I think the UFC has to be very careful about the way they handle Paddy. He knocked the dude out but also fought with his chin up in the air. One loss. And his hype is dead. He has to win consistently in order to maintain relevance. I say give him one more low level opponent before feeding him to the vets.
The opponents that are chosen for him are the difference between him becoming the next Mcgregor in terms of reach and just another Edmen Shabazian, who lost to Brunson in his first real test. That test will come. But it should be in at least 1 year if not one and a half years
Its not so much babying him as it is picking smart opponents that are on his level in terms of ability. The UFC is the best of the best. You dont want a situation like Till. Who was pushed to a title shot too early and dominated by Woodley a man who faced the who's who of the old generation of welterweights. Cant ruin a guys career like that. The Adasanya path is the best path. But Izzy was one of a kind. Over 100 kickboxing fights before going to the UFC. So unless paddy has that level of experience. I wouldnt suggest he move up the ranks quickly.
1) Brunson against Cannonier to fight the winner of Izzy/Rob
2) Till needs to go to ATT to improve, or move down to WW. Till is the 3rd best striker in MW, not the 3rd best MMA fighter in there as he said to Matt Serra. I think he needs a big change. Hopefully he can improve
I think that Brunson and Cannonier should not fight. With the middleweight division as thin with legitimate contenders as it already is, eliminating one contender for Izzy’s belt doesn't make sense. Brunson beats Jared, faces Izzy again, then loses. What would you do with him? Izzy would either have to retire or wait for Till to get his shit together.
Derrick Brunson vs. Cannonier (a rematch against Whittaker would be very intriguing, but Rob has already earned his title shot)
Darren Till vs. GM3. Meerschaert is on a nice win streak, and for Darren I think a big step down in competition is needed. Let him get on a win streak and build himself back up.
Paddy Pimblett vs. Julian Erosa II. Nice little storyline, exciting matchup and very winnable for Paddy to keep the momentum rolling.
1)Cannonier is definitely the next fight for Brunson. Makes sense for both guys, it can easily be a title eliminator to face winner of Izzy X Bobby Knuckles 2
2) Till needs a favorable matchup and to not fight a top 5 MW right now. Considering Shahbazyan is booked for MSG, Till can be matched up against Uriah or even rebook the Hermansson fight. Jack is a wizard on the ground but he won’t have as easy of a time getting Darren down as Brunson did. Jack is also willing to throw down on the feet so it would be a fun fight.
3) Paddy had a great debut, especially for the hype and anticipation surrounding it. He did take some early shots from Luigi, so I don’t think stepping up to fight a technical striker would be a good option, at least not one with one shot KO power. The UFC should continue to build him fairly slow, not at a Sean O’Malley pace but don’t throw Paddy to the wolves just yet. Two fun matchups for Paddy would be John Makdessi or Matt Frevola. It doesn’t look like he’ll be blowing the gaff off the Echo Arena anytime soon so he should be booked on an upcoming PPV card with fans in attendance.
I really enjoyed both the Preview and Post-Fight Ringer podcasts. The Helwani content is really getting pumped out for us and we all appreciate it. Keep up the great work Ariel!
1) Cannonier
2) Anyone that’s not a wrestler. Maybe Kevin Holland or Uriah Hall.
3) Clay Guida or Alex Hernandez.
1) Brunson/Cannonier for title after Izzy and Rob.
2) Mike Perry - why not?
3) Jai Herbert - Uk fighter on a 2 fight losing streak with a similar skillset
1) wait for the Izzy fight. 5 fight win streak don’t be the next Leon edwards of MW
2) Sean strickland ( till and strickland will sell the hell out of this fight strickland is a psycho
3)Jim Miller,Jeremy Stephens, Michael Johnson.
I think the UFC has to be very careful about the way they handle Paddy. He knocked the dude out but also fought with his chin up in the air. One loss. And his hype is dead. He has to win consistently in order to maintain relevance. I say give him one more low level opponent before feeding him to the vets.
So baby him like suga Shawn?
The opponents that are chosen for him are the difference between him becoming the next Mcgregor in terms of reach and just another Edmen Shabazian, who lost to Brunson in his first real test. That test will come. But it should be in at least 1 year if not one and a half years
Its not so much babying him as it is picking smart opponents that are on his level in terms of ability. The UFC is the best of the best. You dont want a situation like Till. Who was pushed to a title shot too early and dominated by Woodley a man who faced the who's who of the old generation of welterweights. Cant ruin a guys career like that. The Adasanya path is the best path. But Izzy was one of a kind. Over 100 kickboxing fights before going to the UFC. So unless paddy has that level of experience. I wouldnt suggest he move up the ranks quickly.
1) Brunson against Cannonier to fight the winner of Izzy/Rob
2) Till needs to go to ATT to improve, or move down to WW. Till is the 3rd best striker in MW, not the 3rd best MMA fighter in there as he said to Matt Serra. I think he needs a big change. Hopefully he can improve
3) Paddy vs Erosa
I think that Brunson and Cannonier should not fight. With the middleweight division as thin with legitimate contenders as it already is, eliminating one contender for Izzy’s belt doesn't make sense. Brunson beats Jared, faces Izzy again, then loses. What would you do with him? Izzy would either have to retire or wait for Till to get his shit together.
1. I think it should be Brunson vs. Vettori/Costa Winner
2. Kevin Holland
3. Vinc Pichel (if he's trying to fight again soon) or Terrance McKinney
Derrick Brunson vs. Cannonier (a rematch against Whittaker would be very intriguing, but Rob has already earned his title shot)
Darren Till vs. GM3. Meerschaert is on a nice win streak, and for Darren I think a big step down in competition is needed. Let him get on a win streak and build himself back up.
Paddy Pimblett vs. Julian Erosa II. Nice little storyline, exciting matchup and very winnable for Paddy to keep the momentum rolling.
Derrick Brunson vs Jared Canononier
Darren Till vs Jack Hermansson
Paddy Pimblett vs Matt Frevola
Canoniser
Hall
Erosa
Love ya work Ariel! Ringer pod was ace
1- cannonier
2- Holland
3- gruetzemacher
Who should Derek Brunson fight next?
Jared Cannonier
Who should Darren Till fight next?
Kevin Holland
Who should Paddy Pimblett fight next?
Grant Dawson
1)Cannonier is definitely the next fight for Brunson. Makes sense for both guys, it can easily be a title eliminator to face winner of Izzy X Bobby Knuckles 2
2) Till needs a favorable matchup and to not fight a top 5 MW right now. Considering Shahbazyan is booked for MSG, Till can be matched up against Uriah or even rebook the Hermansson fight. Jack is a wizard on the ground but he won’t have as easy of a time getting Darren down as Brunson did. Jack is also willing to throw down on the feet so it would be a fun fight.
3) Paddy had a great debut, especially for the hype and anticipation surrounding it. He did take some early shots from Luigi, so I don’t think stepping up to fight a technical striker would be a good option, at least not one with one shot KO power. The UFC should continue to build him fairly slow, not at a Sean O’Malley pace but don’t throw Paddy to the wolves just yet. Two fun matchups for Paddy would be John Makdessi or Matt Frevola. It doesn’t look like he’ll be blowing the gaff off the Echo Arena anytime soon so he should be booked on an upcoming PPV card with fans in attendance.
I really enjoyed both the Preview and Post-Fight Ringer podcasts. The Helwani content is really getting pumped out for us and we all appreciate it. Keep up the great work Ariel!
1) Jared Cannonier (same card as the Izzy fight)
2) Muniz or Tavares (maybe cut to 170, because he didn’t look in great shape)
3) Jim Miller or the Carpenter
1) Cannonier
2) Holland
3) Renato Moicano
1) Cannonier
2) Winner of Strickland v Rockhold
3) Terrance McKinney
Shana Tova Ariel - you’re a mensch and an inspiration.