Questions on your mind about recent happenings in MMA or the sport in general? MMA Junkie’s Twitter Mailbag is here – and this week it’s @mma_kings to answer:
- Is [autotag]Jorge Masvidal[/autotag] a hype train? Are people sleeping on [autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag]?
- If Kamaru Usman clears out his division, could we see him move to middleweight?
- With the UFC catching up on the schedule and continually signing fighters, will mid-week cards will become a normal thing?
Those are answered in the video above. You can also read on a few more topics below.
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Who should Charles Oliveira fight next?
— Diego Russo (@_russoo) July 8, 2020
Who should Charles Oliveira fight next?
That’s a good question. Looking over the official UFC rankings, there aren’t many viable options in the featherweight contender’s vicinity. [autotag]Charles Oliveira[/autotag]’s only chances of fighting up in the rankings would be against Dustin Poirier or Tony Ferguson. A fight vs. Oliveira really doesn’t make sense for Poirier. I suppose Ferguson vs. Oliveira would make some sense, but Poirier vs. Ferguson is the fight to make – so that’s out, as far as I’m concerned. Looking at fighters behind Oliveira in the rankings, Paul Felder already beat him. Plus, Felder is becoming particular about which fights he takes. So that’s out. How about Diego Ferreira? He seems like the best choice available, unless Oliveira wants to hold out for when someone bigger frees up.
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True or False.
1) UFC will host a fight card in an outdoor venue in the next 2 years.
2) UFC will host a card in Hawaii before Max Holloway retires.
3) One of either Rizin, Bellator, or PFL declare bankruptcy in the next 12 months.Thank you!
— Chris (@MapleBacon88) July 8, 2020
Speed round: True or False
True or false. I like these. Always killed it on these in high school (humble brag).
- False. Outdoor fights just don’t make sense. Even in Abu Dhabi, where it never rains, challenges have been presented. So yeah, I feel confident in my answer here. Not going to happen.
- False. It stinks that there aren’t better UFC options in Hawaii, but again, business-wise it doesn’t seem to make sense right now. With how popular fighting is in “The Aloha State,” I think the UFC would’ve gone there by now if they could. Yes, Bellator has gone there, but Dana White has stressed that indoor venues aren’t sufficient for a UFC-level event. I hope I’m wrong. I’m rooting for it.
- True. It’s bound to happen. The COVID-19 pandemic was not financially kind to the UFC’s competitors, I’m sure. If I had to pick one of the three you listed, I’d say PFL is most likely to declare. RIZIN and Bellator have a plan in 2020. PFL is essentially tabling everything for six more months. Yikes.
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What do you think of Masvidal saying he wants to fight Nate Diaz or Wonderboy Thompson if he beats Usman instead of a higher ranked contender?
— FortyRixx (@Ethanrix23) July 9, 2020
What do you think of Jorge Masvidal expressing interest in rematches with Nate Diaz and Stephen Thompson rather than fighting higher-ranked contenders?
This is the era we live in. Fights don’t need to make sense for shot-callers to call the shots. I’m not saying the UFC will oblige Masvidal’s requests, but it’s not out of the question. So if I’m Masvidal, why wouldn’t I take stabs at matchups that benefit me financially or erase wins off my record? It’s worth a shot.
To ask a question of your own, follow @MMAjunkie on Twitter and let us know.