The Welterweight division is undergoing a glorious revolution.
In the last year, there have been numerous examples of the next wave of contenders rising through the ranks to feast on the previous generation. Long-established names like Leon Edwards, Stephen Thompson, and Gilbert Burns are being forced out of contention, and in some cases, forced out of the rankings entirely. Meanwhile, young lions like Jack Della Maddalena, Sean Brady, and Ian Garry are leading the pack for the new wave, helping to clear the old guard and show that the next generation has arrived right now.
Just to add to the fun, Lightweight kingpin Islam Makhachev is jumping up to 170-pounds for an immediate title shot.
UFC Atlanta’s main event of Joaquin Buckley vs. Kamaru Usman will either be a continuation or reversal of this trend. Usman, former pound-for-pound king with five titles defenses to his name, was undeniably the best Welterweight of his generation. Buckley, conversely, is establishing himself as a top old dog hunter, having already sent “Wonderboy,” Vicente Luque, and Colby Covington to the glue factory.
With Usman still ranked at No. 5 in the world, this is undeniably a relevant fight even if the former champion’s best days would appear to be behind him. It should be a huge opportunity for Buckley. Generally, being an exciting knockout artist on six-fight win streak who then beats up an all-time great on his way out would be an obvious stepping stone for a title shot.
Plus, who wouldn’t enjoy watching “JDM” vs. “New Mansa?” It’s a striker’s delight, an easy sell to casual and hardcore fanbases alike. In many other circumstances, Buckley would clearly be fighting for a title shot.
Unfortunately for the St. Louis native, these are not usual circumstances. Islam Makhachev’s opportunity is pretty much guaranteed despite Buckley’s objections. The undefeated-but-injured Shavkat Rakhmonov deserves a title shot. Brady has an excellent argument after easily strangling “Rocky.” Garry is already back in the immediate mix of deserving contenders after his short-notice, five-round victory over Carlos Prates.
This logjam of deserving challengers is great for the sport and for fans, but it sucks for Joaquin Buckley, who could be anywhere from one to three wins away from a chance at UFC gold. Because of his prior losses up at Middleweight — where he was far too small yet still picked up some decent wins — he still remains a dark horse contender, generally overlooked in the big picture despite his impressive results.
The only way to leapfrog the other contenders is to win dramatically, which is of course easier said than done. If Buckley can brutalize Usman and knock him cold, that’s a strong visual, a formidable argument that he should be considered next for the title shot after Makhachev.
There’s a bit of risk and reward here. Buckley will likely have to take additional chances to chase the highlight reel finish, and those gambles could certainly backfire against a wrestler as skilled and experienced as “The Nigerian Nightmare.” At the same time, every high-level Welterweight fight he’s forced to take before earning a title shot is a risk too. Is it easier to fight conservatively against Usman, maybe win a decision, and then have to face Brady/Garry/Rakhmonov in a maybe title eliminator? What if he has to fight two of them? None of those men are easy fights for any 170-pounder.
If there was ever a time for these top-ranked contenders to pull out all the stops and impress, it’s right now. The exceedingly deep pool of Welterweight contenders adds an extra element of pressure to UFC Atlanta’s main event, which really amplifies an already intriguing main event match up.
Hopefully, that pressure helps produce an incredible fight, one way or another.
