What had the makings of a bog standard UFC Fight Night card on paper over-delivered for the WME-IMG organization this week. Of the thirteen fights on offer only four went to decision, with three submissions and six KOs. And mixed in with those finishes were some serious career building wins. Deiveson Figueiredo made his case for the flyweight elite, Cory Sandhagen showed he’s tough enough to hang with top athletes at 135, and Eryk Anders and Mickey Gall reasserted themselves as prospects to watch.
So, what comes next? Can Sandhagen be rushed? Is Figueiredo ready for a top contender’s bout? Should Anders and Gall keep treading water, or try taking another step up?
To answer all these questions, and more, I’ll be employing the classic Silva/Shelby fight booking methodology of years past. That means pitting winners against winners, losers against losers, and similarly tenured talent against one another. If you’d like to take your own chance at matchmaking glory, leave a comment below starting with, “Nebraska, what’s up you cornhusker mother… Woo!” I’ll pick one winner from the responses to join me next time.
This week’s winner is BE reader ‘James512’:
(Greetings everyone – James512 here. Been too long! For those of you who haven’t seen my prior fan-posts (shame on you) I’m a super MMA-fan (of all organizations) who is aspiring to be a part-time MMA writer while holding down my current job as a middle school social studies teacher here in Austin, Texas – as you can imagine, last several weeks have been very hectic since the school year began (BOO) so I haven’t been able to provide my thoughtful predictions and after-event analysis, but I know you all have missed me and I’ll get back to it soon enough.
JUSTIN GAETHJE
James – The night couldn’t have gone much better for Gaethje, who stopped a two-fight losing streak (even though it was two exciting, fan-pleasing fights) and now doesn’t have to take a multi-month vacation to heal (that we know of). The challenging part now is finding out where he goes from here, as most of the notables that are above him in the division already have a dance partner. In a perfect world, he should get the winner of Tony Ferguson vs Anthony Pettis, although if Ferguson wins that fight he should get a title shot afterwards (but who knows anymore); Kevin Lee would also work, and Daniel Hooker would be fireworks too. Whatever the case might be, there will probably be an interim title involved because its UFC and why the hell not.
Zane – The only rule with Justin Gaethje fights is that the opponents have to be exciting. Put him in with the division’s best wrestle grinders and the UFC is just throwing fun away. This Vick fight was a dangerous offering, a tricky opponent without enough shine to his name, that a loss for Gaethje could have dimmed interest in watching him fight, but the ‘Highlight’ came through in electrifying fashion. A bout with Al Iaquinta could be next, but word his he might be getting a fight with Kevin Lee. If that’s the case, how about Justin Gaethje vs. Edson Barboza? I know the Brazilian is coming off a pair of brutal losses, but so was Gaethje before this win, and he’s one of the only elite lightweights without a booking. If a fight with someone off two losses seems too weird, then go with Anthony Pettis, win or lose to Tony Ferguson at UFC 229. That or try and lure Nate Diaz in after the Poirier fight. But the Barboza bout is right there and it’d be awesome. Gaethje vs. Barboza is a perfect action fight for both men.
JAMES VICK
James – Well that was humbling. This is why you have to be very careful about trash-talking your opponent and saying how much they suck before your fight – because when they beat you, how does that make you look? Vick is a very talented fighter and a gigantic lightweight, but after squawking to the UFC about his lack of opportunity and subsequently falling back to Earth, he’ll have to go back to the drawing-board for the time being. As an aside to the media, he mentioned that soon he’ll have to move up to welterweight (where he’ll still be pretty damn big for the weight class) so I’m going to assume his next fight will be there. If Jorge Masvidal isn’t too busy with whatever reality show that he is on that I’m not going to watch, that would be a fun bout. If Vick decides to give lightweight another try, how about Clay Guida?
Zane – James Vick has made a big show about being unable to get meaningful fights in the UFC. He’s had two now, and they’ve both been harsh reality checks for the division’s tallest fighter. He’s still dangerous and has clearly developed a lot over the years, but if pressure is going to be a problem, there are a lot of people up at the top who can apply it. I would have liked to see Vick fight Michael Chiesa, but it seems like Chiesa’s headed to 170 (although honestly Vick could and should probably go up as well). Assuming Vick stays at 155, then I wouldn’t be opposed to seeing him take on Islam Makhachev, or maybe Daniel Hooker. If Rustam Khabilov gets by Kajan Johnson that’d be a solid matchup too. Of all those, I’d probably say give Makhachev the chance to make a name for himself. Vick vs. Makhachev is my pick.
MICHAEL JOHNSON
James – It was a little closer than he would have liked, but a victory is a victory and Michael Johnson can finally start moving forward. Sometimes a flawed win can be beneficial anyways – Johnson can use this to shore up the weaknesses in his game for next time. It just so happens that a golden opportunity has opened up – with Yair Rodriguez injured, Zabit Magomedsharipov is left without a dance partner – there won’t be enough time to get back on UFC 228, but there’s still plenty of room for the UFC’s mega-card 230 at Madison Square Garden. If that match-up doesn’t materialize, then there’s always a potential fight with Gabriel Benitez, Arnold Allen or Rick Glenn that would be appropriate.
Zane – Johnson’s in a weird spot at 145. Clearly an experienced vet, still more or less in his prime, but nowhere near title contention. Could throw him in with Alex Caceres, who operates in much the same space – and has almost exactly the same record. Or maybe pit him against someone else looking to break their long losing streak, like Jason Knight or Dennis Bermudez. Hell, maybe he could fill in as Zabit Magomedsharipov’s next opponent at UFC 228? Most likely that won’t happen. Instead, I say stick Johnson up against Rick Glenn. Glenn’s blend of footslow boxing and absurd toughness should provide a fun contrast to Johnson’s blazing speed and confidence issues. The Caceres fight also sounds fun, but Glenn vs. Johnson just feels like the right fight.
CORTNEY CASEY
James – Courtney Casey seemed a little too excited to finally get a split decision nod – although it is somewhat amusing that she finally got one to go her way for once. But she badly needs to find some consistency – for whatever reason, she has been way too content to play defense in her last couple of bouts. For her next fight, I’d like to see her take on a winnable challenge against Nina Ansaroff, and hopefully in the interim she’ll find the killer instinct that she had earlier in her UFC tenure.
Zane – A squeaked out win for Cortney Casey essentially keeps her treading water at 115. The division keeps adding talent that threatens to march up the ranks, but a win like this ensures that she keeps her role as one of the division’s tough-out gatekeepers. I’d like to push the idea of seeing her face Nina Ansaroff as an option A, with both women coming off quality wins and holding down spots in the rankings. But, Casey herself threw out an idea that has a lot of curb appeal: a fight with former teammate Mackenzie Dern. It doesn’t feel like a fight Dern would be ready for, but the BJJ phenom has a lot of hype behind her and a matchup with Casey seems ripe for drama. Eventually I’m gonna pump the breaks, just because I know the UFC loves to rush prospects up the division before they’re ready. I’ll stick with Casey vs. Ansaroff instead. But, if the UFC wants to make that Dern fight happen, that’s 100% fine.
DEIVESON FIGUEIREDO
James – Figueiredo has really opened some eyes to what he can do. There’s not a lot of flyweights on the roster (or anywhere else, really) that can brag about fight-ending power and Figueiredo has it. The fact that he crumpled Moraga, a very talented fighter in his own right, in a dominant victory is very impressive. With all four of his UFC fights being victories, two of them by strike-based finish and two of them over previously undefeated fighters its time that Figueiredo joins title contention formally – put him in against Dustin Ortiz, with the winner getting a top 5 fighter or title eliminator fight next.
Zane – There are two crystal clear fights for Figueiredo at 125 right now. Alexandre Pantoja or Dustin Ortiz. Part of me says, make the Pantoja bout, let these interesting prospects battle to see which one can separate himself from the other. But, flyweight needs all the rising new blood it can get, and Pantoja’s already had his wings clipped once. If Figueiredo could take out Moraga emphatically the way he did, then there’s no reason he can’t step in the cage with Dustin Ortiz. Win that fight and you’re looking at a man one fight from a title shot. Deiveson Figueiredo vs. Dustin Ortiz is the next step for the Brazilian.
ERYK ANDERS
James – Head-kick knock-out aside, Anders has some holes in his game he needs to fix, namely starting slow and working on his clinch-defense. Nevertheless, there’s worse ways to rebound from your first defeat. After the fight, Anders called out Elias Theodorou (who seems to be a popular call-out for some reason) but I don’t think he’s quite there yet – I want to see if he can get by the caliber of someone like Jack Hermansson or Gerald Meerschaert first. A fight with lovable crazy man Ryan Janes could be fun, too.
Zane – A solid win for Eryk Anders that mostly felt like a lackluster showing, right up until a remarkable headkick. Anders still struggles to put a pace on opponents and seems overly reliant on one-shot power to turn fights in his favor. But, to his credit, it’s worked most of the time so far. He called out Elias Theodorou, and I admire his gumption to want to carve his way up the division fast, but Theodorou has a fight booked already. And Anders’ wins to date just aren’t that impressive (arguable Machida scores be damned). Fights with Andrew Sanchez or Alessio di Chirico wouldn’t be bad, but the real test for a prospect is a battle against Gerald Meerschaert. The wily Wisconsinite isn’t the best athlete in the division, but he’s got a fantastic chin and a funky wrestling game, and a knack for finding tricky subs. Just the kind of test Anders needs to keep his development going. Anders vs. Meerschaert is a great bout.
MICKEY GALL
James – While his loss to Randy Brown was certainly humbling, I think people were a little too hard on Gall following that loss. While he gained a lot of notoriety with his victories over C.M Punk and Sage Northcutt, it’s easy to forget that Gall is very young in his career himself and that losses will happen (and often, said losses make good fighters into great fighters. Just look at the earlier losses of greats such as Tito Ortiz, Frank Mir and B.J Penn for evidence) – Sullivan was an appropriate challenge and Gall passed the test with flying colors. For his next fight, how about a contest with fellow Northcutt conqueror (and UFC Lincoln winner) Bryan Barberena, and see which one of these two men becomes UFC’s official prospect killer?
Zane – Gall’s post-fight call-outs were some weird nonsense. A man he’s already beat and a man who already has a fight booked? There are other fights to make. One of the first that springs to my mind would be a bout against power striking giant Curtis Millender. Millender has made a splash in the UFC with two high quality wins, but his general lack of grappling game would give Gall a clear opportunity to take over quickly. And Millender’s size and power would mean he’s got a chance to end the bout for every moment Gall spends at range with him. Sullivan was the most meaningful win of Gall’s career, a fight with Millender seems like an exciting way to keep building his resume.
JOANNE CALDERWOOD
James – Jojo 2.0 is here! What an excellent victory. I’m sure many Calderwood fans (myself included) were very concerned when JoJo was placed on her back within seconds, but submitting a BJJ blackbelt like Faria is super-impressive. And now Calderwood has two great showings in a weight class that she has the potential to truly make her own. It’s safe to say that moving to Las Vegas to train with Roxanne Modafferi is paying dividends. There’s plenty of good match-ups that can be made, but the one I want to see is Jojo taking on Sjara Eubanks – I want to see if Calderwood can get by a powerful wrestler who has the striking power to give her pause.
Zane – Women’s flyweight is neck deep in possible matchups right now. Fighters like Liz Carmouche, Jessica Eye, and Ashlee Evans-Smith are all coming off wins and could use bouts. A fight with Andrea Lee would be a fun test of standup specialists, as would a fight with Justine Kish or Ji Yeon Kim. In fact, I’ll go ahead and say make the Ji Yeon Kim fight. ‘Fire Fist’ is tall and rangy, and tends to make for a fun scrap with whoever she’s in the cage with. But her stand-up isn’t nearly as diverse as Calderwood’s. It’s another test of the former flyweight’s physicality and another chance for Ji Yeon to prove that she’s a real talent to watch. Joanne Calderwood vs. Ji Yeon Kim is a quality scrap.
RANI YAHYA
James – Was this finally the breakout performance of Yahya’s career? Is the UFC’s most under-rated bantamweight finally going to get the golden opportunity that he’s been waiting for since he joined the UFC roster nearly eight (8!) years ago? He’s not going to get a title shot (but I’m glad he at least put it out there in his victory speech) – but he deserves a shot at contention – with Marlon Moraes in front of him, I think the winner of Cody Stamman vs Aljamain Sterling could get Yahya within striking distance of a title fight. Otherwise, fights with fellow Brazilians John Lineker and Raphael Assuncao would provide excitement (and clarity) to the suddenly chaotic bantamweight division.
Zane – I feel for Yahya, a lot. He’s put the work in, he’s fought the fights the UFC has put in front of him, and he’s won a hell of a lot more of them than he’s lost. He’s also a country mile from anything like a title shot. That’s no fault of his own, but his fights aren’t high profile enough to get anyone’s attention, and that’s going to make getting the super high profile booking he wants incredibly difficult. I wouldn’t mind seeing him face someone like Rafael Assuncao, Dominick Cruz, or Cody Garbrandt. A chance to make something magical happen. But, the realist in me just can’t pitch what I don’t think anyone’s catching. More likely, an incredibly fun bout against a former title challenger who’s looking to make his own name at 135 would make a good option. That’s Tim Elliott. Elliott hasn’t been seen since beating Mark De La Rosa back in December, but a bout with Yahya would be all the scrambling grappling fun. Rani Yahya vs. Tim Elliott for all the grappling.
OTHER BOUTS: Fili vs. Jury, Hill vs. Lima, Barberena vs. Roberts, Moraga vs. Sasaki, Williams vs. Vettori, Krause vs. Jingliang, Alves vs. Garcia, Sandhagen vs. Simon, Alcantara vs. Wineland, Sanchez vs. di Chirico, Perez vs. Piechota, Sullivan vs. Ottow, Faria vs. Honchak, Dober vs. Ferreira, Tuck vs. Hein, Sanders vs. Lopez
culturesink 