UFC Fight Night 107 didn’t blow the doors off the hinges Saturday, but it provided several quality finishes.
In the main event, Jimi Manuwa established himself as a top contender in the light heavyweight division with a swift knockout against Corey And…
UFC Fight Night 107 didn’t blow the doors off the hinges Saturday, but it provided several quality finishes.
In the main event, Jimi Manuwa established himself as a top contender in the light heavyweight division with a swift knockout against Corey Anderson.
Manuwa will be a very interested observer of the upcoming Daniel Cormier title defense against Anthony Johnson April 8. Did he do enough to earn the title shot?
Also in action, Gunnar Nelson took care of Alan Jouban in short order via submission. The win moves Nelson back into the welterweight picture and puts Jouban back on the preliminary card.
So, the question begs: What’s next? That’s what we’re here to decipher. Here is a look at the matches the UFC should make for the winners and losers following UFC Fight Night 107.
UFC traveled back to Brazil for UFC Fight Night 106 and put together an interesting night of fights.
Kelvin Gastelum announced himself as a legitimate middleweight with a dominating performance over Tim Kennedy in 2016. He started 2017 by announcing hi…
UFC traveled back to Brazil for UFC Fight Night 106 and put together an interesting night of fights.
Kelvin Gastelum announced himself as a legitimate middleweight with a dominating performance over Tim Kennedy in 2016. He started 2017 by announcing himself as a contender in the division by demolishing VitorBelfort.
Who comes next for Gastelum?
In the co-main event, Shogun Rua took care of Gian Villante to remain a relevant contender in a shallow light heavyweight talent pool.
Where does the UFC put Shogun now?
Those questions and more are ready to be answered in the wake of UFC Fight Night 106. Let’s get to work. Here are the matches to make for the winners and losers of UFC’s latest trip to Brazil.
UFC Fight Night 106 in Fortaleza, Brazil, offered a bumpy ride for fight fans.
There were sensational finishes, middling performances and downright boring fights.
The main event saw Kelvin Gastelum defeat Vitor Belfort in the first round. The Ultimate …
UFC Fight Night 106 in Fortaleza, Brazil, offered a bumpy ride for fight fans.
There were sensational finishes, middling performances and downright boring fights.
The main event saw Kelvin Gastelum defeat VitorBelfort in the first round. The Ultimate Fighter winner didn’t have any trouble with the former light heavyweight champion, and is making his mark on the middleweight division.
Mauricio “Shogun” Rua picked up his third straight win with a TKO against Gian Villante in the co-main event. The victory keeps Rua in position to contend in a very shallow division in spite of being past his prime.
Those were just two of the results, but who were the real winners and losers?
There’s only one way to find out. Continue on to see who walked out of Fortaleza as a real winner or real loser following UFC Fight Night 106.
Georges St-Pierre is returning to the Octagon later this year, and he will challenge Michael Bisping for the middleweight title. UFC color commentator Joe Rogan is not a fan of that decision.
Rogan joined the 5ive Rounds podcast (h/t MMAFighting.com’s …
Georges St-Pierre is returning to the Octagon later this year, and he will challenge Michael Bisping for the middleweight title. UFC color commentator Joe Rogan is not a fan of that decision.
Rogan’s disagreement stems from a “purist point of view.” The longtime UFC commentator said, “If you’re going to have a champion and you’re gonna have these divisions where one man rules over the division, there should be a very clear hierarchy.”
Does he have a point?
Yoel Romero was next in line for a title shot and had a feud starting to boil with Bisping. Now that gets put on hold for an undisclosed amount of time. The former Olympian is on an eight-fight win streak, whereas GSP has not fought since November 2013.
The Bisping-GSP clash does put a hold on the middleweight contenders who have been competing regularly, while GSP steps in at a new weight for a title shot right away. Perhaps this is just the new reality under WME-IMG. Name value and pay-per-view drawing ability will always trump current rankings.
In short, spectacle will always topple sport.
Rogan is firmly in the sporting camp. He continued on in the podcast saying, “If you’re gonna do this whole interim title thing and you’re gonna have guys come back after being out of the sport for three years and get a shot right at the title, why have f–king championships at all.”
He did call the Bisping-GSP bout a great fight, and it is. However, this is a larger argument about the UFC and upholding a semblance of sport. Championships mean something, but giving out title shots to fighters who haven’t fought in over three years diminishes the meaning of the entire division.
For Bisping, GSP and the UFC, it makes sense. It is a money fight and the biggest fight they could do in the division. It’s something everyone understands, but it forces Romero and the rest of the middleweights into a holding pattern. Especially since GSP will not commit to defending the title belt.
Rogan is a purist and a lover of keeping MMA a sport. He has a great argument for the dangers of this type of matchmaking, but money will always speak loudest. Principally when an entity spends $4 billion for the UFC.
After a winless 2016 (0-2), Vitor Belfort looks to get back on track against one of the hottest middleweights in Kelvin Gastelum. UFC Fight Night 106’s main event is set for Brazil on Saturday.
Gastelum reluctantly moved to middleweight after another f…
After a winless 2016 (0-2), VitorBelfort looks to get back on track against one of the hottest middleweights in Kelvin Gastelum. UFC Fight Night 106’s main event is set for Brazil on Saturday.
Gastelum reluctantly moved to middleweight after another failed weight cut, but it’s worked out for him thus far. He clobbered Tim Kennedy at UFC 206 and moved to No. 10 in the official UFC rankings. A win over Belfort, who’s at No. 9, would put Gastelum right in the hunt for a title shot.
The matchup is a crossroads fight for Belfort. On the brink of turning 40, Belfort‘s window of opportunity is quickly closing.
Will Gastelum shut that window for good on Saturday, or does “The Phenom” have a little left in the gas tank?
Let’s break down the action from head to toe to see how the two middleweight contenders stack up to one another.
UFC 209 didn’t quite provide the fireworks expected, but it came through with a number of compelling bouts.
Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson didn’t get to make the walk to the cage, and the welterweight title fight underwhelmed. Still, the underca…
UFC 209 didn’t quite provide the fireworks expected, but it came through with a number of compelling bouts.
KhabibNurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson didn’t get to make the walk to the cage, and the welterweight title fight underwhelmed. Still, the undercard came through.
Darren Elkins and IuriAlcantara both had phenomenal comeback victories, Alistair Overeem put Mark Hunt to sleep, and the new lightweight co-main event sparked the crowd with a back-and-forth battle. Following all the action there’s a lot of questions left to answer.
Who’s next for TyronWoodley and the welterweight gold? Where does Overeem go from here? What about the losers?
Let’s jump right into it and start picking fights for the winners and losers of UFC 209.
