Tonight’s UFC pay-per-view hosted possibly the biggest superfight of all time, and I have to say the stacked card delivered. There were some of the UFC’s most promising stars and heaviest hitters on the main card, and the fighters managed to deliver on one of the most anticipated events of the year. However, with so many excellent fighters winning and losing, that means they need to know what step to make next.
Khalil Rountree, Jr. vs. Jared Cannonier
Khalil Rountree defied all the odds by knocking out one of the best kickboxers of all time in Gokhan Saki, and I think this means he deserves a high profile opponent next. Jared Cannonier has been on the cusp of the rankings for a while, and while he’s coming off of a knockout loss, he could be a good stepping stone for Rountree to get to the top of the division. I know that this fight would end in a knockout, and I think the fans deserve to see this violent war.
Gokhan Saki vs. Marcel Fortuna
Just like that, Gokhan Saki is now 1-1 in the UFC, and the kickboxing legend still has a lot to learn about MMA. Someone else with a lot of potential that’s hit kind of a rough patch is the heavy handed Marcel Fortuna. These two both have huge knockout power, love to strike, and I think this could be a good fight between two men that have a lot prove in the division.
Michael Chiesa vs. Gregor Gillespie
Michael Chiesa not only lost his fight via submission to Anthony Pettis, but he also missed weight as well. Chiesa moving up to Welterweight doesn’t seem likely still though, so I think he needs a fight to re-establish himself as a contender in the Lightweight division. Another promising Lightweight grappler is Gregor Gillespie, and I think he’s certainly ready for a huge contender fight like this one.
Anthony Pettis vs. Kevin Lee
Anthony Pettis got back on track with a beautiful triangle-armbar win over Michael Chiesa, and I would bet almost anything that the UFC will try to give him a path back to the title. Someone who has been in limbo for a while without any other contenders on his level is Kevin Lee, so I think this matchup makes sense. Whether it ends up being a warm up fight for Lee or a way back to the title for Pettis, it’s only a matter of time until these two men share the cage together.
Paul Felder vs. Al Iaquinta
Paul Felder lost his Welterweight debut tonight, but it wasn’t due to lack of trying. He broke his arm and suffered a couple of really bad cuts, but once he’s healthy, I feel that he should go back down in weight to reschedule his bout with Al Iaquinta. This is simply a fight that everyone wants to see yet never got, so it only makes sense to just reschedule the bout.
Mike Perry vs. Curtis Millender
Mike Perry looked phenomenal in a big win over Paul Felder, and I think he deserves a shot at another promising fighter in the division. Curtis Millender put on an amazing performance on the prelims of the card, beating someone who has a win over Perry, and I think this would be an entertaining fight to make. You can be almost certain that someone would go to sleep in this fight, and the UFC loves to pit its most promising stars against each other.
Francis Ngannou vs. Alexander Volkov
Francis Ngannou lost what was probably one of the worst fights I have ever seen, but that doesn’t change the fact that he’s still at the top of the division. With the Heavyweight being taken away from the rightful contenders, it looks like Alexander Volkov will need to take another fight before a title fight, so why not Ngannou? He will likely still be ranked ahead of Volkov, so I think the fight makes sense for both men.
Derrick Lewis vs. Stipe Miocic
Derrick Lewis won one of the worst fights in UFC history, but he still won, and he can blame his horrible performance on a back injury that he apparently had going into this fight. With Stipe Miocic losing his belt tonight by a horrific knockout to Daniel Cormier, he needs a fight to put him in position to get another title shot, and Derrick Lewis is at the top of the division. They’re undoubtedly the two best Heavyweights in the division aside from Daniel Cormier, so it would make sense to have the two fight to determine who gets a shot at the title.
Daniel Cormier vs. Brock Lesnar
Dana White all but confirmed that Brock Lesnar will be the next person to fight Daniel Cormier for the Heavyweight belt, and even had him come into the Octagon to face off with him after the fight. While it’s pretty obvious that this whole thing was staged, I have to say that I’m excited for this matchup, and I can’t wait to see how DC deals with a massive wrestler like Lesnar. No matter how you feel about this undeserved title shot, we know it’s happening, so make your peace with it now.
