Fights to Make After UFC 259

(Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC.)

Jan Blachowicz vs Glover Teixeira - UFC Light Heavyweight Championship

(Jeff Botarri/Zuffa LLC.)

Jan Blachowicz got it done and retained his UFC Light Heavyweight Championship on Saturday night. Blachowicz defeated UFC Middleweight Champion Israel Adesanya by Unanimous Decision. It was Izzy’s first loss of his professional career and the first title defense for Jan. Jan won the fight 4-1 on all 3 judge's scorecards and showed why we have weight classes in MMA. Adesanya was a bit hesitant to fully open up his striking arsenal due to the power coming back in return. This allowed Blachowicz to get comfortable and start dictating the pace of the fight. Through 3 rounds, the fight was an incredibly close kickboxing match. Either man could make a claim to be up 2-1. Jan showed his superior grappling and strength in the championship rounds and put a stamp on the fight. He took Adesanya down at will over the last 10 minutes and controlled the fight. The right man won on Saturday. Now some normalcy can be brought back to the division.

(Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC.)

The likely next Title Defense for Blachowicz will be against Glover Teixeira. Glover is a long time veteran of the MMA game dating back to his professional debut in 2002. He is a former Title Challenger and 15-5 under the UFC banner. He is 41 years old and certainly at the tail end of his career, but some may say he’s never looked better. He is riding his first 5 fight winning streak since 2013. Glover weighed in as the backup fighter for the bout this past Saturday and is unanimously being recognized as the next challenge for Jan’s “Polish Power.”

Israel Adesanya vs Whittaker if he beats Costa OR Winner of Till vs Vettori - UFC Middleweight Championship

(Getty Images)

So this entry might be a bit confusing, but I’ll elaborate. Adesanya’s next move will be to go back down and defend his Middleweight Championship again. His next opponent is yet to be seen. The UFC is sorting out Middleweight contenders by having 3 Middleweight Main Events in 4 weeks. These matchups include Derek Brunson vs Kevin Holland, Marvin Vettori vs. Darren Till, and Robert Whittaker vs Paulo Costa. The best option for the next shot at the belt is currently Robert Whittaker. He is the former UFC Champion and is coming off back to back wins over Darren Till and Jared Cannonier since losing the belt. If he were to beat Paulo Costa, he would be the obvious choice to be next for the belt.

With the being said, I don’t feel the same way about Costa. He just got demolished by Adesanya in his last fight and would probably need another win. So, if Whittaker wins, put him in there with Izzy. If Paulo wins, give Izzy the winner of Vettori vs Till. Both of these men have a storyline linking them to Adesanya. Till is one of the only contenders who is yet to face Israel. He is a dynamic striker and Adesanya has openly said Till is the most intriguing matchup left in the division. Marvin Vettori has fought Izzy before, but it was very early in each man’s UFC run and remains one of the closest fight of Adesanya’s career. You could sell this fight no matter who wins and there would be fresh blood in the Title Fight. Things have to play out in the Middleweight division, but I’m keeping my match maker hat ready.

Amanda Nunes vs Julianna Pena - UFC Bantamweight Championship

(bbc.com)

Amanda Nunes continued to run through her competition Saturday night, defeating Megan Anderson by first round submission. The fight was described as a “non-event” by Joe Rogan and Daniel Cormier on the broadcast, and rightfully so. Nunes began to batter Anderson early in the fight. Anderson was hurt badly on the feet within the first 60 seconds, and wound up in a triangle armbar within 2 minutes. There is nobody at Featherweight for Amanda to fight anymore, so she has to go back down to her original weight class. The next fight for her down there is probably Julianna Pena.

(Esther Lin/MMA Fighting)

Pena is a UFC veteran dating back to 2013 when she won Season 18 of The Ultimate Fighter. She has proven herself to be top 5 in the division since, going 5-2 after winning the show. Her only losses have been to current Flyweight Champion Valentina Schevchenko and Former Featherweight Champion Germaine de Randamie. It is either going to be Pena or #3 ranked Aspen Ladd. But Pena has the better resume and has been calling out Nunes for years. Enough that Nunes has publicly discussed her dislike of Pena. So, you know, a little heat never hurts. This is probably the next fight for the GOAT and most likely another spectacular performance.

Megan Anderson vs Honestly, IDK

(Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC.)

The UFC Featherweight Division is basically a sign up and fight system. There are no rankings because there isn’t even 15 fighters on roster. I don’t even think there’s 10. Many fighters have been giving a shot at Nunes within 1 or 2 fights in the division and there isn’t enough talent to build a legitimate roster. I honestly think the division will be dissolved. The UFC threatened to dissolve the Men’s Flyweight Division many times in the past when it also had a lack of legitimate talent. So I honestly have no clue who Anderson will fight next, or even if it will be in the UFC. Which is kinda absurd. Like look at these rankings!

Aljamain Sterling vs Petr Yan 2 - UFC Bantamweight Championship

(Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC.)

This is an absolute no brainer and kills two birds with one stone. The Title Fight between Aljamain Sterling and Petr Yan ended in an unprecedented way on Saturday night. For the first time in UFC history, the Championship changed hands due to disqualification. The fight started off normal, exciting even. The first round was very close and competitive. 2 judges scored it for Yan, and one judge gave it to Aljo. I personally gave it to Aljo as well. The 2nd round was also close. Yan was beginning to find his groove on the feet, but most of the round was spent with Sterling in control. Round 3 was the most dominant of the fight, and it was Yan in control. He was beginning to tag Sterling regularly and the fatigue began to wash over Aljo’s face. He finished the round beaten up and the momentum had changed. Through 3 rounds, 2 judges had the fight 2-1 Yan, and one had it 2-1 Sterling. The 4th round is where it got wonky.

(Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC.)

For the first 4 minutes of the round, it seemed a lot like the 3rd. Yan was clearly pulling away and starting to put damage on Sterling. After a failed takedown, Sterling was on his knees and Petr was standing. You hear Yan ask his corner if he can kick, then throw a hard knee through Sterling’s hands and onto his temple. It was clearly illegal and a huge shot. This shot likely concussed Aljamain and the fight was stopped on the advice of the referee and ring side doctor. Sterling is the new Champion by disqualification after likely being down 3 rounds to 1. He has admitted this was not the way he wanted to win the belt and Yan has been gracious. Petr even wished Aljamain a speedy recovery and apologized for the foul.

(Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC.)

Jan Blachowicz’s win added normalcy to the Light Heavyweight Division, this fight needs to happen for Bantamweight normalcy. The Champion doesn’t seem legitimate, especially because Sterling was losing the fight. All other contenders must wait, these two have very unfinished business. They were also talking mad shit to each other before the fight, so the rematch will probably be even better.

Islam Makhachev vs Tony Ferguson

(Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC.)

This fight might not happen, but I honestly think it’s a good matchup and could maybe be the best storyline in the Lightweight Division. Islam is one of the most hyped prospects in the UFC and showed why against Drew Dober. Makhachev controlled the fight on the feet and definitely in the clinch. He smothered Dober and dominated him the entire fight before securing an arm triangle choke in the 3rd round. Islam entered the fight ranked #14, but should climb after a performance like that. Tony Ferguson is currently ranked #5th, but he is coming off two straight losses to Justin Gaethje and Charles Oliveira. Islam is good friends and main training partners with Khabib Nurmagomedov. The average UFC fan knows the history of Khabib vs Tony and the fight that never happened. Their rivalry lived on through 4 fight cancellations. Now with Khabib retired, he can coach his “little brother” into a fight with one of his biggest rivals. It would be a compelling fight. The biggest for Islam’s career and a crucial win for Tony if he wants to remain relevant. I love everything about this fight and the UFC should book it as soon as possible.

(Mike Roach/Zuffa LLC.)

Drew Dober vs Thiago Moises

(Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC.)

Drew Dober stumbled in his biggest opportunity to date. He was controlled by Makhachev and was never able to showcase his elusive striking background. He is still a top fighter and a top 15ish guy. He has served as a solid barometer, or gatekeeper, for future studs for a while now. A new “future stud” that is on the rise is Thiago Moises. Moises just had his best performance to date 2 weeks ago in a Unanimous Decision victory of Alexander Hernandez. Hernandez is also a top 15ish guy and Moises handled him in every aspect. A fight with Dober could be the opportunity Moises needs to break into the top 15.

(Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC.)

For Dober, it is another fight like many before. He will test himself against the best up and coming fighters. Hopefully Dober can look impressive and earn himself another ranked opponent.

Aleksandar Rakic vs Winner of Dominick Reyes vs Jiri Prochazka

(Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC.)

Aleksandar Rakic didn’t look like a world beater on Saturday, but he did get the job done. In a kinda rare, but very boring, timid Light Heavyweight scrap, Rakic and Thiago Santos kinda boxed with each other for 15 minutes. Rakic did a good job of going to the clinch and controlling Santos. Neither man really went for broke or put on a show. Rakic beat the #2 contender, but didn’t impress enough to be awarded a title shot. It is certain that Glover Teixiera is next fo the belt, and #3 Dominick Reyes is set to fight #5 Jiri Prochazka in May. The winner of that fight will likely need one more win to reach a title shot, so meeting up with Rakic makes since.

Reyes is coming off a Title loss to Jan Blachowicz, while Prochazka KO’d Volkan Oezdemir in his debut. A win for Reyes would only be one since his loss and a win for Jiri is only his 2nd in the UFC. A bout with Rakic would determine a true number one contender after Jan vs Glover in the near future.

Thiago Santos vs Johnny Walker

(mmaindia.com)

Thiago Santos needs a bounce back fight. He is currently on the first 3 fight losing streak of his career. Since losing his Title Shot against Jon Jones and badly injuring his knee, he has also lost to Glover Teixeira and Aleksandar Rakic. Santos looked tentative against Rakic and never released the massive power he is known for. Thiago used to be known for rushing in and throwing fast bombs. His burst has slowed down tremendously in his last 2 fights. A fan friendly bounce back matchup with be against fellow Brazilian Johnny Walker.

(thesun.co.uk)

Walker is an absolute character. He came into the UFC all the rage. He had a crazy attitude, danced to the ring, rocked a mohawk, and had serious power. His first three fights in the UFC lasted a combined 2:48, with Walker going 3-0. Since then, Johnny has gone only 1-2 and his hype train is almost completely derailed. He recently knocked out #13 ranked Ryan Spann and is sitting at #10. This would be a fight of who can land first and who will finally open up again. Hopefully nobody hurts themselves doing the worm.