What is next for the UFC 225 main card winners?

What is next for the UFC 225 main card winners?

By Jon Prentice

UFC 225 went down last night in Chicago, Illinois and despite every fight on the main card going to the judges scorecard, there was plenty of action throughout to keep the crowd in attendance and those watching around the world entertained. Following on from the event here is my take on what is next for the night’s main card victors:

Mike Jackson (1-1)

Despite Jackson picking up the win over former WWE star CM Punk in a one-sided decision (30-26 x3), UFC president Dana White did not appear impressed with Jackson’s display and his post fight comments all but confirmed that Jackson would not be offered another fight in the UFC. “I don’t know what he did before but he needs to go back to that. He’s 0-2 as far as I’m concerned” White stated following the event. Despite picking up the win, Jackson appeared to be cruising through the matchup with no real intention of finishing Punk despite appearing to have several opportunities to do so. I am in agreement with White and feel like this is the end of the line for Jackson. He doesn’t appear to have the skill set to compete at this level and I think he loses against anyone else he goes up against in the division.

Tai Tuivasa (10-0)

Tuivasa improved upon the perfect start to his professional career, defeating MMA veteran and former heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski via unanimous decision (29-28 x3). Tuivasa hit Arlovski with some big shots, knocking him down momentarily early on in the fight on his way to his 10th consecutive win. The fight was close and the only occasion that Tuivasa has gone out of the first round in his career, however he had too much for Arlovski and got the nod from the judges.

Arlovski had his moments and it was an entertaining bout in the heavyweight division but it appears that the young guns are now taking over. With his 3rd straight win in the UFC, Tuivasa should see himself in the divisions top 10 when the latest rankings are released. With the majority of the top 10 already booked up, a fight with Alistair Overeem, who suffered defeat to Curtis Blaydes, is a possibility to test if Tuivasa has top 5 credentials, however that may be a step too far too soon. If not, Tuivasa will have to wait it out to see how the landscape plays out over the next couple of months before an opponent is picked.

Holly Holm (12-4)

“The Preachers Daughter” got back to winning ways this weekend with a dominant display over UFC newcomer Megan Anderson in a women’s featherweight division showdown. Holm showed her far superior wrestling and ground game to take Anderson down over and over again on her way to a unanimous decision victory (30-27, 30-26 x2). Anderson caught Holm with a big knee early on, however apart from that the former bantamweight champion never looked in any real danger. Despite not appearing to have the power to hurt Anderson on the feet, Holm took her opponent down with ease and controlled her on the ground on a number of occasions.

In her post fight interview with Joe Rogan, Holm stated that she still has dreams of winning back her bantamweight title despite her last two fights coming in the featherweight division. Holm now finds herself in a bit of a strange spot, her last fight was a loss to Cris Cyborg for the featherweight title, but with no other real challengers to the belt, Holm appears to be the next bet for another shot at Cyborg having defeated Anderson. Holm would also appear as the next in line to take on Amanda Nunes for the bantamweight belt with no other clear cut challengers in the division. Holm is 1-2 in her last 3 bantamweight bouts however her most recent outing in that division was a KO win over Bethe Correia. We may well see Cyborg vs Nunes in a champion vs champion match and Holm waits it out to challenge either one dependant on the outcome of that fight.

Colby Covington (14-1)

Outspoken Covington showed relentless cardio on his way to a unanimous decision win (49-46, 48-47 x2) over Rafael Dos Anjos, in the process becoming the new interim welterweight champion of the world. Covington came out at a relentless pace in round one and kept it up throughout, pressing Dos Anjos against the cage and taking the Brazilian down on multiple occasions. There was little doubt as to the winner as Bruce Buffer read out the scorecards, and there is little doubt as to who he faces next….Tyron Woodley for the undisputed title. Prior to the fight with RDA, Covington promised to make welterweight great again, and we will soon find out if he keeps that promise when he goes head to head with Woodley. Covington wants the bout to take place in November which should tie in with the UFC’s annual trip to Madison Square Garden, New York.

Robert Whittaker (20-4)

In the evenings main event, Robert Whittaker defeated Yoel Romero by the narrowest of margins, picking up a split decision win (48-47 x2, 47-48) in a five round war. Whittaker dominated rounds one and two with Romero offering little output, however as per usual in round 3 Romero came out firing on all cylinders knocking Whittaker down and rocking him on a number of occasions in one of the best rounds of the year. Whittaker regained his senses and took the 4th round, but again in round 5 Romero nearly finished the middleweight champion. Both fighters were exhausted come the end of the fight, however the majority of the judges scored it in Whittaker’s favour.

In his post fight interview, Whittaker admitted that he had broken his hand in the first round which no doubt made the task all the more difficult, so he will have to heal up before he gets back to action. Having defeated Romero twice now recently and with Yoel missing weight for his last two middleweight fights, the third match between the two is out of the question at the moment for me. I would personally like to see Kelvin Gastelum get the next shot at Whittaker’s middleweight belt once the champion has healed up from the Romero war.