UFC 148 Results: What's Next for Cody McKenzie

Cody McKenzie had nothing to lose and everything to gain at UFC 148. That’s the good news.

The bad news is that he was embarrassed by Chad Mendes.

McKenzie was looking to make a name for himself and elevate his status in the featherweight division. The former title challenger had other ideas.

Mendes caught a leg kick and nailed McKenzie in the midsection with one accurate punch that dropped McKenzie and followed up with a few shots on the ground before the referee stepped in. Mendes made an emphatic return after his KO loss to Aldo.

Where does this leave McKenzie? Precisely where he was.

McKenzie was never a world beater. He's a one-trick pony who can excite the crowd if he hits it. That's it.

He will never challenge for a title or even be a top contender. He's just not up to par in that regard. But that does not mean he doesn’t deserve a place inside the UFC.

In a rather light division, they can use the body to fill out preliminary cards and test other newcomers. And there's nothing wrong with that for McKenzie. The UFC needs fighters for that role.

Everyone wants to be champion, but the list of those with the abilities to do so is incredibly small. And if he enjoys fighting and competing, then he can be a serviceable asset to the company. No one wants to be tagged as a gatekeeper or be just another body, but that's what McKenzie is.

And who knows, maybe McKenzie can continue to develop his game and impress us in the future. He still has a lot to improve on. That may be an understatement.

Nothing mentioned is an attempt to be overly harsh to McKenzie, but he's just not on the same level as Chad Mendes or other top featherweights. In the hierarchy of the division, McKenzie is at the bottom—fighting to be relevant, somehow.

When McKenzie enters the Octagon for his next bout, it should be against a young prospect. It will test his submission defense and see if they are ready to move up the card in their next fight. If McKenzie wins, then he can earn another spot on a FX prelim or Fuel main card because of his TUF fame.

UFC 148 was not kind to McKenzie. Then again, the majority of the UFC’s featherweight division would not be kind to McKenzie. His one trick should be used to test newcomers—not contenders.