Matches to Make for Winners and Losers from UFC 240
What a blessed day for Max Holloway. The featherweight champion retained his gold with a dominant, technical showing at UFC 240 at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta, against Frankie Edgar on Saturday.
After a failed bid at the lightweight title earlier this year, Holloway returned to form and showed no signs that he is ready to give up his 145-pound belt. He stifled Edgar at nearly every opportunity and ran away with the fight.
Cris Cyborg had a tougher time than many expected against Felicia Spencer, but she picked up a unanimous-decision victory. Did she earn her rematch against Amanda Nunes? There may be a little curveball given she fought out her contract on Saturday.
What about the other nine bouts? What's next for the fighters who contested those?
Let's play matchmaker and break down the UFC 240 card to select opponents for the winners and losers coming out of Edmonton.
Preliminary Fights Quick Hits
1 of 6
Erik Koch def. Kyle Stewart by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28).
- Kyle Stewart vs. Carlo Pedersoli
- Erik Koch vs. Jake Matthews
Gillian Robertson def. Sarah Frota by TKO at 4:13 of the second round.
- Sarah Frota vs. Ariane Lipski
- Gillian Robertson vs. Jessica Eye
Deiveson Figueiredo def. Alexandre Pantoja by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).
- Alexandre Pantoja vs. Loser of Matt Schnell vs. Jordan Espinosa (August 3)
- Deiveson Figueiredo vs. Winner of Rogerio Bontorin vs. Raulian Paiva (August 10)
Gavin Tucker def. Seung Woo Choi via submission (rear-naked choke) at 3:17 of the third round.
- Seung Woo Choi vs. Sung-Bin Jo
- Gavin Tucker vs. Daniel Teymur
Hakeem Dawodu def. Yoshinori Horie by TKO at 4:09 of the third round.
- Yoshinori Horie vs. Chris Fishgold
- Hakeem Dawodu vs. Dan Ige
Viviane Araujo def. Alexis Davis by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).
- Alexis Davis vs. Amanda Bobby Cooper
- Viviane Araujo vs. Jennifer Maia
Krzysztof Jotko vs. Marc-Andre Barriault
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Krzysztof Jotko def. Marc-Andre Barriault by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28).
The pay-per-view kicked off with a closely contested middleweight bout. Krzysztof Jotko kept his momentum rolling with a split-decision win over Marc-Andre Barriault.
The fight won't end up as a Fight of the Year contender, but it did play a purpose for the division.
Barriault should return against Charles Byrd. The stylistic matchup should give fans a pleasing contest, and the winner regains his footing in the division. Both Barriault and Byrd have some potential that could be untapped. The contest between the two will help the UFC choose which one to bring along as the better option.
Jotko, per ESPN's Marc Raimondi, called out Uriah Hall. He wants to avenge his loss. The issue is that Hall will fight Antonio Carlos Junior on August 27 in Vancouver, British Columbia. But it's a good thought, and Jotko should receive the winner of the bout.
Neither Hall nor Junior is tearing it up in the division. Jotko vs. the winner of that matchup makes sense for the back end of the 185-pound rankings.
Olivier Aubin-Mercier vs. Arman Tsarukyan
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Arman Tsarukyan def. Olivier Aubin-Mercier by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).
Arman Tsarukyan played spoiler for the Canadian, Olivier Aubin-Mercier. He got in the win column over a talented fighter in hostile territory.
It won't vault him into the rankings, but it's a solid win. The UFC should give him another mid-tier fighter to see whether he can get things going or whether it was just a good night. Jared Gordon is coming off of a win and would make sense in that scenario.
Aubin-Mercier is a solid undercard fighter. It doesn't appear he will be making a run toward the top, but his services are needed to help the division determine who is ready for bigger opportunities or who is a pretender. It is a position that has value to an organization.
Mike Davis got his UFC tenure off to a rough start, but a fight against Aubin-Mercier will show the UFC brass just what he can offer the company. Aubin-Mercier would also get a relative newcomer to try to right his ship against. It's a win-win proposition.
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Geoff Neal vs. Niko Price
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Geoff Neal def. Niko Price by TKO at 2:39 of the second round.
Geoff Neal and Niko Price threw down as many expected, and it was Neal who came out on top.
Price is one of the division's most exciting fighters, and he has upside. Fans will want to see him against another stand-up fighter to see whether more fireworks are had. The perfect opponent is Siyar Bahadurzada.
The 35-year-old is coming off an injury, but Price will need some time away after the TKO loss. Their 100 percent recoveries will hopefully align for a showdown.
As for Neal, a bigger task awaits.
He stands at 4-0 in the UFC and should get a crack at someone ranked. Unfortunately, many of the top 15 have fights scheduled or are a little too high up in the rankings. The name that makes the most sense is Darren Till. But Till's weight issues may force a move up to middleweight.
If Till stays at 170, a meeting with Neal would be excellent. If he goes, Neal may have to wait for the slate of welterweight fights to wrap up before a name presents itself.
Cris Cyborg vs. Felicia Spencer
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Cris Cyborg def. Felicia Spencer by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).
There is no secret who is next for Cris Cyborg after defeated Felicia Spencer: Amanda Nunes. The problem is Cyborg just fought the last fight on her contract. So negotiations come first.
If she re-signs, Nunes is next. But it is possible we have seen the last of her inside the UFC's Octagon. There are no guarantees in this sport, and if they cannot come to an agreement, she will have to go elsewhere.
Spencer showed herself well in this fight. Unfortunately, the division doesn't give her many options. Cat Zingano is the only name on the roster that makes sense. The UFC may be forced into signing another featherweight for Spencer to fight if Zingano doesn't want the matchup.
Should the contract negotiations go south, Spencer may still be in a solid spot in the division for 2020.
Max Holloway vs. Frankie Edgar
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Max Holloway def. Frankie Edgar by unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 48-47).
A solid tactical performance saw Max Holloway shut down Frankie Edgar and show he is still the king of the featherweight division.
This is not the end of the road for Edgar's career, but it may well be the end of his title-contending days. He came up short for the 145-pound crown again. He also didn't threaten well enough to remain an option for Holloway without a substantial win streak.
Edgar's role may soon become that of a gatekeeper.
Josh Emmett is starting to make noise again, but is he ready for the top five? Well, let's put Edgar's new gatekeeper status to the test. If Emmett wins, we will know he is a fight away from challenging for gold.
Holloway's next defense is nearly set in stone. The only contender with a claim is No. 1 contender Alex Volkanovski.
It's an enticing fight for hardcore fans, but Volkanovski hasn't had a breakthrough to capture the casual audience yet. In spite of his recent performances and status in the division, he is largely unknown. This fight should either end up on ESPN or as the co-main event on a bigger card so the featherweights have a platform to gain new fans.
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