Fights to Make Following UFC 261

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(C) Kamaru Usman vs Colby Covington 2

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Kamaru Usman proved himself in the biggest way Saturday night. He scored the highlight win his resume was begging for when he starched Jorge Masvidal for the 2nd time. Their first bout ended in a lackluster decision, this time around, Gamebred was in for something much different. Usman shut his lights out with a powerful straight right hand to the jaw. It was only the 2nd time in over 50 career fights Masvidal has been finished. It is also the 2nd consecutive KO finish for Usman after being labeled a boring fighter early in his career. UFC President Dana White said it best in the post-fight press conference when he said “If you think Kamaru Usman is boring, you’re an idiot.” Harsh words, but incredibly accurate.

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His highlight finishes of Gilbert Burns, and now, Jorge Masvidal stand as two of the most impressive performances of the year so far. But this boring label should never have been attached to Usman in the first place. That should’ve been shaken off after his All-Time Classic Welterweight Title Defense over Colby Covington. It was the only fight of Usman’s career that was close. Colby and Kamaru went back and forth on the feet until Usman secured the TKO finish in the 5th round. The rematch is the fight fans have been begging for since the conclusion of the first battle, and now is finally the time to book it again.

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Usman is now on his victory lap around the Welterweight division. He started his rematch tour with Masvidal, but Covington has always been the most deserving contender. Despite being a completely racist ass hat, Covington is by far the 2nd best Welterweight in the world. Many argue that Colby was getting the better of Usman before the finish. And as much as I hate Colby, I will agree that the fight was most likely 2-2 going into the 5th. Colby has not lost since their first bout and looks to be the only person capable of giving the Champ problems. This rematch will ignite one of the most heated rivalries in UFC history. The first fight is arguably a Top 10 fight in UFC History. With both men better than before, this is the only fight the UFC should make for the Champ.

#4 Jorge Masvidal vs Nick Diaz

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Now this is a fight I wouldn’t have dreamed of just last week. Masvidal suffered the worst loss of his career Saturday. He was dominated by Usman for the entirety of the 6 minute fight. Usman made Masvidal eat his “pillow hands” comment and sent Street Jesus back down into the ranks of the Top 5. Masvidal doesn’t have a clear cut next opponent. His last win came over Nathan Diaz in the first ever fake belt UFC fight. Sure, the UFC could run back that fight. It ended in controversy and people would certainly pay to see it. But Nathan is currently booked to fight #3 Leon Edwards and could easily get himself a Title Shot with a win. So what about Nick? Nate’s older bother and mentor.

(@nickdiaz209)

Nick and Nathan and extremely close and Nathan is never shy to praise the work ethic and tenacity of his older bother. Nick is a cult hero of the MMA game, but he hasn’t fought in over 5 years. Many believed him to be out of the sport for good. But since posting some mean pics on Instagram and showing up to UFC 261 cageside, many believe the fighting itch has gotten to Nick again. According to Dana White, him and Nick met after the event and Diaz wants a fight. The storyline to this fight would be massive. The return of an elite fighter in Nick Diaz versus the last man to beat up his best friend and younger brother. Whats not to love? Nick was an elite fighter in his day and is still only 37. I assume Masvidal would rather continue to take money fights instead of slugging it out with the best contenders in the division. A return fight against Nick Diaz could be the biggest box office fight of his career. I love everything about this matchup and pray the UFC gets it done.

(C) Rose Namajunas vs Weili Zhang 2

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My girl Thug Rose got it done again! Namajunas shocked the world when she KO’d Weili Zhang just one minute into their Title Fight. Many expected Rose to pick her shots on the outside and avoid the bullrush of Zhang, but Rose never even gave her a chance to start. Namajunas is now the first women in UFC history to recapture a Title after losing it. She is the only 2-Time Strawweight Champion ever and has now distanced herself from the pack. Despite the bout not being very close, I do believe an immediate rematch is in place. There is no clear #1 contender behind Zhang right now. The only other person close to a Title Shot would be Joanna Jędrzejczyk, but she has already lost to Rose twice. Weili was on a 21 fight winning streak before the loss to Rose and steamrolled everyone in her path to the title. Another option would be to wait for the winner of Carla Esparza vs Yan Xiaonan, but neither one of them have the name value of Weili or deserve it more than her. Maybe the 2nd fight will be the barnburner we expected, but for at least the next few months, Rose is the clear cut best Strawweight in the world.

(C) Valentina Shevchenko vs ?????

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Is there anyone left for Valentina? Shevchenko proved once again why she is the most dominant Champion in the UFC today when she murdered Jessica Andrade. Many believed Andrade to be Valentina’s hardest test yet. Instead, Shevchenko scored a career high 7 takedowns before TKO'ing Andrade in the 2nd round. It was one of the best performances of the Champion’s career up to this point. If I’m really going to play matchmaker, the winner of an upcoming bout between #3 Lauren Murphy and #6 Joanne Calderwood would be the rightful owner of the next shot. But both Murphy and Calderwood have suffered losses to women who stood zero chance against Valentina. The only intriguing fight for her now is a 3rd matchup with Amanda Nunes. UFC President Dana White seems to be against the idea of the 2 fighting again. I believe this is because he doesn’t want either women to lose their aura. But they are the only two that can push each other. Yes, Amanda is 2-0 in their 2 matchups, but the second fight ended in a razor close Split Decision. Now I’m not saying it was a robbery. That word is thrown around too loosely. But it was an incredibly close fight that I personally thought Valentina won. If we want to throw another sacrificial lamb to this women, give the shot to either Calderwood or Murphy. Valentina has truly cleared out the division for the foreseeable future.

Jessica Andrade vs Cynthia Calvillo

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Jessica Andrade looked completely overmatched Saturday night. She was outstruck, outgrappled, and outworked by Valentina. While that may sound harsh, its the truth for everyone that gets in Shevchenko’s way. Despite the loss, Andrade will still remain in the Top 5 of the division. An interesting matchup for her would be young up and comer Cynthia Calvillo. Calvillo recently moved up to 125 after mixed results at 115. She has impressive striking and is getting better every time out. She is currently 1-1 in the Flyweight division with a win over Former Title Challenger Jessica Eye. She is coming off a loss to Katlyn Chookagian in a close decision. Both women will be looking to rebound from a loss and keep themselves in the thick of things in a shallow Flyweight division. Both fighters bring name value to the table; maybe enough to get the winner crack at the belt.

Uriah Hall vs Winner of Jack Hermansson vs Edmen Shahbazyan

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Things did not go as planned for Uriah Hall Saturday night. Hall became the first person in UFC history to win a fight without ATTEMPTING a strike. He didn’t throw anything and he won. This happened because his opponent, Chris Weidman, snapped his leg after Hall checked the first leg kick of the fight. The injury was brutal and incredibly reminiscent of Anderson Silva’s injury against Weidman in 2013. Despite this being the biggest win of Hall’s career, it is hard to envision him moving anywhere in the rankings after a win like that. He is currently 8th in the UFC Middleweight Rankings. #7 Jack Hermansson and #10 Edmen Shahbazyan are scheduled to clash on May 15th. With the Middleweight division being so stacked at the Top, either man will most likely need another win to crack into the Top 5. Hall deserves a big fight because he is technically now on a 4 fight winning streak. The winner of this fight would break themselves into the Title conversation at 185. P.S. Mad respect for Uriah Hall. He was nothing short of a class act following Weidman’s injury.

Chris Weidman vs Recovery

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It’s tough to see this sort of injury happen to anyone in the sport. It is the 3rd time in UFC history this type of leg injury has happened. Ironically enough, Weidman has now been on both sides on the coin. Chris was fighting back to try and go on another run up the Middleweight ranks. He looked in the best shape he had in years heading into this fight. Chris will now take the better part of a year to recover. Whoever the UFC matches him up with upon his return, Chris is a UFC legend who deserves the respect of everyone following the sport. Below are X-rays on Weidman's leg after the fight

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Anthony Smith vs Loser of #3 Dominick Reyes vs #5 Jiri Prochazka

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Anthony Smith looked rejuvenated at UFC 261. After suffering two of the worst losses of his career, he is back and looking better than ever. People were beginning to write off “Lionheart” after two bad losses to Glover Teixeira and Aleksandar Rakic. But after submitting Devin Clark in late 2020, this win over Jim Crute puts him back into the thick of things at 205. Smith’s jab looked incredible and the leg kick he finished Crute with was textbook. Smith says he has been ignoring the retirement buzz and says he just feels like he is getting good. He should be able to test that theory in his next matchup. #3 Dominick Reyes and #5 Jiri Prochazka will serve as the Main Event this coming Saturday. The winner of that fight will mostly likely be in line for a Title Shot following Champion Jan Blachowicz vs Glover Teixeira later this year. The loser should fall right into Smith’s lap. A matchup with either man would be a fan friendly scrap. It is also a fresh matchup for all 3 men involved, which is important in such an old and shallow division.

Jim Crute vs Devin Clark

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Lets matchup the last two guys to lose to Anthony Smith. Crute was, and still is, seen as one of the better young prospects on the UFC roster. He went into this fight with Smith as the betting favorite, but was not able to handle his business in the octagon. Crute was finished when he suffered the latest edition of Sean O’Malley foot. The real name for it is drop foot. Drop foot has only happened a handful of time in the UFC. We have seen fighters be able to fight through it, an example being Henry Cejudo vs Demetrious Johnson, and we’ve seen fighters unable to walk. Basically a kick from Smith landed directly on the nerve in the back on Crute’s leg. This caused his whole leg to go numb and an inability to lift up his foot. Crute was unable to continue and a TKO victory was correctly awarded to Smith. Now Crute needs a big win to regain his Top 15 status. Devin Clark has always been on the cusp of the Top 15, but hasn’t been able to break through. He is also coming off a loss to Smith, his by first round submission. The winner of this fight could continue a slow build up the Light Heavyweight Rankings and can brush the “Lionheart” loss of their back.