UFC Singapore went down yesterday (Sat., Aug. 26, 2023) inside Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang, Singapore. In the main event of the evening, Max Holloway and Chan Sung Jung put on a show for three rounds before “Blessed” blasted “The Korean Zombie” with a right hand that put him out (see it again here). In the co-main event, Anthony Smith earned his second win over Ryan Spann (recap).
Winner: Max Holloway
Who He Should Face Next: Wait and see…
A fourth fight against Alexander Volkanovski may be “undeniable” in Holloway’s eyes, but after losing three title fights to “The Great,” I just don’t see it in the cards at the moment. While not confirmed, Ilia Topuria should be challenging Volkanovski for the 145-pound title next, so if “El Matador” can upset the champion then it opens up the path for “Blessed” to get another title fight. Of course, that’s assuming “The Great” doesn’t get an immediate rematch. There are a lot of variables at the moment, so all Holloway can do is sit back to see how it plays out.
Winner: Anthony Smith
Who He Should Face Next: Khalil Rountree
Once “Lionheart’s” eye is fit for battle again, he could be looking forward to a fight against Rountree. Smith is currently ranked No. 8 while Rountree is sitting at No. 11 and is on a four-fight win streak. There aren’t a ton of fresh matchups for either man at 205 pounds, but this is one of the few available that makes sense. If Rountree can get a win, it should get him closer to the Top 5, while Smith can earn his first back-to-back wins since 2021.
Winner: Giga Chikadze
Who He Should Face Next: Josh Emmett
After an extended break, Chikadze returned to the win column after scoring a big win over Alex Caceres nearly 17 months removed from his loss to Calvin Kattar. I am feeling a fight between he and Emmett next. Emmett is currently ranked No. 6 in the division while Chikadze is ranked No. 9. Emmett is one a two-fight losing streak and was last seen coming up short against Ilia Topuria.
Winner: Rinya Nakamura
Who He Should Face Next: Sergey Morozov
Nakamura improved his record to 8-0 after earning a unanimous decision win over Fernie Garcia. Up next for the Japanese-born combatant should be a fight against Morozov, who is on a two-fight win streak and has won three of four inside the Octagon. Morozov was most recently seen defeating Journey Newson in Dec. 2022, so he is itching to get back into the swing of things.
Winner: Erin Blanchfield
Who She Should Face Next: Title fight, or a title eliminator fight
There are two big fights going down next month as women’s Flyweight champion, Alexa Grasso, will defend her title against Valentina Shevchenko on Sept. 16, while Manon Fiorot — the No. 1 ranked fighter in the division — will welcome Rose Namajunas to the weight class on Sept. 2. If Fiorot has a good showing against the former women’s Strawweight title holder, she could stamp her ticket to a title fight. Should she lose, then the title fight goes to Blanchfield. It all really depends on how those two pivotal bouts go down to see what truly what will be next for Blanchfield.
Winner: Junior Tafa
Who He Should Face Next: Marcos Rogerio de Lima
Tafa picked up his first win inside the Octagon after putting Parker Porter’s lights out in the very first round. As for de Lima, he would love nothing more than to get back into the swing of things sooner, rather than later, after suffering a 33-second knockout loss at the hands of Derrick Lewis at UFC 291 last month. While de Lima does have more experience than Tafa, when it comes to big men throwing haymakers, that pretty much goes out the window.
For complete UFC Singapore results, coverage, and highlights click HERE.