UFC 245 Recap and Future Predictions

Petr Yan KOs Urijah Faber 

The Russian striker knocked out the veteran Urijah Faber early in the 3rd and final round, after hitting him with a head kick to cement his position amongst the top 5 in the bantamweight division. So where to go from here? Due to his ranking spot at #4, Yan could very easily be a contender for a title fight with current champ Henry Cejudo, but other fighters stand in his way. #3 Cory Sandhagen (12-1-0) is hot off a decision win over Raphael Assunção last August. #2 Aljamain Sterling is currently on a four-fight win streak with his recent victory being a decision win over Pedro Munhoz last June.#1 is none other Marlon Moraes, who is celebrating his close decision win over José Aldo. With the fighters revealed, what’s next in line for the Russian?

One of the main options is Yan vs. Sterling for a title contender bout, have it headling an ESPN+ card or have it as a co-main for a PPV and give them time to rest and we could see them fight for a title within the following year but there is another choice. Yan vs. Aldo, Dana White has already mentioned that he wants to give Aldo a shot at the bantamweight title, so why not pit Yan against Aldo, and the winner fights Cejudo, or scrap all of those ideas and let Yan fight for the title in early 2020.

Marlon Moraes Edges out a Decision Win Over José Aldo  

Marlon Moraes got a decision win over the former featherweight king, José Aldo, to the dismay of many, including myself. Nonetheless, a win is a win logistically, so who’s next for Moraes? Considering his fight prior to Aldo was a failed attempt to become the new bantamweight champion against Champion Henry Cejudo, it is a bit early for a rematch. Aldo might fight for the title, as that is what Dana White himself wants, so who else is there? #3 ranked Cory Sandhagen or #6 ranked Pedro Munhoz. Sandhagen is on a 7-fight win-streak with his latest win being a decision win over Raphael Assunção. On the opposite side of the fighting spectrum, Munhoz’s last fight ended in a Unanimous Decision loss to #2 ranked Aljamain Sterling.

Amanda Nunes Further Cements her Legacy as the GOAT of Female MMA

For all 5 rounds, Amanda showed dominance over the challenging Germaine de Randemie to get the unanimous decision win (49-44, 49-46, 49-45). Instead of standing and knocking her opponents out, Amanda used her high level grappling to control GDR for most of the fight. However, Nunes did not ragdoll her around the octagon and was even in some moments of trouble. GDR stunned the double-champ with an up-kick from the ground and even caught Nunes in a slick triangle choke. Who’s left for Nunes? Easy, Amanda Nunes vs Khabib for GOAT status. All jokes aside, there aren’t many women who can stand against Nunes. #2 ranked Ketlan Vieria was in a solid spot for a title bout if she won her fight against Irene Aldana, so the only one who remains is Aspen Ladd. 

The Blessed Express has Come to an End

As much as it pains me to say it, the Blessed Era has come to an end. Alexander Volkanovski got a unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 50-45) against the Hawaiian champion Max Holloway, Volkanovski’s cardio was the star of the show, proving he could keep up and push the pace against the former champion to dethrone Max. So, what’s next? Hopefully, it’s a rematch for Max and luckily Dana White has the same mindset for a rematch in Volkanovski’s native Australia. Perhaps that card also includes Israel Adesanya’s first title defense with hopefully Dan Hooker, Tai Tuivasa and Megan Anderson fighting alongside Volkanovski (Maybe Bobby Knuckles too, but a guy can dream).

Kamaru Twists Raw American Steel to Achieve Victory

The main event was between two high-level wrestlers. Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington but wrestling was the only thing we did not see between the grapplers. From the beginning to the end of the fight was all striking, (Kind of ironic how this fight was pure striking, where Nunes vs. GDR was all grappling). The fight ended late in the 5th and final round, where defending champ Kamaru dropped the All-American Wrestler Covington twice before the referee came in to confirm the TKO victory for the Nigerian Nightmare. So, with Colby out of the way and recovering from a broken jaw, who’s next?

It’s a toss-up currently. Leon Edwards, Jorge Masvidal, or Tyron Woodley, the most logical choice could be Edwards. Due to the winner of Conor vs. Cowboy could fight Masvidal which would leave Masvidal out of title bouts for early to mid-2020. Perhaps Woodley and Edwards could fight for the number one contender spot for the title, but the MMA gods work in mysterious ways. 

The next event after UFC 245 is UFC Fight Night: Edgar vs. The Korean Zombie in the Sajik Arena in Busan, South Korea.

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