Issue 110
January 2014
SCOTT JORGENSEN
UFC flyweight, former WEC 135lb
number-one contender
14-7
YES
If you can’t defend your title or you can’t fight for a year and a half to two years, you’ve got to think about stepping down. Otherwise you’re holding the division up and it doesn’t give a lot of legitimacy to the rest of us, it leaves the rest of the division in limbo.
I know if Dominick Cruz had had the title taken away from him he would’ve been p**sed and would have wanted to face Renan Barao for the title immediately, but he couldn’t have argued with the decision.
Injuries happen and if you can’t rightfully defend what’s yours then it’s difficult to keep the division moving along.
It’s hard to say what’s a good time limit; it depends on the injury. Dominick had two full knee surgeries so it’s going to take a lot more time to recover than your hand. For someone like that they need a couple of years to recuperate, and I believe that’s the maximum amount of time it should be.
JOE LAUZON
Bonus-winning UFC lightweight and fan favorite
22-9
NO
I definitely think there should be some kind of limit, but I don’t think you can set a hard time on it like six or eight months, or whatever. It’s tough because if a guy can fight in three months and you’re like, ‘Because you haven’t fought within two years you’re going to be stripped,’ do you really want to pressure guys to fight if they’re not healthy in order to maintain that title? I wouldn’t want to be that person telling people, ‘You have to fight by this date or you’re going to be stripped.’
They always talk about the biggest thing being fighter safety. So if you want to be as safe as possible then you sometimes have to give a little bit more time for those kinds of things. It sucks for the guys that are interim champions, Renan Barao has been a champ for forever it seems, but it’s in the interest of safety.
What you had to say on the matter ...
NO
“If I may, I don’t think we should look at it by time but more by how many #1 contenders an interim champ beats. 2–3 is fair.”
@YOSSTHEBOSS
YES
“Yes there should. If the champion is out over a year his belt should be vacant and number 1&2 in division fight. Simple.”
@NICKSTRICKLAND3
YES
“1 year. If champ is unable to sign for a fight within one calendar year, he loses his title and interim becomes champ.”
@STEVE85UK
NO
“Injury isn’t a good enough a reason to strip a champion. A champion needs to be beaten in the Octagon. So no, there shouldn’t be.”
@MARTIN__14
...
