The UFC’s 205 pound problem (round 3)

This is the third time I have evaluated the UFC’s 205 pound division.  As always there is a huge problem with this division.  It typically lies with too much talent and one belt.  This time around we know the problem lies with the latest title fight…  The Oct rankings are out (found here), so lets evaluate!

The rankings say that the UFC’s top 5 should go as…Machida, Rashad, Anderson, Shogun, then Forrest…I don’t agree…

Wild Card:  I am just throwing this out there…  If/When Randy Couture defeats Brandon Vera, he will quickly be in line for a title shot.  One thing Randy does is fight for titles…  If he is able to handily defeat Vera, he very well could jump everyone on this list for a title shot (minus Rua for now).

#1:  Lyoto “The Decision” Machida:  He is the champ and deserves to hold the top spot on my board.  Decision or not, he won the fight and the belt is his.  Unfortunately I don’t see the next fight going the same.  It sucks for Rua, but that was his shot…  Depending on his hand injury, his next fight will be against Rua, and soon.

#2:  Rua:  This may surprise you…Is he the second best fighter in this division, well no.  However the top contender is supposed to be the guy who can truly challenge for the belt and has earned the shot.  if nothing else he answered correctly to both of those questions.  He may have solved all but one piece of the puzzle, and that is how to get the judges to decide against Machida..  Rua is up next (again).  I expect to see this rematch before Matt Hughes gets back in the cage…

It honestly appears that Shogun and Machida are benefiting more from Rampage’s retirement than anyone else in this division!

#3:  Rashad “The Coach” Evans:  The coach is tearing up the TUF scene, but what is next for him?  He is not getting a title shot, not getting Page, and wont fight Jardine…  Timing is everything, and timing equals to him fighting the winner of the Tito vs. Forrest fight to determine who will get the next title shot after Shogun.  That is, if he defeats Thiago in their upcoming fight…

#4:  Tito Ortiz:  I know what you are thinking…How can a guy who hasn’t won a fight in three years be considered the 4th best in this division?  Money that’s how…  If he is able to defeat Forrest ( Mentally he may still be struggling with the Silva loss), then he very well could slide right into a title fight!  I know you are still shaking your head, but think about it.  A Tito versus anyone ahead of him on this list sells.  For all of the trash talk about Tito being the bad guy, Dana can market the world out of him!  Tito sells fights, expect him to be in big ones…  Mark Coleman was nothing more than a welcome back victory for Tito…  Don’t expect fireworks, but expect to hear the name Tito a lot in the coming months.

#5:  Forrest Griffin:  There are a ton of question marks regarding Forrest.  Is he healthy, hows his mental state, but the big one deals with his ability to fight.  Has he been selling the fans fools gold from day one?  Sure, he was a part of the greatest fight in UFC history, but I think he actually lost that one.  His title run consisted of wins over Hector Ramirez, Shogun (the broke one), and Rampage (an MMA boxer).  The stars very well have lined up for a Forrest title run and we could start to see a slide to gatekeeper if he is not careful.  A win over Tito gets him Rashad.  A winnable fight with a solid gameplan, but the Tito fight will be key to his future.

I know you guys disagree with this.  Tell me why!  Don’t hold back, if you Rep it OG style, tell me what matchups you see coming and why…