UFC 205 Results: Matches to Make for the Winners and Losers
UFC 205 delivered.
Madison Square Garden finally played host to the UFC, and history was made. The sport's biggest star, Conor McGregor, put on a show in the main event to walk away as the new lightweight king. He owns the 145- and 155-pound divisions.
What's next for the Irishman? A question that immediately follows with how many enemies he has made.
But that isn't the only question following UFC 205. Two more titles were up for grabs and a bevy of contenders were in action.
You want to know what fights UFC matchmakers should book next? Then let's take a look at the best options for all the winners and losers from UFC 205.
UFC Fight Pass Prelims
1 of 7
Liz Carmouche def. Katlyn Chookagian by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
- Liz Carmouche vs. Cat Zingano
- Katlyn Chookagian vs. Sarah Moras
Jim Miller def. Thiago Alves by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 30-27)
- Jim Miller vs. Will Brooks
- Thiago Alves vs. Tae Hyun Bang
Fox Sports 1 Prelims
2 of 7
Vicente Luque def. Belal Muhammad by KO at 1:19 of the first round
- Vicente Luque vs. Rick Story
- Belal Muhammad vs. Danny Roberts
Tim Boetsch def. Rafael Natal by TKO at 3:22 of the first round
- Tim Boetsch vs. Chris Weidman
- Rafael Natal vs. Scott Askham
Khabib Nurmagomedov def. Michael Johnson via submission (kimura) at 2:31 of the third round
- Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Tony Ferguson
- Michael Johnson vs. Joe Lauzon
Frankie Edgar def. Jeremy Stephens by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
- Frankie Edgar vs. Brian Ortega
- Jeremy Stephens vs. BJ Penn
Miesha Tate vs. Raquel Pennington
3 of 7
Raquel Pennington def. Miesha Tate by unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
Handling Tate's next fight is incredibly easy. She won't have one.
The former Strikeforce and UFC champion announced her retirement in the cage after the decision was read at UFC 205. The decade-plus veteran of MMA goes out on a two-fight skid.
Without question UFC 205 was Pennington's best performance to date. She handled Tate and beat the No. 1-ranked contender, per the official UFC rankings. It forces the UFC's hand in booking her next fight. It has to be a title eliminator.
Julianna Pena is the only choice in that scenario.
Pena is riding a four-fight win streak of her own, and a fifth would give her the title shot she covets. Pennington can usurp her, and the former The Ultimate Fighter teammates can determine among themselves who gets the next crack at gold.
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Chris Weidman vs. Yoel Romero
4 of 7
Yoel Romero def. Chris Weidman by KO at 0:24 of the third round
What a finish from Romero. Yikes! One swift flying knee from the Cuban and that was all she wrote for the former UFC middleweight champion.
Weidman has now lost two straight. He'll need to recoup. Earlier, I suggested Tim Boetsch be the next opponent for Weidman. Now I get to explain why.
Boetsch deserves a Top 10-level opponent, and Weidman needs to tackle someone on the back end of the middleweight rankings where Boetsch will appear following his TKO over Rafael Natal. It is a perfect fight for both men.
Romero's next fight was made clear by Joe Rogan in the post-fight interview in the cage. He said Romero is getting the next title shot. Furthermore, the UFC production crew spent quite a bit of time alternating shots between champion Michael Bisping and Romero.
That fight seems like a lock.
Joanna Jedrzejczyk vs. Karolina Kowalkiewicz
5 of 7
Joanna Jedrzejczyk def. Karolina Kowalkiewicz by unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 49-46)
The speed of Jedrzejczyk was simply too much, but Kowalkiewicz made it interesting. The challenger cracked the champion in the fourth round and had her hurt. She had a brief window to exploit the moment, but the champ recovered.
Kowalkiewicz showed she's a legitimate threat even with the speed disadvantage. UFC President Dana White said post-fight he would like to see Kowalkiewicz fight Claudia Gadelha, but the Brazilian is scheduled to meet Cortney Casey next, per MMA Fighting's Ariel Helwani.
Kowalkiewicz vs. the winner of Gadelha-Casey does makes sense. No reason not to wait for that result.
Identifying the next title challenger would be more difficult if Jedrzejczyk didn't already hold wins over most of the contenders. There is really only one name who stands out—Jessica Andrade.
Andrade has looked the part of a serious threat since dropping to strawweight. All of her tools and fighting style would make for a extremely fun contest against Jedrzejczyk. Everyone should be pulling for this fight to be signed. It's nothing but fireworks.
Tyron Woodley vs. Stephen Thompson
6 of 7
Tyron Woodley and Stephen Thompson fought to a majority draw (47-47, 47-47, 48-47)
After a draw, especially when it's a fun fight, it's easy to suggest an immediate rematch. It makes sense, but I hesitate in suggesting that in this case.
The primary reason being that we don't know when or where Georges St-Pierre will return. When he does, it should be against the champion. Plain and simple. Also, Demian Maia should get his title shot sooner than later. As such, I would let this potential rematch fester for one more fight.
If GSP returns and gets the title tilt, book Thompson vs. Maia. If GSP does not get the title fight, book Thompson against Robbie Lawler. Both fights are title eliminators and exceedingly fun.
You can see where I'm going with this. Woodley should fight GSP or Maia next. The linchpin in the scenario is GSP.
And let me be clear that I would not be upset if Woodley vs. Thompson II is booked. That's a great fight. I just prefer to let it sit for a moment before the rematch. There's really not a wrong way the UFC can handle the welterweight title at this point. It has three compelling title fights with three amazing contenders.
Eddie Alvarez vs. Conor McGregor
7 of 7
Conor McGregor def. Eddie Alvarez by TKO at 3:04 of the second round
UFC 205 was the worst possible outcome for Alvarez. Not only did he lose his belt, but he did so in embarrassing fashion. McGregor made him look terrible.
When McGregor won the undisputed featherweight belt in 13 seconds against Jose Aldo, it could have been played off as a "lucky" punch. There were questions of how that fight would go if it were not for that single strike. Such is not the case for Alvarez.
The only fight for Alvarez that makes sense is Michael Chiesa. It would be an exceptional brawl and one that would put the winner back in the mix at 155 pounds. Both men would still need another win before being a contender, but it would set them up nicely for a potential title eliminator.
Now, onto McGregor's next fight. He has options. He has a lot of options.
Khabib Nurmagomedov? Jose Aldo? Tony Ferguson? Georges St. Pierre? Tyron Woodley? Nate Diaz? Anyone else he should happen to want to fight?
The UFC and McGregor could go any number of ways, but the single fight that makes the most money is to complete the trilogy. Dial up Stockton, California, right now.
A third fight with Diaz, with the series at 1-1 and a title on the line, is what this sport is all about. The fight is the most appealing to the casual audience. The fans have already bought into this rivalry. Now you are telling them the stakes are even higher? Book it. The UFC has to book it.
Yes, other contenders get passed by, but those fighters aren't going to draw as much. This is a business, and Diaz vs. McGregor III is what will do the biggest numbers.
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