The claim the UFC has the best divisions in MMA has held up for a long time, but in 2020 that claim has an asterisk next to it.
Let’s call it how it is right off the bat: Overall, the UFC still is the leading MMA promotion in the world, and that’s where the majority of the biggest fights take place. However, the claim the UFC holds all the best fighters on the planet in each division is simply not true anymore, at least when looking at light heavyweight.
Bellator, a fellow American promotion, has always been second to the UFC in every weight class. The Viacom-owned promotion certainly has many world-class gems. Some have been UFC champions or have gone on to win a UFC belt after leaving Bellator. But divisional depth has been something that’s lacked when compared to the UFC.
With recent signings, including the latest in two-time UFC middleweight title challenger Yoel Romero, Bellator now rivals the UFC’s light heavyweight division.
Now, you might think the UFC still holds a better 205-pound weight class, and that’s fine. But what you can’t do is ignore the fact Bellator holds many of the best fighters in the world at 205 pounds – a big enough number to not only rival the UFC’s division, but also make a claim of having the best top five.
Hear me out.
Bellator now has Romero, Anthony Johnson, Corey Anderson, Ryan Bader, Phil Davis, and of course current champion Vadim Nemkov. Except for champ Nemkov, who never competed in the UFC, all the contenders have been in the UFC’s official top five rankings.
Those Bellator contenders, plus the champion, could easily exchange a fair and even number of wins and losses with the UFC’s top five and belt holder today.
The UFC has champion Jan Blachowicz, and top-five contenders Glover Teixeira, Thiago Santos, Dominick Reyes, Aleksandar Rakic and Jiri Prochazka.
Let’s just look at some quick history.
UFC champ Blachowicz has a defeat to Anderson, just like Bellator champ Nemkov has a loss to Prochazka in RIZIN. Teixeira has lost to Bellator’s Johnson, Anderson and Davis. Additionally, Santos lost to current Bellator middleweight champ Gegard Mousasi.
That alone shows how competitive Bellator’s additions are.
These are not fighters who are washed up. and just have big names to bring big audiences, but actual contenders in the UFC who for different reasons weren’t able to come to terms with the promotion, so they switched over to Bellator.
Now, it’s fair to say that all of the former UFC fighters now in Bellator have lost to UFC talent, as well.
But there’s more. This goes beyond the top five. Bellator also has 185-pound champion Mousasi, who’s competed at 205 pounds, and could easily move up in weight to spice things up for a champion vs. champion bout. And add Lyoto Machida to the mix, who’s still a prominent figure despite maybe not being in his prime.
So all in all, Bellator’s light heavyweight division is world class and looking good. It’s safe to say that it rivals the UFC’s – or at the very least it’s worth a discussion.
The big factor here that splits the difference is Jon Jones, and don’t think I forgot.
However, it’s uncertain if Jones will return to 205 pounds or continue on with his plans to move up to heavyweight. Jones is indisputably the greatest light heavyweight today and the best of all time. That’s something you can’t take away from the UFC.
But as long as Jones is not listed or part of the UFC’s light heavyweight mix, Bellator has a case for having a top five that rivals the UFC’s.
With Yoel Romero signing, Bellator now rivals UFC’s light heavyweight division | Opinion
