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- Jul 8, 2021
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Aljamain Sterling vs Sean O'Malley – It's great to see the UFC Bantamweight division moving forwards with unique, fresh match ups that involve very entertaining fighters. Sean O'Malley is at the head of a queue that includes some real monsters – including Song Yadong, Umar, and more. While some divisions seem to be a stuck in a rut with the same old contenders emerging again and again, the 135 division is living up to it's potential!
Henry Cejudo vs Merab Dvalishvili – Henry Cejudo morphed into Henry Deludo after the fight, talking about moving up to 145. It's a solid 'no' from me, considering he was undersized against Sterling, so I'd be offering Cejudo the next best thing to a title shot at 135: Merab, the teammate of Aljo, and who knows? Cejudo could find himself with one last title shot in the future. The real curiosity here will be seeing if Henry's world class wrestling can do anything to stop the relentless forward pressure and freakish volume of Merab.
Belal Muhammad vs Leon Edwards/Colby Covington – I'm not a big fan of the Edwards-Colby fight, but it looks like the UFC are set on making it happen, so Belal will be able to bide his time and fight the eventual winner of that bout. By the time this one goes down, Khamzat may just have fought Kamaru, so let's hope we get a fresh fight out of all of that – otherwise, I'd be looking to fast track Shavkat to a future title shot in order to avoid something pointless like Colby-Kamaru III.
Gilbert Burns vs Shavkat Rakhmonov – Speaking of Shavkat... the monstrous Kazakh native pass the Geoff Neal test with yet another finish, but he did start to look a little bit more human. That's always the case as the level of opposition increases, and a fit and healthy Gilbert Burns is a HUGE test for Shavkat. Unfortunately for Gilbert, outside of a couple of fights with veterans he can beat (Wonderboy, Magny and Masvidal all recently), this is a more appropriate next fight for him, and yes, it could mean the first losing streak of his career.
Xiaonan Yan vs Rose Namajunas – In some ways, this could be the ideal bounce-back fight for Rose – though there have to be some doubts she ever comes out the other side of two horrific performances against Esparza and Robertson (BJJ). While Rose may not surface again for some time, Yan might just prove a superb foil for an elite strawweight who enjoyed teeing off on compatriot Weili Zhang in the past.
Jessica Andrade vs Virna Jandiroba – I can't remember a time previously where this fight would have made any sense, but with Andrade being crushed in back-to-back fights, it's her time to fight down the rankings. Virna, who out-grappled Marina Rodriguez, has a claim to make this a #5 vs #6 fight in terms of the rankings. Can Virna possibly out-grapple Jessica Andrade though, or does she get lit up on the feet?
Movsar Evloev vs Calvin Kattar – Movsar fights aren't usually boring. Evloev, even as a heavy favourite, often finds ways of putting himself at peril, and while much praise goes to Diego Lopes, it's been a feature of Evloev's UFC run: when Nik Lentz and Mike Grundy are causing him problems, it's clear Evloev isn't watertight defensively. Yet, he's still undefeated: give him a chance to step up after a game rankings-defence against Lopes. Give him Calvin Kattar, who is 35 years old and on a losing streak. No longer a truly elite featherweight after recent results, Kattar is nonetheless a monstrous challenge for anyone looking for a springboard towards the top 5. This fight could get crazy, as both have defensive deficiencies.
Diego Lopes vs Charles Rosa – The UFC should be looking to reward Lopes with a winnable fight over a recognisable name, and Charles Rosa really fits the brief. With a weakness to grappling heavy fighters, but the ability to ride out storms, Rosa and Lopes could put on an action-packed fight. Rosa's back is against the wall, too, after 3 straight losses, so if he does go out, at least he goes out promoting a talented young fighter like Lopes.
Charles Jourdain vs Lerone Murphy – Charles Jourdain said after the Kron Gracie victory that he feels he's coming into his own. The Canadian has always had bags of talent and a ton of admirers, but putting together a really credible win streak has evaded him to date. That said, he's no kid, and a fight with Lerone Murphy – who squeaked past the debuting Gabriel Santos last time – looks to be a solid match up between two guys both trying to climb to the next level. Can Jourdain channel his talents and pick up the biggest win of his career, or does Murphy pick him apart?
Kron Gracie – RETIRE! I'd be surprised if we saw Kron any time soon, and I'm not saying he should retire, but I feel he almost certainly will. That, or we'll see him again in 2028.
Matt Frevola vs Renato Moicano – 3 incredibly impressive R1KO's in a row have Matt Frevola entering the rankings at the expense of Drew Dober! Awaiting him could be #13 Renato Moicano, who beat Brad Riddell last time out. A lethal submission expert, Moicano has nonetheless been TKO'd on several occasions, opening the door to the possibility of Frevola continuing to Steamroll the opposition! Either way, this banger would almost certainly produce a finish IMO.
OR!!
Matt Frevola vs Paddy Pimblett – I'd enjoy this fight a great deal, and it would be stylistically similar to the Frevola-Moicano fight. It would be my first choice for Frevola, in all honesty. But given the likelihood that Paddy simply doesn't take a fight of this magnitude now, or ever reach it in the future, I plumped for Moicano.
Drew Dober vs Christos Giagos – Christos stunned Ricky Glenn last time out, and the tough Greek always seems willing to test himself against dangerous 155ers. Drew Dober is most certainly that, and will be hurting after being thrashed by Frevola. Dober will never have the best defence in the world, but neither does Christos. I think both these guys are good, but not quite top 15 material, and would put on a banger.
Kennedy Nzechukwu vs Dustin Jacoby – Kennedy is beginning to string together some nasty finishes, despite being distinctly hittable. Nzechukwu's toughness combined with his ability to put opponents lights out could make an ideal foil for Jacoby, a highly technical kickboxer who is hanging to his ranking by a thread after losing to Azamat Murzakanov and Khalil Rountree back-to-back. Can Jacoby get back in the win column, or does Kennedy make another monstrous statement?
Devin Clark vs Tyson Pedro – 2 fighters have fairly consistently bumped their heads on the upper echelons of the UFC 205 division, Clark and Pedro are nonetheless stylistically very different, and have taken very different routes, too. A good mid-tier scrap, this will be a tough one to predict.
Khaos Williams vs Trevin Giles – Trevin has fought some high level opponents in his time in the UFC, whereas Khaos is really just warming up. That said, the UFC has stepped Giles down lately, and he's put together consecutive wins over Louis Cosce and Preston Parsons. Khaos is a step up for the talented, athletic Trevin, and a threat to him in his weakest area: getting finished!
Rolando Bedoya vs Mounir Lazzez – Many felt Bedoya should have got the nod against Khaos, but even those that agreed with the decision will have gained a great deal of respect for the tough, technical Peruvian. Mounir Lazzez is equally technical, albeit in more of a traditional Muay Thai style, and both can land some nasty shots. I'd be very interested to see this one go down, and it looks ideal for a UAE card.
Virna Jandiroba vs Jessica Andrade (see above)
Marina Rodriguez vs Luana Pinheiro – Marina Rodriguez has beaten a good number of the current top 15 at strawweight, so despite losing 2 straight, finding a suitable opponent isn't as easy as it might seen. Luana Pinheiro, though, is the surging 3-0 prospect who most recently squeaked past Michelle Waterson-Gomez (according to the judges). Let's see what Luana's really got, in a fight designed to give Marina the chance to bounce back.
Parker Porter vs Chris Barnett – Parker Porter easily beat Braxton Smith, and with Chris Barnett being a much better version of Braxton, perhaps Porter can still get the challenge he was meant to get last night! Does Porter pick Barnett apart, or does 'Beast Boy' produce another meme-level KO?
Braxton Smith – CUT! (no, I'm not kidding – dude is not ready, and the UFC will not find anyone he can beat)
Ikram Aliskerov vs Jun Yong Park – While there are calls for Ikram to immediately fight ranked opposition, let's pump the breaks on that just a little bit. Jun Yong Park is 6-2 in the UFC, and dismantled Denis Tiuliulin in way quicker time that Ikram managed. Ikram's most recent first round finishes on DWCS and against Phil Hawes have made him look like a real killer: but The Iron Turtle has fought monsters, and never been finished in the first frame. If Ikram can manage that, we're talking about a real threat at 185 – but I think he finds this fight way tougher, personally.
Phil Hawes vs Makhmud Muradov – Who would have thought this would be a loser leaves town fight? But with both fighters riding a losing streak, that's about where we are. Muradov hit the buffers against GM3, then lost to Caio Borralho, and he's at the point where Hawes would still be his best win in the UFC. Can the Uzbek fighter bounce back, or does Hawes arrest his own decline?
Claudio Ribeiro vs Christian Leroy Duncan – What a fight this could be... Claudio is a big, powerful dude, but that's unlikely to phase CLD. CLD needs the chance to prove himself against someone decent after the Dusko non-event where Todorovic got injured straight away. This would work!
Joseph Holmes – CUT!
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@Kenny Powerth - Putting this up for your perusal, brother!
Henry Cejudo vs Merab Dvalishvili – Henry Cejudo morphed into Henry Deludo after the fight, talking about moving up to 145. It's a solid 'no' from me, considering he was undersized against Sterling, so I'd be offering Cejudo the next best thing to a title shot at 135: Merab, the teammate of Aljo, and who knows? Cejudo could find himself with one last title shot in the future. The real curiosity here will be seeing if Henry's world class wrestling can do anything to stop the relentless forward pressure and freakish volume of Merab.
Belal Muhammad vs Leon Edwards/Colby Covington – I'm not a big fan of the Edwards-Colby fight, but it looks like the UFC are set on making it happen, so Belal will be able to bide his time and fight the eventual winner of that bout. By the time this one goes down, Khamzat may just have fought Kamaru, so let's hope we get a fresh fight out of all of that – otherwise, I'd be looking to fast track Shavkat to a future title shot in order to avoid something pointless like Colby-Kamaru III.
Gilbert Burns vs Shavkat Rakhmonov – Speaking of Shavkat... the monstrous Kazakh native pass the Geoff Neal test with yet another finish, but he did start to look a little bit more human. That's always the case as the level of opposition increases, and a fit and healthy Gilbert Burns is a HUGE test for Shavkat. Unfortunately for Gilbert, outside of a couple of fights with veterans he can beat (Wonderboy, Magny and Masvidal all recently), this is a more appropriate next fight for him, and yes, it could mean the first losing streak of his career.
Xiaonan Yan vs Rose Namajunas – In some ways, this could be the ideal bounce-back fight for Rose – though there have to be some doubts she ever comes out the other side of two horrific performances against Esparza and Robertson (BJJ). While Rose may not surface again for some time, Yan might just prove a superb foil for an elite strawweight who enjoyed teeing off on compatriot Weili Zhang in the past.
Jessica Andrade vs Virna Jandiroba – I can't remember a time previously where this fight would have made any sense, but with Andrade being crushed in back-to-back fights, it's her time to fight down the rankings. Virna, who out-grappled Marina Rodriguez, has a claim to make this a #5 vs #6 fight in terms of the rankings. Can Virna possibly out-grapple Jessica Andrade though, or does she get lit up on the feet?
Movsar Evloev vs Calvin Kattar – Movsar fights aren't usually boring. Evloev, even as a heavy favourite, often finds ways of putting himself at peril, and while much praise goes to Diego Lopes, it's been a feature of Evloev's UFC run: when Nik Lentz and Mike Grundy are causing him problems, it's clear Evloev isn't watertight defensively. Yet, he's still undefeated: give him a chance to step up after a game rankings-defence against Lopes. Give him Calvin Kattar, who is 35 years old and on a losing streak. No longer a truly elite featherweight after recent results, Kattar is nonetheless a monstrous challenge for anyone looking for a springboard towards the top 5. This fight could get crazy, as both have defensive deficiencies.
Diego Lopes vs Charles Rosa – The UFC should be looking to reward Lopes with a winnable fight over a recognisable name, and Charles Rosa really fits the brief. With a weakness to grappling heavy fighters, but the ability to ride out storms, Rosa and Lopes could put on an action-packed fight. Rosa's back is against the wall, too, after 3 straight losses, so if he does go out, at least he goes out promoting a talented young fighter like Lopes.
Charles Jourdain vs Lerone Murphy – Charles Jourdain said after the Kron Gracie victory that he feels he's coming into his own. The Canadian has always had bags of talent and a ton of admirers, but putting together a really credible win streak has evaded him to date. That said, he's no kid, and a fight with Lerone Murphy – who squeaked past the debuting Gabriel Santos last time – looks to be a solid match up between two guys both trying to climb to the next level. Can Jourdain channel his talents and pick up the biggest win of his career, or does Murphy pick him apart?
Kron Gracie – RETIRE! I'd be surprised if we saw Kron any time soon, and I'm not saying he should retire, but I feel he almost certainly will. That, or we'll see him again in 2028.
Matt Frevola vs Renato Moicano – 3 incredibly impressive R1KO's in a row have Matt Frevola entering the rankings at the expense of Drew Dober! Awaiting him could be #13 Renato Moicano, who beat Brad Riddell last time out. A lethal submission expert, Moicano has nonetheless been TKO'd on several occasions, opening the door to the possibility of Frevola continuing to Steamroll the opposition! Either way, this banger would almost certainly produce a finish IMO.
OR!!
Matt Frevola vs Paddy Pimblett – I'd enjoy this fight a great deal, and it would be stylistically similar to the Frevola-Moicano fight. It would be my first choice for Frevola, in all honesty. But given the likelihood that Paddy simply doesn't take a fight of this magnitude now, or ever reach it in the future, I plumped for Moicano.
Drew Dober vs Christos Giagos – Christos stunned Ricky Glenn last time out, and the tough Greek always seems willing to test himself against dangerous 155ers. Drew Dober is most certainly that, and will be hurting after being thrashed by Frevola. Dober will never have the best defence in the world, but neither does Christos. I think both these guys are good, but not quite top 15 material, and would put on a banger.
Kennedy Nzechukwu vs Dustin Jacoby – Kennedy is beginning to string together some nasty finishes, despite being distinctly hittable. Nzechukwu's toughness combined with his ability to put opponents lights out could make an ideal foil for Jacoby, a highly technical kickboxer who is hanging to his ranking by a thread after losing to Azamat Murzakanov and Khalil Rountree back-to-back. Can Jacoby get back in the win column, or does Kennedy make another monstrous statement?
Devin Clark vs Tyson Pedro – 2 fighters have fairly consistently bumped their heads on the upper echelons of the UFC 205 division, Clark and Pedro are nonetheless stylistically very different, and have taken very different routes, too. A good mid-tier scrap, this will be a tough one to predict.
Khaos Williams vs Trevin Giles – Trevin has fought some high level opponents in his time in the UFC, whereas Khaos is really just warming up. That said, the UFC has stepped Giles down lately, and he's put together consecutive wins over Louis Cosce and Preston Parsons. Khaos is a step up for the talented, athletic Trevin, and a threat to him in his weakest area: getting finished!
Rolando Bedoya vs Mounir Lazzez – Many felt Bedoya should have got the nod against Khaos, but even those that agreed with the decision will have gained a great deal of respect for the tough, technical Peruvian. Mounir Lazzez is equally technical, albeit in more of a traditional Muay Thai style, and both can land some nasty shots. I'd be very interested to see this one go down, and it looks ideal for a UAE card.
Virna Jandiroba vs Jessica Andrade (see above)
Marina Rodriguez vs Luana Pinheiro – Marina Rodriguez has beaten a good number of the current top 15 at strawweight, so despite losing 2 straight, finding a suitable opponent isn't as easy as it might seen. Luana Pinheiro, though, is the surging 3-0 prospect who most recently squeaked past Michelle Waterson-Gomez (according to the judges). Let's see what Luana's really got, in a fight designed to give Marina the chance to bounce back.
Parker Porter vs Chris Barnett – Parker Porter easily beat Braxton Smith, and with Chris Barnett being a much better version of Braxton, perhaps Porter can still get the challenge he was meant to get last night! Does Porter pick Barnett apart, or does 'Beast Boy' produce another meme-level KO?
Braxton Smith – CUT! (no, I'm not kidding – dude is not ready, and the UFC will not find anyone he can beat)
Ikram Aliskerov vs Jun Yong Park – While there are calls for Ikram to immediately fight ranked opposition, let's pump the breaks on that just a little bit. Jun Yong Park is 6-2 in the UFC, and dismantled Denis Tiuliulin in way quicker time that Ikram managed. Ikram's most recent first round finishes on DWCS and against Phil Hawes have made him look like a real killer: but The Iron Turtle has fought monsters, and never been finished in the first frame. If Ikram can manage that, we're talking about a real threat at 185 – but I think he finds this fight way tougher, personally.
Phil Hawes vs Makhmud Muradov – Who would have thought this would be a loser leaves town fight? But with both fighters riding a losing streak, that's about where we are. Muradov hit the buffers against GM3, then lost to Caio Borralho, and he's at the point where Hawes would still be his best win in the UFC. Can the Uzbek fighter bounce back, or does Hawes arrest his own decline?
Claudio Ribeiro vs Christian Leroy Duncan – What a fight this could be... Claudio is a big, powerful dude, but that's unlikely to phase CLD. CLD needs the chance to prove himself against someone decent after the Dusko non-event where Todorovic got injured straight away. This would work!
Joseph Holmes – CUT!
--
@Kenny Powerth - Putting this up for your perusal, brother!
