidman dominate every thread. Somehow, pictures of Bisping being KO'd will still appear.

[Ramma]

When the entire MMANews Forum face palms at your comment, you know you've said something really stupid.

[H0SS]

Originally Posted by Bork_Lazer

Now, I think its possible that Sonnen signed the doted line to save the event and after that Jones declined, so I think its possible that clever Sonnen put a caveat in that contract stating that he would get his shot no matter what.

[Bork_Lazer]

Originally Posted by Ramma

When the entire MMANews Forum face palms at your comment, you know you've said something really stupid.

really? I understand that's a lot of speculation, but you have to assume a lot went on backstage that we have no idea about. This was the first and only event to be canceled under Zuffa, I dont think people understand how big of a loss that must have been. Still, what Im saying is that its not like Sonnen started talking mad shit and DW said oh thats some good shit talking, here is a title shot, there was a lot of shit that went down in order for him to get that shot, mostly regarding the cancellation of that event, and Im pretty sure that's the reason why he got his shot, not the fact that he talked shit.

I think that's the worst title shot in the history of the UFC, but I tend to think there was probably more to the story then Sonnen talked shit so DW gave him a shot.

[MickeyKnox]

Weidman may be talking out of his ass here but the reason I have faith in him and am so eager to see him fight Silva isn't based on his two wins over Maia and Munoz. It's based on how he's handled all of his opponents under the circumstances that he did. Few of us can see what he is possibly capable of and the threat that he brings. If he gets Silva down and gets on top of him, he is much more dangerous than Chael in his first fight with Silva. Shit on me if you want. Once the future rolls around, Chris is going to open the eyes of more people. I'm not saying the guy is invincible, but just wait and see.

[dbader08]

Originally Posted by Y2JUBAE

What an idiot Waaaaahman is.

Crybaby Chris's best 2 wins.

Maia - one of the fighters Anderson destroyed without taking one punch. One of Anderson's weak opponents.
Munoz - Claim to fame is beating Leben, yet another fighter who Anderson beat without taking one punch. And oh, Maia.

I'm begging Chris to put his career on the line and stop trying to Chael Sonnen his way to a title fight that he has not earned, because other than his career being on the line, he has nothing to offer Anderson's resume. Anderson has stopped enough hype trains in his career, one more would do nothing for him. He's got a couple wins over a couple mid-level fighters that wouldn't touch Anderson.

Anderson has taken shits that could beat Chrissy Weidman.

Maia definitely landed punches against Anderson, Anderson even said after the fight that Maia surprised him with some of the shots he landed. Plus, Weidman fought him on 2 weeks notice, which doesn't really even give you 2 weeks to fully prepare. Anderson did own him overall, though, but still...and he was definitely not one of Anderson's weak opponents. He did better than Nate, Hendo, and survived unlike Chael.

It's not the fact that he beat Munoz, it's the fact that he completely dominated a pretty good wrestler in the wrestling department, and then KO'd him with a beautiful elbow...and everybody knows what Silva's main weakness is...and Weidman doesn't seem like a guy who will be as easy as Sonnen to catch in a hail mary triangle...his jits/grappling is very solid.

In a perfect world there would be a more clear cut contender but the MW division is a bit thin and all of the other guys who were close have recently lost. I would still say Lombard isn't far off from a title shot, though, with an impressive win or 2. I truly believe he wasn't himself in the Boetsch fight, plus, I believe he won. Even if you don't, it was nowhere close to a decisive loss.

The only other option is either A: Let Anderson sit out forever again until a contender clears up or B: Let him fight GSP. The former I don't want to see and the latter is doubtful imo, just as a fight with Jones probably is ATM. Even though Anderson has recently said he wanted superfights, I think he's moreso talking about the GSP fight, plus, he probably doesn't want to risk fighting Jones on the first fight of what may be a pretty long contract. Even though I actually think he stands a pretty good chance against Jones, there's no question that it's the toughest fight out there for him...outside of possibly Weidman.

[YukonJordan]

You guys seem eager for a dissenting voice so here it is.

Can't blame Weidman for trying to talk himself into a guaranteed titleshot. Lots of guys in the UFC have done that before and by allowing that Dana White has set the precedent for talk being as impotant as backing it up.

Secondly in a completely muddled MW contendership picture Weidman was and is the best choice to fight Anderson. He is only "injured" because he opted to take an optional surgery(required eventually but not immediately) when Anderson was humming and hawing about when he was going to fight again. Mere weeks after Chris went in for surgery Anderson decided to fight Bonnar which puts even more months in between his title defenses.

Weidman isn't 100% correct about Anderson's resume though. There's plenty of big names on his list but they just aren't enough and consistent enough. Factor that in with some of his less than stellar efforts and his questionable conduct as a champion and many people don't believe his resume warrants the reverance that he gets. That's the crux of Weidman argument.

[Ramma]

Originally Posted by Bork_Lazer

really? I understand that's a lot of speculation, but you have to assume a lot went on backstage that we have no idea about. This was the first and only event to be canceled under Zuffa, I dont think people understand how big of a loss that must have been. Still, what Im saying is that its not like Sonnen started talking mad shit and DW said oh thats some good shit talking, here is a title shot, there was a lot of shit that went down in order for him to get that shot, mostly regarding the cancellation of that event, and Im pretty sure that's the reason why he got his shot, not the fact that he talked shit.

I think that's the worst title shot in the history of the UFC, but I tend to think there was probably more to the story then Sonnen talked shit so DW gave him a shot.

I was...talking about Weidman.......what are you talking about?