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Can Takanori Gomi Contend in the UFC's Lightweight Division?

After Takanori Gomi's lopsided loss to Kenny Florian in his March UFC debut, the consensus was that former PRIDE Lightweight champion's time as a relevant fighter had come to an end. Since the demise of PRIDE, he'd spent a lackluster two years in Japan fighting sub-par competition in Sengoku and Shooto, and the Florian loss was the final nail in the coffin. In that fight, Gomi looked slow, tentative, and simply unable to counter anything from Florian's diverse skillset. Going into last night's fight with Tyson Griffin, many felt he had one foot out of the UFC's door and was poised to be pushed out completely.

Today, after a beautiful, crushing punch that put out Griffin, Gomi's career has new life. But where exactly does that leave him in a division currently in flux? Here's Head Kick Legend's Dave Walsh on Gomi:

Takanori Gomi is the same fighter he's always been. The same guy that knocked out Sakurai. The same guy that had the epic war with Nick Diaz. The same guy that won titles in two of Japan's historically biggest promotions. He might have slowed down a small fraction but that is inevitable with the passing of time. The fact is that Gomi always got by with his subpar work ethic when he fought lower level competition. He could knock out fighters like Mitsuhiro Ishida and Luiz Azeredo because they have lackluster chins. He could submit fighters like David Baron and Charles Bennett because their ground games were not up to snuff. Gomi's problems now are precisely the exact reasons he lost his previous fights. He didn't train hard for certain opponents and they either made him pay for it (like Kitaoka, Marcus Aurelio, or Diaz) or he went to unenthusing decisions (like Seung Hwang Bang, Sergey Golyaev, and Jean Silva). The Florian loss was a combination of not having a good training camp and fighting one of the best lightweights out there. Training with Nobuhiro Obiya and Akira Okada at Kugayama Rascal is just not cutting it when you're trying to be an elite lightweight who's fighting at the top level. Going to the States and training here would do wonders for Gomi. He's also never been one for in-cage strategy. It is no secret that Gomi has a lot of success when his opponents start to brawl with him. Gomi's got natural power and enough punching technique to where he can starch guys that come in on him lazily. That ability is always going to be there and we saw it against Tyson Griffin.

I'll trust Walsh's characterization; the man has followed Japanese MMA since before I even knew the UFC existed. With that said, it seems that a focused, well-trained Gomi remains a threat to nearly anyone. And while I wouldn't favor him against current champ Frankie Edgar or BJ Penn and Kenny Florian in rematches, it doesn't seem far-fetched that we could see Gomi climbing into contention. Fights with top contenders George Sotiropolous and Gray Maynard are quite winnable and would create serious buzz around Gomi for a title shot. In fact, I think Gomi's next fight should be against either the Guida/Dos Anjos winner at UFC 117, or George Sotiropolous.

So what do you think, MMA For Realer's? Do you see the former PRIDE champion eventually fighting for UFC gold?

Poll
Will Takanori Gomi ever fight for the UFC Lightweight Championship?
Yes
153 votes
No
61 votes

214 votes | Poll has closed

Comment 10 comments  |  0 recs  | 

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George Sotiropoulos? Hold the phone there for a second. This is the second time I’ve heard someone suggest matching Gomi up with Sotiropoulos but I’m not sure where this crazy idea is coming from. Sotiropoulos is 6-0 in the UFC whereas Gomi is 1-1, with this win coming against a fighter also coming off of a loss. Sotiropoulos is in title contention. Gomi can’t even see the title from where he’s standing. You can’t have George regress that far back in competition. Not to mention, he’d take Gomi down and submit him in the first round easily.

With regard to Gomi contending for the LW title, I wouldn’t hold my breath. However, there are tons of exciting fights for him in the LW division. Imagine how awesome a fight between him and Spencer Fisher would be. Other good match-ups include: Joe Stevenson, Melvin Guillard, Bang Ludwig (much deserved rematch), Aaron Riley, or anyone else who wouldn’t immediately take him down. Good wrestlers that actually use their wrestling, such as Maynard, would be terrible match-ups for Gomi. I actually think Guida and Dos Anjos would both be terrible match-ups for him as well, with Guida completely gassing him in the first round and Dos Anjos submitting him with ease.

by Lucas2 on Aug 2, 2010 4:41 PM EDT reply actions  

lol

So we don’t have a beleiver in Lucas2

I throw raps that attack like the Japs on Pearl Harbor/MC's be out like bank robbers/Fleeing the scene, to be a sole survivor/DJ the getaway driver/Tried to dip but he dive, I socialize on vocal vibes/On tracks stabbed up with razor sharp knives

MMA For Real

by Anthony Pace on Aug 2, 2010 4:45 PM EDT up reply actions  

Trust me, I want to believe. Gomi used to be one of my favorite fighters and I was pumped when it was announced that he was coming to the UFC. Unfortunately, reality has to come into play at some point.

by Lucas2 on Aug 3, 2010 8:27 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions  

Are you serious???

Did you see the “knock out” that Gomi gave to Griffen??
Griffen is a amazing fighter. The only people he’s lost to was the champions or title contenders. (Sean Serk, Frankie Edgar, and Evan Dunham) And he lost to all of them by decision.

I would really want to see Sotiropouls fight Gomi. Seems like the right thing.

by Michael Le on Aug 2, 2010 7:52 PM EDT up reply actions  

Since when does a “knock out” leap-frog someone over an entire division and erase an embarrassing defeat? After Maynard, George is pretty much next in line.

And Evan Dunham is not a title contender. His last two fights have been great performances but he’s still got a ways to go before he’s in the title picture.

by Lucas2 on Aug 3, 2010 8:37 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions  

If Gomi, comes to the US, and picks a solid group to train with

 who will push him, he might end up in a title fight. However, he can still put just about any LW out there to sleep. He just needs a new group of guys who will help him get that fist on people better.

by oggsmash on Aug 2, 2010 6:01 PM EDT reply actions  

Gomi is still the same fighter who looked absolutley average against Sergey Golyaev and Tony Hervey before coming to the UFC. Landing a bomb on a foolish Tyson Griffin doesn’t mean he’s “back”. The next guy who fights him now knows he can’t play around on the feet with him, and will take him down and submit him. Gomi’s wrestling has been dreadful the last several years.

Gomi will stick around awhile in the UFC with this win, but he’ll always just be a middle of the road guy. He’s never going to be one of the elite. His time has passed long, long ago. He can still land a bomb on someone foolish enough to stand right in front of him, as we saw with Griffin, but he’s not the same fighter he was in 2005. Not even close.

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by Brian Mayes on Aug 2, 2010 8:35 PM EDT reply actions  

Gomi is still the same fighter who looked absolutley average against Sergey Golyaev and Tony Hervey before coming to the UFC. Landing a bomb on a foolish Tyson Griffin doesn’t mean he’s "back".

Yessir.

http://www.mmaforreal.com
Follow Me On Twitter@MMA4Real

by Kelvin Hunt on Aug 3, 2010 2:05 PM EDT up reply actions  

Never underestimate the sentimental love for Pride stars.

Check out my MMA highlight videos!
http://www.dailymotion.com/WheelchairBandit

by Brian Mayes on Aug 2, 2010 8:45 PM EDT up reply actions  

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