The Vanquished: What’s Next for UFC on ESPN 2 Losers?
The Ultimate Fighting Championship on Saturday touched down in the “City of Brother Love” with UFC on ESPN 2, and after a slow start on the preliminaries -- where six of seven bouts went to the judges -- the main card nearly maxed out the violence meter. From Eleventh Hour come-from-behind finishes from Paul Craig and Josh Emmett to Jack Hermansson’s sub-minute guillotine submission of former two-division World Series of Fighting champion David Branch, I was reaching for the valium well before Justin Gaethje and Edson Barbosa made their respective walks to the cage for the main event.
The two lightweight contenders then proceeded to do exactly as they had promised, exchanging thunderous leg kicks and punches at range before “The Highlight” closed the show with a devastating right hook halfway through the first frame. Gaethje has delivered two first-round knockouts in a row and looks to insert himself into an already overcrowded title picture at 155 pounds.
Advertisement
Related » Matches to Make After UFC on ESPN 2
Edson Barboza vs. Paul Felder: Barboza made his 21st walk to the Octagon and hoped to capture a victory over Gaethje before renewing his campaign for a shot at the 155-pound title. Ultimately, “Junior” came up short, wilting to Gaethje at 2:30 of the first round, but given the wildly entertaining nature of the main event -- and the propensity for the Brazilian to come back from adversity -- his stock seems unlikely to have lost much in value. Barboza has now shared the cage with the likes of Khabib Nurmagomedov, Tony Ferguson, Kevin Lee, Anthony Pettis, Michael Johnson and Donald Cerrone, and if history is any guide, he will continue to compete against some of the very best 155-pound fighters in the world. As for his next test, I would love to see him run back his 2015 barnburner with Paul Felder; it was Barboza’s 10th UFC victory and just the third-ever appearance with the promotion for “The Irish Dragon.” Since then, Felder has put together a respectable 6-3 record and recently broke into the Top 10 at 155 pounds with a unanimous decision over Texas’ James Vick in February.
David Branch vs. Uriah Hall: Branch has had a heck of a time over the last 24 months. After winning, defending and vacating World Series of Fighting titles at 185 and 205 pounds, he made his way back to the UFC at the beginning of 2017. “The Executive” has won just twice in five attempts since. Branch edged Krzysztof Jotko on the scorecards in his return to the promotion and starched Thiago Santos in April, but he has since been finished twice in consecutive bouts. In Branch’s latest outing, the largely unheralded Jack Hermansson tapped him with a guillotine 49 seconds into their co-main event. At 37 years old, Branch has a long way to go if he wants to ever compete for UFC gold, and in the aftermath of his UFC 230 loss seemed to be openly contemplating retirement. Assuming he sticks around, a fight opposite Hall would make sense. “The Ultimate Fighter 17” finalist recently returned to the win column with a come-from-behind victory over Bevon Lewis in December.
Michael Johnson vs. Ricardo Lamas: With wins over Dustin Poirier, Edson Barbosa and Tony Ferguson sprinkled across a mediocre 11-10 record in the UFC, Johnson has earned a reputation as one of the most inconsistent and frustrating fighters on the organization’s roster. As such, it should come as no surprise that after beating Team Alpha Male’s Josh Emmett to the punch for the better part of 15 minutes, “The Menace” found himself staring up at the lights with 46 seconds left on the clock. The knockout loss to “Grim Reaper” puts a halt to Johnson’s regeneration at 145 pounds, and although he remains a reliable action fighter, the chance that he will sniff a Top 5 ranking before he retires grows thinner by the day. As for who he should fight next, Lamas would offer him a fun stylistic contest. “The Bully” broke a two-fight skid with a win over Darren Elkins in November but has since been laying low due to issues with a blood clot.
Karolina Kowalkiewicz vs. Carla Esparza-Livinha Souza loser: Kowalkiewicz may be one of the most beloved fixtures on the UFC’s strawweight roster, but the “Polish Princess” has come up short in four of her last six fights. She had her moments in her scrap with former Invicta Fighting Championships atomweight titleholder Michelle Waterson, but the “Karate Hottie” utilized lateral movement and impeccable timing to pick apart Kowalkiewicz over three rounds, executing a critical judo toss in the middle stanza before finishing the fight strong. Kowalkiewicz will need to do some serious rebuilding if she ever wants to contend for the 115-pound title again, and although a 2016 decision victory over incumbent champion Rose Namajunas helps her case, she would be well-advised to go after some smaller fish. The Esparza-Souza loser -- they fight at UFC on ESPN 3 on April 27 -- fits that bill.
Kennedy Nzechukwu vs. Magomed Ankalaev: Riding high on the back of three consecutive technical knockout victories and sporting an undefeated 6-0 record, Nzechukwu came in with all sorts of hype against Paul Craig and was ostensibly only 40 seconds away from a win on the scorecards when the “Bearjew” executed a Hail Mary triangle choke to steal the upset. While no doubt disappointed with his Octagon debut, Nzechukwu earned some valuable minutes against Craig and at only 26 years old has plenty of time to evolve into a force at 205 pounds. He should next face a fellow Craig victim in Ankalaev, who earned his second UFC victory in February.
Sheymon Moraes vs. Chas Skelly: Moraes’ momentum stalled on the UFC on ESPN 2 main card, as his unanimous decision loss to 25-year-old Sodiq Yusuff snapped his two-fight winning streak. Moraes managed to steal a round on a couple of scorecards and found success in the clinch and on the feet, but Yusuff proved to be too much for the Brazilian. Moraes should square off next with Skelly, who owns a 6-4 record in the UFC despite having suffered consecutive defeats.
Related Articles
