UFC 203 Results: 5 Burning Questions Heading into UFC Fight Night 94
UFC 203 is in the books. The results are as follows:
UFC 203 Main Card
- Stipe Miocic def. Alistair Overeem, knockout (Round 1, 4:27)
- Fabricio Werdum def. Travis Browne, unanimous decision (29-27, 29-28, 30-27)
- Mickey Gall def. CM Punk, submission (Round 1, 2:14)
- Jimmie Rivera def. Urijah Faber, unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Jessica Andrade def. Joanne Calderwood, submission (round 1, 4:38)
Prelims on Fox Sports 1
- Bethe Correia def. Jessica Eye, split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
- Brad Tavares def. Caio Magalhaes, split-decision (28-29, 30-27, 29-28)
- Nik Lentz def. Michael McBride, TKO (Round 2, 4:17)
- Drew Dober def. Jason Gonzalez, TKO (Round 1, 1:45)
Prelims on UFC Fight Pass
- Yancy Medeiros def. Sean Spencer, submission (Round 2, 0:49)
Next up? UFC Fight Night 94 on Saturday.
The UFC's savage September continues on with a Fox Sports 1 card that is sure to make fans go "wait, that's it?" Sure, the top of the card features some good fights in Dustin Poirier vs. Michael Johnson, Uriah Hall vs. Derek Brunson and Evan Dunham vs. Rick Glenn. The drop-off from there, though, is a steep one.
Still, there are questions a-burnin'! Read all about them!
Is the UFC Already Phasing out Fox Sports 1 Cards?
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The Fight: N/A
The Real Fight: Fox vs. Keeping the UFC's Talent
The Stakes
The UFC has been taking a different approach to cards in recent months. While the company traditionally goes all-in on every card, putting together exciting main events and as many good fights behind it as possible, recent Fox Sports 1 cards suggest a more...conservative approach to these events. Why that is happening, however, is up for debate.
The Question
Is the UFC already phasing out Fox Sports 1 cards?
Analysis
The last UFC Fight Night event on Fight Pass was darn nice. Andrei Arlovski? Josh Barnett? Alexander Gustafsson? Ryan Bader? Not a bad lineup at all.
This Fox Sports 1 card, though? Well, just head over to the UFC's website and check out the full lineup of fights. Not much to be found, outside an interesting (albeit for the diehard fans) main event.
That seems to be the new standard for upcoming Fight Night cards too. While you can find a bit of intrigue on the UFC's Fox Sports 1 shows, the top-to-bottom quality seems to have plummeted in the last few months, and the currently scheduled events indicate that trend will continue.
So why is that?
Did the UFC learn from its rough 2014 that it's impossible to provide 40-plus stacked cards in a year? Is the UFC taking advantage of Fox Sports 1's .000 batting average with attempts for ratings? Is the UFC checked out on Fox as it prepares to field suitors for its next TV deal?
That's tough to tell at this point, but if card quality continues to decline into the new year, it could lead to big stories on the business end of MMA.
How Will Rick Glenn Do in His UFC Debut?
2 of 5The Fight: Evan Dunham vs. Rick Glenn
The Real Fight: Rick Glenn vs. First Impressions
The Stakes
Former WSOF featherweight champion Rick Glenn is officially a UFC fighter! Now he needs to make a strong first impression by taking out lightweight veteran Evan Dunham.
The Question
How will Rick Glenn do in his UFC debut?
Analysis
WSOF has hosted a lot of strong talent over the years, but it has pushed only a select few. Yes, there are the (more or less) homegrown guys such as Marlon Moraes and Justin Gaethje alongside the high-dollar imports such as Jake Shields and Rousimar Palhares. Outside of that group, however, have been a number of talented young fighters who were brought in and quietly released despite finding success.
Glenn is among that lot.
The at-the-time Roufusport fighter started off his WSOF career by handing the underrated Alexandre Pimentel and Artur Rofi their first (and to this point, only) losses. He followed that up by making at-the-time WSOF champion (and current Bellator contender) Georgi Karakhanyan quit on the stool to become champion. Despite the fact he would lose the title shortly thereafter, Glenn has since bounced back with three straight wins.
While the UFC added Glenn to this card as a replacement for Abel Trujillo, he has been a UFC-caliber talent for a long while now, and fighting Dunham puts him in position to make noise at 155 pounds right from the get-go. If Glenn can win in impressive fashion, he's somebody worth paying close attention to.
Is Evan Dunham Making a Surprise Comeback Right Now?
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The Fight: Evan Dunham vs. Rick Glenn
The Real Fight: Evan Dunham vs. Traditional Career Trajectories
The Stakes
Evan Dunham seemed like he was completely done after a 1-4 stretch from 2012 to 2014. Then he beat Rodrigo Damm. Then Ross Pearson. Then Joe Lauzon. Now riding a three-fight winning streak, the 34-year-old looks to continue building his momentum at the expense of the debuting Rick Glenn.
The Question
Is Evan Dunham making a surprise comeback right now?
Analysis
Dunham has been around for a long time and has long been a hot-and-cold fighter, going from solid winning streaks to brutal losing streaks. He is a respected veteran at this point but has consistently come up shy against high-level competitors.
Still, wins are wins, and enough of them in a row will eventually grab attention and draw higher-level competition. That's where Dunham is at right now, and heading into his mid-30s, he needs as much momentum as he can get as quickly as possible.
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Which Uriah Hall Will Show Up?
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The Fight: Derek Brunson vs. Uriah Hall
The Real Fight: Uriah Hall vs. Himself
The Stakes
Uriah Hall is back, and that could be a good thing or a bad thing for fans. The talented middleweight's UFC career has been defined by inconsistency, but he has a big opportunity when he faces No. 9-ranked middleweight Derek Brunson.
The Question
Which Uriah Hall will show up?
Analysis
Sometimes, Hall can hang with Top 10 fighters, as we saw when he knocked out Gegard Mousasi with a spinning kick to the face in 2015. Other times, he looks lethargic, slow and uncertain against subpar competition, as evidenced by his fights with Rafael Natal and John Howard.
It's always worth questioning whether Hall will bring it or skate to an unceremonious split-decision loss on any given fight.
The deck is stacked against him in this one, however, as Brunson's wrestling game and stopping power are tough for anyone to deal with. Still, the high-flying knockout artist version of Hall is more than capable of pulling off the upset.
The less exciting version? Not so much.
Can Dustin Poirier Continue Being a Beast?
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The Fight: Dustin Poirier vs. Michael Johnson
The Real Fight: Dustin Poirier vs. Maintaining His Momentum
The Stakes
Dustin Poirier has looked absolutely at 155 pounds, posting four wins in a row including stoppages of Yancy Medeiros and Bobby Green. He's already ranked No. 7 in the UFC lightweight rankings, and a win over Michael Johnson may cement his place among the upper echelon of the division.
The Question
Can Dustin Poirier continue being a beast?
Analysis
After four up-and-down years at 145 pounds, Poirier decided to return to the lightweight division in 2015. It felt like an odd move at the time, given his Top 10 status and the fact that his best tools were his heavy hands and chain grappling skills, which don't always scale well to higher weight classes. It was a risky move for certain, and there was plenty of cause to doubt him as a lightweight.
Now that he's on a four-fight win streak as a lightweight, he has silenced any and all doubters. The next question is whether he is a high-level lightweight or a bona fide title contender. He could provide an answer Saturday if he posts yet another dominant win.
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