Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) returned to the hurt business last night (Sat., Aug. 4, 2018 with UFC 227, which went down from inside The Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. The event saw Bantamweight champion T.J. Dillashaw make quick work of Cody Garbrandt, knocking him out in the very first round of the headlining title fight.
In the co-main event, flyweight contender Henry Cejudo shocked the world by doing enough to defeat the longest reigning champ in UFC history, Demetrious Johnson, after five rounds of action (see it again here).
Winner: T.J. Dillashaw
Who He Should Face Next: Raphael Assuncao
Sorry, Henry, despite your impressive victory over Demetrious, a champion vs champion fight against Dillashaw simply isn’t in the cards. Don’t get me wrong, I’d watch it, but it just doesn’t make sense as Henry just became champion, and should wait until he’s defended a few times before calling for such a fight. Assuncao, meanwhile, has been tearing it for years now, and actually has history with T.J., defeating him in 2013 before suffering a loss to him at UFC 200.
Now that they are tied at one a piece, it’s time for the trilogy fight, this time for all the marbles. Sure, there’s always Marlon Moraes, but Raphael is one a four fight win streak to “Magic’s” three. Plus, Raphael has a win over Marlon, and has been putting in work inside the Octagon much longer than the ex- World Series of Fighting (WSOF) champion has. Assuncao should be next up.
Winner: Henry Cejudo
Who He Should Face Next: Demetrious Johnson trilogy
Look, if Joanna Jedrzejczyk and Cody Garbrandt get immediate rematches after getting knocked out, the longest reigning champion in UFC history deserves one after a split decision loss, his first defeat in seven years. The series is tied at one a piece and “Mighty Mouse” should get the chance to reclaim his belt in his next fight. And it’s a hell of a better fight for Henry than facing the winner of Sergio Pettis vs Jussier Formiga. And while I can appreciate him shooting his shot and asking for a bantamweight title fight next, Cejudo isn’t get that next.
Winner: Renato Moicano
Who He Should Fight Next: Jose Aldo
Why he called for an interim title fight against Brian Ortega is beyond me. His win over Cub was big, but it wasn’t worthy of a title shot, yet. Plus, Ortega is going to wait for Max Holloway, who will be returning later this year to defend his 145-pound belt. As for Renato, if he wants to secure himself a shot at the strap, he needs to defeat Jose Aldo, the person he will more than likely be fighting next. Jose recently ended his skid by knockout out Jeremy Stephens, a man Renato has defeated, as well. If that fight doesn’t come to fruition, then taking on the winner of Frankie Edgar vs Chan Sung Jung can fill the void.
Winner: JJ Aldrich
Who She Should Fight Next: Angela Hill
Hill was left without a dance partner after Alexa Grasso was forced out of their August 25 meeting with an injury. While JJ won’t be ready for such a quick turnaround, I like the fight against “Overkill.” Angela has a top 15 ranking, something JJ wants. Winner of three in a row, Aldrich is on a roll, and a win over Hill will be her biggest to date. Angela really isn’t in a position to turn this bout down, as sh has been hot and cold over her last four outings.
Winner: Thiago Santos
Who He Should Fight Next: Brad Tavares
Winner of five of six, Thiago is the last man to defeat Anthony Smith, and other than his knockout loss to David Branch, Santos has been killing it over the last two years. Tavares, meanwhile, was doing the same up until he had his four-fight win streak snapped by Israel Adesanya. When you look at the rest of the landscape at 185-pounds, there really is no other fight that makes sense for either man at the moment.
For complete UFC 227 results and coverage click here.