For the primary time this yr, determining what comes subsequent for the winner of a championship struggle on a UFC pay-per-view occasion is fairly easy.
Following UFC 311, it was tough to determine precisely who retaining champions Islam Makhachev and Merab Dvalishvili would subsequent share the Octagon with, and the identical may very well be stated of middleweight kingpin Dricus Du Plessis and strawweight queen Zhang Weili following their profitable turns at UFC 312 in Sydney.
However after Magomed Ankalaev dethroned Alex Pereira to wrap up UFC 313 over the weekend, it’s simple to determine who the newly minted champion can be dealing with subsequent.
Even when Ankalaev had stopped Pereira in 48 seconds with an surprising excessive kick or a clear left hand down the pipe, “Poatan” was at all times going to get a direct rematch. That’s what being an energetic champion that efficiently defends their title a number of occasions buys you.
However it additionally doesn’t damage that (a) Pereira is beloved by followers and (b) Saturday’s important occasion was an in depth, aggressive bout that left the now former champion feeling uncertain of how Ankalaev earned the victory and lots of within the MMA bubble instantly misremembering how issues did, actually, play out contained in the Octagon.
Was this the kind of thrill trip we’re used to seeing from Pereira fights? No, it was not, but it surely additionally wasn’t Ankalaev holding Pereira alongside the fence and providing little offence both, because the Brazilian advised following the competition.
Ankalaev was the simpler striker and landed the extra impactful pictures in three of the 5 rounds, together with the fourth, the place he did spend time pinning Pereira to the cage. He fought a sensible, tactical struggle the place he pressured Pereira greater than anybody had earlier than, prevented his large energy, and did greater than sufficient to advantage the victory.
And the nice factor is that we’ll see if he can do it once more sooner or later later this yr, as we must always.
This wasn’t a fluke. This wasn’t the judges getting it fallacious.
Ankalaev has at all times been an excellent fighter, and even the grief he takes for being “boring” is misappropriated, as his dozen UFC wins have been break up evenly between selections and finishes, and he simply outworked somebody that had been operating by means of everybody he confronted. Certain, it was a tactical struggle, however Ankalaev went ahead greater than Pereira, threw and landed greater than Pereira, and but regardless of beating him, doesn’t appear to be getting his due for his efforts.
So we watch for the rematch, the place Pereira will get his probability to make his changes, and Ankalaev will doubtless take a really comparable strategy, trusting as soon as extra in his capacity to beat “Poatan” on the toes and beat him with strain, method, and the correct amount of unwavering confidence in his abilities.
ESK suggests: This appears like your UFC 316 headliner in Newark, N.J. Ebook it three months out in order that both method, there’s room for a 3rd light-heavyweight championship struggle later within the yr.
GAME GAETHJE WILL ALWAYS HAVE OPTIONS
If you’re as perpetually entertaining as Justin Gaethje, whether or not in victory or defeat, there are at all times going to be avenues to large fights in opposition to large names, and alternatives so that you can make the stroll and make some cash.
After incomes a unanimous resolution win over Rafael Fiziev of their impromptu rematch at UFC 313, the 36-year-old lightweight cemented his standing as a top-five fighter within the 155-pound weight class, and acquired himself time to see how issues shake out elsewhere within the division whereas he hits the hyperlinks and waits for his subsequent project.
He stated after the competition he clearly (and understandably) would really like one other probability to struggle for the title, and he truthfully will not be too far off. Beating Fiziev doesn’t erase what occurred at UFC 300, however Gaethje is 3-1 in his final 4, hasn’t confronted champ Islam Makhachev but, and can also be the last word litmus check for anybody hoping to beat him to a championship alternative, which may change into a method for him to earn his subsequent shot at gold.
Everyone seems to be ready to see what occurs with Makhachev, prime contenders Arman Tsarukyan and Charles Oliveira, and former featherweight titleholder Ilia Topuria, who vacated the belt as a way to transfer to lightweight and pursue gold there. We’ve additionally obtained Michael Chandler and Paddy Pimblett ready to struggle at UFC 314, which is value maintaining a tally of too.
Sticking him in there with Tsarukyan could be an amazing struggle and a tricky project for the person presently listed because the No. 1 contender following his Eleventh-hour withdrawal at UFC 311. Gaethje has the takedown defence to check Tsarukyan’s grappling, and the output to pressure the Armenian to be at his very best if he needs to take care of his place on the prime of the record of contenders.
A matchup with Topuria could be a helluva option to welcome “El Matador” to the division, with the winner incomes the subsequent championship alternative. We’ve seen Topuria put Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway out in back-to-back championship fights at featherweight, and if he did the identical to Gaethje in is lightweight debut, the UFC would have a burgeoning famous person on its palms.
And a struggle with “Paddy the Baddy” may very well be enjoyable if he will get handed Chandler subsequent month, although I might wager the Manchester man would fancy a grappling-heavy bout with Oliveira as an alternative.
Worst-case state of affairs, you ebook him in opposition to Dan Hooker once more as soon as “The Hangman,” who was initially scheduled to face Gaethje this previous weekend, is healed up and able to rock. It was a terrific struggle when it was first booked, and nothing has modified that.
ESK suggests: Ebook Gaethje vs. Tsarukyan on Worldwide Combat Week, in order that the winner is out there, if wanted, for a championship struggle within the last third of the yr. No matter how issues shake out forward of them, it’s a large struggle with authentic stakes, and an amazing check for each guys.
NOW WHAT FOR BAHAMONDES, RUFFY?
Gaethje wasn’t the one lightweight to gather a key win on Saturday’s important card, as each Ignacio Bahamondes and Mauricio Ruffy picked up first-round finishes that elevated their profiles as properly.
Bahamondes submitted Jalin Turner, shifting his hips swiftly and deftly after getting placed on his again, securing the choke on the halfway level of the spherical to increase his successful streak — and ending streak — to 3.
Two fights earlier, Ruffy related with a beautiful spinning wheel kick to the aspect of the top of King Inexperienced, dropping the veteran the place he stood to maneuver himself to 3-0 contained in the Octagon.
The simple, boring factor could be to say, “Have them struggle each other” as a result of they’re on the identical timeline, in comparable positions within the division — each entered unranked, each have a case for coming into the rankings this week; Bahamondes slightly extra so — and also you don’t need to strive to determine which ranked fighter you need to attempt to persuade to struggle both of these guys.
However the place’s the enjoyable in that?
Bahamondes is prone to take Turner’s place at No. 13 within the rankings or fall someplace shut, so a matchup with somebody in the identical neighborhood makes a whole lot of sense. As for Ruffy, he most likely received’t push his method into the rankings (although you by no means know), however icing Inexperienced the best way he did deserves a date with somebody sporting a quantity subsequent to their title at any time when he returns.
ESK suggests: This would possibly really feel backwards, however I might ebook Bahamondes in opposition to Grant Dawson, who has additionally received three straight and sits at No. 14 within the rankings as of this writing, and Ruffy reverse Beneil Dariush, who’s at No. 9 and was scratched from UFC 311 when Renato Moicano was known as as much as face Makhachev in the principle occasion.
Bahamondes and Dawson is a good stylistic conflict between ascending skills the place the winner takes one other small step ahead, and I believe you give Ruffy the prospect to point out he’s obtained the identical “capturing lightning in a bottle” potential as his Preventing Nerds teammates Carlos Prates and Jean Silva, who’ve additionally rose by means of the ranks rapidly and have large fights on faucet in Miami subsequent month.
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