UFC Fight Night 113: Nelson vs. Ponzinibbio (7/16/2017) - Glasgow, Scotland (The SSE Hydro)

[Elsalvajeloco]

3 hours ago, supremebve said:

That level of Welterweight could very well be the most competitive level in all of MMA.  Magny, Ponzinibbio, Masvidal, Covington, Cerrone, Dos Anjos, and Nelson are all really tough dudes who are tough outs for everyone.  If there was some sort of round robin between all of those dudes, I honestly don't know who would win.  They are all well rounded, tough as nails, but they're also all flawed enough that they'll all lose a fight you expected them to win.  

In that group? Covington. The funny thing is Kamaru Usman could probably be a better version of Covington if he had an opponent to push him to that level. In the Warlley Alves fight, I believe Covington was dealing with an illness or injury. However, I think Covington needed that loss because he wasn't really facing anyone who could push him to do something differently. Usman is at that stage. To be honest, Danny Roberts who fought on this show and is his training partner has fought fighters on the same level or better than Usman's opponents. Usman hasn't fought a Mike Perry. Leon Edwards is a tough, good fighter but that shouldn't be your best opponent two years into your UFC career with top 10 fighter potential. Hell, Vicente Luque just fought Edwards and he is on the same level as Danny Roberts. 

That's how strong welterweight is. Your sparring partners who are way lower on the totem pole in terms of promotional priority can be fighting guys as tough as the ones you're fighting.

[supremebve]

27 minutes ago, Elsalvajeloco said:

In that group? Covington. The funny thing is Kamaru Usman could probably be a better version of Covington if he had an opponent to push him to that level. In the Warlley Alves, I believe Covington was dealing with an illness or injury. However, I think Covington needed that loss because he wasn't really facing anyone who could push him to do something differently. Usman is at that stage. To be honest, Danny Roberts who fought on this show and is his training partner has fought fighters on the same level or better than Usman's opponents. Usman hasn't fought a Mike Perry. Leon Edwards is a tough, good fighter but that shouldn't be your best opponent two years into your UFC career with top 10 fighter potential. Hell, Vicente Luque just fought Edwards and he is on the same level as Danny Roberts. 

That's how strong welterweight is. Your sparring partners who are way lower on the totem pole in terms of promotional priority can be fighting guys as tough as the ones you're fighting.

I'd probably bet on Masvidal, he's the best defensive fighter, and has the offensive firepower to win a firefight.  His issue is he can fight down to his opponent's skill level, these guys would push him to be his best.  I think Woodley, Thompson, and Maia beat everyone beneath them, but after that, there is a bottleneck of super tough dudes who all match up in interesting ways.  

[Elsalvajeloco]

Masvidal is one of my favorite fighters, but he always has one of fights or rounds during a run where you think, "Man, I dunno about this strategy."

I don't think he has had a fight in the UFC yet where he couldn't have won it. He could have TKO'd Maia if he poured it on a little more IMO. So you have to wonder if he will fight with incredible sound strategy (ex. the Cerrone fight) or will he take himself out of the fight by being a little more cautious or measured than he should be? It's like he is always trying to find the right balance between an offensive dynamo and trying to sike his opponent out by playing mind games or showing he isn't affected at all by their offense. I think that's only reason he really hasn't broken into the elite part of the welterweight division.