UFC on ESPN 15 went down from UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada last night (Sat. August 22, 2020) with a Bantamweight fight between Frankie Edgar and Pedro Munhoz. After 25 minutes of back and forth action, ‘The Answer’ won a split decision (highlights). In the co-headlining action, Mike Rodriguez beat Marcin Prachnio in the very first round to pick up his first win in 1.5 years (see it here).
Winner: Frankie Edgar
Again he has to fight alongside: Dominick Cruz
Edgar made good on his Bantamweight debut by narrowly defeating Pedro Munhoz after five rounds of action. And no, Ali, it was not a good enough win for a title shot. What I want for “The Answer” below is a match against former division king, Dominick Cruz. “The Dominator” has not participated since being sued by Henry Cejudo earlier this year. Both he and Edgar are as cross-eyed as they come, and they have some of the best footwork in the business. Two former champions, totally grumpy, mix it up … what’s not too fun? A win for both men here could be the fast track back to title fight.
Winner: Mike Rodriguez
Where should he go next? Ovince Saint Preux
Rodriguez picked up an impressive first-round knockout win over Marcin Prachnio throughout the very first round, giving him a win in his first-ever co-headlining duties. It was a great day for the usually speedy Rodriguez. However, Ovince Saint Preux did not manage to connect with it, as his team mates had hoped, and the ball went out. That’s the reason I feel he deserves the chance to stand for “OSP” hereafter. The 205-pound former candidate did not look as big as he used to be, but it would still be an enormous notch on Mike’s belt if he could pull off a win.
Winner: Joe Solecki
To whom he must follow: Mark Madsen
Solecki is now 2-0 in the Octagon after his standing back-naked choke victory over Austin Hubbard. He remains undefeated at 10-0 and has shown a lot of promise in his young fighting career. A fight against Madsen sounds appealing considering the fact that they both just defeated Hubbard and they are relatively young in their UFC careers, both with two wins a piece. Madsen obviously has the wrestling advantage, but Solecki has a better overall MMA game. It’s an interesting match-up that is not as easy as it seems to predict.
Winner: Shana Dobson
To whom he must follow: Ashley Yoder
Dobson lived to fight another day in the Octagon after snapping her three-stroke losing streak with a win over Mariya Agapova via second-round technical knockout (TKO). However, she should not expect the UFC to roll out the red carpet for her, even though she has a ton of ground to fill after her skid. A fight against Yoder – another fighting fighter with two straight losses – sounds almost the same. Yoder came up short against Randa Markos and Livia Renata Souza, so she needed a win in the least possible way. While one win over Dobson does not increase her share so much, it will help her keep her place on the inflated UFC roster.
Winner: Daniel Rodriguez
Again he has to fight alongside: Alan Jouban
Rodriguez has won nine straight and is 3-0 inside the Octagon after defeating Dwight Grant via first-round knockout. Jouban, meanwhile, signed a new UFC deal after losing to, you think, Dwight Grant a year ago. Jouban obviously has the advantage of experience here, but he’s just 1-3 in his last four fights dating back to 2017. A fight against Rodriguez may not be the kind of name Jouban is looking for, but considering his skid he is not in the position to turn something around.
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