The UFC has finalized its schedule for the remainder of 2013 and, should the injury bug stay away, it promises to be an impressively prolific spell.
From now until the end of the year, all nine of the UFC's active champions will defend their belts. This remarkable period of MMA will begin at UFC on Fox 8 on July 27 with Demetrious Johnson vs. John Moraga and climax at UFC 168 on Dec. 28 when Anderson Silva rematches Chris Weidman. Two of the events in this time, UFC 165 and UFC 168, will even feature two title fights, the only other event in UFC history to do so was UFC 100 in 2009. During this time, there will also be some very fine UFC on Fox Sports 1 events. Examples being, Chael Sonnen vs. Shogun Rua, Carlos Condit vs. Martin Kampmann and Michael Bisping vs. Mark Munoz.
Interestingly, Johnson vs. Moraga will be the only title bout to not headline a pay-per-view event, it will instead be shown on Fox. Johnson holds the reluctant honour of being the only champion in the UFC to have never headlined a pay-per-view event. It is, however, an understandable decision, the flyweight division is still relatively unknown and Johnson has little name recognition. At this point in his career he would struggle to carry a pay-per-view, appearances on Fox, with more viewers, should help boost his celebrity.
It has occurred purely by coincidence but as the year moves closer towards its end, the events ascend in both size and star power. Like a good opera, this period of events in the UFC appears to form a rising crescendo until it hits a peak and finishes with a big finale.
Seven events from now until the end of the year will feature title fights. The first three of these will be headlined by title fights in three of the lighter weight classes, flyweight, featherweight and lightweight. First, it will be Demetrious Johnson vs. John Moraga at UFC on Fox 8 on July 27. Then, José Aldo vs. Jung Chan-Sung at UFC 163 on Aug. 3 and Benson Henderson vs. Anthony Pettis at UFC 164 on Aug. 31.
The concluding four events will be headlined by light-heavyweight, heavyweight, welterweight and middleweight title bouts. In chronological order, these fights will be Jon Jones vs. Alexander Gustafsson and Renan Barao vs. Eddie Wineland at UFC 165 on Sept. 21, Cain Velasquez vs. Junior Dos Santos at UFC 166 on Oct. 19, Georges St-Pierre vs Johny Hendricks at UFC 167 on Nov. 16 and Chris Weidman vs. Anderson Silva and Ronda Rousey vs. Miesha Tate at UFC 168 on Dec. 28.
Historically, events headlined by the lighter fighters are not as financially and commercially successful as their heavier counterparts. So this crescendo begins with events headlined by three of the lighter champions, it then ascends onto the two heaviest and climaxes with events headlined by the two biggest pay-per-view stars in the sport. The final event of the year, UFC 168, the big finale, even has the possibility of being the biggest in UFC history. The rest of 2013 should be a blockbuster period for both the UFC and its fans.
UFC 162 on Saturday night showcased four of the best featherweights in the world. So, consequently, the featherweights have been a hot topic of discussion in the days following the event. Due to the 'out of sight out of mind' nature of this sport, Ricardo Lamas has been missing from these discussions. Lamas, it seems, is quickly becoming the forgotten featherweight.
Lamas actually started the year in style by impressively finishing Erik Koch in January at UFC on Fox 6, a man who would have fought for the title in 2012 if it wasn't for the injury bug. However, since then Lamas just can't catch a break.
First, less than a fortnight after his win over Koch, the UFC announced that Anthony Pettis would drop down to 145 pounds to challenge José Aldo. Even though, that meant Aldo would be fighting a guy who had never competed at featherweight before, for the second consecutive time.
Then, last month, when Pettis got injured and was removed from his UFC 163 title bout with Aldo, Lamas was again overlooked for the title shot. Instead, the UFC called on Jung Chan-Sung aka the Korean Zombie. Despite the fact that Lamas is currently above the Zombie in the UFC's official rankings and he is riding a longer winning streak in the division.
Following UFC 162, and just in case Lamas hadn't been disregarded enough, all the talk of Aldo's next challenger was focused on Frankie Edgar and Cub Swanson. Many are proposing that the two should fight to determine a number one contender. Some have even suggested that Swanson has done enough and should fight the winner of Aldo/Zombie. A quite ludicrous notion when you consider that Lamas submitted Swanson in 2011 and hasn't lost since, arguably defeating higher caliber opponents along the way.
Lamas's career is strikingly similar to TJ Grant's, albeit with a different outcome. Both had respectable, but not exactly dazzling, stints in one weight class before a move down in divisions reinvigorated their careers. Lamas and Grant went from being middle of the pack in one division to elite contenders in another. They did this by going unbeaten at their new home, beating everyone the UFC put in front of them. Although, neither possesses a big name or personality, Grant's performances alone were enough to get him a title shot. Lamas, on the other hand, is still waiting for his.
It is starting to feel like Lamas isn't 'sexy' enough for a shot at the title. By which i mean he doesn't have a flamboyant fighting style, a loud mouth or any star power. Neither does Grant you might say, which is true but there was basically no other option at lightweight. Featherweight, however, has almost a plethora of contenders to choose from. Twice now, Lamas has lost out to the sexier option. First there was Pettis, a much flashier fighter with a bigger name. Then there was the Korean Zombie and come on, what is sexier than a Korean Zombie?
It is an arduous time for fighters like Lamas in the UFC. This year the likes of Chael Sonnen and Nick Diaz have jumped the queue and received title shots based on their star power and marketability, rather than merit. A few months ago the UFC introduced their official ranking system, which theoretically should stop this type of practice in its track. However, the fact that the UFC chose the Zombie to face Aldo instead of Lamas who is ranked higher shows that this isn't the case.
By rights, Lamas should face the winner of Aldo/Zombie and Edgar vs. Swanson should determine the number one contender after Lamas. His immediate future though is unclear, he reportedly still received his show money after the Zombie was removed from their UFC 162 bout but as of yet he does not have a fight booked.
MMA is a 'what have you done for me lately' kind of sport and Lamas needs to fight while he waits for the outcome of Aldo/Zombie. Otherwise, the title moves further and further away from him. An impressive performance from another featherweight in the meantime or an injury in training while he waits would again result in him missing out on a title shot. Other than remodeling himself into something he isn't, winning is all Lamas can do in order to avoid becoming the forgotten featherweight.
