UFC on Fox 17 Results: Matches to Make for the Winners and Losers
Rafael dos Anjos left no doubt who is the king of the lightweight division at UFC on Fox 17 on Saturday night.
He won the belt from Anthony Pettis earlier in 2015, but there were still questions about his win. Was it an off night for Pettis? Did Dos Anjos just have a great night with a great game plan? Or was he the best in the world? Well, he is the best in the world.
The champion made his first defense against Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone.
In just a little over a minute, it was over. Dos Anjos hurt Cerrone and swarmed relentlessly until the referee halted the bout. It was a dominant performance that ended the UFC's 2015 campaign in astonishing fashion. Dos Anjos showed that his title win was not a fluke and that he has truly progressed into being one of the pound-for-pound elites in the game.
What's next for the champion of the world and everyone else on the card? Let's take a look at the matches to make following UFC on Fox 17.
UFC Fight Pass Prelims
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Francis Ngannou def. Luis Henrique by KO (uppercut) at 2:53 of the second round
Ngannou is an impressive specimen, and he captured everyone’s attention at the weigh-in. He followed that up with a brutal knockout performance in the opening fight at UFC on Fox 17.
It wasn’t all roses, however, as he had to battle the repeated takedown attempts from Henrique. It wasn’t until the Brazilian was tired that Ngannou was able to unleash his striking. It’s clear this 29-year-old needs to develop before being a formidable threat.
Even though he is coming off a loss, I would select Timothy Johnson as Ngannou’s next opponent. Johnson is a good stylistic matchup to foster his progression. As for Henrique, perhaps Viktor Peska would be the way to go.
Vicente Luque def. Hayder Hassan via submission (anaconda choke) at 2:13 of the first round
Luque kept the finishes coming with a nice, and violent, anaconda choke. The referee did Hassan no favors by letting him immediately stand without any assistance once he woke up. So, what’s next for the two welterweights?
Luque looked solid in the cage and displayed quality jiu-jitsu. I would like to see the UFC immediately test him against someone in the mid-tier of the division to see just where he stands. Lyman Good would be a good test for his skills.
As for Hassan, I would not be stunned to see the UFC release him after this performance. Should he be retained, a meeting against Matt Dwyer would provide an interesting matchup.
Kamaru Usman def. Leon Edwards by unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 29-28)
Usman will continue on his upward trajectory after a unanimous-decision victory. He proclaimed in the post-fight interview with Joe Rogan that he wasn’t feeling his striking, so he relied on his wrestling to get him through the fight. And it did.
Usman is a growing prospect, and as such he should get a fight against someone who is dangerous but limited. Alvaro Herrera makes sense in that regard. If the UFC is serious about getting behind Usman as a top prospect in this division, then rushing him up the ladder isn’t the best idea. A slow build against Herrera is a better course of action.
Edwards is an interesting prospect in his own right, and at 24 years old he has a lot of upside. Perhaps he should fight Dong Hyun Kim next. No, not that one. The other one. The one who isn’t ranked and is 0-1 in the UFC.
Fox Sports 1 Prelims
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Cole Miller and Jim Alers fought to a no-contest (accidental eye poke) at 1:44 of the second round
Run it back. Nothing was settled in this fight, and they should be ready to go in the near future.
Nik Lentz def. Danny Castillo by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 30-27)
Lentz and Castillo went at it for 15 hard minutes, and the grinder won out. The biggest question for Lentz was at what weight will he fight next? He confirmed in the post-fight interview that 145 was too hard of a cut, and he will remain at 155.
Lentz is a quality fighter and former ranked featherweight. A fight against the loser of Dustin Poirier vs. Joe Duffy would make sense.
As for Castillo? He is 1-5 in his last six, including four straight and 36 years old. It's time to cut bait.
Tamdan McCrory def. Josh Samman via submission (triangle choke) at 4:10 of the third round
McCrory and Samman had one of the best fights of the night. A stellar ground battle in the first round help set the tone, and it was The Barn Cat who ended up getting the best of the exchanges. He threatened with submissions all fight long before locking up a triangle choke in the third that got the tap.
McCrory is a solid fighter who has put together a win streak, and a fight against Antonio Carlos Junior would help set the winner up nicely in the middleweight division. This makes more sense than Carlos Junior battling Kevin Casey following their no-contest at UFC Fight Night 80.
Samman is a fun fighter to watch and has good potential. I would hate to see that wasted, and I doubt the UFC will throw him into the deep end of the pool for the near future. A fight against Bubba Bush would make for a nice Fight Pass prelim.
Valentina Shevchenko def. Sarah Kaufman by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Shevchenko had an impressive UFC debut for a short-notice fighter. She won the striking exchanges and got the better of most of the grappling battles too. It was a good showing from a growing fighter. Kaufman struggled with the power and athleticism of the striker.
Shevchenko just beat the No. 5-ranked contender in the division, but she shouldn’t be rushed up the ranks just yet. She replaced Germaine de Randamie in this event, and that would be a compelling fight if de Randamie is available to return in the near future. If not, how about Marion Reneau? Both would be fun.
Kaufman will hit the back of the line, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t interesting fights for her. Lauren Murphy jumps off the page, given where they are in the rankings. Neither is super exciting, and both are aging. It could be a loser-leaves-town fight.
Nate Marquardt def. C.B. Dollaway by KO at 0:28 of the second round
Marquardt was a big dog in this fight, but the crafty veteran shut out the lights of his younger counterpart. Dollaway ran at him with his hands down and paid the price.
The former middleweight title challenger has a long way to go before even being considered for another run at the gold, but a win against the No. 12-ranked contender will ensure him another premier bout. A bout against Uriah Hall would be a fantastic way for the UFC to continue to push Hall while giving Marquardt a solid, ranked fight.
Dollaway suffered a KO loss, and there is another ranked middleweight who has suffered the same: Dan Henderson. Throw them in there together and see what happens.
Charles Oliveira def. Myles Jury via submission (guillotine choke) at 3:05 of the first round
This fight didn’t last long, but it isn’t all roses and rainbows for Oliveira. The talented jiu-jitsu artist missed weight by more than four pounds for this fight and gave up 20 percent of his fight purse to the commission and Jury before ever stepping into the cage.
Is Oliveira going to give 145 another go, or is he going to be forced up to 155? Until we have insight on that, it’s tough to pinpoint an opponent. If he stays at 145, then it has to be a ranked opponent, but at 155 it could be any number of credible fighters who are looking to break through to the Top 15.
Jury also needs to decide where his career is best, but it feels like he needs to give featherweight another go. He made the weight and just got caught by one of the better submission fighters in the game. A fight against Nik Lentz would be a pleasant experience.
Karolina Kowalkiewicz vs. Randa Markos
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Karolina Kowalkiewicz def. Randa Markos by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
Another big UFC debut at the hands of a ranked Canadian. Kowalkiewicz and Markos took part in a back-and-forth battle with Kowalkiewicz capping off the fight with a dominant third round.
The result will move the Polish newcomer up the ranks quickly, and Markos will have to head back to Tristar to continue her development. She is still a quality prospect with a good ground game. Time will tell if she can break through to the next level.
The UFC should retain Markos, but there are few options for her at this juncture. Alex Chamber is probably the best option on the main roster, but the UFC may have to look for another newcomer to pit her against next.
Kowalkiewicz may not be ready for the elite of this division, but she needs a big fight in her next outing. She took out the No. 7-ranked contender, and her Polish nationality would make for a big title tilt in Europe against the champion in 2016. A title eliminator against someone such as Tecia Torres would be fun to watch.
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Michael Johnson vs. Nate Diaz
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Nate Diaz def. Michael Johnson by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Wow! Talk about a way to cap off 2015. Diaz and Johnson delivered in a big way with 15 minutes of pure action.
At the end of the day, Diaz got his hand raised by sweeping the judges' scorecards before giving a profanity-laced post-fight interview that wasn’t seen on Fox due to graphic language. He called out Conor McGregor with some salt-and-pepper language. But who should he fight next?
Frankie Edgar or the lightweight champion seems to be next for McGregor, and Diaz is too far back for a title shot at 155.
Diaz and the UFC should target Tony Ferguson for a title eliminator, should Ferguson not get the next crack at gold. If Ferguson does jump the line, the winner of Eddie Alvarez vs. Anthony Pettis would be fun for Diaz.
Johnson doesn’t have many options among ranked fighters. The good news is that there are plenty of fun lightweight fights for him to take. How about a returning Charles Oliveira or Evan Dunham? Either would do just fine.
Junior dos Santos vs. Alistair Overeem
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Alistair Overeem def. Junior dos Santos by TKO at 4:43 of the second round
The first round of this highly anticipated fight was not good. The fighters barely threw any offense. But the second round saw the heavy leather fly, and late in the round Overeem put Dos Santos down. It was not an early stoppage. Overeem pounced and was landing clean shots that were bouncing off Dos Santos’ head.
Dos Santos has had a rough go of things since dropping the title to Cain Velasquez. There aren’t a lot of heavyweights he hasn’t fought. Perhaps Jared Rosholt is the best option at this point in time.
Overeem made a case to be included in the title picture, but he is not in position to challenge for it immediately. And he needs to sign a new contract before he fights anyone. Assuming he returns to the UFC, a title eliminator against the winner of Ben Rothwell vs. Josh Barnett looks to be the way to go.
Overeem would undoubtedly like to get revenge on Rothwell, and should Barnett emerge victorious, it would be a heavyweight tilt we have yet to see throughout both of their storied careers. It would have big stakes and actually make sense. It can’t get much better than that.
Rafael dos Anjos vs. Donald Cerrone
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Rafael dos Anjos def. Donald Cerrone by TKO at 1:06 of the first round
Dos Anjos came through with another dominant championship performance for 2015. There have been quite a few quick, decisive finishes in MMA this year, and this seems a fitting end.
Cerrone will have a plethora of options from contenders already in the Top 10 and those wanting to break through or just making the switch to fighting interesting style matchups without a worry about future title shots. The name that jumps off the page initially is Beneil Dariush.
Ranked in the Top 10, Dariush keeps some divisional intrigue in the bout, and the fight is a compelling stylistic matchup. The winner is right back in the thick of things, and the loser doesn’t fall completely off the map.
As for Dos Anjos, there are three clear-cut options: Conor McGregor, Tony Ferguson or the winner of Anthony Pettis vs. Eddie Alvarez. McGregor gets to call his shot. If he wants the fight, it is his, but if he chooses to defend the featherweight crown, then the UFC will have to make a decision.
I favor Ferguson. RDA just destroyed Pettis, and Alvarez doesn’t have near the win streak that Ferguson brings. The former The Ultimate Fighter winner is well-rounded and aggressive and would make for a stellar title fight with Dos Anjos. You can sign me up for that matchup right now.
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