Vick, Gaethje have something to prove
One feels he’s been overlooked for too long, other says you can’t talk your way into elite group
James Vick thinks Justin Gaethje is shopworn and built his record by beating sub-par competition in a second-rate organization.
Gaethje believes that Vick is an entitled loudmouth, flapping his gums about all the things he deserves, but disinterested in doing the work required to earn fights with top 10 opponents or main event opportunities.
Gaethje is also quick to point out that there are two reasons the rangy Texan, on a four-fight winning streak, is set to take part in the main event of the UFC’s debut event in Lincoln, Nebraska on Saturday night.
One is because he’ll be on the other side of the Octagon and the second is because Al Iaquinta opted out of the fight and the UFC needed a substitute.
One believes he’s been overshadowed and overlooked for far too long and sees Saturday as his opportunity to prove he’s one of the best fighters in the most talent-rich division in the UFC.
The other is out to make it clear that you can’t talk your way into the upper echelon and that his opponent doesn’t have what it takes to hang with the elite of the lightweight division.
Saturday evening, the time for talking will have passed and Gaethje and Vick will have a maximum of 25 minutes to prove their respective cases.
That alone is a pretty solid hook for Saturday night’s main event and it doesn’t even include mention of the fact that Gaethje is guaranteed excitement in the cage — a guy who has earned four post-fight bonuses in three appearances, including having his two fights from 2017 finish first and second in Fight of the Year balloting.
Even if Vick does opt to stay on the outside and use his long jab for most of the evening, this will still be a compelling clash because there will be a Tasmanian devil stalking him around the Octagon, chopping at his legs with thudding kicks and firing off power shots to the body and head whenever he’s able to get inside and connect.
But the thing that makes this fight — and MMA as a whole — interesting to me is that when you strip away all the bravado and posturing, we’re left with a very basic, but very important question that will be answered this weekend: is James Vick a top 10 lightweight?
Right now, it’s difficult to say.
On one hand, the 31-yearold has won four straight and is 9-1 overall in the UFC, including stoppage wins over Jake Matthews, Abel Trujillo and Joseph Duffy, which is pretty impressive. On the other hand, he’s only beaten one ranked fighter and didn’t look particularly impressive doing so, plus the last time he was paired up with a top 10 opponent, Beneil Dariush, he got knocked out in the first round.
Beating Gaethje would certify the former Ultimate Fighter contestant as a legitimate threat in the lightweight division, and while coming up short wouldn’t necessarily preclude him from ever reaching that designation in the future, it sure would make it more difficult.
This is what I want from fights and why I love them so much.
There is a question about a competitor and their place in the division and it’s going to be answered this weekend.
I honestly don’t know if Vick is a top 10 lightweight — there is compelling evidence on both sides — but he gets the chance to prove himself against a guy whose credentials no one (except for Vick) doubts and I’m stoked to see how it plays out.
Now, there will be still be people who want to deny him a place in the top 10 if he wins simply because they love revising history and discrediting performances the second the smoke clears.
But for the majority of people, beating Gaethje will establish Vick among the division’s elite and set him up for even bigger matchups going forward and when you’re talking about top 10 talents in one of the most popular and competitive divisions in the sport, that means main event assignments and battles that fall after the championship headliners on pay-per-view.
And if those fights are important — and they are — than this fight is important, because no matter the outcome, the winner will be taking part in those types of fights in 2019.
That’s the bit that missing from MMA fandom these days though — that understanding or interest in how the main event of a televised fight card from Lincoln, Nebraska on a Saturday night at the end of August creates a chain reaction that impacts bigger names and bigger cards one, two or three steps down the line.
That’s why good fights get ignored, great fights get undervalued and world-class talents get treated like second-class competitors, all while people moan about the lack of stars and the quality of the fight cards being delivered.
Saturday’s main event between Gaethje and Vick is a crucial contest on numerous levels and should be a good old donnybrook to boot. It’s the kind of pivotal contest that keeps the talent-rich lightweight division moving forward and has the potential to turn someone like Vick into a bona fide contender.
It’s the kind of contest that reminds me why I’m so passionate about this sport and the type of competitive, compelling, electric matchup you really shouldn’t miss.