Denis Kang: Changing the Rankings

Some people say that there is no yardstick for greatness, and in some senses they are probably right, but for the middleweight division there’s one fighter that has tested the mettle of many fighters, separating the men from the boys. There are the Elvis Sinosic-esque gatekeepers, less established fighters who will push the pace with an up-and-comer to see if he can handle the pain, but Denis Kang is a different kind of gatekeeper, and he may hold the keys to the top ten.

In the Japanese market, Kang sets a great standard for success, and his only recent losses are to fighters quickly establishing themselves in the top ten. He went the distance to a razor close decision with Kazuo Misaki. His losses to Akiyama and Mousasi have called into question whether or not he is really a top fighter, but perhaps the real question should be whether or not this establishes Akiyama and Mousasi as top ten fighters.

Mousasi’s win in the Dream Grand Prix, especially his win in the finals over Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza, established him as one of the greatest fighters in the middleweight division, and the king of the Japanese market. The controversial fight with Sakuraba marred Akiyama’s image a little bit, but this is still a well established fighter and a guy who is one of the top up-and-comers in the sport.

Kang has been beaten twice, by two solid fighters, but it seems more and more like he may be a gatekeeper. He has separated the upper tier of the Eastern 185ers from the pack by beating Amar Suloev, Mark Wier, Akihiro Gono, Murilo Rua and Andrei Seminov, and that’s what makes him interesting.

He comes up because of his 48 second destruction of Marvin Eastman, and while Eastman is a beatable fighter, he is one of those guys who is a borderline fighter in the middleweight division, and the kind of name that Kang should have had a competitive fight with, but Kang won easily, and that’s what he does. Guys who should be competitive are destroyed, and guys who are for real, who are legitimate up-and-comers, prove their skills and establish their futures.

Perhaps it sounds a little bit epic, but with more and more fighters establishing themselves in the UFC, Kang remains one of the most established fighters Zuffa doesn’t have his hands on. Perhaps the most significant behind Akiyama and Mousasi. He would, in the context of the major organization, make a huge impact on the contender status of a lot of guys.