Fights to Make Following UFC 260
- benwilley18
- Mar 30, 2021
- 9 min read
(Mike Roach/Zuffa LLC.)
(C) Francis Ngannou vs #1 PFP Jon Jones - UFC Heavyweight Championship
(Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC.)
OOOOOOO boy this is a juicy one! And I don’t mean that to be a Jones steroid joke. Ngannou vs Jon Jones will be the biggest Heavyweight fight in UFC history. Ngannou realized a life long goal when he KO’d Stipe Miocic in the 2nd Round Saturday night. Francis showed vastly improved takedown defense and a patience we hadn’t seen in him. He picked his shots and knew when to explode. And explode he did. Ngannou is now officially the scariest man in the world and the most exciting Heavyweight Champion we have had in a long time. The Light Heavyweight GOAT Jon Jones is making his debut at Heavyweight and was announced to be receiving a Championship fight against the winner of Francis and Stipe. Jones has earned the immediate title shot by being one of the top 5 greatest fighters to ever breath. As soon as Ngannou’s hand was raised, this fight should have been booked. It is the fight both men and the UFC want to make and should be the most exciting fight in recent memory. Ngannou’s first title defense is going to be a tough one, but Jones himself has a puzzle to figure out. Calm Wrestler Francis is the most frightening person I’ve ever seen in my life.
(Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC.)
Stipe can go a couple different routes here. The 39 year old could certainly consider retirement. He has seemed annoyed at reporters when asked about a future retirement, even jokingly saying “don’t you guys want me here?” in the post-fight presser of UFC 252. But the Former Champion now has to work his way back up the ladder, and I’m not sure that is a journey Stipe wants to take. I believe, like his foe DC, Miocic is only interested in Title Fights at this point in his career. Sadly for Stipe, he probably wont be awarded the immediate rematch he deserves with Ngannou. They are now 1-1 and you could make a case for the trilogy fight, but as soon as Stipe lost, the narrative on Francis vs Jones began to grow. That is the fight that is most likely going to be booked next, which leaves Miocic out in the Cleveland cold. If Stipe does want to continue and work his way back, the right fight would be against “The Black Beast” Derrick Lewis. While yes, this mans balls are hot, he is not a joke in the Heavyweight division. He is the All-Time leader in Heavyweight KOs in the UFC and on one of the best runs of his career. The Former Title Challenger has now won 4 fights in a row for the first time since February, 2017. This is the fight that would’ve happened if Stipe won the first DC fight, but I wouldn’t mind seeing it now. The winner would most likely face the winner of Francis vs Jones. If Stipe wants to stay in the mix, a matchup with Lewis is his quickest route back to a title.
#6 Vicente Luque vs. The Clock (or Maybe Nathan Diaz?)
(Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC.)
sIt pains me to say Vicente Luque will probably have to wait for a big matchup following the biggest win of his career against Tyron Woodley. Luque added the first big name to his resume to climb up the rankings and did it in fantastic fashion. Woodley came out super aggressive, making a point to change his fortune on a 3 fight losing streak. Tyron even rocked Luque, but he then began to open up too much. Woodley’s looping counters were too slow for a recovered Luque’s counter shots. Vicente began to clobber Woodley before a staggering Tyron ended up in a d’arce choke. Luque became the first man to submit Woodley in his career. After the fight, Vicente used his platform to call out Nathan Diaz. Yes Nathan. Not Nate. While I think this would be an absolute banger of a fight, I doubt Diaz takes it. I don’t believe Luque is a big enough name to draw Diaz into the octagon. So with that being said, Vicente might have to let the Welterweight division clear out a bit. The Champion Kamaru Usman is set to fight #4 ranked Jorge Masvidal in April. If Masvidal loses, he will likely get booked against either #3 Leon Edwards or #1 Colby Covington. Those two, Edwards and Covington, are rumored to fight each other in the mean time. The other two contenders in the Top 5, Gilbert Burns and Stephen Thompson, could also fight each other. Plus Thompson already has a win over Luque. If Vicente wants to move up in the rankings, he is going to need to let these fights shake out. He should remain ready to be a backup for one of these big fights in the Top 5. If he doesn’t care as much about rankings, #7 Michael Chiesa also makes sense for Luque. This man has many options, but none of them are immediate or obvious. He, like us, will have to wait and see.
Tyron Woodley vs Bellator’s Best
(mmafighting.com)
Ladies and Gentleman, your new Bellator Welterweight Champion, Tyron “The Chosen One” Woodley. That sound pretty good doesn’t it. Woodley may have had his last UFC fight on Saturday. The Former Welterweight Champion is now on a 4 fight losing streak and hasn’t even won a round since 2018. He was the creme of the crop of the division for years, but has fallen on hard times. He has lost his ability to “out athletic” people and his power shots have become easily avoidable for the top of the UFC Welterweight division. Tyron was fighting on the last fight of his UFC contract and will likely explore free agency. There is a chance he will be back under the Zuffa banner, but it would likely be in a Top 10-15 gatekeeper role. I believe Woodley will look to win another major Championship is either PFL or Bellator. Both companies will certainly be interested in adding the Former UFC Champ. I believe Tyron would have good success in one of these organizations and could finish out his career in a better way. One of Dana’s All-Time favorites may be leaving the company; a sad day for all of us.
“Sugar” Sean O’Malley vs #9 Dominick Cruz
(Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC.)
Honestly, if I was a matchmaker, I wouldn’t have thought to match these two together. O’Malley is one of the hottest rising stars in the entire organization. He scored his 3rd UFC KO with a Knockout of the Night Win over Thomas Almeida Saturday. O’Malley controlled the entire fight and entered what he likes to call his “flow zone.” And honestly, its a great name for his style. Once Sean gets going, there are few people in this division that can match his speed, unpredictability, and power. He does not yet have a ranking next to his name, but a fight against a ranked opponent is obvious for his next bout. Dominick Cruz is a former 2-time UFC Bantamweight Champion. He is trying to climb back to another shot at the title after losing his previous shot to Henry Cejudo. Cruz bounced back against up and comer Casey Kenney and is now trying to again prove why some people call him the Bantamweight GOAT. Dom was never known as a power guy, but his movement and footwork is legendary. Fighters have mapped their own game off of Cruz’s movement and ability to not be touched in the cage. Both guys have good momentum, and it would be sad to dampen one of them, but they both want the fight. O’Malley started the speculation with a callout of Cruz. An obvious call out as Cruz sits in the Top 10 and has ties to the belt. I thought Cruz would be more hesitant to want the fight. He has the best momentum now he has had in a while and I believe there are easier fights for him than O’Malley, with many being higher than him in the rankings. For example, I believe another veteran like #5 Jose Aldo or #7 Frankie Edgar would actually give Cruz less problems than O’Malley. But if Cruz would rather take out the hot prospect instead of the accomplished vet, I say let him. The striking and footwork in this fight would be a joy to watch. O’Malley could start a real push with a win and Cruz would have a win over one of the hottest prospects in the company.
Thomas Almeida vs Another Contract
(mmafighting.com)
You read that right, its going to be a fight for Thomas Almeida to get another UFC contract. The former undefeated prospect has now lost 5 of his last 6 and 4 in a row. He hasn't secured a win since November, 2016 and has never beaten a ranked fighter in the UFC. I believe he may need to text Tyron Woodley for some advice. Almeida could be back on the Brazilian regional scene, or in PFL or Bellator. Another UFC fight at this point seems unlikely.
(Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC.)
Now this may look like an odd matchup. You may be thinking, the winner of #9 and #13 should probably go up in the rankings. However, the top of the Flyweight division is a bit murky with contenders and pending matchups, so I fight with Maverick would actually be appealing for both. Miranda got the biggest win of her career and proved why she is one of the fastest rising prospects at Flyweight. She beat up UFC veteran Gillian Robertson and coasted to a Unanimous Decision victory. Kinda like the Cruz and O’Malley situation, this fight lower in the rankings could be appealing. A win over Maverick right now could boost your resume more than a win over a veteran in the Top 10. Modaferri is a longtime veteran of the MMA game who is down to fight whoever. She has fought many prospects in the past and turned back a good handful of them. Taila Santos is ranked 13, but doesn’t have a big notable win on her record. Even if she beats Modaferri, a matchup of prospects with Maverick could push the winner into the Top 5. Whoever she gets booked against, Maverick is going to be in a big fight. I think waiting for the winner of Modaferri vs Santos provides direction for both the women involved.
Gillian Robertson vs JJ Aldrich
(USA Today Sports)
Gillian Robertson bit off more than she could chew on Saturday night. Robertson showed flashes of her brilliant jiujitsu, but was controlled on the feet and in the clinch for the majority of the bout. She has now lost the ranking beside her name and will have to climb back into the Top 15. She has quickly turned herself into one of the veterans in the division, leading the UFC All-Time in Flyweight appearances. Surprisingly, she has never faced off against JJ Aldrich. Aldrich is another on-and-off fighter who has struggled to remain consistent throughout her run. She is 5-3 in the UFC and coming off a razor thin Split Decision win over Courtney Casey. This matchup makes sense for the “rankingless” part of the division and could provide us answers to the remainder of each woman’s run. The winner will still have a chance at the Top 10 and big fights, the loser may be looking for another division or even promotion.
Jamie Mullarkey vs Marc Diakiese
(Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC.)
Jamie Mullarkey scored his first UFC win and the only betting upset of the night by KO’ing Khama Worthy in :46 seconds. Going into the fight, Mullarkey was known as a brawler who just wasn’t able to land that fight changing blow. He was on the wrong side of 2 wars to start his UFC run and fans wondered if he had the juice to put someone away. And boy does he have the juice. The pace and aggression shown in those quick 46 seconds was impressive from Mullarkey. With a UFC win now in his pocket, a solid next step is in order. Marc Diakiese could represent that next step. Diakiese was a hot prospect when he entered the UFC. He was an undefeated Champion in the regional circuit before winning his first 3 UFC fights with 2 knockouts. Unfortunately for Marc, he would then lose the first 3 fights on his career in a row. Two close decisions against Drakkar Klose and Nasrat Haqparast, along with a stoppage loss to Top 10 Contender Dan Hooker, left Marc far away from the championship goals he and the UFC had for him. He has since bounced back by winning 2 of his last 3. He dropped his last fight against striking ace Rafeal Fiziev, so a fight lower in the Global Rankings like Mullarkey makes sense. The winner of this fight can get some positive momentum going towards the Top 15. It is a matchup of powerful striker and would fit well as the opener to any Main Card.
Khama Worthy vs Uros Medic
Sadly, Khama Worthy has lost all the hype he built throughout 2019 and 2020. He has dropped 2 in a row after winning his first 2 UFC bouts. KO losses to Ottman Azaitar and now Jamie Mullarkey will likely have Worthy fighting up and comers and reestablishing himself. One of the most exciting up and comers is unapologetic Joe Rogan Fan Uros Medic. Medic is one of my personal favorite young fighters who has shown future Champion potential so far in the UFC. His last win over Aalon Cruz was super impressive and his 7th career stoppage win. By the way, he only has 7 professional wins. Medic’s performances and personality have earned him a solid name, and Worthy still has enough name value to be his foil. If Medic wins, it may be time to fire up the rocket ship. If Worthy wins, he will have regained the excitement around him and his name.
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