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Dana White promised to make the UFC the first major sports league to resume business during the coronavirus pandemic. For better or for worse, the UFC president delivered on that promise with the UFC 249 card on Saturday night in Jacksonville, Florida.
UFC 249 was originally expected to crash on April 18 in Brooklyn, but, after a series of jolts related to the ongoing pandemic, the card finally moved to the Sunshine State.
Initially, the event was supposed to be spearheaded by a lightweight title fight between champion Khabib Nurmagomedov and challenger Tony Ferguson, but when Nurmagomedov got stuck in Russia due to travel restrictions associated with the virus, Ferguson was transplanted into a Short-term interim lightweight title fight with Justin Gaethje, who led the renewed Jacksonville event.
The co-lead on this card was also a championship fight, as former UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz entered the cage for the first time since a loss in late 2016 against Cody Garbrandt to challenge the current king of the division, Henry Cejudo.
Other highlights from the main card included a heavyweight showdown between Francis Ngannou and Jairzinho Rozenstruik, a featherweight fight between Jeremy Stephens and Calvin Kattar, and a heavyweight fight between Greg Hardy and Yorgan De Castro. The card, meanwhile, was no less stacked, as former champions and title challengers like Anthony Pettis, Donald Cerrone, Fabricio Werdum, and Carla Esparza entered the cage before the main card began.
It was a top-to-bottom dynamite card, and it had major implications for seven of the UFC’s 13 divisions. But where do the stars of the event go from here?
Well, assuming the UFC is able to keep things running during the pandemic, and that White’s plans for an Island of Struggle will allow international fighters to compete, these are the fights we would like to see next.
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John Raoux / Associated Press
Ryan Spann def. Sam Alvey by split decision
- Spann vs. Give A Jung
- Alvey vs. Vinicius Moreira
Bryce Mitchell def. Charles Rosa by unanimous decision
- Mitchell vs. Ryan Hall
- Rosa vs. Makwan Amirkhani
Vicente Luque def. Niko Price via (3:37, R3)
- Luque vs. Geoff Neal
- Price vs. Emil Meek
Carla Esparza def. Michelle Waterson by split decision
- Spread vs. the winner of Claudia Gadelha vs. Angela Hill
- Waterson vs. Randa Markos
Alexey Oleinik def. Fabricio Werdum by split decision
- Oleinik vs. Alexander Volkov
- Werdum vs. Stefan Struve
Anthony Pettis def. Donald Cerrone by unanimous decision
- Pettis vs. Robbie Lawler
- Cerrone vs. Demian Maia
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Greg Hardy def. Yorgan De Castro by unanimous decision
The main card opened up a heavyweight tilt between former NFL player Greg Hardy and undefeated Cape Verdean native Yorgan de Castro. From the initial point of view, the expectation was that this would end quickly. Instead, De Castro started strong, only to fade into an almost-suspended animation through rounds two and three, clearing the way for Hardy to pick up a major unanimous decision victory just for his activity.
It wasn’t exactly a showcase victory for Hardy, but it did show some definite improvements, particularly with his ability to make adjustments mid-fight. Once a knockout puncher, he now appears to be a much more refined striker.
After a decision loss to former Bellator heavyweight champion Alexander Volkov late last year, Hardy will now likely be led back in the direction of the top 15 heavyweight. While he hasn’t yet made a classified foe, a win over someone like Todd Duffee would certainly push him in that direction.
Duffee returned to the octagon against Jeff Hughes in September 2019. The fight, which was the first since 2015, ended with a No Contest after a glance. Like Hardy today, he once showed a lot of promise. Pit them against each other to see if either of them can prove they belong to the best.
Meanwhile, De Castro will return to his Massachusetts adoptive home with his first professional loss. When he’s ready to get back there, he must be paired with Canadian Tanner Boser, who will be eager to bounce back from a decision setback, Ciryl Gane.
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Calvin Kattar def. Jeremy Stephens via TKO (2:42, R2)
Ninth featherweight contender Calvin Kattar earned the biggest victory of his career on the UFC 249 main card, cutting veteran Jeremy Stephens, who lost the fight weight by five pounds, with an elbow to the jaw in the second round. .
With this arrest victory over Stephens, who is known for his durability, Kattar asserted himself as one of the most dangerous fighters in the UFC featherweight division. He has earned a great opportunity in his next fight. A showdown with Josh Emmett, who is one place above him in the featherweight ranking at number 8, would be just that.
Emmett has had two fights this year already, fights with Arnold Allen and Edson Barboza, and he’s certainly nibbling back to the cage. Draw these two on a main pay-per-view card and rest assured the winner will knock on the door of the top 5 featherweight.
While the sky seems like the limit for Kattar right now, her defeated foe Stephens has stumbled on a four-fight streak, the kind of skid that has resulted in the release of many fighters from the UFC roster throughout the years.
Considering Stephens’ accomplishments in the octagon and the fact that he is hardly ever in a boring fight, he is likely to be given at least one more chance to change his ship. A fight with Andre Fili, who is currently not ranked at featherweight, would be a credible challenge for the veteran veteran and the type of fight he is capable of winning. Reserve it and see if you can justify your place on the increasingly crowded UFC roster.
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Francis Ngannou def. Jairzinho Rozenstruik via KO (0:20, R1)
Jairzinho Rozenstruik asked to fight Francis Ngannou. Although he deserves some accessories for his bravery, he surely regrets his decision-making today.
This is how the fight went, in case you missed it.
The fight started. Rozenstruik landed a kick to the leg. Ngannou, who is not paid by the hour, then charged forward and removed the batteries from his enemy in one of the most destructive displays of hitting power we have seen in a long time.
Just like this, Ngannou is now on a streak of four straight wins. Two of those wins were over former heavyweight champions at Cain Velasquez and Junior dos Santos, and all four came by knockout in less than a minute and a half each. At this stage, there’s no denying that Ngannou resides among people like Mike Tyson, Ernie Shavers, and Deontay Wilder in the pantheon of toughest punchers in combat sports history.
There’s also no denying that he has earned another shot at the UFC heavyweight title.
While you’ll have to wait for reigning champion Stipe Miocic to adjust your score with former champion Daniel Cormier, there is simply no other option at the moment. You need to fight for gold as soon as possible.
As for poor, poor Rozenstruik?
Well, contrary to Ngannou’s nap, he’s still one of the best heavyweights in the UFC. From here, you should pair with Ngannou’s next most recent victim, former champion dos Santos. While the two currently train on the American Top Team, they don’t seem to have the kind of friendship that will prevent them from fighting, and their training home in Florida is certainly large enough for them to prepare without crossing paths.
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John Raoux / Associated Press
Henry Cejudo def. Dominick Cruz via TKO (4:58, R2)
Of all the interwoven stories in the UFC 249 lineup, none was as compelling as the one that led to the main event: a bantamweight title fight between champion Henry Cejudo and former champion Dominick Cruz.
Cejudo, a former Olympic gold medalist and two-division UFC champion, sought to establish himself as one of the best living fighters. Cruz, who is widely regarded as the best bantamweight mixed martial artist in history, tried to claim the title he once held with such ferocity and complete one of the greatest comebacks in UFC history. No matter the outcome of the fight, it seemed like history would be written.
In the end, the story was written by Cejudo, who claimed a slightly controversial but undeniably impressive TKO victory over the former champion who returned in the second round.
However, in a surprising twist, Cejudo announced his retirement in his post-fight interview with commentator Joe Rogan. If this announcement was sincere then you are hanging the gloves on top of your game, which is both commendable and disappointing.
That said, MMA retirements are infamous for their impermanence. If Cejudo decides to cancel his retirement, it would be great to see him defend his title against the division’s main contender, Petr Yan. It’s not the kind of big-money fight he’s been campaigning for, but it’s precisely the kind of fight a champion should have.
As for Cruz, his future also seems uncertain. While he did not retreat into the Octagon after his loss, he gave no firm response regarding his plans. If you do decide to fight again, there is one option that stands out for your next fight: a showdown with former UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo. Aldo recently fell short in his bantamweight debut, losing a hotly contested decision to Marlon Moraes. Like Cruz, he is a product of the now-defunct WEC promotion and one of the greatest champions in UFC history. History writes itself. If Cruz chooses to fight again, Aldo should be the man he enters the cage with.
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Justin Gaethje def. Tony Ferguson via TKO (3:39, R5)
Tony Ferguson risked his long-awaited crack against undisputed UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov for an interim golden opportunity against Gaethje in the UFC 249 main event. The risk was not worth it.
Although Ferguson showed incredible toughness in this fight, the former World Wrestling Series champion absolutely defeated him, absorbing a barrage of kicks and hooks that would have turned most other fighters into a pile of shattered flesh and bone fragments. . Ferguson’s toughness took him through violent four and a half years rounds, but he finally found his end in the fifth, when referee Herb Dean couldn’t see any more.
Just like this, Nurmagomedov’s fight against Ferguson that we’ve all been waiting to see is off the table.
The good news is that we now have a new and new showdown in Nurmagomedov vs. Gaethje.
Gaethje, now the interim champion, can look to the undisputed champion, perhaps as early as this summer. On paper, it’s as compelling a match as Nurmagomedov vs. Ferguson, maybe even more.
While it is abundantly clear what comes next for new interim champion Gaethje, however, it is less clear to his defeated foe Ferguson.
With his incredible 12-game winning streak derailed, Ferguson’s first priority should be rest. A long break. When he’s healthy enough to return, he should be paired with Dustin Poirier, who is one of the few best-ranked lightweights yet to fight. Poirier has not fought since he came up short against Nurmagomedov last September. Pairing him with Ferguson would give both men a chance to return to the title race.
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