UFC on ESPN 2 Post-Mortem: Special Delivery

MMA fans had salivated over the idea of witnessing Justin Gaethje and Edson Barboza throwing fists without regard for their own health ever since their matchup was announced. The two lightweights met in the UFC on ESPN 2 main event on Saturday in Philadelphia, and they did not disappoint. It did not last long enough for “Fight of the Year” consideration, but their encounter packed plenty of violence into a two-and-a-half-minute window.

Gaethje used relentless pressure to put Barboza in perfect position, at which point he unloaded a massive right hand and authored his second straight first-round knockout. While the Arizona native may struggle to reach the top of the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s lightweight division because of his defensive deficiencies, he provided yet another example of why fans view him as a can’t-miss attraction. With the 155-pound weight class at something of a standstill due to champion Khabib Nurmagomedov’s ongoing suspension, Gaethje expressed his interest in welcoming the undefeated Dagestani grappler back to the Octagon, no matter what hoops he has to jump through in the meantime.

“I don’t care [who I fight next],” Gaethje said during a post-fight media scrum. “It doesn’t matter to me. They are going to pay me a lot of money. That’s what I’m here for. I want to be the world champion. I want to fight Khabib. I think I’m one of the biggest threats to his title, and that’s my goal, whoever I have to go through.”

Gaethje, who pocketed his sixth post-fight performance bonus in five UFC appearances, believes he has the tools necessary to unseat Nurmagomedov.

“I am a bad matchup because of my ability to stuff takedowns,” he said. “I am a Division I wrestler. I’m a Division I All-American. I placed seventh [nationally] in 2010. My ability to scramble and avoid takedowns is something he has never faced … and my power. He’s faced the power but not with the ability to stuff takedowns and scramble.”

After being knocked unconscious, Barboza spent the ensuing hours in the hospital, though his stay was not related to his loss. The former Ring of Combat champion and his wife welcomed daughter Victoria into the fold. Even though Barboza fell short inside the Octagon, he had quite the consolation prize waiting on him.

Meanwhile, Paul Felder, who previously called for a fight with the Gaethje-Barboza winner, made sure no one forgot he was still interested. During the post-fight show on ESPN+, “The Irish Dragon” interviewed Gaethje, along with Tyron Woodley and Karyn Bryant, and took his shot when the opportunity presented itself.

“You talked about who you wanted next,” Felder said with Gaethje seated next to him. “You talked about guys above you in this sport. I just want to say [I’m interested] and throw my name in the hat. If none of those guys are lining up to fight you, brother, I’m putting it down here right now. You know there are some tough dudes in here, and I feel like eventually, whether it is now or whether it is later, me and you are going to put on a show for these fans someday. I say that honest to God with the most respect possible because I enjoy watching you fight, brother, and congratulations on a dominant win.”

While Gaethje did not turn down Felder’s challenge, he appeared disinterested in fighting somebody below him in the rankings. Then Bryant pressed the issue further. “You’re telling me that his spinning elbows and your style of fight wouldn’t make for …,” Bryant said. “You like this guy, don’t you? Don’t get him beat up” Gaethje answered. “C’mon, now,” Felder said.

A former World Series of Fighting champion, Gaethje did not appear to enjoy the veteran’s campaigning for a shot at him. During the post-fight media scrum, he refused to dig deeper into the exchange he had with the Roufusport representative.

“He’s trying to steal my thunder, him and Karyn,” Gaethje said. “It’s bulls---.”

Felder, who took a unanimous decision from James Vick at UFC on ESPN 1 in February, responded on Twitter to criticism he received for what some perceived to be his attempt to inject himself into Gaethje’s spotlight: “Literally said I wanted the winner of #UFCPhiladelphia after my last fight. Then I have the winner standing NEXT TO ME. Course I’m going to ask. If I didn’t do that people would say I didn’t have the balls to say it to his face. Well I do and I did. He is a stud! And I want to fight the best.”

Rankings Obsession

Play-by-play commentator Jon Anik likes to inform fans that rising middleweight Jack Hermansson has become “obsessed” with the UFC rankings. The Norwegian fighter squared off with the 11th-ranked David Branch in the co-main event and quickly seized the opportunity to swipe the former two-division WSOF titleholder’s spot, submitting the Renzo Gracie-trained Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt with a guillotine choke in just 49 seconds.

The win should grant Hermansson entry to the Top 15 at 185 pounds. However, “The Joker” believes a victory over a former UFC champion could catapult him even higher.

“Chris Weidman is a great fighter and a former champion,” Hermansson said. “The other guys at the top, [Ronaldo] ‘Jacare’ Souza and [Yoel] Romero, are going to make their fight happen. I think Chris Weidman is right behind them in the rankings. I want to get up there. It would be an honor to fight him.”

The 30-year-old former Cage Warriors Fighting Championship titlist has rattled off three straight wins since his 2017 defeat to Thiago Santos. Weidman, meanwhile, finds himself headed in the other direction, having lost four of his last five bouts.

Double Duty

Michelle Waterson, who has made known her desire to become the first mother to win a UFC championship, took another step in that journey with a unanimous decision over former title challenger Karolina Kowalkiewicz. “The Karate Hottie” has pulled off three consecutive upsets and believes she has done enough to bypass Tatiana Suarez and Nina Ansaroff -- they are booked opposite one another at UFC 238 in June -- in the strawweight pecking order.

“I just feel like I have been in the Top 10 a lot longer than both of them,” Waterson said during the post-fight show on ESPN+. “I want it. Why else would I be fighting if I wasn’t going for the gold?”

A former Invicta Fighting Championships titleholder, Waterson is a fan favorite and a well-known commodity across the sport. She was recently featured on an episode of ESPN’s E:60 series. However, current UFC women’s featherweight and bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes -- Ansaroff’s girlfriend and training partner -- took to social media to reiterate her belief that the Ansaroff-Suarez winner was next in line at 115 pounds: “No no no sorry, but the real contender fight is @TSPMMA115 vs @NinaAnsaroff @Dana White @UFC.”