Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) returned to the hurt business last night (Sat., Jan. 20, 2018) for UFC 220: “Miocic vs Ngannou,” which took place inside TD Garden Arena in Boston, Massachusetts.
In the main event of the evening, Stipe Miocic defeated Francis Ngannou by dominating him for 25 minutes to hold on to his 265-pound strap in a truly one-sided title fight.
In the co-main event of the evening, Daniel Cormier retained his 205-pound strap by defeating Volkan Oezdemir in the second round via technical knockout after surviving an early storm. (recap here).
Winner: Stipe Miococ
Who He Should Fight Next: Fabricio Werdum
Fabricio may get his shot at the strap after all, as he is currently ranked No. 2 in the world. Alistair Overeem is out of the picture and Cain Velasquez still hasn’t set a return date. This will be the second time the two men will collide in the center of the Octagon if indeed it does get made, as Stipe previously knocked out Werdum at UFC 198 to claim the title. We have now come full circle, as there are no other worthy title challengers at the top of the Heavyweight mountain that can stake their claim as a worth contender over Fabricio. Will Stipe continue to make history? Or will Werdum re-claim his title and get some revenge on Miocic? We shall see.
Winner: Daniel Cormier:
Who He Should Fight next: Alexander Gustafsson
It wouldn’t be my first choice to have a rematch between these two, but judging on rankings, this is the fight to make. “The Mauler” is currently ranked No. 1 and is on a two-fight win streak, as he was last seen beating the brakes off Glover Teixeira last summer. Cormier already has a victory over “The Mauler,” defeating him at UFC 192 rather soundly. There really isn’t much to say about this pending title fight, as I envision Cormier having his way with Gus once more. This will be the fight to make unless the promotion throws in a curve ball.
Winner: Calvin Kattar
Who He Should Fight Next: Miles Jury
Calvin Kattar handed Shane Burgos his first-ever loss after knocking him out in the final round after a very competitive bout, improving his mark to 18-2, 2-0 UFC. He’s looked great in his first two fights inside the Octagon, taking out Andre Fili and the previously undefeated Burgos. But, the competition is only going to get tougher. A fight against a hard-nosed veteran like Jury would make for a good matchup next. Jury has won two straight and he has what Kattar wants, a spot in the top 15. Taking Miles out will likely get him there, though it won’t be an easy task. But it should be a fun one.
Winner: Gian Villante
Who He Should Fight Next: Jared Cannonier
Gian picked up a much-needed win to avoid dropping his third straight by defeating Francimar Barroso. I was very close, though. A 205-pound showdown against Cannonier sounds about right for the New Yorker. Jared is fresh off a loss to Jan B?achowicz, but he still has the No. 15 spot in the rankings, an accomplishment Gian has yet to claim. I like this fight a lot, as both men like to bang it out, which should be a treat for fight fans. A win over Cannonier will be a huge boost for Gian’s confidence moving forward.
Winner: Rob Font
Who He Should Fight Next: Aljamian Sterling
Font got back on the winning track by knocking out Thomas Alemeida — a once promising prospect — in the opening scrap of the televised card.
Up next, I’d like to see the Font face off against “Funkmaster.” Sterling is coming off a devastating knockout loss to Marlon Moraes, so he will be ready and eager to put on a show for the promotion and get back into the win column himself. Sterling is currently ranked No. 9 while Font is sitting at No. 14, though you can expect him to take a huge leap after this big win. It’s a good scrap, and it will tell us a lot as to where these two combatants are in their careers.
To get full UFC 220: “Miocic vs. Ngannou” play-by-play updates and results click here.