At the end of 2002 Jens Pulver relinquished the UFC lightweight title following a disagreement over Pulver’s salary entitlement. Four years later, and after a spell in Pride and the International Fight League, Pulver returns to claim what is rightfully his and rehabilitate the rule he once held over the UFC lightweight division. Pulver- the only 155lb champion in UFC history- has victories over BJ Penn; Dennis Hallman; John Lewis and Cole Escovedo to his credit.
The scrappy little lightweight prefers to exchange on his feet, relying predominantly on his boxing skills; which during his spell at Pride, led to criticisms that Pulver was too one-dimensional- a criticism Pulver was willing to accept. Yet it still remains that since his departure from the UFC Pulver has been defeated only twice, both losses coming at the hands of other world-class combatants: namely Takanori Gomi and Hayoto Sakurai.
But now that the “Champ” is back, where does this leave the rest of the lightweight division? Below is a brief description of the major players at lightweight within the ranks of the UFC, which includes possible contenders as well as future prospects.
Sean Sherk Sherk is yet to make his lightweight debut after having made the drop from the welterweight division. Sherk has made the move down in pursuit of a UFC title having been unsuccessful at welterweight twice; losing in a title match to Matt Hughes and then losing out on number one contender status to Georges St Pierre. Sherk has exquisite wrestling ability and has steadily been improving his stand-up over the past few years. Sherk was an extremely dangerous opponent for anyone at welterweight and is sure to be a substantial force at lightweight. It is expected that he will be given a title shot on his debut.
Joe Stevenson Like Sean Sherk, Joe Stevenson has dropped down from the welterweight division in his bid to gain one of the coveted UFC titles. Although having won The Ultimate Fighter season two at welterweight, Stevenson is a natural lightweight. Stevenson has proficient takedown ability, but his real forte is the art of submissions. Possibly one of the greatest submission artists within the UFC ranks, Stevenson makes a welcome change from the predominantly stand-up orientation of many of the UFC’s fighters. Since entering the lightweight division Stevenson has defeated dangerous striker Yves Edwards.
Hermes Franca This short, thick-set little lightweight is once again becoming a real force in the lightweight division. Up to the end of 2003, Franca was on a massive winning streak tearing up the lightweight division- until suffering a decision loss to Josh Thompson at UFC 46. For a long time after, Franca’s career was a rather up-down affair; suffering two loses to Yves Edwards along the way.
However, since early this year Franca has fought five times and gained five wins, accumulating two KOs and three submissions- letting every other fighter in the division know that this little scrapper’s career isn’t over yet.
Kenny Florian Kenny Florian lost in the final of The Ultimate Fighter season one to Diego Sanchez before moving down to the 155lb division. Since making the intelligent decision to move down, Florian has amassed a further three wins in the UFC, against Alex Karalexis, Kit Cope and Sam Stout. Florian has shown himself to be a difficult fight for any striker as his evasive and takedown skills have been shown to be very effective.
Yves Edwards Once picked by many as one of the most rounded fighters in all of MMA, Yves Edwards has been on somewhat of a downward spiral of late. Edwards has lost three of his last four fights, his latest defeat coming at the hands of Joe Stevenson. However, despite disappointing performances recently, Yves Edwards remains one of the top lightweights in the world and is an extremely daunting proposition for any lightweight in the UFC. Edwards is tall for a lightweight and is very adept at using his range advantage.
Sam Stout The Canadian-born TKO competitor has made himself famous through his electric stand-up skills. This striking technician has a UFC record of 1-1, with a win over Spencer Fisher and a loss to Kenny Florian. Although Stout has enviable striking skills, he has shown himself to be vulnerable to submissions. He has an MMA record of 9-2-1.
Jorge Gurgel This TUF 2 contestant is yet to really prove himself competitively. Although many at the UFC have shown a lot of faith in his abilities, fan patience is wearing thin. Gurgel’s situation was further exacerbated when he suffered a defeat at Ultimate Fight Night 5 at the hands of Mark Hominick. For Gurgel, the road to the top will be a long and hard one.
Spencer Fisher Miletich-trained fighter Spencer Fisher has a UFC record of 1-1; his loss coming at the hands of Canadian fighter Sam Stout and his win over Matt Wiman. Fisher KO’d Wiman with a massive flying knee in the early stages of the second round. Fisher later confessed that the move wasn’t spontaneous and was in fact one of his “bread and butter” techniques. Fisher’s MMA record currently stands at an impressive 18-2-0.
Mark Hominick Another TKO fighter to have made the leap over the boarder to America is Mark Hominick; who burst onto the UFC with a massive upset win over Yves Edwards. He has since gone on to defeat Jorge Gurgel, taking his MMA record to 11-5-0.
Joe Jordan Joe Jordan has had only one UFC appearance, in which he stepped in at late notice to replace stable-mate Roger Huerta. Unfortunately for Jordan he lost the UFC 61 bout to Hermes Franca, but with a record of 19-10-2 and an obvious willingness to fight, this won’t be the last time we see Jordan in the UFC octagon.
Roger Huerta Roger Huerta is yet to make his UFC debut after having pulled out of his fight with Hermes Franca scheduled for UFC 61 due to an elbow injury sustained during training. Huerta is predominantly a wrestler who has wins over Matt Wiman and Joe Comacho in his ‘W’ column. He has an MMA record of 14-2-1.
Matt Wiman Wiman has had only one fight in the UFC, in which he lost to Spencer Fisher. However it should be noted that Wiman entered the fight on very short notice and remained competitive throughout. Wiman’s MMA record is 6-3-0.
Jens Pulver is unlikely to have to re-earn contendership status and is likely to fight for his title straight off the bat. Although Pulver’s first opponent is yet to be confirmed it has been rumoured that the most likely of the aforementioned to fight Pulver is Sean Sherk. Hermes Franca and Joe Stevenson are likely to be top contenders also. Yet in such a deceivingly deep pool of talent, every fighter in the lightweight division has the skill to beat any of their lightweight counterparts. The next twelve months or so will be very telling, and if the lightweight proves to be a success then we may even see ex-UFC lightweights or even Pride fighters wanting to join the mix. What an incredible roster of fighters the UFC would have were they able to add names like Takanori Gomi, Genki Sudo and Hayoto Sakurai to the list.
Of course the popularity of the lightweight division relies heavily on the continuing education of the casual and mainstream audiences. There are fewer knockouts than in the other weight categories and the ground fighting can be very technical. Therefore the mainstream audience will have to be educated if the lightweight division is to be appreciated for what it is.
Perhaps the re-introduction of the lightweight division is an indication of the increased level of fight-acumen of the audience. Whatever the reality of the situation, it is clear that the UFC- although having temporarily dropped the division- is remaining true to the real mixed martial arts fan and not merely pandering to the hunger of the mainstream for knockouts.
)
1 Reviews
