Misha Cirkunov argues light heavyweight still the toughest division in the UFC

Throughout the history of the UFC, the light heavyweight division has arguably been the most publicized and watched weight class in the promotion.

At 205-pounds, six fighters have been named to the UFC Hall of Fame and competitors such as Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz have been recognized in the past as the biggest names in the sport during their eras competing inside the Octagon.

Of course in the modern era, Jon Jones has been recognized as arguably the greatest talent the sport has ever seen with current champion Daniel Cormier nipping at his heels with an incredible record at both light heavyweight and heavyweight.

Still, the light heavyweight division has been scrutinized in recent years for also becoming one of the most painfully thin weight classes in the UFC. There's no denying light heavyweight still boasts a few legends at the top, but a journey outside of the top five rankings doesn't exactly read like a who's who list of top competitors.

Misha Cirkunov, who has been recognized as possibly the next big thing in the 205-pound division, doesn't agree with that assessment whatsoever. With a 4-0 record in the UFC with four finishes, Cirkunov knows how tough his division is to navigate and he'd argue with anybody who doesn't believe that the light heavyweights are still the best of the best when it comes to overall talent in mixed martial arts.

According to Cirkunov, the problem is most fighters at 205-pounds don't talk like Conor McGregor so they don't get noticed as much, but when it comes to skills and toughness, he doesn't feel like there's any division better than light heavyweight.

"I think it's one of the toughest divisions in the game," Cirkunov told the Fight Society podcast this week. "There's a lot of super elite guys. We have guys like Jon Jones, who is back on the scene. Daniel Cormier is beating everyone. He was slamming people on the head at heavyweight. You have Alexander Gustafsson, who is a phenomenal fighter, Glover Teixeira, there's a lot of top guys. The reality is a lot of 205'ers they're not really vocal and they don't really trash talk each other. There's not many trash talkers at 205.

"But just because we don't trash talk each other doesn't mean they're not tough. Cause the general public they just look at 'oh that guy said that!' People listen with their ears but they don't really look at the performances."

Cirkunov considers himself among those elite fighters at light heavyweight, and he hopes to prove that once again when he takes on Volkan Oezdemir this Sunday in Sweden as the co-main event at UFC Fight Night airing live on FS1.

While it's not exactly his job to defend the division, Cirkunov truly believes that pound-for-pound there's no tougher weight class in the sport than 205-pounds.

Cirkunov would even argue that light heavyweight would trump the heavyweight division considering Cormier as the current champion at 205-pounds was undefeated in that weight class and only moved down to avoid a potential clash with his teammate Cain Velasquez.

"It's like 205, is a very, very tough division. It's tougher than 185, it's tougher than 170, it's tougher than 155. The only division that's tougher than light heavyweight is heavyweight and still we have a champion who has been slamming heavyweights literally on their heads," Cirkunov said. "Now he's fighting at 205. For even heavyweight guys, try to come to 205 and beat Daniel Cormier or Jon Jones.

"Just because they don't trash talk doesn't mean they aren't tough. I look at it like a Great Dane. A Great Dane doesn't bark often but it has a big bite. Just because it doesn't bark often doesn't mean it doesn't it's not a tough as a dog."

Listen to Cirkunov and Ben Saunders on the latest Fight Society podcast via Soundcloud or download and subscribe via Apple Podcasts.