Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) was back at it again last night (Sat., Feb. 15, 2020) as UFC Fight Night 167 went down from inside Santa Ana Star Center in Rio Rancho, New Mexico. In the main event, Jan Blachowicz defeated Corey Anderson in the very first round by knocking out “Overtime” with a thunderous strike (see it again here). In the co-headlining act, Diego Sanchez escaped “The Land of Enchantment” with a win after his opponent, Michel Pereira, was disqualified in the third and final round for an illegal strike (highlights).
Winner: Jan Blachowicz
Who He Should Fight Next: Jon Jones
After ending Corey’s run to the title, Blachowicz pretty much stamped his invite to his first-ever title shot inside the Octagon. Jones has already taken out everyone in front if him, including Dominick Reyes, who he edged out at UFC 247 last week (see it) to score his eleventh title defense. And it seems “Bones” isn’t too eager to grant Reyes an instant do-over. He was, however, willing to entertain Blachowicz last night in a small back-and-forth in Rio Rancho. Admittedly, Jones vs Blachowicz doesn’t sound sexy, but at the end of the day, Jan has put in the work and has earned his shot at the strap. There is no argument here.
Winner: Diego Sanchez
Who He Should Fight Next: Conor McGregor…WTF?
Conor McGregor took to Twitter to send out a bizarre tweet reading “Conor McGregor vs Diego Sanchez” after Sanchez escaped Rio Rancho with a disqualification win over Michel Pereira. While we can just chalk it up to trolling from “Notorious,” the two did have some heat going on between them a few years ago. Still, McGregor isn’t really interested in a fight against Diego. That said, there really is no telling what’s next for “The Nightmare,” as the promotion could very well book a rematch against Pereira given the outcome of the fight. Especially since Michel was dominating the fight from the start. At the end of the day, I just don’t see a top 15 opponent in Diego’s future anytime soon.
Winner: Montana De La Rosa
Who She Should Fight Next: Viviane Araujo
I get that Araujo is coming off a loss to Jessica Eye, but she is still a good matchup for Montana. Araujo is currently ranked No. 7, while the rest of the women ranked in front of her are likely looking for top five opponents. It’s a good fight for both women, especially De La Rosa, who could leapfrog her way into the top five with another win. Yes, the Flyweight division is that wide open, and every woman fighting in the weight class should take advantage of it. Of course, the prize is facing Valentina Shevchenko once you get to the top of the mountain, so there’s that.
Winner: Brok Weaver
Who He Should Fight Next: Davi Ramos
I’m sure it’s not how he imagined he’d get the win, but Weaver won via disqualification his UFC debut after his opponent, Kazula Vargas, hit him with an illegal knee to the face. But now that he finally got his feet wet inside the Octagon, the challenges are only going to get tougher for Weaver. A fight against Ramos seems appropriate. Davi recently had his four-fight win streak snapped by Islam Makhachev and is looking to bounce back in a big way. Despite Ramos having an experience edge over Weaver, I don’t see this as moving the young prospect up too fast, and should be a tough challenge for both men.
Winner: Ray Borg
Who He Should Fight Next: Alexander Pantoja
He may have not made weight, by Borg picked up a win on his home turf over Rogerio Bontorin via unanimous decision. That is now two straight wins for Borg, who insists he will not retire despite promising to do so if he missed weight again. Furthermore, he is still going to continue fighting at 125 pounds, a decision that boggles the mind. A fight against Pantoja seems fitting, as he is also coming off a big win against Matt Schnell, knocking him out in round one last December. Both men are simply looking to crack the top 15, and a win gets one of them that much closer.
Winner: Lando Vannata
Who He Should Fight Next: Scott Holtzman
Vannata continued his pattern of winning, losing, winning with a couple of draws sandwiched in between after defeating Yancy Medeiros in “The Land of Enchantment.” Hopefully his win gives him the momentum to pick up his first back-to-back victories inside the Octagon. A fight against Holtzman seems appropriate. Both men are on the outside of the top 15 looking in, and Holtzman actually is on a bit of a run, winning two straight and five of six overall including beating Jim Miller last night. Despite his inconsistency, Lando is a fan favorite thanks to his unpredictable style, so a win for Holtzman would give him a bigger share of the spotlight. For Vannata, taking out a streaking combatant like Scott could give him a big momentum boost moving forward.
For complete UFC Fight Night 167 “Anderson vs. Blachowicz 2” results and play-by-play, click HERE!