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Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) was back at it again last night (Sat., Nov. 16, 2019) as UFC Fight Night 164 went down from inside inside Ibirapuera Gymnasium in Sao Paulo, Brazil. In the main event of the evening, Jan Blachowicz narrowly edged out Ronaldo Souza via split-decision, ruining “Jacare’s” Light Heavyweight debut (relive it here). In the co-main event, Mauricio Rua and Paul Craig fought to a draw after 15 minutes of lackluster action (highlights).
Winner: Jan Blachowicz
Who He Should Fight Next: Anthony Smith
The logical fight would be to book a fight between Smith and Corey Anderson while Jon Jones and Dominick Reyes handle their business, but Anderson doesn’t seem too interested in the fight. If UFC matchmakers can’t convince Corey to take a fight against Smith, then perhaps matching up Anthony (No. 3) up against Jan (No. 6) would be the next best option. There really isn’t no one else who makes sense for either man if were playing the numbers game.
Winner: Charles Oliveira
Who He Should Fight Next: Kevin Lee
While you can’t fault Charles for shooting his shot and calling for a fight against Conor McGregor, that fight is highly-unlikely to happen anytime soon…if ever. He also called for a rematch against Paul Felder, the last man to beat him. For my money, I’d rather see “Do Bronx” take on Lee. “The Motown Phenom” recently got back on track with a spectacular knockout over Gregor Gillespie at UFC 244 a few weeks ago (see it). The win was his first at 155 pounds since early 2018, yet he is still ranked four spots ahead of Charles, who has won six in a row. Oliveira will move up a few spots and get him closer to Lee, which makes a pairing between them more appropriate. If “Do Bronx” can score a win over Lee, it will go a long way in helping him land this big fight.
Winner: Andre Muniz
Who He Should Fight Next: Jack Marshman
Andre made good in his UFC debut, defeating Antonio Arroyo after 15 minutes of action. Not bad for a UFC debut, but the tests will steadily get tougher from here. A fight against Marshman seems appropriate. A seven-fight veteran for UFC, Jack has only managed to secure a 3-4 mark inside the Octagon, he was last seen losing to Edmen Shahbazyan at UFC 239.
Winner: Wellington Turman
Who He Should Fight Next: Andrew Sanchez
Turman picked up the first win of his UFC career by outlasting Markus Perez after three rounds of action. With the pressure of picking up his first UFC win out of the way, Wellington can breath easier and be a bit more comfortable going into his next fight inside the Octagon. A fight against Sanchez seems like a good fitting. Andrew is 2-1 over his last three fights and he’s be a good test for Turman, who is a very nice 5-1 over his last six fights. Both men are just trying to climb the ranks.
For complete UFC Sao Paulo results and coverage click here.