UFC 203 Results: Matches to Make for the Winners and Losers
The Cleveland crowd was rocking and rolling all night long and got to turn the volume up to 11 when hometown hero Stipe Miocic retained his UFC heavyweight championship.
Miocic and Alistair Overeem had a phenomenal one-round showcase. Each heavyweight had his moments, but it was the champion who won the day. Brutal ground-and-pound knocked out Overeem cold.
Also in action, CM Punk made his long-awaited MMA debut. It was as expected: quick and painful. Mickey Gall took him down, landed heavy ground-and-pound and got the choke. The great experiment could be over, but don't be surprised if Punk returns for another contest in the Octagon.
In the co-main event, Fabricio Werdum defeated Travis Browne by decision to reassert himself as the top contender in the division. But does he get the next title tilt?
Also, where does strawweight contender Jessica Andrade go from here after another impressive win? Or Bethe Correia? And where does Urijah Faber try to pick up the pieces after a loss?
These beg the question: Who should the winners and losers of UFC 203 face next?
All rankings used are courtesy the official UFC divisional rankings.
UFC Fight Pass Prelim
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Yancy Medeiros def. Sean Spencer via submission (rear-naked choke) at 0:49 of the second round
This was the lone Fight Pass prelim, and it kicked off the evening nicely. Medeiro looked solid at 170.
Spencer has now lost three straight. It's time to cut ties. He can always prove himself again on the regional circuit.
Medeiros is an exciting fighter, and there aren't many bad fights for him at welterweight. September 17's meeting between Augusto Montano and Belal Muhammad could serve as an eliminator for Medeiros' next opponent—specifically if it's Montano getting his hand raised.
That would be an exciting fight for fans of MMA.
Fox Sports 1 Prelims
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Bethe Correia def. Jessica Eye by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Eye has no one but herself to blame for the loss. For the better part of the final two rounds, she was inactive. She allowed Correia to march forward and land punches. This was her fight to win—and she didn't.
Truthfully, she should be cut. However, if the UFC entertains the idea of a 125-pound division, they need to speak with her about dropping back to the weight she fought at outside of the UFC. She was ranked No. 1 for a time at flyweight and would not be giving up the size she does at bantamweight. If the UFC doesn't add 125, or if she's unwilling to cut the weight, she can head back to Bellator or to Invicta.
Correia is back in the win column. After UFC Fight Night 93, I suggested Ashlee Evans-Smith fight the winner here. That's Correia, and that's the fight.
Brad Tavares def. Caio Magalhaes by split decision (28-29, 30-27, 29-28)
Caio Magalhaes has lost back-to-back fights. Marcelo Guimaraes is also coming off a loss of his own. The fight makes sense for a Brazilian undercard.
Tavares got back in the win column, but the fight was not memorable. Thiago Santos vs. Eric Spicely takes place on September 24. Whoever takes the win should meet Tavares later in 2016.
Nik Lentz def. Michael McBride by TKO at 4:17 of the second round
Michael McBride took the fight on short notice but also came in over weight. He'll get another shot, but the grappler didn't enthrall in his UFC 203 performance. Toss him in the cage against the loser of September 17's Chris Wade vs. Islam Makhachev meeting.
A fantastic matchup would be Nik Lentz vs. Gilbert Melendez. It's a chance for Lentz to knock off a ranked opponent and a do-or-die situation for Melendez's UFC career. Their clash of styles could lend itself to some fun exchanges in the center of the cage.
Drew Dober def. Jason Gonzalez by TKO 1:45 of the first round
Dober looked outstanding. He was originally slated to face off against Erik Koch at the event until Koch withdrew, citing injury. There's no reason not to give that fight another try.
Gonzalez didn't have time to show much of anything before he was ousted. Next up, Enrique Marin. The loser can get his pink slip from the incredible lightweight division.
Jessica Andrade vs. Joanne Calderwood
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Jessica Andrade def. Joanne Calderwood via submission (guillotine) at 4:38 of the first round
Don't look now, but the UFC has another exciting strawweight contender.
Andrade was a strong, aggressive bantamweight. Now at 115 pounds, she is even stronger. She tore Jessica Penne apart at UFC 199 and crushed Calderwood at UFC 203. The impressive performances over top-flight competition puts her on the radar of the champion.
Andrade should fight Carla Esparza in a title eliminator. There is a bit of animosity between the two, and Andrade called her out post-UFC 199 (h/t MMAjunkie). It's still the fight to make.
The difficult part of the result for Calderwood is she didn't fight a bad fight. She tried establishing her distance, and when she was taken down, she did well in defense for most of the time spent on the canvas. She got baited, Andrade jumped the submission and it was over. She just got caught.
Amanda Cooper, a finalist on The Ultimate Fighter, is a strong candidate for Calderwood's next opponent. Calderwood has developed nicely but still needs to sure up her takedown defense. Cooper is a good way to foster her development without giving her an outright easy victory, as Cooper is competent enough to challenge Calderwood.
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Urijah Faber vs. Jimmie Rivera
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Jimmie Rivera def. Urijah Faber by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Urijah Faber just didn't look like himself, and perhaps that is because he is at the end of the road. As Mark Billingsley of the Sacramento Bee wrote, Faber considered retirement after UFC 199.
Maybe Faber will continue to fight, but if not, I do suspect he'll take at least one more bout on December 17. The event will be in Sacramento, Faber's home. He won't pick his fight nor will he allow the UFC to give him a tomato can. Johnny Eduardo is the name that comes to mind first.
Eduardo is ranked, but he is also an aging fighter. It fits in line with Faber and what is needed for a go-home fight.
Jimmie Rivera proved he is a legit scrapper. He sits on the outside of the top 10, but the performance could produce a big jump for him. That's only the number by his name. The win will absolutely produce bigger fights for the talented bantamweight.
With the title picture muddied, there are a few contenders waiting for fights. Bryan Caraway fits the mold for where Rivera's next opponent should come from. It's a solid matchup, and the winner has a strong case for a title shot in 2017.
CM Punk vs. Mickey Gall
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Mickey Gall def. CM Punk via submission (rear-naked choke) at 2:14 of the first round
Truth be told, the outcome of the fight was the best-case scenario. Punk didn't get hurt badly, the UFC elevated a legitimate prospect and it was quick.
Who should CM Punk fight next? Should he fight next? Difficult questions, but I lean toward yes. He still has value, and he's not taking up a roster spot. The UFC is not an NFL team with a limited amount of roster spots. No, he's not taking anything away. In fact, his presence alone helped put Gall on the map. He draws some attention to the festivities.
But he shouldn't fight anyone on the roster. No. The UFC needs to identify another 0-0 or 0-1 fighter for him to fight. It shouldn't be a pay-per-view contest, but rather a featured UFC Fight Pass prelim or Fox Sports 1 bout. Would Punk want to fight on those platforms? It's an unknown piece to the puzzle, but he shouldn't fight anyone notable or in a high-profile position.
Gall, in his post-fight interview in the cage, called out Sage Northcutt.
Northcutt responded in turn, and it looks like the UFC is on board too (h/t Shaheen Al-Shatti of MMA Fighting). That's easy enough.
Fabricio Werdum vs. Travis Browne
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Fabricio Werdum def. Travis Browne by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-27, 30-27)
What a strange fight. From Browne calling a timeout for an injury (which fighters cannot do in MMA) to the near post-fight donnybrook between the two camps: Everything about this was odd.
Werdum got the win in an lackluster fight. If there is anything this fight confirmed, it's that Browne is not an elite heavyweight. He just doesn't have it at that level. He's not the same fighter who knocked out Overeem. He needs to take a step back and re-examine what is going wrong with his development.
Pit Browne up against Francis Ngannou. It's a fight that favors Browne but is dangerous enough that an upset wouldn't be too shocking. It'll give the UFC a chance to evaluate his progression while moving Ngannou up the ranks with a big fight.
Werdum, well, he's in title contention. Does he get the title shot?
I'll tell you on the next slide as we discuss the UFC heavyweight championship.
Stipe Miocic vs. Alistair Overeem
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Stipe Miocic def. Alistair Overeem by KO at 4:27 of the first round
"O-H!"
Those were the champion's first mutterings after retaining the UFC heavyweight championship in front of his home crowd. And those words were met with a thunderous "I-O!" in response.
It wasn't easy. Overeem dropped Miocic and landed several hard punches and kicks. "The Reem" had his chances, but Miocic survived. Once Overeem was on his back, the Ohioan took charge. The vicious KO blows on the mat were devastating.
Overeem has nothing to be ashamed of in the slightest. If not for a small error here or there, he would be champion. But before I select who he should fight next, let's settle the issue of who get the title shot: Werdum or Cain Velasquez?
Initial thought was Velasquez. He obliterated Browne at UFC 200 and is a former champion. It's also a fight we have yet to see inside the Octagon. However, the Brazilian challenger changed my mind at the post-fight press conference when he brought up his record and ranking (No. 1 ranked contender).
Rankings should mean something, and Werdum holds a win over Velasquez. He shouldn't be jumped. Werdum also called for the match to take part in Cleveland. I doubt it would happen there, but if so I'll be right back inside The Q waiting for the bell to sound.
With Velasquez being open, that should be the fight for Overeem. And it should be a title eliminator. The other possible contenders are not in a position to challenge for gold, and wasting them on Velasquez or Overeem would be the wrong move. Sign this title eliminator for early 2017.
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