In the absence of Conor McGregor and Tony Ferguson, Khabib Nurmagomedov swept to power inside the Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight division.
As they often are with Nurmagomedov, the FightMetric figures were jarring. He secured six takedowns, outlanded Iaquinta by wide margins -- 134-41 in significant strikes, 172-43 in total strikes -- and executed seven guard passes against the Serra-Longo Fight Team standout. None of the rounds were close statistically. Nurmagomedov even outstruck “Raging Al” on the feet, where he deployed a punishing jab and mixed in occasional uppercuts, one of which had the Wantagh, New York, native’s nose leaking like a sieve in the fifth round.
In the aftermath of UFC 223 “Nurmagomedov vs. Iaquinta,” here are five matches that ought to be made:
Related » UFC 223 Round-by-Round Scoring
Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Tony Ferguson: Nurmagomedov has his warts like any other fighter, but the two-time combat sambo world champion has yet to run into an opponent who can expose them. The 29-year-old Dagestani grappler has won all 10 of his bouts inside the Octagon, the vast majority of them in lopsided fashion. His 25-minute encounter with Iaquinta was no different. Ferguson was Nurmagomedov’s original dance partner before a freak knee injury forced his withdrawal. “El Cucuy” last competed at UFC 216 in October, when he captured the interim lightweight crown with a triangle choke submission on Kevin Lee. It was Ferguson’s 10th consecutive victory.
Rose Namajunas vs. Jessica Andrade: Perhaps now Namajunas will get her just due. “Thug Rose” retained the women’s strawweight championship with a unanimous decision over Joanna Jedrzejczyk in the co-main event, improving to 2-0 in her head-to-head series with the Polish muay Thai stylist. Namajunas withstood a ferocious assault on her lead leg, cracked Jedrzejczyk with a series of left hooks and strengthened her position atop the 115-pound weight class, as she defeated the American Top Team standout for the second time in less than six months. Andrade last fought at UFC on Fox 28 in February, when she was awarded a unanimous verdict against Tecia Torres.
Renato Carneiro vs. Mirsad Bektic-Ricardo Lamas winner: Carneiro may find it difficult to fly under the radar much longer. The once-beaten Brazilian bounced back from a split decision loss to Brian Ortega and outpointed Calvin Kattar across three rounds in their featherweight showcase. Scores were 29-28, 30-27 and 30-27, all for Carneiro. “Moicano” has won seven of his past eight fights -- a run of sustained success that includes victories over Kattar, Jeremy Stephens and Zubaira Tukhugov. Bektic and Lamas will do battle at UFC 225 on June 9 in Chicago.
Zabit Magomedsharipov vs. Chan Sung Jung: One of the sport’s budding young stars, Magomedsharipov should soon shed his prospect label at 145 pounds. The former Absolute Championship Berkut titleholder extended his current winning streak to 11 fights with a unanimous decision over Kyle Bochniak in a wildly entertaining featherweight feature, drawing 29-28, 30-27 and 30-27 marks from the cageside judges. An offensive dynamo on the feet and on the ground, the 29-year-old Magomedsharipov has not tasted defeat in nearly four years and figures to be in line for a top-10 opponent. Jung has not competed since he suffered a knee injury in training in June. “The Korean Zombie” owns a 4-1 record inside the Octagon, wins over Dustin Poirier and Dennis Bermudez included.
Olivier Aubin-Mercier vs. Alexander Hernandez: Once viewed as a one-dimensional grappler, Aubin-Mercier continued to show off new dimensions to his game on the undercard, burying Evan Dunham with a pair of brutal knee strikes to the body and follow-up punches. It was over in 53 seconds. Aubin-Mercier has the wind of a four-fight winning streak in his sails as “The Ultimate Fighter Nations” finalist navigates the shark-infested waters at 155 pounds. Hernandez made a rousing promotional debut at UFC 222 on March 3, when he cut down Beneil Dariush in less than a minute. The 25-year-old has finished his last four opponents, three of them inside one round.