What next for the UFC 227 main card winners?

What next for the UFC 227 main card winners?

By Jon Prentice

UFC 227 is in the history books as the Staples Centre in Los Angeles, California played host to a compelling event that witnessed one feud come to a head along with the dethroning of the champion with the most UFC title defences in the organisations history, amongst several other highly skilled and entertaining match ups. So what is next for the main card winners?

TJ Dillashaw (16-3-0):

The evenings main event saw the rematch between bitter rivals TJ Dillashaw and Cody Garbrandt who battled it out for the Bantamweight title. the first meeting between the two enemies took place in New York at UFC 217 when Dillashaw took the title from Garbrandt in a frenetic back and forth, with Dillashaw getting the TKO finish in the second round.

The rematch panned out very similarly to their first encounter with Dillashaw getting the stoppage win, needing only one round on this occasion and finally putting an end to the ongoing feud with back to back victories over his foe.

The first round started out in the same fashion as their opening encounter, with Garbrandt landing big shots and Dillashaw firing back. As with the showdown at UFC 217, Garbrandt connected clean and rocked Dillashaw however this would subsequently lead to his demise. Swinging wild bombs in an attempt to put his rival away, Garbrandt left himself open to the counter which Dillashaw took full advantage of. Dillashaw landed the crisper, more technical blows, knocking his opponent down on more than one occasion. Gardbrandt desperately attempted to see out the round, however Dillashaw connected with a big knee in the Thai clinch that was the beginning of the end. Swarming against the cage Dillashaw connected with several powerful shots that forced the referee to intervene and Dillashaw got the standing TKO win.

So where does Dillashaw go from here?

Following fantastic back to back finishes over Garbrandt, Dillashaw ranks amongst the greatest 135lbs fighters of all time. He holds wins over Garbrandt, John Lineker, Raphael Assuncao and Renan Barao twice, defeating the latter during his peak when he ranked as one of the top pound for pound fighters. Personally I would love to see Dillashaw vs Marlon Moraes which has the potential to be one hell of a fight. Moraes is riding a 3 fight win streak, defeating John Dodson, Aljamain Sterling and Jimmie Rivera however he did lose his opening UFC bout to Raphael Assuncao.

A more likely option, and the one I imagine the UFC will go with, is Dillashaw vs Dominick Cruz 2. Cruz, a former champion himself, is currently on the road to recovery from injury and also ranks as one of the greatest Bantamweights of all time. The two met previously at UFC Fight Night 81 in January of 2016 when Cruz picked up a narrow split decision victory to regain his title from Dillashaw. The rematch would provide both with the opportunity to showcase why they are the greatest Bantamweight of all time.

Henry Cejudo (13-2-0):

In a sensational back and forth encounter for the flyweight title, Henry Cejudo added a UFC belt to his Olympic gold medal as he stunned the MMA world by dethroning Demetrious Johnson, getting the nod in a razor close split decision as the bout went the duration.

As per the nights main event, Johnson and Cejudo were doing battle for a second time, with Johnson winning their initial encounter in emphatic style via TKO in the first round at The Ultimate Fighter 24 Finale in December 2016. On this occasion we were treated to a completely different version of Cejudo who managed to do enough to bring to an end Johnson’s record run of 11 title defences.

In the first round it appeared that Cejudo injured his ankle in peculiar fashion, with Johnson standing several feet away from him he appeared to roll the ankle and it looked as though he may struggle to see out the fight. However he quickly overcame the scare and got to work, with both fighters trading body kicks and exchanging blows in the first round which “Mighty Mouse” edged.

The second round was again a pretty even encounter, with Cejudo managing to land a couple of takedowns however Johnson got back to his feet quickly and took no real damaged. The round was so close and could have easily have been scored to either fighter.

The third round played out similarly to the first, with Johnson appearing to do more on the feet and avoid getting taken down.

Rounds four and five were when Cejudo did his best work, taking Johnson down in both and managing to hold him down. Although he didn’t land a great deal whilst on the ground, Cejudo’s late takedowns in both rounds caught the judges eyes and got him the nod on the scorecards.

As the fight went to the decision, Bruce Buffer announced the scores with Cejudo getting the nod (48-47 x2, 47-48) and becoming only the second Flyweight champion in UFC history.

Going forward I can only see an immediate rematch between the two given the way the fight played out and the fact that Johnson had been such a dominant champion for years. The fight could have gone either way and the only way to settle it once and for all would be the trilogy fight. Post fight Cejudo called for a super fight against the winner of Dillashaw vs Garbrandt, however I think Cejudo should cement his legacy in this division first and foremost.

Renato “Moicano” Carneiro (13-1-1):

Moicano put on another hugely impressive display as he disposed of MMA veteran Cub Swanson in a Featherweight top 10 showdown in Swanson’s own back yard. The Brazilian Moicano looked flawless as he picked up a rear naked choke victory in the last-minute of the first round, his first stoppage win since his UFC debut in 2014.

Dominating from the start, Moicano landed a number of heavy leg kicks before knocking his opponent down with a stiff jab. He continued to pressure Swanson and backed him up against the fence where he landed a takedown and advanced to full mount. Swanson managed to recover to half-guard however whilst attempting to get back to his feet, Moicano scrambled and immediately took the back sinking in the choke forcing Swanson to tap and resigning him to his third straight defeat.

Moicano is now 5-1 during his time in the UFC, with his sole loss coming to Interim Champion Brian Ortega in a fight that he appeared to be winning until getting caught in the third round. With wins over Jeremy Stephens, Calvin Kattar and now Swanson, it is time for another step up in competition for Moicano. I would like to see him take on former UFC champion Jose Aldo who got back in the win column last weekend when he defeated Jeremy Stephens via first round TKO. A win over the former champion would put Moicano in a strong position for a title fight in the very near future, dependant on how things play out with Champion Max Holloway and Interim Champion Brian Ortega.

JJ Aldrich ( 7-2-0):

Aldrich put on one of the best displays of her career as she brought to an end the six fight win streak of opponent Polyana Viana, getting the unanimous decision win in a relatively one-sided encounter.

Aldrich used her range and superior output to light up her opponent on the feet and for the majority of the fight managed to keep the fight standing to avoid the excellent jiu jitsu of Viana. On every occasion Viana would attempt to close the distance, Aldrich would counter with jabs and overhands, catching her opponent cleanly on a number of occasions. As the fight went the distance there was no real doubt as to who would be announced as the victor, and the win now takes Aldrich to 7-2 and a three fight win streak.

At just 25 years old the future is very bright for Aldrich and she is now staking her claims for a ranked opponent. I would like to see her take on Randa Markos in her next outing. Markos is currently ranked just outside the top 10 and has alternated wins and losses over the course of her last 9 bouts dating back to 2014. Markos most recently lost to Nina Ansaroff via unanimous decision last weekend at UFC on Fox 30, however she does hold impressive wins over Juliana Lima, Carla Esparza and Aisling Daly. A win for Aldrich over Markos would show just how much potential she has in the division, whereas the bout still gives Markos the opportunity to get herself back in the win column.

Thiago Santos (18-6-0):

The opening bout of UFC 227 saw ever exciting Thiago Santos take on Kevin Holland, plucked from Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series and competing in his official UFC debut.

The bout was a wild one, with both competitors throwing bombs, attempting crazy techniques and putting it all on the line as the fight went the duration. Holland did not appear fazed as he took on 15 fight UFC veteran Santos, attempting a flying Omoplata early in the first round and even talking to his opponent throughout the contest. However, it was Santos who did the better work on the feet and managed to take his opponent down on a number of occasions, landing heavy ground and pound and constantly looking for the finish. Holland didn’t make it easy for Santos, having moments of his own, however as the fight went the distance it was Santos who picked up the unanimous decision win.

The win didn’t do a lot for Santos from a rankings perspective and many of the guys ahead of him in the rankings already have fights lined up. With Santos sitting just outside the Middleweight top 10, I would go with Santos vs Brad Tavares next who is coming off a loss to Israel Adesanya in the main event of The Ultimate Fighter 27 Finale last month, or alternatively pit Santos against Antonio Carlos Junior if he gets passed Elias Theodorou next month at UFC Fight Night 137. Both fights have the potential to be highly entertaining a win over either would bump Santos up the rankings.