UFC 208 Results: 5 Burning Questions Heading into UFC Fight Night 105
UFC 208 is in the books. The results are as follows:
- Germaine de Randamie def. Holly Holm by unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 48-47)
- Anderson Silva def. Derek Brunson by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
- Ronaldo Souza def. Tim Boetsch via submission (kimura) at 3:41 of the first round
- Glover Teixeira def. Jared Cannonier by unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-26)
- Dustin Poirier def. Jim Miller by majority decision (30-27, 28-28, 29-28)
- Belal Muhammad def. Randy Brown by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
- Wilson Reis def. Ulka Sasaki by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Islam Makhachev def. Nik Lentz by unanimous decision (30-25, 30-25, 30-27)
- Rick Glenn def. Phillipe Nover by split decision (29-28, 27-30, 29-28)
- Ryan LaFlare def. Roan Carneiro by unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 29-28)
Next up? UFC Fight Night 105.
The UFC is headed up to the Great White North with a solid lineup of fights including a heavyweight slugfest between Travis Browne and Derrick Lewis in the main event, a critical middleweight fight in Johny Hendricks vs. Hector Lombard and two title-relevant women's MMA bouts in Sara McMann vs. Gina Mazany and Carla Esparza vs. Randa Markos. On top of that is a number of exciting fighters who could deliver exciting fights and turn this free show into everything UFC 208 wasn't.
So what are the five most important questions entering the event? Read on and find out.
Who Is Getting Cut?
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The Fight: N/A
The Real Fight: The UFC vs. Its Bloated Roster
The Stakes
The UFC is trimming its roster in a big way right now, and that adds obvious stakes to many of the fights on this card. There are many, many middling competitors and fighters who haven't posted strong showings in the Octagon to this point. For many of these fighters, a loss (or even a less-than-impressive win) could lead to a pink slip.
The Question
Who is getting cut?
Analysis
It's always awful asking which fighters are going to be released, but that's an unfortunate part of the UFC. Every few years, a market correction occurs, and the promotion will cut a few dozen names.
On Friday, 32 fighters were removed from the UFC's active roster list. While some were recent retirees like Tim Kennedy and Aisling Daly, a number of slipping veterans were also seemingly released, a group that included Takeya Mizugaki, Rick Story, Cole Miller and Francisco Rivera.
Unfortunately, these downsizing periods are rarely a "pull off the Band-Aid" affair and last for weeks on end with trigger-happy talent relations executives watching each and every event. This upcoming Fight Night is no different and will likely be the last UFC fight for a number of the competitors.
Can Sara McMann Force Her Way Back into Title Contention?
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The Fight: Sara McMann vs. Gina Mazany
The Real Fight: Sara McMann vs. Undoing Damage
The Stakes
Sara McMann's UFC career looked ready for an abrupt ending after a 1-3 run from 2014 to 2015, but a 2-0 2016 returned her to prominence in the division. Now set to face a debuting Gina Mazany, she has the chance to strengthen her position as a contender and smash her way back to title contention.
The Question
Can Sara McMann force her way back into title contention?
Analysis
When McMann lost to Amanda Nunes in 2015, it looked as though she was going to be a "What if?" story. Her athleticism and grappling skills were beyond question, but all of her recent fights suggested that she wasn't going to be able to make a smooth transition from the wrestling mats to the Octagon.
Something changed with her, though, and when she returned against Jessica Eye in 2016, she demonstrated improved clinchwork and striking. She followed that up with an impressive win over former contender and top-10 staple Alexis Davis that saw her bully and submit the submission specialist.
She's looking better than ever and has a bit of a tune-up fight here against Mazany, who owns just four professional fights. If she can capitalize on this opportunity, she could be fighting for the title by year's end.
How Will Carla Esparza Look in Her Return?
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The Fight: Carla Esparza vs. Randa Markos
The Real Fight: Carla Esparza vs. Another Long Layoff
The Stakes
Carla Esparza remains the No. 3-ranked strawweight on the UFC's ranking, but there are serious questions about what state the former champion is in with just one fight to her name since dropping the title in early 2015. She has the chance to answer some of those, however, by facing her rival from The Ultimate Fighter season 20, Randa Markos.
The Question
How will Carla Esparza look in her return?
Analysis
Esparza was widely considered the best 115-pound female fighter in the world when she won the Invicta FC title in 2013. That honor earned her top seeding in TUF20's strawweight championship tournament, and she lived up to that by becoming the inaugural champ after four largely dominant wins over Angela Hill, Tecia Torres, Jessica Penne and Rose Namajunas.
At the time, it felt like that was going to be the start of a lengthy run with the title, but Esparza was absolutely thrashed by Joanna Jedrzejczyk in her first defense.
That loss still looms large over Esparza's career, but coming off a 2016 win over Juliana Lima, she has the chance to start a new winning streak at Fight Night 105. She'll need to post a strong performance over the 2-3 Markos in order to justify her continued inclusion in the top five of the hyper-competitive strawweight division.
She has the right tools to do it, though, and the division would certainly benefit from her continued elite status.
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Which Former Champion Is Officially, 100 Percent Done?
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The Fight: Johny Hendricks vs. Hector Lombard
The Real Fight: Johny Hendricks, Hector Lombard vs. Career Declines
The Stakes
Johny Hendricks, former UFC welterweight champion, is on an ugly three-fight losing streak. Hector Lombard, former Bellator middleweight champion, is 0-2 (1) in his last three. Both men's careers seem to be on a steep decline and likely can't endure another loss.
The Question
Which former champion is officially, 100 percent done?
Analysis
The skills remain for both men, but the physical tools seem to be fading quickly. That's not a winning recipe in today's welterweight or middleweight division.
In all likelihood, Lombard and Hendricks are on borrowed time, and the only way to keep their fighting careers going is by taking a win here. If they can't do it? It's likely in their best interest to hang 'em up.
Is Travis Browne Doomed to the Same Fate?
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The Fight: Travis Browne vs. Derrick Lewis
The Real Fight: Travis Browne vs. Edmond Tarverdyan
The Stakes
Travis Browne, like the men in the co-main event, has achieved some high highs in his career but faces an irreparably low low should he lose at UFC Fight Night 105. Set to face Derrick Lewis, Browne will either get back into the win column or be forced to make some tough decisions over his future in the sport.
The Question
Is Travis Browne doomed to the same fate?
Analysis
Browne looked all but unstoppable in his first three years in the UFC, amassing a 7-1-1 record with the sole loss carrying an injury-related asterisk. He was then scheduled for a heavyweight title eliminator against Fabricio Werdum at UFC on Fox 11.
Since then, he is 2-4 with one of his wins being aided by a series of fouls. Unlike the aforementioned co-main eventers, he remains a big, athletic fighter but has noticeably become less technical over his recent bouts, often resulting in decisive losses and the absorption of dozens of unnecessary strikes.
He absolutely, positively needs to right the ship Saturday but will have trouble doing so against a surging Lewis. The Black Beast looks scarier and scarier with each outing and will come out against Browne with guns blazing.
That could spell doom for the Hawaiian heavyweight. And if he ends up slipping into a three-fight losing streak? It's very possible he gets sent his walking papers.
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