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Sorting out the UFC lightweight division’s beautiful mess

The UFC's deepest division includes (from left) Dustin Poirier, Tony Ferguson, Conor McGregor, Donald Cerrone and lightweight champ Khabib Nurmagomedov. (Amber Matsumoto/Yahoo Sports)
The UFC's deepest division includes (from left) Dustin Poirier, Tony Ferguson, Conor McGregor, Donald Cerrone and lightweight champ Khabib Nurmagomedov. (Amber Matsumoto/Yahoo Sports)

Saturday’s UFC main event in Ottawa featured a thrilling battle between two top lightweight contenders, with Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone (36-11-1) besting “Raging” Al Iaquinta (14-5-1) over five rounds. In a way, the bout encapsulated everything good as well as frustrating with perhaps the promotion’s most talent-rich division.

Cerrone made a great case that he is ready for a title shot in dispatching Iaquinta, one of the hottest young fighters in the division. Yet there’s no clear great next option for “Cowboy” because of the complicated backlog at the top of the lightweight division, which contains not one, or two, but three great fighters all with a legitimate claim to the title of “champion.”

In 2018, Iaquinta showed his elite mettle in going the distance against Khabib Nurmagomedov (27-0) after accepting the lightweight title fight on just about a day’s notice. Then, in December, Iaquinta beat fellow top title prospect Kevin Lee (17-4) in decisive fashion. Other than the decision losses to Nurmagomedov and Cerrone, Iaquinta has won his six other most recent outings, including four by way of either TKO or KO. So, Cerrone surely earned a title fight by beating Iaquinta for his own third-straight win.

The only problems are that:

  1. Cerrone is not the only one who deserves a title shot next.

  2. There’s more than one lightweight “champion” in the UFC.

  3. None of the champs are immediately available for another fight.

Dustin Poirier (25-5) recently won the interim lightweight belt by beating featherweight champ Max Holloway, even though it had not been even close to a year since Nurmagomedov defended his undisputed title by submitting Conor McGregor (21-4) last fall.

To make matters even more weird, that fight was only made after Nurmagomedov and another interim champion, Tony Ferguson (24-3), weren’t able to sync up and fight one another. Ferguson himself was only given a chance at an interim lightweight title after McGregor was effectively stripped when he couldn’t come to terms with the UFC to defend the title he’d won by knocking out Eddie Alvarez (29-7) in 2016. Ferguson won the interim title in October 2017, then proceeded to call out McGregor.

Ferguson was later unilaterally stripped by the UFC of the interim title, but he never lost the belt in the ring, and still calls himself the champ. Now, Ferguson, Poirier and Nurmagomedov all consider themselves top dog in the division, with the latter two each holding a UFC belt.

Although Nurmagomedov’s nine-month suspension for his part in a brawl after his submission victory over McGregor ends in July, he’s chosen to sit out a full year in solidarity with his suspended teammates. Meanwhile, Ferguson is reportedly suffering from mental health and family issues.

OTTAWA, ON - MAY 04:  (L-R) Donald Cerrone kicks Al Iaquinta in their lightweight bout during the UFC Fight Night event at Canadian Tire Centre on May 4, 2019 in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
Donald Cerrone kicks Al Iaquinta in their lightweight bout at Canadian Tire Centre on May 4, 2019 in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. (Getty Images)

So, perhaps Cerrone could fight Poirier next, for that version of the UFC lightweight title? Well, not so fast, because Poirier has expressed interest in fighting Nurmagomedov and the Dagestani’s own team has stated that they want that fight as well.

Interim title throws wrench in lightweight division

The UFC using the strong-arm tactic of issuing frequent interim title fights and belts has made lightweight a mess. Athlete suspensions and personal issues have exacerbated the confusing logjam.

Still, lightweight is an exciting and worthwhile division to watch right now. None of the three champions are imposters, and for a variety of reasons each has a rightful claim to the top spot.

Nurmagomedov has never lost as a professional, Ferguson has won 11-straight and has not lost since 2012 and Poirier has fought 11 times since 2015 and lost only one of those outings. If any of these men isn’t truly “undisputed” as champion, it is to no fault of their own.

Beneath them, worthy potential challengers like Cerrone, Iaquinta, Lee and Justin Gaethje (20-2) await. As convoluted as the top of the division is, now, its embarrassment of talent riches at least makes it a beautiful mess. There’s no easy or guaranteed way to achieve clarity at the top of 155 pounds in the UFC at present, but here’s my suggested general path:

Nurmagomedov and Poirier face each other next as both of them have teased. Hopefully, Ferguson gets the help he needs. It would be irresponsible for the UFC to allow him to take more stress and brain trauma in camp or another fight until or unless his troubling personal issues are safely resolved.

After Poirier and Nurmagomedov battle, Cerrone can take on the winner. On the other side of the bracket, so to speak, whichever fighter comes out more successful and healthy in the next 6-12 months between guys like Gaethje, Iaquinta and Lee, fights the winner of that bout.

Why McGregor vs. Cowboy could be next

There is, of course, always the possibility that McGregor could muddy up the lightweight waters even further. It is true that the former two-division champion has lost more than he’s won in boxing and MMA combined since 2016 and he is only 1-1 at lightweight in the UFC with his most recent outing being the one-sided submission loss to Nurmagomedov.

Still, his fame makes him a big-money draw and thus appealing to many of these would-be opponents. McGregor wants to fight Nurmagomedov, again, without having to get back in the win-column, first, and the UFC has given explicit indication that they’d like that as well.

So, if McGregor can stay out of legal trouble long enough and work out his equity requests and contract negotiations with the UFC, it is entirely possible that the brash star will get another crack at gold again, soon. Nurmagomedov’s camp, however, is correctly stating that McGregor has not done anything to warrant another fight with the champion. But if McGregor returns to the Octagon and defeats Cerrone, then McGregor vs. the winner of Poirier-Nurmagomedov would be music to the UFC’s ears.

Beyond that, Cerrone is calling for McGregor to fight him next, telling ESPN that “Notorious” needs to “get a grip on life” and fight him.

As of now, the lightweight division itself is just as slippery as it is fun to watch.

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