For quite a while we have heard about the great Shinya Aoki and his legendary submission skills.
Even I have been caught up in his hype, as I have him listed as one of my top 5 lightweights in the world.
However, I am growing tired of reports like this, where it says Aoki will take on Rob McCullough at Dream 17 in September. (MMAJunkie.com)
That will make Aoki’s last two opponents Rich Clementi and Rob McCullough.
McCullough used to be a champion in the WEC, but he still lost his way out of the company and was knocked out by Patricky Freire in his only Bellator appearance. He doesn’t strike me as a real tough lightweight opponent.
Clementi has been out of the UFC for a couple of years and has now lost three of his last four.
While I am impressed with Aoki’s submission ability, I haven’t forgotten that his last great test was against Gilbert Melendez last year in Strikeforce, and he failed miserably.
He put up little fight and was dominated by a legit lightweight contender for 25 minutes.
I like what Aoki can do, but I would like to see him fight in the states and consistently compete against the best in the world. Anyone can look like a beast against cupcake opponents, it is another thing to do it against the best.
