UFC 210 Results: Matches to Make for the Winners and Losers
UFC 210 was another strange UFC event.
Controversey in the middleweight co-main event, a Predator retires and a second surprise retirement at the end of the light heavyweight championship match. The wild world of MMA continues to turn.
Daniel Cormier got Anthony Johnson to tap in just the second round of their main event meeting. Johnson's odd game plan to wrestle with the former Olympian cost him. Cormier eventually put Johnson on his back and choked him out to retain.
Gegard Mousasi picked up a fifth straight win before heading to free agency thanks in part to an inept referee and the New York Athletic Commission. But, still, he got the TKO win over Chris Weidman. Also in action, strawweight prospect Cynthia Calvillo impressed with another dominant grappling showcase Saturday night in Buffalo, New York.
After these performances, the crystal ball must be put to use. Who's next for the winners and losers?
Here is your look at what should be next for all the fighters from UFC 210.
Preliminary Fights Quick Hits
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Magomed Bibulatov def. Jenel Lausa by unanimous decision (29-26, 29-26, 29-26)
- Magomed Bibulatov vs. Alexandre Pantoja
- Jenel Lausa vs. Loser of Tim Elliott vs. Louis Smolka (April 15)
Katlyn Chookagian def. Irene Aldana by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
- Katlyn Chookagian vs. Winner of Ashlee Evans-Smith vs. Ketlen Vieira (April 15)
- Irene Aldana vs. Jessica Eye
Desmond Green def. Josh Emmett by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 30-27)
- Desmond Green vs. Drakkar Klose
- Josh Emmett vs. Beneil Dariush
Gregor Gillespie def. Andrew Holbrook by KO at 0:21 of the first round
- Gregor Gillespie vs. Joe Duffy
- Andrew Holbrook vs. Teemu Packalen
Patrick Cummins def. Jan Blachowicz by majority decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-28)
- Patrick Cummins vs. Corey Anderson
- Jan Blachowicz vs. Gian Villante
Shane Burgos def. Charles Rosa by TKO at 1:59 of the third round
- Shane Burgos vs. Winner of Jeremy Stephens vs. Renato Moicano (April 15)
- Charles Rosa vs. Teruto Ishihara
Kamaru Usman def. Sean Strickland by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-26, 30-26)
- Kamaru Usman vs. Gunnar Nelson
- Sean Strickland vs. Loser of Zak Cummings vs. Nathan Coy (April 15)
Myles Jury def. Mike De La Torre by TKO at 3:30 of the first round
- Myles Jury vs. Renan Barao
- Mike De La Torre vs. Loser of Alex Caceres vs. Wang Guan (June 17)
Will Brooks vs. Charles Oliveira
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Charles Oliveira def. Will Brooks via submission (rear-naked choke) at 2:30 of the first round
To say things haven't started off well for Will Brooks may be an understatement. The former Bellator lightweight champion dropped to 1-2 in the UFC after a quick submission loss to Charles Oliveira.
This was the stylistic matchup that has often given Oliveira problems, and it was a fight where Brooks had the physical advantages to impose his style. He couldn't do it. Do Bronx's stylish submission game won the day.
Brooks now has his back against the wall. Taking on the loser of April 22's Joe Lauzon vs. Stevie Ray may be the best route for him. If there's another loss, the UFC could part ways with the underperforming former champion.
In the post-fight interview, Oliveira stated he wanted to return to 145 pounds. The translator did not relay that information to Joe Rogan (h/t Guilherme Cruz of MMA Fighting). Perhaps she also knows that he shouldn't. He's missed weight several times and has looked bad at times because of it. At lightweight, he looks good and just beat a very good fighter.
He should stick at 155 and move into key bouts. Why not welcome Gilbert Melendez back to the cage? That's a good fight for both men at this stage, and it puts the winner back into the discussion for top-15-level lightweight tilts.
Thiago Alves vs. Patrick Cote
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Thiago Alves def. Patrick Cote by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
At the conclusion of the bout, Patrick Cote retired. Thus, no reason to book his next bout. Thank you, Predator, and good luck in retirement.
Alves got the clean sweep on all the judges' scorecards on Saturday. He didn't look phenomenal, but he looked much better than his attempt at lightweight last year. Perhaps this was the performance he needed heading up the welterweight ranks once more.
The winner of Jake Ellenberger vs. Mike Perry (April 22) would be the ideal candidate for Alves' next opponent.
Both men's styles match up well with Alves, and the winner would have a good resume for a top-five-level opponent based on style and name recognition. No matter who won, it would be a thrilling hard-hitting contest fans would love to see.
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Cynthia Calvillo vs. Pearl Gonzalez
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Cynthia Calvillo def. Pearl Gonzalez via submission (rear-naked choke) at 3:45 of the third round
The placement of this fight on the main card was all about Cynthia Calvillo. She ran through Amanda Bobby Cooper at UFC 209, and it put a big spotlight on her as a prospect. She confirmed that status with her grappling against Pearl Gonzalez.
Gonzalez is skillful in her own right, but she's not at Calvillo's level right now. Putting her at the back of the division, ideally against a promotional newcomer, is what's best.
The UFC has options with Calvillo. It can put her against a top-10 fighter to gauge where she stands at in the division, it can have her fight another prospect like Alexa Grasso, or the UFC can be smart and slowly develop her.
The latter is best. Calvillo is not ready for Joanna Jedrzejczyk, Jessica Andrade or Claudia Gadelha. Maybe one day, but not today. As such, let her develop at a slower pace. There is no need to rush in the strawweight division.
Viviane Pereira should be the call. Pereira doesn't have that top prospect label in spite of a good showing against Valerie Letourneau in December 2016. This fight would give her the chance to steal Calvillo's status. For Calvillo, it should be a winnable fight allowing her to grow her striking and take the fight down when needed.
Chris Weidman vs. Gegard Mousasi
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Gegard Mousasi def. Chris Weidman by TKO at 3:13 of the second round
What a mess. The fight was moving along nicely. A high-profile, technically sound elite middleweight fight was going down. Then the referee and commission decided to screw it up.
This fight should be re-booked. No matter what Gegard Mousasi and Dana White think, per MMAjunkie. It's the only correct move.
No one got a definitive answer out of this fight. Perhaps Mousasi would have finished with knees from the position, or perhaps Weidman moves and gets out. We don't know and never will. It's only right to run this back. And the UFC has time.
The Michael Bisping-GSP title match doesn't even have a date set. Yoel Romero is next in line with Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza biting at his heels. Mousasi nor Weidman are going to get a title shot anytime soon. There's no good reason to not book this fight again.
Daniel Cormier vs. Anthony Johnson
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Daniel Cormier def. Anthony Johnson via submission (rear-naked choke) at 3:37 of the second round
I was all set to propose Anthony Johnson vs. Jon Jones. For the title or not. Then he lost. And then he retired.
Well, so much for that.
Cormier is the lone focus now. Who gets the next shot at the light heavyweight king? It's best to look at the UFC's schedule.
UFC 211 and 212 are booked and ready to roll. After that, UFC 213 is next up. It's the big International Fight Week card, which means a big fight must land there. There's no Conor McGregor available. Bisping vs. GSP would be the right choice, but that's questionable. Or at least that's what Bisping alluded to during an interview on his Believe You Me podcast (h/t Jed Meshew of MMA Fighting).
The July 8 date would fit with a Cormier return to action and Jones' availability, which makes it the UFC's backup choice to lead that fight card. Per an interview with Lance Pugmire of the LA Times, Cormier has a May 27 wedding date, but if the UFC ponies up the cash, that should not prevent a headlining fight on one of the year's biggest events.
Dana White said after UFC 210 that Jones will not be in a main event in his return (h/t Damon Martin of Fox Sports). Take that with a grain of salt. The UFC needs star power in 2017, and the schedule will dictate his spot on the card.
On the off chance the UFC does get Bisping vs. GSP on that date, then it can push back Cormier's defense to the late summer or early fall and not reward Jones at the same time.
Should Jones get an immediate title shot upon his return anyway? That's a strange precedent to set, but it may be the only option. If July 8 is the date, it must be Jones. If it's not, then perhaps the UFC can call upon Jimi Manuwa and give Jones a warm-up fight before challenging the winner.
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