UFC 180, World Series of Fighting 15, and Bellator 131 all brought the fun last night. The fans in Mexico City were treated to a main card that had nothing but finishes, with only the main event between Mark Hunt and Fabricio Werdum reaching the 2nd round. In the end, Werdum got he expected win but via unexpected flying knee KO. It gives Werdum the interim heavyweight belt as he waits for Cain Velasquez to get healthy.
It’s time now to take a look at what’s in store for the main card fighters from Saturday night, although the caveat is we’ll replace Messrs Montano, Heathlerly, Urbina, and Garcia with Jessica Eye and Leslie Smith from the prelims.
Fabricio Werdum. Well my work is already sorted. He gets Cain Velasquez next.
Mark Hunt. Hey, he took a title fight in Mexico City on three weeks notice and scored 2 knockdowns and won the 1st round. There’s a limit to how good Mark Hunt is relative to the elite of the division, and Hunt gave it a good effort. I imagine he’ll have some time off to heal up from injuries and enjoy eating as much food as he wants, but when he comes back I think he gets the loser of Travis Browne/Brendan Schaub.
Kelvin Gastelum. There’s a good argument that Gastelum could be on his way towards becoming the best TUF winner in the show’s history. From a debatable split decision win over Uriah Hall to beating top 10 welterweight Jake Ellenberger in only one year is an astonishing achievement. He’s possibly in a position where he can headline Fight Night cards with how well he’s performing and how quickly he’s ascended up the welterweight ladder. I see him in a tussle with Tyron Woodley.
Jake Ellenberger. The UFC is in a very tough spot with Ellenberger. He’s lost 3 in a row, has been stopped twice, and looked absolutely tepid in his loss to Rory MacDonald. His time as a top welterweight is 100% finished, but what of his UFC future? They could cut him loose and have him go elsewhere, or give him one fight against a middling opponent. I think the UFC chooses the latter, and gives him John Hathaway.
Ricardo Lamas. Well well well. A huge win for Lamas to keep his name among the list of contenders at 145 lbs. He’s sort of an overlooked name when you consider McGregor, Poirier, etc. but he’s clearly a high caliber fighter. Chad Mendes called him out after the win and I think it’s a terrific fight to make.
Dennis Bermudez. It was a good run for the Long Island native, but his past liabilities as far as his striking defense and his tendency to get submitted showed up in a big way. Once Lamas had him hurt he never had a chance to recover and his winning streak comes to an end. I know that this is Loser vs. Winner matchmaking, but I still would like to see him face Nik Lentz.
Jessica Eye. A very good showing for Eye gets her (assuming she passes her drug test) a first official UFC win. When Bethe Correia returns from injury, this is the fight to make for the potential #1 contender. Remember, she ha a very competitive fight with recent challenger Alexis Davis and lost a tight split decision, so the potential for her to challenge Ronda Rousey is still there.
Leslie Smith. She will pretty much permanently be known as the woman whose ear exploded on live TV, which is unfair. It’s an odd set of fights for Smith, having been dominated on short notice by Sarah Kaufman and Jessica Eye but sandwiching a destruction of Jessamyn Duke in between those two losses. Put her up against Lauren Murphy.