Photo by Mike Roach/Zuffa LLC
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) staged UFC 250 last night (Sat., June 6, 2020), which went down from inside the promotion’s Apex facility in Las Vegas, Nevada. In the headlining act, Amanda Nunes defending her Featherweight title to remain UFC champ-champ by brutalizing Felicia Spencer for five rounds (video replay here). Cody Garbrandt, meanwhile, scored perhaps the knockout of the year after blasting Raphael Assuncao to another dimension with a one-hitter quitter.
Winner: Amanda Nunes
Who She Should Fight Next: Megan Anderson, Valentina Shevchenko, other?
Who’s left? The 145-pound weight class is pretty much non-existent, with only Megan Anderson standing out with two straight wins. After that, there aren’t enough fighters to fill out a top 15 list. She can always face current’s women’s Flyweight champion, Valentina Shevchenko a third time at Bantamweight, but Dana White doesn’t seem to keen on the idea. Speaking at Bantamweight, you know who the No. 1 contender there is? Germaine de Randamie, who’s last loss came to Nunes at 145 pounds. Odd times indeed. Thankfully, UFC will have time to figure it out, as “Lioness” revealed that she won’t be returning to action until 2021.
Winner: Cody Garbrandt
Who He Should Face Next: Marlon Moraes
I get the Marlon is the No. 1 ranked fighter at 135 pounds at the moment, but this fight makes sense, and it’s one fans have been wanting to see for some time. When Cody was UFC champ, Moraes was leading the way for World Series of Fighting (SOF), and a fight between the two was one many dreamed of. With Marlon coming off a win over Jose Aldo, and Garbrandt fresh off his knockout performance, it makes sense to pit them together. Yan and Aldo are in line to fight for the title, Sterling is up for a title shot, Cory Sandhagen is coming off a loss; so at the end of the day, I can’t see anyone else that makes sense for either man.
Winner: Aljamain Sterling
Who He Should Face Next: Petr Yan vs Jose Aldo winner
Sterling stamped his ticket to the big dance after submitting Cory Sandhagen in jut 88 seconds. With the win, “Funkmaster” improved his win streak to five, which means all he has to do is sit back to see how Aldo vs Yan plays, out, which has yet to be officially scheduled. In the meantime, Sterling may want to stay sharp and in shape, as he could be called upon to fill the void if either man bows out.
Winner: Neil Magny
Who He Should Fight Next: Vicente Luque
Magny really wants a fight against Michael Chiesa, calling him out once again after defeating Anthony Rocco Martin. The problem? Chiesa has his sights set a little bit higher at the moment. A fight that I’d rather see is Mangy vs Luque. Vicente is coming off a win over Nike price at UFC 249, his first since having his six-fight win streak snapped by Stephen Thompson. Luque is hanging on to the No. 13 spot, while Magny is close to breaking in, so booking them to tango seems appropriate.
Winner: Sean O’ Malley
Who He Should Fight Next: John Dodson
O’ Malley picked up one of the biggest wins of his young career after knocking out Eddie Wineland in the first round. It was an impressive win for “Suga,” who will now be facing stiffer competition moving forward. A fight against Dodson seems appropriate, as “The Magician” is coming off a win and has a wealth of combat experience inside the Octagon to really test O’ Malley. Bantamweight is proving to be one of the most -talent-rich divisions under the UFC banner, so if O’ Malley wants to score bigger and better fights, getting through Dodson is a good way to keep going.
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