(Photo by Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images)
On a night when the UFC went head-to-head with a major boxing event, everyone is now speculating on which event drew the highest ratings.
Whether or not the UFC comes out victorious in this ratings battle shouldn’t matter because the fact is UFC 103 was one of the most explosive cards of the year thus far.
The fighters put it all on the line inside the Octagon tonight showcasing a true display of what MMA is all about. Even if the boxing event headlined by the return of Floyd Mayweather outdid the UFC in PPV buys the UFC put forth a night of exciting matchups that left the Dallas crowd and everyone at home watching on Pay-Per-View wanting more.
Now that UFC 103 is in the past we must begin to focus on the future. For as many questions as the event answered, it presented even more.
What’s next for Efrain Escudero and Tyson Griffin?
Ultimate Fighter winner Escudero and Xtreme Couture standout Griffin both scored impressive knockout victories tonight over Cole Miller and Hermes Franca respectively. Not only have both fighters made a huge splash in the lightweight division waters but they also proved they have what it takes to finish fights without relying primarily on their wrestling backgrounds.
Season eight TUF champion Escudero is a highly marketable fighter and factoring in his Mexican roots means he can be a strong asset to the UFC fan base in Mexico. He shouldn’t be rushed into high profile bouts with legit contenders just yet. On the contrary he can’t be hand-fed lower tier opponents either because we don’t want to turn him into the Michael Bisping of the 155-pound division.
Griffin on the other hand deserves bouts with the top sharks in the division in order to work his way up into title contention. An intriguing bout would be for Griffin to take on the winner of the Spencer Fisher/Joe Stevenson bout that is taking place at UFC 104 next month.
Was Frank Trigg’s return to the UFC short lived?
After getting knocked out by devastating strikes from Josh Koscheck in the first round of his Octagon return many are wondering if Trigg will be cut from the UFC roster. Trigg can cry early stoppage all he wants but the fact is he lost to a much better, much younger fighter.
That being said it’s doubtful the UFC will release Trigg after just one loss. Trigg is a big name fighter and the man still has the heart to compete. Let him remain under contract and put him up against a lower tier prospect like Jake Ellenberger in his next bout.
Is Paul Daley in the mix for a Welterweight title shot?
British kick boxer Daley shook up the entire 170-pound division with his incredible upset victory over heavily favored Martin Kampmann.
Prior to the bout Kampmann was considered to be in line for a shot against Welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre, but all of that came crashing down in two minutes and 31 seconds as Daley landed a left hand and followed with ten unanswered strikes for a standing TKO stoppage.
Although an impressive victory it’s hard to believe that 'Semtex' will be challenging for the title in his next bout. He will however get an opportunity to earn a title shot against another top ten contender such as Mike Swick—who was originally supposed to fight Kampmann on this card but pulled out due to injury—or Carlos Condit.
The welterweight division is very cloudy right now and there isn’t a clear cut No. 1 contender that stands out. The UFC has ample time to develop a new contender as St. Pierre will be sidelined until February with an injury.
An interesting matchup that could determine said contender would be a bout between Koscheck and former Welterweight champ Matt Hughes. In his post-fight interview with Joe Rogan Koscheck called out Hughes and got a good reaction from the crowd. A bout between the two would not only be an absolute barn burner but it would be a good step in determining St. Pierre’s next victim.
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