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UFC 242 Breakdown: Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Dustin Poirier

We have an incredible card this weekend at UFC 242 in Abu Dhabi. Headlining the event will be a lightweight title fight between two of the very best fighters on planet earth, the No. 1 ranked interim champion Dustin Poirier and the undisputed, undefeated champion Khabib Nurmagomedov. This is about as high level of a […]

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This is about as high level of a matchup as we’ll ever get, both of these guys are so elite, but fight nothing like one another. Dustin Poirier has always been a serious talent ever since he debuted in the WEC against Danny Castillo. Where he really shined through and first stood out was when he upset Josh Grispi in his UFC debut, winning all three rounds against the one man who was supposed to fight then-champion Jose Aldo next.

After this, he would win his next three fights before losing to Chan Sung Jung, his only loss via submission.

After splitting his next two fights with a win over TUF 12 winner Jonathan Brookins and a unanimous decision loss to then peaking Cub Swanson, he’d win his next three, two of which were via knockout. “The Diamond” then fought Conor McGregor in McGregor’s first really high profile matchup and lost via knockout in round one. After this, Poirier went to lightweight and has gone 9-1 (1 NC) since.

After going 4-0 in his first four fights at 155 pounds, he got caught by Michael Johnson and finished via strikes. He has since gone 5-0 (1 NC). This includes wins over current and former champions like Anthony Pettis, Justin Gaethje, Eddie Alvarez, and Max Holloway. Quite the impressive resume Poirier has, and now he’s got to fight perhaps the scariest lightweight the sport has ever seen, and perhaps the best MMA grappler the sport has ever seen as well.

Khabib Nurmagomedov made his UFC debut in 2012 and has gone 11-0 since, capturing the UFC lightweight championship and defending it in his last two fights. After winning his first three UFC fights, he then broke a record for most takedowns in a single UFC fight against four-time NAIA All-American Abel Trujillo.

He almost ended the fight via triangle choke, but the bell at the end of round one saved Trujillo, and Nurmagomedov was able to break this record considering. Nurmagomedov took Trujillo down a total of 21 times out of 27 attempts, which is 78% accuracy, but that’s not the most impressive part.

The most impressive part of that is that the record was previously 15, which was recorded in a five-round fight, and Sean Sherk is the man that set the mark. If anyone remembers, “The Muscle Shark” was a stud wrestler in his own right; he had two extra rounds to do it and got six fewer takedowns. If that doesn’t show you what Nurmagomedov is capable of then nothing will.

Trujillo isn’t one of the elites at lightweight, but he is a good fighter, a dangerous fighter, and a great wrestler with way more credentials than listed above.

Nurmagomedov would then maul both Pat Healy and Rafael dos Anjos before being out for exactly two years due to injuries. He was supposed to fight Tony Ferguson in his return, but Ferguson was forced out with an injury and was replaced by Darrell Horcher, who Nurmagomedov out-grappled easily to a second-round TKO victory.

“The Eagle” then returned later that year to fight Michael Johnson, and had his best performance to date, before being out another 13-and-a-half months due to weight cutting issues.

His last fight before challenging for the title was against this weekend’s co-main event A-Side, Edson Barboza, a fight he dominated. The Tony Ferguson matchup was then made again for the fourth time for the vacant UFC lightweight championship, but Ferguson fell out with a leg injury. After thinking he was going to fight Max Holloway all week leading up to UFC 223, he then had to fight Al Iaquinta instead, a fight he won all five rounds of.

After winning the belt he, of course, fought “The Notorious” Conor McGregor at UFC 229, and also dominated that fight. He’s been out since then due to suspension, but he’s now back against the interim UFC lightweight champion Dustin Poirier, his most dangerous opponent to date. If there’s anyone “The Eagle” has ever fought that has the best chance of changing his record for the worse, Poirier has the best chance thus far by far.

Khabib Nurmagomedov (27-0) vs. Dustin Poirier (25-5) 1 NC

Both of these guys are at the pinnacle of the sport right now, and rightfully so. There’s one fight we could refer to when predicting this one, and that’s Nurmagomedov’s fight with Al Iaquinta, though it may not have 100% relevance given the fact that was a 24-hour notice fight. However, Poirier has never fought anyone like Nurmagomedov, but Nurmagomedov fought Iaquinta, who fights similar to “The Diamond”.

They both are primarily boxers that mix in some decent kicks, but Poirier’s better on the ground than Iaquinta; his footwork is a little different, and he also hits much harder. Aside from that, they’re quite similar. “The Eagle” and “The Diamond” have two common opponents, Michael Johnson, and Conor McGregor, and funnily enough, both knocked Poirier out in a combined 3:21. That’s not to say Nurmagomedov definitely has this fight won, because MMA math doesn’t work and Nurmagomedov doesn’t win fights in that manner.

The only time we’ve ever seen Nurmagomedov have problems of any sort was against Gleison Tibau in his second UFC fight. He attempted 13 takedowns against the 15-fight, six-year UFC veteran and scored zero, but what people don’t realize is that this was not only Nurmagomedov’s second fight in the UFC, but also only his second fight ever in a cage, his first 16 were in a ring. He also still won that fight 30-27 on all three judges scorecards.

One interesting thing to think of, Poirier hasn’t ever lost how Nurmagomedov wins, and Nurmagomedov hasn’t lost ever, something’s got to give in this fight.

How do you see this fight going between these two 30-year-old assassins?

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UFC 242 Predictions: Nurmagomedov vs. Poirier

UFC 242 is upon us. The event will be held inside du Arena in Abu Dhabi tomorrow (Sept. 7). Headlining the card will be a lightweight title unification bout between champion Khabib Nurmagomedov and interim title holder Dustin Poirier. Taking the co-mai…

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UFC Shenzhen Fallout: Five Fights To Make

This past weekend (Sat. August 31, 2019) at UFC Shenzhen we had a great morning of fights on ESPN and ESPN+. It was a great card that appeared lackluster to most. This event featured eleven fights, seven of which went the distance, with two knockouts and two submissions. The show was headlined by a UFC […]

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The show was headlined by a UFC women’s strawweight championship bout between now-former champion Jessica Andrade and newly crowned champion Weili Zhang, as well as a great co-main event between two of welterweight’s best. The title changing hands was shocking to some, but the finish shocked everyone. No one expected Zhang to run through Andrade that quickly and viciously, and we now have the UFC’s first-ever Asian champion.

We at LowKickMMA have compiled a list of five fights to make after their showings. Where do the winners go from here? Where do the losers go from here? Continue reading to see our five matchups:

Damir Ismagulov (19-1) vs. Leonardo Santos (17-3-1)

Damir Ismagulov has been perfect since making his UFC debut, winning three unanimous decisions, and winning all nine rounds with a couple 10-8 rounds mixed in there in two of those fights. We got to see his well-rounded game in his UFC debut, where he scored five takedowns and out-struck his opponent 103-22 in total strikes, before out-striking his next opponent 64-38. His most recent outing was on Saturday night, where he completely out-classed Thiago Moises quite handily, and once again showed off his brilliant striking.

Leonardo Santos just came back this year after an almost three-year hiatus, which wasn’t the first long break he’s had. At 39-years-old, it’d be great to see this TUF winner fight more often. After all that time away, he came back and KO’d Stevie Ray in round one, he didn’t skip a beat. It’s crazy to see someone at this age continue to improve and get better, and it’s also crazy to see a 4th degree BJJ black belt have as good of striking as he does.

This would be a step up in competition for Ismagulov, though many people don’t know who Santos is. The only reason for that, as previously stated, he doesn’t fight often enough, which is unfortunate. It’d be great to see how Ismagulov does on the mat with someone like Santos, and it’d be interesting to see how this would play out on the feet considering how good of strikers they each are.

With UFC records like 3-0 (Ismagulov) and 6-0-1 (Santos), one of these two would have to take their first promotional loss.

Kai Kara-France (20-7) 1 NC vs. Matt Schnell (14-4)

This would be a very fun fight. Both of these guys are former champions, and both guys were on The Ultimate Fighter 24 as part of Henry Cejudo’s team. The agility and skill-set of each of these two are at a very high level, as it should be, being flyweights in the UFC. The UFC didn’t pick Kara-France up initially after their season, but at least they have him now, he’s a great talent that’s very exciting to have.

Kara-France is now 3-0 in the UFC thus far, and Schnell is 4-2 under the promotion’s banner, but has won his last four fights in a row. Both of these guys are very quick on the feet and have very good striking, and both are solid on the ground as well. Kara-France is more of a striker that’ll go for a takedown here and there, while Schnell is always looking for a submission, whether he’s on top or on the bottom, as he won his last two fights via triangle choke.

Both of these TUF veterans have also fought at bantamweight, but are primarily flyweights. If this fight gets put together, the winner would then be very close to a title shot. It looks like Joseph Benavidez may have to fight Deiveson Figueiredo for an interim championship while Cejudo’s out, or maybe he does end up challenging Cejudo for the undisputed title. Whichever the case, the winner of this fight should end up closely behind them.

Robbie Lawler (28-14) 1 NC vs. Li Jingliang (17-5)

Li Jingliang really had the performance of his lifetime on Saturday against Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos, scoring another late third-round knockout, his second in a row. Now that he beat, and finished, the No. 14 welterweight in the division, he should have his own spot in the top 15. It was really a sight to see, he was just on that whole fight. For a dangerous top guy like dos Santos to look amateurish because of how good Jingliang is was very entertaining and impressive.

Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos was 7-1 in the UFC with that only loss being via split decision in his UFC debut, meaning he won his last seven straight. That’s not at all an easy thing to do in a division like welterweight, and against good competition too. That all ended when he stepped in the cage this past Saturday. Jingliang didn’t even need to finish the fight, he was certainly winning, but he ended up stunning dos Santos with an uppercut late in round three and followed up with a few more punches to get the finish.

Jingliang out-struck dos Santos, but not by much, with the striking totals being 59-55 in favor of Jingliang. “The Leech” also had two takedowns and three knockdowns, as opposed to dos Santos’ zero takedowns or knockdowns. His performance was absolutely incredible. What a homecoming he had in front of his native Chinese crowd. Even though Robbie Lawler lost his last three fights and hasn’t won in two years, this is a great fight to make – and here’s why.

In Lawler’s last two fights, he lost to Ben Askren, a controversial outcome, and he lost to Colby Covington. Those are the only two times we’ve seen him in almost two years. Many thought he was on his way to beating Askren, and Covington just didn’t let him breathe. This fight won’t go anything like either of those did.

Jingliang isn’t going to try and constantly pursue a takedown as Askren did, and he’s not going to be in Lawler’s face throwing constant volume without taking a break. He’ll fight him like he fights everyone else; throwing mostly punches with his great heavy-handed boxing game, and maybe look for a takedown here and there, but mostly box him the whole fight while mixing in some kicks.

It’d be a good fight to see if Lawler’s still got it, because we already know Jingliang is for real now. Lawler’s also ranked just one spot above dos Santos, this is the best stylistic matchup available for “The Leech.” They’re two tops guys that have real power and great striking fundamentals. How do you think this one would go?

Jessica Andrade (20-7) vs. Rose Namajunas (8-4) II

If Rose Namajunas feels like coming back, it’d be great to see this rematch. Before Andrade picked her up and viciously slammed her, she was looking better than she ever had before. Namajunas’ boxing was looking absolutely impeccable, she was really coming into her own. What a youth beyond her years she’s been, it’d be a shame to see her hang them up already.

Jessica Andrade won her UFC women’s strawweight championship in dramatic fashion and ended up losing it in even more dramatic of fashion. Weili Zhang bullied her way right through her and got the stoppage within the first minute. Andrade threw a couple of hook combinations. Once she caught Zhang, she started pressing more, which proved to be the wrong choice. Zhang caught her coming in with a right hand, then got the clinch and landed some knees. It was game over at that point, and we were crowning a new champion.

The first fight between these two was very fun to watch, and as previously implied, the result didn’t tell the story of the fight. Both of these women are only 27-years-old, it’s very possible, and likely even, that they’ll each regain the title again in the years to come. Or is Weili Zhang the next big thing that’s going to hold onto the belt for some time to come?

Weili Zhang (20-1) vs. Tatiana Suarez (8-0)

This is the only women’s strawweight title fight that makes sense, unless Namajunas comes back and wants an instant crack at the belt, which is possible. The UFC mentioned they didn’t want to move Tatiana Suarez too fast, but when the only other girls in the top five are Rose Namajunas, Nina Ansaroff (lost to Suarez in last fight), Joanna Jedrzejczyk (coming off a loss and scheduled against Michelle Waterson), and Claudia Gadelha (2-2 in last four and hasn’t looked great recently), Suarez is the clear choice.

These are two of the most dominant fighters in the game today. Weili Zhang just proved to all of us how good she is, and Tatiana Suarez has been proving to us how good she is since The Ultimate Fighter 23, a season she went 3-0 on and won. With all her wrestling credentials coming into the MMA world, Suarez has certainly lived up to every expectation we’ve all put on her thus far.

Both of these women are so elite, it’d be great to see how they match up together. Everyone expects Suarez to win the title at some point, and while Zhang flew under the radar until now really, she’s now the undisputed champion. For Suarez being 8-0 as a professional, 3-0 on TUF, and 2-0 as an amateur, as well as Zhang not losing since her professional debut, something’s got to give in this fight. These women have won their last 33 fights, that’s absolutely remarkable, and have a total combined record of 33-1.

This is certainly the fight that should be made, there’s nowhere for either of them to go but upward. Perhaps after this fight happens, the winner could defend their belt and then go up and challenge Valentina Shevchenko. Women’s MMA isn’t mediocre anymore, there are some real dangerous threats.

Not just one or two either, like back in the day when the only elite female fighters were Cris Cyborg and Ronda Rousey, now we have a good amount of them that could justifiably be on the pound-for-pound list. This is a very exciting time in the sport, and only after 26 years. This is quite literally the tip of the iceberg.

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Five Reasons Jorge Masvidal vs. Nate Diaz Will Be Biggest Fight Of The Year

After defeating Anthony “Showtime” Pettis at UFC 241, Nate Diaz called out Jorge “Gamebred” Masvidal, and said, “I know he’s a gangster, but he ain’t no west coast gangster”. The crowd loved it, and Masvidal, in the audience, clearly liked hearing the call out as well. What makes this fight intriguing to you? Here are […]

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After defeating Anthony “Showtime” Pettis at UFC 241, Nate Diaz called out Jorge “Gamebred” Masvidal, and said, “I know he’s a gangster, but he ain’t no west coast gangster”.

The crowd loved it, and Masvidal, in the audience, clearly liked hearing the call out as well. What makes this fight intriguing to you? Here are five reasons this is the fight to make, and why it will be the biggest contest of the year.

Complete Mixed Martial Artists

Both of these guys are very well rounded. Diaz has always lacked in the wrestling department, but he has a solid BJJ game, and his wrestling actually looked pretty decent on against Pettis. Both Diaz and Masvidal are great on the feet, and both are solid on the ground. Masvidal is a bit better at mixing it up, he can chain his striking with takedowns together quite well, like we saw him do against James Krause, Tim Means, and Darren Till, most notably.

Diaz boasts a 2nd degree BJJ black belt, and while Masvidal isn’t ranked in the art, he’s quite well versed in it as well. Though he only has two of his 34 wins by submission, he’s very talented on the mat. One of those two submission wins was even against Michael Chiesa, an absolute stud on the ground. 12 of Diaz’s 20 wins are via submission, just over half; and 17 (half) of Masvidal’s wins are via decision, accompanied by 15 knockouts.

Since moving to welterweight, that knockout area of his record has gotten much bigger. Masvidal’s total Strikeforce and UFC record in the 155-pound division was 9-3, eight of those wins were decisions with one submission. Move forward to his welterweight record and he’s 6-4 since moving up, three of those losses were split decisions, and five of those wins were knockouts. A pretty significant change for “Gamebred,” who is now clearly in the weight class best suited for him.

Stand-Up Warriors

Though both of these guys are well rounded, they’re both primarily strikers. Diaz throws mostly punches, and Masvidal likes to mix it up a bit more. They’re both about as tough as a fighter could be too, considering they have a combined 24 losses, 19 of those are decisions. Eight of those decisions could have, and probably should have, been scored the other way. Neither guy has a very attractive record, but both are notorious for losing controversial decisions, or at least used to be. They could both have very different looking records with a judge or two going the other way in a few of their fights.

What’s cool about this fight, both of these guys made comebacks this year. Masvidal came back after a year and a half away to fight Till, and Diaz came back after three years to fight Pettis. Both have always had the potential to be the best, and fans have always recognized that. The problem is, they never really lived up to their potential, until now. Yes, Diaz did make it to the top of the lightweight division, but afterward, he fell harder than he rose up. Then after his last fight with McGregor, he left and was assumed to be a wasted talent at that point.

Now that each of them has had a good amount of time away, they’re both incredibly focused. It’s a beautiful thing to see, we’re finally going to see what these guys can amount to. It’s especially exciting for fans that have been watching both Diaz and Masvidal throughout the entirety of their careers. With each of them at 34-years-old, there will never be a better time to make the fight than now.

Each Came From a Rough Walk of Life

With Diaz growing up in Stockton, California, and Jorge Masvidal growing up in Miami, Florida, it’s safe to say that neither of those places host favorable upbringings. Both places are dangerous, filled with violence and drugs, and both places make it hard to make something of yourself – but these two found a way.

Diaz grew up fighting in school constantly, and his brother Nick is the one that got him into martial arts. He started training BJJ, and the rest followed shortly after. There are videos of Diaz when he was 16 years old fighting grown men at his gym in full-on fights.

Masvidal, on the other hand, has a pretty similar story. He was also fighting grown men at a young age, and there are also multiple videos of him fighting online, but his weren’t inside of a gym. “Gamebred” was part of Kimbo Slice’s backyard street fighting, which everyone knows at that point.

Considering this, there couldn’t possibly be a better nickname for someone like Masvidal than “Gamebred”. It fits him to a T, no one’s as ‘game’ as Masvidal, except maybe Diaz.

World-Class Talent

Each of these men are two of the best in the world at what they do. Each of them is a bad matchup for the majority of people they’ll end up fighting. Their frames would make this fight quite interesting as well, considering Diaz will have the height and reach advantage, as usual, but not by much. He’s an inch taller than Masvidal and has a two-inch reach advantage. What does that mean?

With Diaz’s boxing skills, he generally has success boxing at range, but what about the kicks of Masvidal? The same thing was said about the Pettis fight, that the kicks of Pettis might be too much for Diaz. We have to stop and think though, Pettis has always had issues with opponents that pressure him. But not Masvidal, he’ll do better if the fight is brought to him.

Diaz has made it to No. 2 in the UFC lightweight rankings, and Masvidal is sitting at No. 3 in the UFC welterweight rankings right now. Diaz just fought his way to No. 7 at welterweight after beating Pettis this past Saturday, they’re two of the best the sport has to offer.

Fan Favorites

As talented as the best in the world are, it doesn’t always mean they’re fan favorites, and it doesn’t even mean they’re liked. However, in this case, it’s a completely different story. These are two of the most beloved fighters in the entire sport, and for a good reason. Both are straight-up, no-nonsense type of guys personally – and professionally, they’re straight-up fighters. They will stay on the feet and trade with anyone.

There aren’t too many fights from either of them that are boring. Masvidal has had a few fights most would consider ‘boring,’ but they were at lightweight when he’d coast to decisions some of the time. Now that he’s at welterweight, he’s a different fighter. He has the same skill set, but now he has the energy to apply it more effectively, which has resulted in an 83% knockout ratio in his wins since moving up.

That’s crazy considering his last knockout win before moving up to 170 pounds was before his Strikeforce stint even started, almost six years before his welterweight debut. He hadn’t knocked anyone out in five and a half years, and now five of his last six wins are knockouts. Diaz’s skill set is the exact same, he’s just fighting 15 pounds heavier.

How do you see this fight playing out if it happens? What card would you like to see it on? Everyone wants to see it happen and Dana White said he’s onboard. We’ll perhaps soon find out, which gangster will reign supreme – East coast or West coast?

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Five Reasons Jorge Masvidal vs. Nate Diaz Will Be Biggest Fight Of The Year

The post Five Reasons Jorge Masvidal vs. Nate Diaz Will Be Biggest Fight Of The Year appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

After defeating Anthony “Showtime” Pettis at UFC 241, Nate Diaz called out Jorge “Gamebred” Masvidal, and said, “I know he’s a gangster, but he ain’t no west coast gangster”.

Complete Mixed Martial Artists

Stand-Up Warriors

Each Came From a Rough Walk of Life

Considering this, there couldn’t possibly be a better nickname for someone like Masvidal than “Gamebred”. It fits him to a T, no one’s as ‘game’ as Masvidal, except maybe Diaz.

World-Class Talent

Fan Favorites

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UFC 241 Fallout: Five Fights To Make

We had a great night of fights last night (Sat. August 17, 2019) in Anaheim, California at UFC 241. This was one of the most stacked cards of the year, and it certainly delivered. The first six fights went to decisions, then there were three knockouts and three decisions in the last six fights of […]

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We had a great night of fights last night (Sat. August 17, 2019) in Anaheim, California at UFC 241.

This was one of the most stacked cards of the year, and it certainly delivered. The first six fights went to decisions, then there were three knockouts and three decisions in the last six fights of the night.

The event featured a heavyweight rematch between two of the best to ever do it in Daniel Cormier and Stipe Miocic, a battle that saw Miocic regain his UFC heavyweight championship. It was a surprise to most, perhaps setting the stage for a trilogy. Nate Diaz and Paulo Costa also had great performances last night, amongst others. We at LowKickMMA have compiled a list of five fights to make after their showings.

Where do the winners go from here? Where do the losers go from here? Continue reading to see our five matchups:

Michael Johnson (19-14) vs. Sodiq Yusuff (10-1)

Sodiq Yusuff improved his record to 10-1 with six knockouts last night, as he KO’d Gabriel Benitez toward the end of round one. A fight that would make sense for him, now that he’s 3-0 in the UFC, is a matchup with “The Menace”. Michael Johnson came to the UFC off of “The Ultimate Fighter 12,” becoming a finalist in his season after going 4-0 on the show. Much like Yusuff, who came to the UFC after going 1-0 on the Contender Series.

The striking ability of Johnson is something worthy of mentioning, he’s no slouch. Just because his record isn’t pretty doesn’t mean anything. Johnson holds wins over three top lightweights; he defeated Tony Ferguson via unanimous decision, Edson Barboza via unanimous decision, and Dustin Poirier via KO in round one.

Barboza isn’t a top-five guy anymore, but at this time, and for quite a while afterward, he was a top-six guy for a few years straight. Those two unanimous decisions, he won 30-27 in both. That’s three wins over some of lightweight’s best. He’s an incredibly skilled fighter. Johnson started out wrestling, and his hands are nothing to underestimate, as the current interim UFC lightweight champion in Poirier can attest to.

Both guys possess power, though the advantage would go to Yusuff. Both are pretty technical, but the edge would probably go to Johnson considering his experience and the tricks he has. Yusuff is a brutally powerful featherweight, as we saw last night. Johnson throws from all sorts of angles and is a bit more precise. It’d be a good test to see whether or not Johnson should stick around in the UFC, or if Yusuff is ready for bigger names.

Yoel Romero (13-4) vs. Jacare Souza (26-7) 1 NC II

When looking at the middleweight rankings, this is really the only matchup for Romero that makes sense. Their first fight was great and about as close as they get. Romero won a razor-thin split decision that could’ve literally been a draw the first time they met in late 2015.

Both of these guys are ground fighting specialists that have acquired some serious striking skills. Souza generally throws punches, but is so technical and powerful with it, his boxing is quite fun to watch. Romero throws everything from oblique kicks to overhands, to snap kicks, to flying knees, to spinning back fists, to regular back fists.

Though “Soldier of God” doesn’t always throw often, when he does, it counts. One thing that’s very respectable about Souza, he’s one of the best BJJ guys on the entire planet, and he learned how to wrestle. Much like Demian Maia, he learned how to take his opponents down effectively, which is something not many BJJ fighters, even BJJ elites, do.

With Romero’s 2000 Olympic silver medal in freestyle wrestling and Souza’s ten gold medals in BJJ world championships, not to mention all of his silver medals, this fight would be a great one to run back. They tried to make it happen again this April, however, Souza fought Jack Hermansson after Romero had to pull out.

Both men are the elite of the elite in their respective disciplines. This is a rematch that would certainly be worth making again.

Kelvin Gastelum (16-4) 1 NC vs. Paulo Costa (13-0)

Paulo Costa had a really great performance last night, as he defeated the No. 2 middleweight in the world. He simply has an unbreakable will and some immense power. So much so that it’s crazy that Romero didn’t go down, or Costa for that matter.

A matchup between Costa and Gastelum would be a great matchup for a couple of reasons. First, it would probably be a No. 1 contender fight, and both are such viciously powerful punchers. With Gastelum sitting at No. 3 in the rankings, and Costa just beating the No. 2 middleweight in the world, this fight makes all the sense in the world.

Both are products of “The Ultimate Fighter,” Kelvin went 4-0 on his season and won, while Costa went 1-1. That loss was via a very close split decision, however, and it’s the only time he’s ever lost. With the show each of these guys gave us in their last fights (Gastelum with Adesanya and Costa with Romero), wouldn’t this one be fireworks too?

Jorge Masvidal (34-13) vs. Nate Diaz (20-11)

There was some talk of Nick Diaz coming back to fight Jorge Masvidal earlier this year, but we found out it was all fabricated. While that was heartbreaking, we got the other Diaz back at least, as Nate just defeated Anthony Pettis via unanimous decision. He had a great showing last night, as he just wouldn’t let Pettis off the hook and kept on him.

Both Diaz and Masvidal are primarily strikers, though both can fight on the ground very well. Diaz holds a 2nd-degree black belt in BJJ, and while Masvidal only has two submission wins in 34 total, he can grapple very well. He’s also very good at mixing up his takedowns with strikes when he wants to. With the amount of attention Masvidal’s gotten lately, and the return of Nate Diaz coming off a win, this is the only fight to make in the UFC’s welterweight division. This one and Usman versus Covington.

It doesn’t make sense to make Masvidal versus Edwards now. It would have been cool to see Masvidal fight the winner of Diaz versus Pettis, regardless of who came out on top. It’s almost certain the UFC is going to do everything possible to put this together.

When asked a couple of weeks ago about what’s next, Masvidal said he’d fight no one other than, “Conor McGregor or fight for the welterweight title”. When asked just a couple of days ago, he said he’d, “sign a Nate Diaz bout agreement in a heartbeat”. That’s great to hear, especially considering Diaz called him out after beating Pettis. Two of the toughest and grittiest dogs in the sport, two real fighters. Let’s see it.

Stipe Miocic (19-3) vs. Daniel Cormier (22-2) 1 NC III

It’s hard to say who’s better all-time in all honesty. Cormier was the man at UFC 226, and Miocic was the man last night at UFC 241. This fight should certainly happen again. Just like Cain Velasquez had his three fights with Junior dos Santos when they were the No. 1 and No. 2 guys, we need to see this tiebreaker.

Though Miocic defended the UFC heavyweight championship more than anyone ever, and just won it again (5-1 in UFC title bouts), “DC” was 15-0 at heavyweight going into this fight. There’s a very strong case for either, which is why this needs to happen just one more time.

Miocic was doing great in the first couple minutes of their first fight, then, Cormier clinched up and landed a beautiful knockout blow. This second fight was much different. “DC” most likely won the first two rounds, the third was close, and the fourth is where it really went downhill for the former UFC heavyweight and light heavyweight champion.

In that fourth round, Miocic landed so many shovel hooks to Cormier’s liver. He didn’t even set them up with anything, he just pivoted on his foot and sunk them into Cormier’s gut, and it worked out. After landing the last one, he then caught “DC” in the face with a punch, and his body language said it all. Then, as Miocic swarmed him, an exhausted “DC” fell, and Miocic recaptured his throne.

Congratulations to Miocic and Cormier both on one hell of a fight. They went after it for 19 straight minutes, two absolute warriors. “DC” said he needs to talk with his wife about what he should do next. He has two trilogies he can finish if he so chooses, and potentially go out defeating the only two men to ever defeat him, like Georges St-Pierre did.

If this rematch gets made, it will be interesting to see who comes out on top. What’s even more interesting, is at 40 and 37, respectively, Cormier and Miocic have continued to get better. Not just better, but they’ve continued to grow leaps and bounds. It will certainly be interesting to see what’s next for both men.

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