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[dan the man 67]

First word of thread title should be "Opinions", not "pinions".... Couldn't change it myself.

Now I am reading that Bendo is thinking about a GSP dream fight. This right after reading about Also possibly fighting at LW, and Dana saying he would stay at LW if he were to make that move. Of course, Edgar jumped weight, and all of the Jones talk......

Where does this all end? Is this good for the sport? What happens when the weight-jumping Champ wins a title in another division? Is he now stuck at that division? Does he relinquish his previous belt? What happens if he wins the new weight class belt, and he wants to immediately go back to his old weight class?

Personally, I think weight class jumps by Champs should only be entertained once they have truly cleaned out their division, and the only possible fights left are rematches. And a jump in weight class combined with winning the belt in the new weight class should carry a time limit before they are allowed to go back into their old weight class, if they are seeking to do so.

[Masscore]

I think they should be able to jump once they clean out their division and the champion they are going to challenge has cleaned out theirs as well.

So for example, Cruz bumping up to fight Aldo, but Aldo not bumping up to fight Bendo because LW is no where near cleared out.

[lwbrewer]

Should a champ be able to jump to a different weight class I say yes, but with limitations.
If a div has a clear contender he shouldn't be bypassed[ Weidmen, Hendricks ect...]
Should be requrements to holding a belt must be able to defend a certain amount if not give up / interium belt.
I am more for catch weight were the title isn't on the line just legacy.
I don't believe a fighter able to win two weight class's would be able health wise to properly defend there belts for more than a year.

I'm more for if you change class's [ without fighting in that div to earn a shot]and beat the champ now you earned a chance to fight for the belt.

There's a place for vanity fights, but the UFC has lost the prespective of how and when to use them.
They just need a basic guideline to follow as each would need judged differently.

[Sniggles]

Originally Posted by Masscore

I think they should be able to jump once they clean out their division and the champion they are going to challenge has cleaned out theirs as well.

So for example, Cruz bumping up to fight Aldo, but Aldo not bumping up to fight Bendo because LW is no where near cleared out.

Yup. I agree.

#1 contenders in a division jumping down a division and getting a title shot with the intent of moving up to LW again to fight for the LW title right afterwards is not a scenario that I endorse or even agree with, either.

I don't agree that Pettis should be facing Aldo, but I do agree it's a great matchup stylistically.

I believe that a fighter should have to prove himself before receiving a title shot when they enter an organization or change weight classes unless it is a champion vs. champion.

See what happened to Lombard when he had to fight Boetsch before Anderson Silva as reasoning why. I believe a title shot is something that should be earned within the rankings of an organization. A fight or two should be necessary to determine the fighter most worthy.

The UFC hype machine dictates what fights take place, there is no moral system in place. So our discussions on this are a moot point.

[dan the man 67]

Couple of other points;
In the case of Melendez, who was Strikeforce Champ - all of his opponents he beat to become SF Champ are typically UFC wannabes, meaning they are guys not good enough to be in the UFC, or were released by the UFC. So an argument can be made where all of UFCs LW fighters are better than the vast majority of SF LWs. That is not the case with Melendez himself, but is the case for the bulk of the opponents he beat. Does he deserve the immediate shot? Is Bendo going to give him a very rude awakening?

If a Champ goes to another division to fight, you can kiss any title shots goodbye in his original weight class for at least 6 months. He'll need a minimum of 3 months to prepare for other weight class fight, then recovery time, and then start camp for the next fight. If there is a truly deserving contender in the wait, he is fucked for over half a year.

[JayBird]

I'm fine with it as long as the champ has stayed active and defended their belt several times. I'm also OK with it if the move to a different weight class is permanent. (Ala Jon Jones eventually moving to HW)

[SimpleJack]

I think they should have to abandon their current title.

[The Donosaur]

I think it should only happen if both champs have defended their belt 3 times already that year. If they are regularly defending their belt against the #1 contender then yeah go for it. Unfortunately that never happens.

[Sniggles]

Originally Posted by SimpleJack

I think they should have to abandon their current title.

But then there can't be a multi-division champion. Noooo!!

[W.Silva>C.Norris]

Originally Posted by The Donosaur

I think it should only happen if both champs have defended their belt 3 times already that year. If they are regularly defending their belt against the #1 contender then yeah go for it. Unfortunately that never happens.

I was gonna say 2 times, but EXACTLY. If a champion defends their belt 2 or 3 times in 1 year, I would have absolutely no problem with them chasing a vanity fight in a different weight class. Aside from that, stay in your own division, and defend your belt.