UFC 196 Results: 5 Burning Questions Heading into UFC Fight Night 85
UFC 196 is in the books, and the results are as follows (h/t Bleacher Report's own Craig Amos):
UFC 196 Main Card
- Nate Diaz def. Conor McGregor, submission (Round 2, 4:12)
- Miesha Tate def. Holly Holm, submission (Round 5, 3:30)
- Ilir Latifi def. Gian Villante, unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Corey Anderson def. Tom Lawlor, unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
- Amanda Nunes def. Valentina Shevchenko, unanimous decision (29-28, 29-27, 29-27)
Prelims on Fox Sports 1
- Siyar Bahadurzada def. Brandon Thatch, submission (Round 3, 4:11)
- Nordine Taleb def. Erick Silva, knockout (Round 2, 1:34)
- Vitor Miranda def. Marcelo Guimaraes, TKO (Round 2, 1:09)
- Darren Elkins def. Chas Skelly, unanimous decision (30-27, 29-27, 30-26)
Prelims on UFC Fight Pass
- Diego Sanchez def. Jim Miller, unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Jason Saggo def. Justin Salas, TKO (Round 1, 4:31)
- Teruto Ishihara def. Julian Erosa, knockout (Round 2, 0:34)
Next up? UFC Fight Night 85.
The UFC is headed down under to Brisbane, Australia, for a night of fights tailored to the local audience. While it lacks the glitz and star power of UFC 196, there's a fan-friendly main event in Mark Hunt vs. Frank Mir, as well as an intriguing welterweight co-main event that will pit a returning Hector Lombard against Neil Magny.
So what are the big stories on this card? What questions will be answered on March 19? Find out right here!
How Will the UFC Handle Rin Nakai?
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The Fight: Leslie Smith vs. Rin Nakai
The Real Fight: Rin Nakai vs. The UFC's Whimsical Matchmaking
The Stakes
Rin Nakai came into the UFC to a great deal of fanfare but had a terrible UFC debut opposite Miesha Tate, getting out-grappled en route to an ugly decision loss. Now she needs to bounce back by beating the unheralded Leslie Smith. If she can't, she will likely go the way of Yasuhiro Urushitani.
The Question
How will the UFC handle Rin Nakai?
Analysis
The UFC enjoys presenting itself as an MMA innovator, but more often than not, it's playing from behind. The greatest example of this is its handling of women's MMA.
The UFC would have fans believe that the dawn of women's MMA was when Gina Carano faced off with Cristiane "Cyborg" Justino in Strikeforce for the women's featherweight title and that Ronda Rousey is the greatest female mixed martial artist of all time, but that's not necessarily the truth.
Nearly a decade before Dana White infamously promised that women would never fight in the UFC, Megumi Fujii was snapping arms in Shooto and Hisae Watanabe was knocking out all comers in Smackgirl. The UFC tried to rewrite that bit of history last year, though, as they pushed a midcard bout on a Fight Pass-exclusive event as a pivotal moment in Japanese women's MMA.
With that story now told and the fight officially in the books, however, the first Japanese woman in the UFC has no real place in the organization. With that said, Nakai still holds, ahem, a "unique place" in the sport due to her role with her previous promotion, Pancrase, which makes her an unusual commodity in the UFC.
If she can defeat Leslie Smith, it's hard not to wonder what the UFC has in store for her. If she loses, it's hard to rationalize the UFC keeping her.
Which Strawweight Will Become a Foothold Fighter?
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The Fight: Bec Rawlings vs. Seohee Ham
The Real Fight: 1-1 Fighter from Growing Market vs. 1-1 Fighter from Growing Market
The Stakes
Bec Rawlings and Seohee Ham are both interesting talents, but their value to the UFC lies in their nationality. Foothold status, however, requires some level of in-cage prowess, and neither woman has been lights-out in the cage to this point. With a strong performance at Fight Night 85, however, either could become a foothold in their home country.
The Question
Which strawweight will become a foothold fighter?
Analysis
There's a lot to like and a lot to question about both Rawlings and Ham.
Rawlings is more athletic than most strawweights, and that has allowed her to compete with some of the best in the business. Unfortunately, she hasn't posted a win over any high-level competition at this point in her career, and her out-of-the-cage conduct could limit her promotional ceiling.
Ham is in a similar boat. While the Korean is an elite-level talent in the atomweight division, she's visibly undersized against the UFC's strawweights. Add to that the fact that she can't speak English, and you have somebody who will likely spend their entire career on preliminary cards.
While neither will hit main event status in the UFC, they're both potentially valuable as regional footholds. Australia and Korea proved to be strong up-and-coming markets for the UFC in 2015 and have openings for Erik Perez and Efrain Escudero-type fighters. All they need to do is make the most of this opportunity.
Will Neil Magny End Up Back in the Title Picture?
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The Fight: Neil Magny vs. Hector Lombard
The Real Fight: Neil Magny vs. Former Top-Five Fighter
The Stakes
Neil Magny has rebounded brilliantly from his UFC 190 loss to Demian Maia, and that has set him up for a potential breakout fight here. Set to face the returning Hector Lombard, Magny could cement his place in the top 10 with a win over the former Bellator champ.
The Question
Will Neil Magny end up back in the title picture?
Analysis
The UFC likes to hype up Donald Cerrone, but the real workhorse on the roster is Neil Magny. An alum of The Ultimate Fighter 16, Magny has fought a whopping 10 times in two years and compiled a record of 9-1 over that stretch.
His stock reached a new high in November, when he eked out a split-decision win over Kelvin Gastelum in his main event debut, and now, he finds himself with an amazing chance to become a legitimate name.
If he can defeat Lombard, who was widely regarded as a title contender before his 2015 suspension for steroid use, he could be primed for one of the best dark-horse title runs in recent memory.
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How Is Hector Lombard After His Steroid Suspension?
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The Fight: Neil Magny vs. Hector Lombard
The Real Fight: Hector Lombard vs. Trends
The Stakes
Before UFC 182, Hector Lombard was regarded as one of the best welterweights in the world. An Olympian in judo with some of the most explosive hands in MMA, he could take on almost anybody. Then he was suspended for a failed drug test following an unimpressive decision win over the journeyman Josh Burkman.
Now, "Showeather" needs to put that (and his terrible new nickname) behind him and pound his way back into the top 10 by defeating Neil Magny.
The Question
How is Hector Lombard after his steroid suspension?
Analysis
Lombard is a treat to watch. A walking enigma, Lombard combines elegant, efficient judo throws and trips with some of the most ferocious striking you'll see in the UFC. Despite a limited gas tank, his ability to spin an opponent upside down and knock him out with a single punch makes his fights incredibly suspenseful.
That, of course, was before he failed a drug test for designer steroids.
If Lombard can't handle Magny with ease, he has little hope of regaining the momentum he had in 2014. And, at 38 years old, that could close the door on his potential as a title contender.
Which Heavyweight Vet Will Stave Off Retirement Questions?
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The Fight: Mark Hunt vs. Frank Mir
The Real Fight: Popular Veteran vs. Successful Veteran
The Stakes
Frank Mir and Mark Hunt are in the same boat. Despite being advanced in age (at least from an athletic perspective), both men retain high-level status and remain recognizable names in the sport.
They both fall outside the title picture and have no serious chance of fixing that, but they remain relevant and, for the most part, have managed to avoid the retirement questions that often get floated toward former champions over 35 years old.
Whoever wins here will enjoy that status for at least a little while longer.
The Question
Which heavyweight vet will stave off retirement questions?
Analysis
There have been far too many sad exits from the sport of MMA, and there are far too many fighters competing in the UFC today that are doomed to that same fate. Mir and Hunt, commendably, don't fit that bill.
While Mir isn't far removed from an ugly four-fight losing streak, his chin has held up quite well over time (especially for a heavyweight) and has kept his in-cage tools reasonably sharp. Hunt's continued relevance is even more impressive when one considers his lengthy kickboxing career and his dreadful 11-10-1 MMA record.
Neither Mir nor Hunt have had pundits calling for their retirement out of health concerns. Hopefully that doesn't change here.
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