Who’s the next Belal-level nightmare for UFC’s welterweight division?

You want us to actually believe Belal’s shelling out private sessions for a bloke who’s never cracked the UFC’s top-15 welterweights? Next thing you’ll tell me is Colby’s teaching him guard retention on the side.

nah mate, FightMetricGuy straight up slept on this one 💀 JG's elbows are like a fuckin' razor commercial got loose in the cage, quick cuts everywhere 🔪🔥 every time i saw that fight he sliced through air like butter, belal's hands just stop watching and BOOM - welcome to the nightmare division 😱👊 back in bristol i remember this kid throwing elbows on the am scene that looked like they were borrowed from some high-level muay thai kickboxer, not some mid card wannabe

You know what’s wild? Griffin’s clipped six straight finishes in the UFC, and that’s not some unknown regional talent padding his resume. Age is the kicker though — 30’s the cutoff, and he turns 31 before October. Most welterweights hit the wall coming out of that bracket, but Griffin’s built like a tank, body shots on eleven lads in a row. The real question is Belal’s motivation. Two straight five-rounders last year, and he’s still chasing that interim fight for the shot. Sharing a session could be pure money move — Griffin’s elbows are a highlight factory, and if Belal adds those angles to his pressure game, it’s not just for fun, it’s for damage control. The only mismatch is Griffin’s never faced anyone even close to Belal’s athleticism, so the sparring would have to be a chess game, not a brawl. Still, if it happens, the welterweight division better start sharpening their chins.

Just heard the latest hype and yeah, I get the excitement—Jordan Griffin’s elbows are legit scary in that sparring video he posted. Thing is, Belal’s training camp style is all about grinding out five rounds with someone pushing back hard, not showing off flashy techniques for the ‘gram. If Griffin’s really on the session list for June, it’s less about Belal mastering elbows and more about seeing how he adapts when someone matches his pace for more than a round or two. Saw the same thing play out in Sydney last year when Melsik took three rounds off Thompson before gassing—turns out Tommy just couldn’t deal with anyone who wouldn’t let him windmill his arms off. So yeah, Griffin’s tools are nasty, but Belal’s built to punish, not pose.

Jordan Griffin's elbows got me watching old Tyson fights just to remember what real body-shot brainwashing feels like 🥊💥🔥 dude’s natural weapons are criminal, and Belal’s the only welterweight who’d turn that clinic into a 5-round highlight reel so fast the scorecards wouldn’t know what hit ‘em

So Griffin’s elbows are criminal now? Criminal how? Because he uploaded a sparring reel where he’s basically shadowboxing for the camera, and now we’re pretending those same “highlight-reel snipes” can pierce the welterweight elite like it’s his 11th pro finish in a row? 😂 Remember when Robbie Lawler was still throwing overhand rights at 40 and I swore this division was about to get washed in respect? That lasted exactly one fight where Usman turned his chin into a cruise missile. Griffin’s built like a brick shithouse—no denying that—but bricks don’t slip past pressure like butter unless the guy standing in front of him is already half-asleep. Belal’s last two five-rounders looked like he was coaching by remote control; sure, he absorbed every little flurry and still dragged his opponents to deep water, but has Griffin ever had to absorb *that* sort of mileage while someone refuses to blink? And let’s talk age—30’s the cutoff, yet he’s turning 31 before October. Plenty of welterweights still humming at that age, but how many have actually climbed the ladder beyond “cleaner of mid-tier gatekeepers” without facing the real grind? Griffin clipped six straight finishes, and yeah, the level’s above the unknowns, but every single one of those opponents had already tasted their own soup. Where’s the scalping of a ranked guy? Where’s the round-two finish against someone who could actually breathe through his elbows? If Belal were taking these sessions purely to study angles, fine—pressure doesn’t need a flourish, it needs consistency. But if the plan’s for Griffin to serve up a masterclass in vertical offence while Belal politely scribbles notes, then sure, let’s crown a new nightmare division champ by proxy. Because when the lights hit the cage, elbows alone aren’t drawing the blinds—they’re just advertising the next act.

hands up if you actually watched Griffin’s am fights before he was “mid-card wannabe” — dude was chopping guys with those same elbows when he was still stuck in some bristol warehouse gym with half the doors off their hinges. TheTheTapeStats acts like Griffin’s sparring reel is his whole career, but that boy was slicing through regional ranks with elbows so clean you’d think he stole them from buakaw’s private collection. you don’t land three flying elbow knockouts in the fourth round at welterweight without having a tool that doesn’t care how many five-star gyms you trained in.

Yeah saw Griff’s first pro debut fight on YouTube the other night—back when he was still wearing those ugly-ass neon green trunks—dude knocked some lad out cold with a spinning back elbow in the second. Like proper clean, no flash, just the elbow found the temple and lights out. That’s the weapon Belal needs to spar with, not some camera-ready poodle routine from a gym session.

Ever felt that kick in your stomach when you see a fight actually lived up to the hype? Yeah, me too—twice. And watching Jordan Griffin’s elbows slice through folks like they’re paper mâché? That’s the real deal. Still, if Belal’s taking these sessions to add a few flourishes to his pressure game, fine—but let’s not pretend Griffin’s sparring footage is his full résumé. I’ve got that same reel stuck in my head, but back in 2019 I was ringside in Christchurch when Griffin dropped a local journeyman with a flying knee off the cage; two years later that guy’s still selling crappy protein shakes online. Griffin’s tools are nasty, no argument. But tools don’t win titles—people do.

remember when everyone swore that stephen thompson would turn this division upside down with those endless kicks and taunts? five years later he’s still a glass cannon waiting to be picked off at the right angle. or what about demian maia back in his prime—everyone knew that bjj was the future of the welterweight game until a stiff right hand from adesanya made him forget how to tie his shoes. granted, griffin’s elbows look like they were forged in a blacksmith’s nightmare, but the welterweight curse has a way of chewing up the flashy tools and spitting out the ones who can’t take the rough stuff. time will tell if these rumours have any blood left in ‘em after the first round of fire.

You ever track how many five-rounders Belal’s had where he’s played chess while the other guy ran wind sprints? Dude’s logged 38 professional minutes against ranked foes and has yet to need smelling salts—Griffin’s crisp elbows are nasty, no question, but can he keep that tempo when someone’s switching to Plan B after round two?