Yesterday EFC Matchmaker Graeme Cartmell posted on twitter
that EFC Middleweight champion Jeremy Smith had signed the contract for his
first title defence. Now I am not entirely familiar with the EFC’s protocol
surround contract signing, but I cannot imagine the EFC and Smith putting pen
to paper without a fight in mind. Who then, will Jeremy Smith defend his title
against?
My initial thoughts were that Jeremy Smith may headline the
fight card for EFC Africa 15, but on analysing the Middleweight landscape, this
just doesn’t seem possible, who would he fight? With the recent developments
regarding Darren Daniel and Tyron Rightford, the last two plausible opponents for
Smith seem to have been removed from contention. Here are my thoughts on Jeremy Smith’s
possible opponents and why it is impossible for him to fight them at EFC 15:
Possible middleweight challengers for Jeremy Smith:
Tyron "Rush" Rightford
Reason: Already has a fight
In my article matches to make after EFC 12, Tyron Rightford
(#3 Middlweight rankings) was my selected opponent for Jeremy Smith's first
title defence. Rightford is currently 3-0 in the EFC and has won his last two
fights in convincing fashion. However, as mentioned earlier, Tyron Rightford
will now likely face Darren Daniel at EFC 15.
Garreth "Soldierboy" McLellan
Reason: Already has a fight
Post EFC 12, former EFC Africa middleweight champion Garreth
McLellan (#2 Middleweight rankings) called for an immediate rematch with Jeremy
Smith. While I think that this would be premature and that McLellan needs to
string together a couple of wins first, many fans think otherwise. McLellan
however is now slated to fight Danie van Heerden at EFC 14.
Darren "Double D" Daniel
Reason: Already has a fight
Darren Daniel (#4 Middleweight rankings) has long been one
of the top fighters in South Africa. Daniel has been absent from the EFC
Hexagon for almost two years, but looks all set to make his return at EFC 15
against Tyron Rightford.
Danie van Heerden
Reason: Already has a fight
Danie van Heerden made a giant leap up the South African
middleweight rankings when he defeated ranked fighter Donavin Hawkey at EFC Africa 12. Van Heerden has also been touted by many as the rightful challenger to Smith’s title. My feelings were that he
required another convincing win against a top opponent to earn a shot, an
opportunity he will been afforded in his upcoming fight against Garreth
McLellan at EFC 14.
Armand de Bruyn
Reason: Has not earned a title shot yet
At EFC 13, Armand de Bryun defeated Abrie Valentine to take
his current EFC win streak to three. De Bruyn however has not fought the level
of opposition that would warrant a title shot, and has at most earned himself a
shot at a top 5 opponent. With all these men, barring Smith, already in action, De
Bruyn will have to wait for things to play out in the Middleweight division.
Michiel Opperman
Reason: Has earned himself a welterweight title shot
The EFC seem to have a tendency of allowing fighters to earn
title fights in adjacent divisions. Opperman, a former middleweight, has been
rampant across two divisions of late and has definitely earned himself a title
shot. While it is generally believed that Opperman will face Jadyson Costa for
the welterweight title, there is an outside shot that he may move back to
middleweight to face Smith. To me this seems preposterous, but stranger things
have happened.
So where does this leave Jeremy Smith?
After looking at the evidence, it is inconceivable that
Jeremy Smith will defend his title at EFC Africa 15. Why then did he sign a fight
contract? With all the top middleweight fighters in action, the logical answer is
that one of the fights at either EFC 14 or EFC 15 is a number one contender
fight and that the winner will get Jeremy Smith.
Which is the number one middleweight contender fight?
This is a very difficult call to make, as one could argue the
case for either Garreth McLellan vs Danie van Heerden or Darren Daniel vs Tyron
Rightford. Here is the evidence we have to work with:
- Darren Daniel (2) and Tyron Rightford (3) are currently on better win streaks than Garreth McLellan (0) and Danie van Heerden (2)
- Garreth McLellan has just fought Jeremy Smith in a title fight and following his loss needs to work his way back to the top
- Darren Daniel has not been in action for almost two years
There are definitely pros and cons for each fight and depending on how one see's the division and weights the importance of each of the above-mentioned points, the viewpoint may change. I personally believe that Tyron Rightford has the strongest claim for a title fight in the middleweight division right now, and short of him being awarded the shot, Rightford vs Daniel should be the number one contender bout. That being said, I can easily see it going the other way.
What does it all mean for the middleweight title?
I believe we will see the winner of one of the potential number one contender bouts earning a title shot against Jeremy Smith at EFC 16 or 17 later this year. This however is purely my
interpretation of recent events and could very well be way off.
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