Well, folks, UFC 226 is in the books and I can honestly say we witnessed two things. We witnessed greatness and more importantly, we witnessed a quality fight card. The current light heavyweight and heavyweight champion, Daniel Cormier, cemented himself as one of the greatest fighters to grace the octagon after defeating the most decorated heavyweight champion in UFC history in less than a round.
However, regardless of the outcome of the main event, this card showcased the true potential this sport can display from start to finish. There were so many breathtaking moments where we, as fans, had to stop and ask ourselves if what we saw actually happened.
Whether it was Paulo Costa and Uriah Hall using everything they had in their arsenal against each other, or Mike Perry and Paul Felder creating a bloodbath, this card exceeded expectations top to bottom. Who knows where this card would’ve ranked in history had Max Holloway stayed in?
Daniel Cormier vs. Stipe Miocic (Cormier via KO, Round 1, 4:33)
Saturday night Daniel Cormier established himself as an all-time great by obtaining the UFC heavyweight champion and becoming only the second fighter ever to hold two belts in two different weight classes simultaneously. He did so by making short work of the most decorated UFC heavyweight of all time in less than a round. It’s safe to say Daniel Cormier is officially a Top 5 fighter to ever live. You can argue this, but the truth is that Cormier has lost to only one man inside the octagon. That man is arguably the most talented fighter we’ve ever seen. We don’t have much time left with DC, so let’s do our best to appreciate the guy and give him the respect he deserves from here on out.
Where do we go from here?
Brock Lesnar. It’s as simple as that. It’s the fight the UFC has set in motion with the little scuffle Cormier and Lesnar had in the octagon Saturday night (more so WWE than UFC if we’re being honest), and it’s the fight the fans want to see. Daniel Cormier vs. Brock Lesnar 2019. Let that sink in for a moment. As for Stipe…I want to see him get one fight before getting another crack at the title so I’d throw him Derrick Lewis for a shot at the title later this year. The winner of that fight can fight the winner of Lesnar-Cormier.
Derrick Lewis vs. Francis Ngannou (Lewis via Unanimous Decision)
One of the most anticipated fights on the card ended up being not only the worst fight on the card, but one of the worst fights of all time. And, folks, that is not an exaggeration. Francis Ngannou landed 11 total strikes during his fight at UFC 226 while Derrick Lewis landed 20. That is absurd. Lewis was awarded the victory, but both of these fighters took a step back in their careers Saturday night. If it was at all possible, I’d have given both of them a loss. There’s a lot more to be expected from two monsters with freakish knockout power. It seems as though Ngannou has become much more timid since his last fight. Both fighters were too scared to take any chances and it resulted in one of the worst displays of mixed martial arts inside the octagon.
Where do we go from here?
Since Lewis was awarded the unanimous decision, the fight to make for him is Stipe. You can’t really go down the rankings with the guy because he did win after all. Stipe is the logical choice to make. For Ngannou, things don’t come so easily. He suffered his second loss in a row so it wouldn’t necessarily be fair to give him a Top 3 contender after he just lost to the No. 5 ranked fighter in his decision. As a fan, I’d love to see Ngannou vs. Junior Dos Santos. Of course, I need to see Ngannou actually throw punches and be aggressive, but what better opponent for that than JDS?
Mike Perry vs. Paul Felder (Perry via Split Decision)
This fight was easily one of the most entertaining fights I have ever seen. These guys gave us everything they had and then some. This fight was an absolute blood bath. Mike Perry is one of the more entertaining fighters in that division and he is starting to make his way up the ladder. I don’t expect him to be a champion one day, but I do reckon he’ll be a top 10 fighter in that division for years to come. You can expect a lot of fight of the night bonuses to come his way in the future as well.
Where do we go from here?
If the UFC wants to build some Mike Perry momentum, they need to give him entertaining fights. I’d give Perry Cowboy or Gunnar Nelson up next so he could possibly break into the top 10. As for Felder, I’d throw him a journeyman to keep him occupied for the meanwhile. A loss to a fighter not ranked in the top 15 in his/her division doesn’t warrant for much.
Anthony Pettis vs. Michael Chiesa (Pettis via Submisson, Round 2, 0:52)
Anthony Pettis looked about as in form Saturday night as he ever has. He had to overcome a little bit of adversity from Michael Chiesa at first, but ended up finding his groove and finishing Chiesa in the second round. Pettis’s game looks as marvelous and creative as ever. Cheese on the other hand…not so much.
Where do we go from here?
Anthony Pettis looked like his former champion self on Saturday night with a convincing victory over a seasoned veteran. As a former UFC titleholder coming off an impressive victory, Pettis deserves a decorated opponent. I like Kevin Lee for Pettis next because that’s an entertaining fight no matter which way you cut it. Two fighters who care about winning but care even more about making the fans happy. What’s not to like?
Paulo Costa vs. Uriah Hall (Costa via TKO, Round 2, 2:38)
This was probably my favorite fight on the entire card. Paulo Costa is proving his superstardom more and more each fight. The guy just gets after it in the octagon. Not only that, but he looks like he’s chiseled from marble. He has the looks, talks the talk, and walks the walk. The Uriah Hall we saw Saturday night is the Uriah Hall we all thought we’d see in the UFC after he came off The Ultimate Fighter. Hall has underperformed his entire career, but if he can show out like he did on Saturday night every time he fights, his future could hold some big things in store after all.
Where do we go from here?
Costa deserves a big fight. He’s 12-0 in his professional career, having just beaten Johnny Hendricks and Uriah Hall. He is in the top 10 in his division as it is, so I’d give Costa Jacare or Weidman. One can argue that Weidman might be just a little too soon, so Jacare would be the more reasonable choice. Costa deserves a chance to break into the spotlight and a win over Jacare would do just that. Hall, on the other hand, needs to go back to the drawing board and figure out how to put out that type of effort each and every fight. I like Brad Tavares for Hall who is also coming off a recent loss and needs to go back to the drawing board as well.
