Twitter Mailbag: How to book welterweight, ATT drama, UFC 250 pay-per-view expectations

What UFC matchups should be made at welterweight? What’s up with the latest drama at American Top Team? Will UFC 250 bomb on pay-per-view?

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 @MikeBohnMMA to answer:

  • How should UFC matchmake the welterweight division?
  • Why isn’t [autotag]Jorge Masvidal[/autotag] locked into the next title fight?
  • What’s the future of the flyweight division?
  • What’s next for [autotag]Donald Cerrone[/autotag]?
  • Is [autotag]Amanda Nunes[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Felicia Spencer[/autotag] worthy of a pay-per-view headliner?

Those are answered in the video above. You can also read on a few more topics below.

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Will the fact that Poirier still uses the services of Phil Daru impact the relationship Dustin has with Jorge? I ask as last week Jorge took shots at Daru who recently left ATT to focus on his own ventures.

The drama around American Top Team doesn’t stop, does it? This one is a little bit interesting to me, but at this moment I’m not really expecting any real issues to rise from it.

Yes, Jorge Masvidal did put strength and conditioning coach Phil Daru on blast for leaving ATT. The story didn’t gain much traction because it came right on the heels of Colby Covington’s departure, but Masvidal thought Daru was more interested in using the big names from the gym to build his own brand before splitting from the team to do his own thing.

Daru is still in South Florida, though, and [autotag]Dustin Poirier[/autotag] has been seen working with him on social media. Poirier has also been seen training closely with Masvidal, which leads to your question about whether this is going to create some tension. I don’t think it will right now, for a couple reasons:

  • 1) Poirier has been working with Daru for a while now. He has a main event with Dan Hooker coming up on June 27, and it’s one of the most important fights of Poirier’s career following his title-fight loss to Khabib Nurmagomedov in September. He needs to rebound, and for him to drop Daru at this stage would be a self-inflicted wound that would throw his preparation into some disarray.
  • 2) Masvidal and Poirier are boys. I’ve never heard these two say a bad word about each other in all my years of interviewing them, and although “Gamebred” may have issues with Daru, I think he’s been around the game long enough to understand that differences in opinion happen and his experiences with Daru may not align with the relationship Poirier has formed.

It’s possible the situation changes in the aftermath of Poirier’s fight with Hooker, but to answer the question bluntly: No, I don’t think this causes any strife between “The Diamond” and Masvidal.

Will Alistair Overeem fight for the UFC belt before end of his career?

I hope to see it, honestly. [autotag]Alistair Overeem[/autotag] was one of the fighters that got me into MMA and combat sports, and it’s rather remarkable that at 40 he’s still here fighting at the highest level, winning UFC main events. I think there’s a path for him to the title, but winning in that moment is a much steeper task.

A victor in four of his past five, I don’t think it’s unrealistic one more win could put Overeem in another heavyweight title fight. It might take two. But who will be holding the belt once he gets there? Stipe Miocic or Francis Ngannou seem like the most likely candidates, given Daniel Cormier is almost certain to be retired and Jon Jones’ heavyweight plans have seemingly fizzled.

Overeem has already come up short against both Miocic and Ngannou. He lost his first UFC title opportunity to Miocic at UFC 203 in September 2016, but came within seconds of winning when he dropped Miocic (who proceeded to tap out, of course). Then there’s the Ngannou fight from UFC 217 in December 2017, which remains one of the great knockouts in UFC history as “The Predator” hit Overeem with an uppercut that was winded up from another planet.

Given his competitive nature, Overeem would surely love the chance to get either of those losses back. And it’s not unreasonable to think it will happen.

You got a spare bedroom I can stay in until all this (expletive) blows over? I’m not crazy. I promise.

You are not the first to ask me this question, friend. I would like to take in all those looking to flee from America or elsewhere during this crazy time in our world, as I am a kind Canadian. But alas, it’s just not feasible.

I do in fact have a single spare bedroom, though. So, how do you make yourself the frontrunner? A few questions: Are you tidy? Can you cook? Do you have good taste in Netflix shows? Not crazy is a good start, but let’s strengthen the argument a little bit and perhaps I’ll consider it.

To ask a question of your own, follow @MMAjunkie on Twitter and let us know.