Pointless Fun (at least for me): Welterweight Tournament
The UFC Welterweight division is a mess. Paul Daley has thrown the ultimate wrench into the title picture and with GSP ready for a return in early 2010 we have no idea who the hell is going to face him. Whomever the UFC chooses will have some legitimate criticisms against a title shot. There is not one "contender" who clearly deserves the title shot. Recently the idea (which will never happen) of a welterweight contender tournament has been discussed and discussed. While the idea makes sense and I cannot find a fan that would not love to follow a tournament, it is most likely not going to happen.
However, that does not need to prevent us from having some fun, creating a bracket, and voting on who we think would win. For pure entertainment purposes WKR has ranked the top 16 UFC Welterweights and placed them in a single elimination bracket. I am sure there will be much dispute over the seeds, but that is why we play the games (you know what I mean) and the true winner (in our minds) will come out on top. Below I have listed the seeds and a copy of the tournament breakdown. We will sporadically post different match-ups and make our way through the tournament. You will vote to decide who would move on. *Seeding note: the seeds are based off of who WKR (myself this time, I do not want to throw other writers under the bus) believes to be the top welterweights and not who is next in line. While Swick might be closer to a title shot than Thiago Alves (because he just lost), Alves is the better fighter.
Seeds and tournament after the jump.
1. Thiago Alves 9. Paul Daley
2. Jon Fitch 10. Carlos Condit
3. Josh Koscheck 11. Karo Parisyan
4. Mike Swick 12. Dong Hyun Kim
5. Martin Kampmann 13. Dustin Hazlett
6. Dan Hardy 14. Anthony Johnson
7. Paulo Thiago 15. Marcus Davis
8. Matt Hughes 16. Brock Larson
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this is probably just as good of a scheme to pick the next contender as any for that clusterf*** of a division. if the ufc polled people like this, at least the fans would be getting the fight they wanted. Since GSP spoils anything competitive about the weight class. Damn his superior talent.
i am pretty sure we have talked about it, but all five divisions (light heavy and heavy not for sure yet) to have dominate champions and it screws up the division. It hurts the UFC when Silva has to find in light heavyweight or wants to fight heavyweight to keep things interesting.
"That's an Awfully Big Mustache"-Frank Drebin
watchkalibrun.com
I like it
I like the bracket idea. Even at least an 8 man tourney with Alves, Fitch, Koscheck, Swick, Kampmann, Daley, Hardy & Hughes. I am as big of a Brock Larson fan as anyone, but you have to put Mike Pierce in that bracket.
MMAMoneyLine
Honestly i was really confident with the top 15 and had about 10 people i wanted to put at 16. There were so many fighters i wanted to put there and i could have put any.
"That's an Awfully Big Mustache"-Frank Drebin
watchkalibrun.com
by Zach Krantz on Sep 25, 2009 12:59 AM EDT up reply actions
Yeah, you nailed the top 15. I still can’t believe Larson lost.
MMAMoneyLine
by MMAMoneyLine on Sep 25, 2009 10:00 AM EDT up reply actions
I'm really liking this
Great idea Zach.
With all the talk of a WW tournament, it’s about time someone actually seeded a tournament and played it out fantasy-style.
One minor niggle is that I’d put in Pierce in Larson’s place since he beat him. But besides that, you nailed it.
watchkalibrun.com
yea, you guys are probably right on larson/pierce
"That's an Awfully Big Mustache"-Frank Drebin
watchkalibrun.com
by Zach Krantz on Sep 25, 2009 12:49 PM EDT up reply actions
Love the bracket…I like Larson in there for tournament purposes…but Pierce really would deserve the spot…I worked out the tournament at home and final 4 worked out like this…#4 Swick def. #1 Alves (kind of an upset), and #2 Fitch def. #14 Johnson…after that…I’d love to see #4 Swick fight #2 Fitch…and I’d have to go with balls-to-the-wall Fitch on that one…
just 1 man’s opinion…

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