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One thing you don't take into account is how much harder it is for lighter weight guys to get looks in a US publication. There were several people (like me when I was still on Ring's panel and Doug Fischer) pushing for Roman well before he cracked in. Some of that rapid rise was people going back to watch things like his earlier fights with Niida. Giampa resisted, and had final say, but there were several outlets (including this site) with him in the top ten well before Ring.
An argument is there that Ring played catch up. Historically, rapid ascents have happened at Ring before. Roy was like nowhere to #3 BEFORE the Toney fight on very limited action against lower-mid top ten fighters. That was a case of trusting their eyes.
That said, until Floyd vacates his titles, there is no reason to think he's really retired. Everyone else is still second fiddle until he does something more than talk about being done.
An argument is there that Ring played catch up. Historically, rapid ascents have happened at Ring before. Roy was like nowhere to #3 BEFORE the Toney fight on very limited action against lower-mid top ten fighters. That was a case of trusting their eyes.
That said, until Floyd vacates his titles, there is no reason to think he's really retired. Everyone else is still second fiddle until he does something more than talk about being done.
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