What’s Next For The Winners at UFC Singapore

What’s Next For The Winners at UFC Singapore:

By Jon Prentice

Another UFC event is in the books following an entertaining showing in Singapore yesterday.

The main event saw another UK welterweight in Leon Edwards defeat the legend Donald Cerrone to cement his spot as a contender in the division. Edwards picked up a unanimous decision win, in the process outlining to the world that the UK has another potential star in the making. Following the main event Edwards called for the UFC to return to his home city of Birmingham where he would like to square off against Jorge Masvidal in what would no doubt be an entertaining affair.

There were also victories for LHW top 10 mainstay Ovince St Preux, flyweight Jessica Eye and welterweight Li Jingliang. Following a successful day at the office for the aforementioned fighters, here is a quick rundown of those UFC main card winners and who I would like to see them step up against next.

Li Jingliang (15-5-0)

China’s Jingliang put on one of his best and most mature displays inside the octagon to date as he disposed of Daichi Abe in the main card opener. Jingliang, usually known as a pretty wild and reckless heavy hitter, put his most recent defeat to Jake Matthews to the back of his mind as he put on a striking clinic to defeat Abe via unanimous decision. Jingliang landed heavy leg kicks over and over whilst also catching his opponent with some stinging right hands which could have quite easily put down less durable opposition on another night. Outside of the first round it was a one-sided display and there were no doubts as to the winner when the judges scorecards were announced.

Jingliang has now notched up seven victories inside the octagon and with only one defeat in his last six outings he will want to start looking towards the welterweight rankings going forward.

A match up against Peter Sobotta (17-6-1) would be interesting and would prove to be a step up in competition for Jingliang. Sobotta most recently suffered defeat to Leon Edwards however he had won four of his previous five prior to the loss. Another potential exciting match up would be against Siyar Bahadurzada (24-6-1) who is on a three fight win streak with his last two coming by KO/TKO. He would be happy to trade leather with Jingliang in what could be a potential fight of the night contender.

Jessica Eye (13-6-0)

Jessica Eye picked up her second straight win in the women’s flyweight division, defeating Jessica-Rose Clark in a closely fought unanimous decision win. Eye landed the cleaner punches during the exchanges, caught Clark with several stinging body kicks and landed two important takedowns at crucial times to get the nod as the contest went to the judges scorecards. The first round could have gone either way, however rounds two and three were more clearcut in Eye’s favour as she seemed to grow in confidence as the fight went on. Eye was extremely fired up and emotional in her post fight interview with Dan Hardy, as the former bantamweight exclaimed that she should have never fought in the division above and that the four fight losing streak she suffered there made her doubt her own abilities.

She is now rejuvenated at flyweight with two straight wins in the division and she has certainly found her natural home at 125lbs. With the division having only recently been founded the rankings are still up in the air and it is hard to judge everyone’s true placement in the standings until things have played out a little more. Eye looks a lot more comfortable at the weight class and personally I would like to see her take on Lauren Murphy (10-4-0) who is coming off a loss to Sijara Eubanks at the start of this month. Murphy was ranked in the top 5 of the division prior to the loss and the contest would certainly help to ascertain Eye’s true position within the standings.

Ovince St Preux (23-11-0)

OSP picked up his 11th victory in the UFC over young up and comer Tyson Pedro in a frenetic one round encounter which could have gone either way. Pedro rocked OSP early on landing a big head kick followed by a stinging right hand as he appeared to be on his way to victory, however the veteran regained his senses, reversed a Pedro takedown attempt and advanced position, eventually locking on a straight-arm bar to force the tap midway through the first round. The victory earned OSP a $50,000 performance of the night bonus and post fight he told Dan Hardy that he is down to fight anyone, anywhere.

OSP now finds himself in a bit of a tough spot as he has already faced the majority of the top 10 in the rankings, unfortunately suffering defeat to most of those ranked above him. He is yet to face Jan Blachowicz (21-7-0) who is ranked at number five and riding a three fight win streak, however with Blachowicz most recently defeating Jimi Manuwa he would most likely be looking up the rankings rather than down. Another potential opponent is Dominick Reyes (9-0) who could have the potential to mix it with the divisions upper echelon. He is yet to taste defeat in his professional career and most recently defeated Jared Cannonier via brutal KO in the UFC’s debut appearance in Chile.

The LHW division is screaming out for fresh talent with the majority of the top 10 having faced each other previously and new talent capable of competing at the top-level at a premium.

Leon Edwards (16-3-0)

In the biggest test of Leon Edwards career, “Rocky” came out victorious in a hard-fought victory over MMA legend Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone in the Englishman’s first every UFC main event appearance. 26-year-old Edwards showed composure and maturity beyond his years on his way to a unanimous decision victory in the shows headliner.

Rocky dominated the early exchanges, showing a clear speed advantage over his veteran opponent, counter punching and catching Cowboy with regularity. A big knee in the first round opened up a nasty cut next to Cowboy’s right eye that poured blood throughout the contest and Rocky continued to add further damage with elbows as the two separated from the clinch.

In typical Donald Cerrone fashion he grew into the fight as the rounds went on, however Edwards appeared in no real danger throughout and did enough over the course of the five rounds to secure the unanimous decision win (48-47 x3).

Post fight, Edwards called for the UFC to return to his home city of Birmingham for the first time since 2011, where he would like to square off against another veteran in Jorge Masvidal (32-13-0). Edwards highlighted that there was no particular animosity between the two, however it was a good matchup stylistically and logically for both. Masvidal is currently riding a two fight losing streak to Demian Maia and Stephen Thompson however he still remains ahead of Edwards in the current rankings. He responded on social media saying he is down for the fight and just waiting for the call from the UFC.

It is yet to be seen as to whether the UFC will make its return to UK soil in particular Birmingham or whether they go with the a different option for Rocky, however being from Birmingham myself I can tell you that there is a real buzz around the Midlands with regards to Edwards and the MMA scene in general and I have no doubt that a card here would sell in a similar way to the Liverpool card with Darren Till.