UFC 255 went down last night (Sat., Nov. 21, 2020) inside UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada, featuring a Flyweight title fight that saw division champion, Deiveson Figueiredo, defeat Alex Perez via first round submission (see it again here). In the co-headlining act, Valentina Shevchenko defeated Jennifer Maia via unanimous decision to retain her women’s 125-pound strap (video highlights).
Winner: Deiveson Figueiredo
Who He Should Fight Next: Brandon Moreno
Figueiredo earned his first title defense after stopping Alex Perez in the very first round. Now, “Daico” can look ahead to another tough challenge as he already has the No. 1 contender waiting in the wings as he and Brandon Moreno have verbally agreed to throw down at UFC 256 on Dec. 12, 2020. Indeed, Moreno secured his shot at the strap after defeating Brandon Royval in the very first round in the main event of the “Prelims.” And since Petr Yan was recently forced to bow out of the main event, it seems Figueiredo vs. Moreno is now in line to headline the bout.
Winner: Valentina Shevchenko
Who She Should Fight Next: Jessica Andrade
Valentina Shevchenko earned the fourth consecutive title defense of her Flyweight title after she took care of Maia. Up next for “Bullet,” she should be in line to try and earn her fifth defense against Jessica Andrade. The former women’s Strawweight champion made the move up to 125 pounds in her last fight, knocking out Katlyn Chookagian in the first round last October (see it). That win was good enough to shoot her up to the No. 1 ranking, setting her up for a fight against Shevchenko. It’s a good fight all the way around as Andrade has the power to match Valentina.
Winner: Tim Means
Who He Should Fight Next: Robbie Lawler
Mike Perry was supposed to face Lawler at this event before “Ruthless” was forced to bow out of the contest. So after Means agreed to step in and fill the void, and eventually get a win over “Platinum,” it only makes sense to award “Dirty Bird” with a fight against Lawler, the former Welterweight champion of the world. Sure, Robbie is coming off four straight losses, but getting a win over a longtime veteran like him is still a good notch to have on your belt. For now, Means can enjoy his big win over Perry, as well as the extra coin he’ll be getting from “Platinum” for missing weight.
Winner: Katlyn Chookagian
Who He Should Fight Next: Jennifer Maia
After Chookagian took care of Cynthia Calvillo, she pretty much cemented her spot at the top of the championship race. The only problem is that Jessica Andrade is the current No. 1 contender, meaning the promotion will likely book “Bate Estaca” against “Bullet” next. After all, Shevchenko just dominated Chookagian at UFC 247 earlier this year, so another shot against Valentina isn’t in the cards right away. For now, it seems the best option for Katlyn is a fight against Maia, who gave Shevchenko all she could handle in “Sin City.”
Winner: Paul Craig
Who He Should Fight Next: Ryan Spann vs Misha Cirkunov winner
Craig finally got his much-desired revenge on Mauricio Rua, stopping the living legend in the second round after forcing “Shogun” to tap to strikes. No, Craig didn’t lose to Rua in their first fight, but “Bearjew” — as well as many fight fans — felt he should’ve got the nod instead of the split draw the judges gave them. But all of that is behind him now and he can look forward to a bigger challenge moving forward. For me, I’d love to see Craig (No. 15) face the winner of the upcoming fight between Ryan Spann (No. 12) and Misha Cirkunov (No. 10), who are set to collide at the upcoming UFC Vegas 17 event on Dec. 19, 2020.
For complete UFC 255 result and coverage click here.