UFC 198 Results: 5 Burning Questions Heading into UFC Fight Night 88
UFC 198 is in the books. The results are as follows (h/t Bleacher Report play-by-play man Craig Amos):
UFC 198 Main Card
- Stipe Miocic def. Fabricio Werdum, knockout (Round 1, 2:47)
- Ronaldo Souza def. Vitor Belfort, TKO (Round 1, 4:38)
- Cris Justino def. Leslie Smith, TKO (Round 1, 1:21)
- Mauricio Rua def. Corey Anderson, split-decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
- Bryan Barberena def. Warlley Alves, unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Prelims on Fox Sports 1
- Demian Maia def. Matt Brown, submission (Round 3, 4:31)
- Thiago Santos def. Nate Marquardt, knockout (Round 1, 3:39)
- Francisco Trinaldo def. Yancy Medeiros, unanimous decision (29-26, 30-37, 30-26)
- John Lineker def. Rob Font, unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 30-26)
Prelims on UFC Fight Pass
- Antonio Rogerio Nogueira def. Patrick Cummins, TKO (Round 1, 4:52)
- Sergio Moraes and Luan Chagas split-draw (29-28, 28-29, 28-28)
- Renato Moicano def. Zubaira Tukhugov, split-decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
Next up? UFC Fight Night 88. Despite lacking name value, the card is packed with top-10 names from top to bottom.
Aljamain Sterling. Sara McMann. Tarec Saffiedine. Renan Barao. Thomas Almeida. The card is packed with top-10 talent, former champions and hot prospects.
There are only five slides to go around, though, so who is hot enough to set a question on fire? Read on and find out.
Is the UFC Punishing Aljamain Sterling?
1 of 5
The Fight: Aljamain Sterling vs. Bryan Caraway
The Real Fight: The UFC vs. Fairly Paying Fighters
The Stakes
Aljamain Sterling held the UFC's feet to the proverbial fire earlier this year when he publicly tested free agency. His reward? Well...not much, it seems.
Despite rejoining the UFC, Sterling seems to be right back to square one. He's underpromoted, underappreciated and under the radar. Which, naturally begs the question...
The Question
Is the UFC Punishing Aljamain Sterling?
Analysis
When Sterling was living the scary life of a free agent, he had a number of open, honest interviews about the UFC's payment and promotional practices...and there is nothing that the UFC hates more than that. During the process, Sterling dispelled the commonly held idea that the UFC secretly pays its midcard fighters considerably more than their disclosed purses and brought up the unflattering role that, ahem, "demographics" play in how the UFC utilizes fighters.
The UFC was forced to bring him back due to his "undefeated top prospect" status, but that new contract apparently did not come with a new approach to promoting Sterling. Once again, Sterling finds himself stuck on the bottom half of the preliminary card, in the top spot of the Internet-exclusive portion of the card.
Some fans, of course, will be quick to point out that the "Fight Pass main event" is a more prestigious spot than it was six months ago. Smarter fans, however, will wonder why Sterling isn't in the main event instead of Thomas Almeida or Cody Garbrandt.
Which Bantamweight Will Avoid the Chopping Block?
2 of 5
The Fight: Sara McMann vs. Jessica Eye
The Real Fight: McMann, Eye vs. Unrealized Potential
The Stakes
Sara McMann and Jessica Eye are both fringe top-10 fighters in the women's bantamweight division, but have struggled to find consistent success in the UFC. With McMann 1-3 over her last four (and just a point shy of being 0-4) and Eye sitting at 1-3 (1) in her UFC career, there is a real chance that the loser of this fight is sent packing.
The Question
Which Bantamweight Will Avoid the Chopping Block?
Analysis
McMann and Eye have both shown signs of being solid fighters. Eye won her way into the UFC by choking then-Bellator champion Zoila Gurgel unconscious with a standing arm triangle, and has successfully gone toe-to-toe with longtime top-10 mainstays Alexis Davis and Sarah Kaufman. McMann is an Olympic silver medalist in freestyle wrestling. 'Nuff said.
Unfortunately, neither woman has been able to cobble together a winning record in the UFC through their five fights, and that threatens their continued presence on the roster. The UFC is most likely looking for an excuse to dump McMann after coming out against the Reebok deal, so unless this happens to be an absolute barnburner where McMann comes out on top by a hair, expect one of these ladies to be weighing offers from Bellator and/or Invicta in the coming months.
Will Tarec Saffiedine Work His Way Back into the Title Picture?
3 of 5
The Fight: Tarec Saffiedine vs. Rick Story
The Real Fight: Tarec Saffiedine vs. Staying Healthy
The Stakes
Tarec Saffiedine burst into the 170-pound top-10 by battering Nate Marquardt and taking the Strikeforce welterweight title. Unfortunately, injuries have thoroughly derailed his career, and he needs to make up for lost time with his athletic window quickly closing. He will face tricky veteran Rick Story at UFC Fight Night 88 in a feast-or-famine match.
The Question
Will Tarec Saffiedine Work His Way Back into the Title Picture?
Analysis
Saffiedine's legit, but he has stepped into the Octagon just three times since Strikeforce's dissolution, with his biggest fight thus far ending in a brutal knockout loss to Rory MacDonald. That's an absolute shame because the Belgian kickboxer, despite his woes, could still very well be an elite-level talent.
Story is a great barometer for where he is at this point. Suffering from similar injury troubles, Story has been out of action since defeating Gunnar Nelson in October 2014, but still owns real, all-over-the-cage skills.
If Saffiedine can win this, he can realistically claim a spot in the top 10. If he can't, however, it would set him back for years.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Is the UFC Punishing Renan Barao?
4 of 5
The Fight: Renan Barao vs. Jeremy Stephens
The Real Fight: The UFC vs. Renan Barao
The Stakes
After taking two brutal beatings from TJ Dillashaw, Renan Barao is taking his talents to 145 pounds...in the co-main event of a Fox Sports 1 card. Behind two fighters he outranks. Against Jeremy Stephens.
The deck is stacked against Barao which, much like Aljamain Sterling, begs the question...
The Question
Is the UFC Punishing Renan Barao?
Analysis
Sterling, then Sara McMann, now Renan Barao...punishment is a running theme at this event.
Less than two years ago, UFC President Dana White was pitching that then-bantamweight champion Barao was the top pound-for-pound fighter in the world. He dropped his title to Dillashaw in devastating fashion at UFC 173 and was booked for an immediate rematch at UFC 177. Unfortunately, he was forced to withdraw from the contest just a day before the event, crippling an already weak pay-per-view card.
Obviously, it wasn't Barao's fault that UFC 177 was weak, and he most certainly didn't choose to pass out, smash his head and scuttle the fight. The UFC needed somebody to blame, though, and Barao was the mark. He was treated like a child in time out during the event's broadcast, had his title shot taken away and was moved from pay-per-view main events to cable TV undercards.
Time may heal all wounds, but the UFC still seems to be sore about this. Hopefully, one day, Barao can start getting his due again.
Which Bantamweight Up-and-Comer Will Make It to the Big Time?
5 of 5
The Fight: Thomas Almeida vs. Cody Garbrandt
The Real Fight: Violence vs. Violence
The Stakes
The Fight Night 88 main event features an interesting pair of bantamweight prospects in Thomas Almeida and Cody Garbrandt. Both men are undefeated, and whoever comes out on top here will likely jump directly into the title picture.
The Question
Which Bantamweight Up-and-Comer Will Make It to the Big Time?
Analysis
Despite all the issues with the rest of the card, Almeida vs. Garbrandt is an excellent fight. Both men are undefeated. Both are just 24 years old. Both could be top-10 names for years to come.
This should be a fun one.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
