Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) returned to the hurt business last night (Sat., July 13, 2019) as UFC Fight Night 155 went down from inside Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, CA. Headlining the ESPN+-streamed event was a woman’s Bantamweight fight that saw Germaine de Randamie knockout Aspen Ladd in just 16 seconds in what was a somewhat controversial stoppage. In the co-main event, Urijah Faber fought for the first time in two years, not skipping a beat by knocking out Ricky Simon in under a minute (see it again here).
Biggest Winner: Germaine de Randamie
Urijah Faber could’ve taken the top spot following his impressive showing, so we could have gone either way. The reason Germaine gets the nod, though, is that her knockout win over Ladd should earn her a title fight against Amanda Nunes. Granted, it seemed as if the stoppage was a bit premature, but in the famous words of Max Holloway, “it is what it is” and Germaine is now the owner of five straight wins with her last loss in the last seven years coming to, you guessed it, Amanda Nunes.
Since “Lioness” has already taken out the cream of the crop at Bantamweight and Featherweight, a rematch against Germaine is the only thing that makes sense. My only problem with de Randamie is the fact that she didn’t use her time on the mic to demand a title fight, simply saying it’s up to UFC.
Runner Up: Urijah Faber
After two and a half years on the sidelines, Faber came back and looked as good and fresh as ever, wiping out Ricky Simon in just 46 seconds with a knockout win. That’s an impressive showing and proves once and for all that ring rust is not a real thing. And just like that, the Bantamweight division has another face and contender, as “The California Kid” isn’t coming for a one-off payday, saying afterward that the title is his quest.
And now is as good as time as any, as TJ Dillashaw is on the sidelines and Cody Garbrandt has a ways to go before getting back to the big dance. The only one standing in Faber’s way is Joseph Benavidez, his Team Alpha Male (TAM) stablemate. Still, giving Urijah a title shot straight away doesn’t makes sense, and since Cejudo won’t return until 2020, we will likely see Faber fight again to see if he can collect his third straight win and make the 135-pound rankings a bit more interesting. Not bad for a 40-year old.
Biggest Loser (s): Nicco Montano
Nicco Montano has had a rough start to her UFC career. After drawing the ire of UFC president Dana White, then getting stripped of her title and getting called out by Valentina Shevchenko repeatedly, Nicco finally got the chance to prove herself inside the Octagon a year and a half removed from her official UFC debut. Unfortunately, she ran into a bulldozer named Julianne Pena, who looked as if she didn’t lose a step after taking time off to give birth to her first child, cruising her way to a unanimous decision win. The defeat will send Nicco tumbling down the rankings and make her climb up to another title fight a bit tougher. Hopefully, Nicco can get back into the Octagon sooner, rather than later, in order to get back on track.
For complete UFC Sacramento results and coverage click here.