Who will be the next WORLD CHAMPION to break the MAGIC EIGHT?

[Yetian]

FLW - DJ wins the rematch
BW - if TJ stays healthy and gets by Moraes.. Cruz is a lesser threat
FW - will have to stay healthy and defeat Ortega twice to get 9
LW - Khabib's not rounded - too many contenders/ rising stars
WW - make Woodley work and you beat him late rounds.. Covington is the obstacle
MW - Romero could still beat Whittaker, Adesanya is on his way
LHW - thin division, Gustafsson reigns on top, Jones is the obstacle
HW - ..............................

W SW - Joanna, Karolina, Gadelha and Andrade are all game
W FLW - No threat to Valentina
W BW - No threat to Nunes
W FW - No threat to Cyborg

 

[VIPERdude]

Any fighter can have one good title fight and win gold. Then a proportion of those champs had what it took to string together two good title fights and mount a successful defense of their crown. A smaller proportion than that managed to defend twice. Still fewer compiled 3. Etc. This isn't news to most of you. Any non-casual knows why 8+ defenses is considered the toughest ask in the game. The challenge of winning a title in a second division is nothing to sniff at (even if you do outweigh your "bigger" opponent) but compared to the EPIC SAGA that must be written to encompass 8+ defenses of a World Title, winning a mere 2 title fights in separate divisions is relatively small fry.

Only five masters of the game have achieved this monumental task.

• 11 DJ
• 10 Spider (robbed of 11th by Lutter's lack of professionalism missing weight)
• 9 GSP
• 9 Jose Scarface
• 8 Jonny Bones

Ronda fell at 7. Joanna, Hughes and Tito all fell at 5.

So which of the current champs, if any, has what it takes to join that small, elite band of LEGENDS who have cracked 8+, and expand THE FABULOUS FIVE to THE SPLENDID SIX?

• 1 Thug Rose
• 0 Nicco
• 3 Amanda Leao
• 2 Cyborg
• 0 Henry
• 1 Snake
• 1 Max Blessed
• 0 The Eagle
• 3 T-Wood
• 0 Robert Knuckles (robbed of 1 by Romero's lack of professionalism missing weight)
• 2 DC
• 0 DC

ETA: Teej!

Cyborg right now if she keeps fighting, shes the only one in her division.

On the other hand WHEN Shevchenko wins the belt from Nicco I see her beating everyone in her division handily RIGHT NOW, that being said that is if no big name or skilled fighter emerges in her division at some point.

 

[Bombadil]

Colin "all the belts" McGoat

 

[Rum]

Doesn’t TJ already have 3 defenses? Barao, Cody, and that other guy...*checks internets*... Joe Soto.

Technically, yeah, but the point as laid out in the OP is that it's insanely difficult to build a RUN of defenses. TJ's close battle with Cruz is proof of why. It only takes one of those to derail an epic run.

If Jones wasn't already in the elite club it'd be easier to make "technical" arguments for why the next time he defends the LHW strap it should count as part of his run, but since the point of the thread is to ask who folks reckon has what it takes to be NEW to the club, Jonny Bones is a moot point.

MW - Romero could still beat Whittaker ...

Sure, it's possible, buuuuuuuuuuuut, can Romero still beat his ludicrous weight cut?

 

[fatbino]

Technically, yeah, but the point as laid out in the OP is that it's insanely difficult to build a RUN of defenses. TJ's close battle with Cruz is proof of why. It only takes one of those to derail an epic run.

If Jones wasn't already in the elite club it'd be easier to make "technical" arguments for why the next time he defends the LHW strap it should count as part of his run, but since the point of the thread is to ask who folks reckon has what it takes to be NEW to the club, Jonny Bones is a moot point.




Sure, it's possible, buuuuuuuuuuuut, can Romero still beat his ludicrous weight cut?

I see what you mean. If Jones comes back I don’t think it would count anyway as he was stripped so it wouldn’t be a title defense.

Don’t se anyone sitting dominantly on top of their division, except for cyborg and as noted she doesn’t even have 6 contenders to beat. I’m actually really excited to see most divisions wide open right now.

 

[AZZA B]

Idk Those two fights with Romero have surely taken years off Bobby's career.

Whittaker is as tough as they come, he can handle it.