Outside of Volkov, he’s beaten nobody of note yet. The Blaydes fight would’ve been huge, but he lost. He needs to prove he can beat a top contender, and that he’s durable. He hasn’t proven either yet. Some of you guys just love jumping on European hype trains.
Yup.
I love watching Stipe fight and I think he is one of the best heavyweights we have ever seen, but, his late career does not bode well for his overall legacy. He has held up the division for years and has just been good enough to remain on top this long before Francis came and took his spot.
Now that Francis is gone and Jon is back, I suspect neither Jon or Stipe fight more than 2 times individually. Once they retire, outside of a few outliers, the heavyweight division will finally be moving on from the old vets from Stipe’s generation and the one before.
That legitimately excites me.
Spivac is easily as good a win as Volkov, arguably better. He would very likely beat Volkov.
But who should Sergie fight? Jon isn’t going to fight him
One part of a new HW title fight after Jon gaps it
I’m right there with you. I want to see Jones and Stipe gone more than I want to see them fight. They have slowed things down too much.
If they were to have a trilogy or a couple title fights vs one another here it would probably take the next five years to get it done.
If Jones beat Stipe which is likely… he might retire.
Jones staying champ vs Stipe and fighting three more times would not be surprising.
Jones retiring after beating Stipe and then staying retired or fighting one more time like GSP in a couple years would not be surprising.
Stipe upsetting Jones would be more surprising but still not that surprising.
The most unlikely scenario would be Stipe upsetting Jones and then not retiring and going for another title defense. No way that happens.
Seriously. Man that is gross.
Whether or not I jump on a “hype train” depends entirely on the circumstances. Being European or otherwise makes no difference to me. Most of the time I think guys should be built slowly, sometimes I think guys are ready for a title shot.
Heavyweight has been dying a slow death since the early 2010s. Fighters like Arlovski and Olynik still fight and have success instead of aging out of the sport. We have been stuck with the Shermans, De Limas, and Daukas’s of the world (no disrespect to those guys), seeking the rare exception of a heavyweight with even a glimmer of gold on his shine. We’ve been waiting for a new breed of heavyweight for well over a decade. One that can KO or submit you, is lightning fast, and can double leg you in an instant. A guy that has a high fight IQ, great technique, and confidence dripping from his flesh and bones.
Tom is that guy. He represents of the future of heavyweight in the UFC. Regardless of whether he wins or loses his next fight, he will be the heavyweight champion in 2024. Mark my words.
Gotta go with Pavlovich in this one but that’s a hell of a fight. Power vs speed
Speed vs accuracy, IMO
Pavlovich TKOs guys , not one shot kills them like a Francis
if he does it easy then he can’t retire IMO
gotta do one more defense then he can double retire