What’s Next For the Winners At UFC Beijing

What’s Next For the Winners At UFC Beijing

By Myles Hutton 

The UFC made its first appearance in Beijing, China this weekend, which saw dominant wrestler Curtis ‘Razor’ Blaydes take on one of the most powerful men to step foot in the octagon, Francis Ngannou. With Ngannou going from the UFC’s hottest prospect, to being on a 2 fight losing streak and a huge loss in confidence, this was a must win fight for Ngannou. However, if Blaydes could get the win, he would well and truly be in title contention. With Blaydes going in as clear-cut favourite, this is what we witnessed at UFC Beijing…

Francis Ngannou def Curtis Blaydes via TKO (0:45) of Round 1.

As we have all seen previously, it only takes 1 punch from ‘The Predator’ to put your lights out, and this is practically what we saw again this weekend. After beating a man who people have huge hopes for in Blaydes, the real Ngannou is now back with a bang, and has reignited his fire. After beating the #3 ranked contender, I believe Ngannou is just 1, maybe 2 wins away from another title shot. If I was Sean Shelby, I would match Ngannou with Alexey Oleynik in his next fight. Although Oleynik is #8 in the world, he is a world-class submission artist working his way up through the ranks. Both men coming off finishes, this fight is extremely important, with the winner potentially being just 1 step away from a title shot.

Alistair Overeem def Sergei Pavlovich via TKO (4:21) of Round 1.

The Demolition Man is back! Coming off 2 devastating losses in a row, by both Blaydes and Ngannou, Overeem took on an undefeated Russian debutant in Pavlovich. After relocating to Denver to add to his already world-class skill set, this move away paid dividends and Overeem come away with a much-needed win against a dangerous opponent. Despite the fact that Overeem is coming to the end of his career, I believe he can make one last run towards the heavyweight title in the near future, and a matchup that will make sense is to face the loser of Junior Dos Santos vs Tai Tuivasa at UFC Adelaide. Both fighters are known for their striking skills, and fans would be in for a war.

Song Yadong def Vince Morales via Unanimous Decision.

This Chinese prospect has the world at his feet right now. Fighting out of Team Alpha Male, home to stars such as Chad Mendes, Cody Garbrandt etc, he has years and years ahead of him to develop as a mixed martial artist, but he is already proving to be one of the best fighters in the UFC’s bantamweight division. 3-0 in the UFC and 2 finishes, I believe that Yadong has the skills, confidence and the team behind him to make him a champion in the future. However, the UFC as a promotion need to develop him slowly by giving him slightly higher level of competition at a time, as he is still just 20 years old, inexperienced and still has a few holes to sharpen in his game. I’d like to see Yadong face José Quiñones next as both guys have an exciting style and are hungry to improve.

Li Jingliang def David Zawada via TKO (4:07) of Round 3.

The pride of Chinese MMA right now, Li Jingliang made a statement by violently finishing an experienced, tough German in Zawada. With an impressive UFC record of 8-3, and a handful of post fight bonuses, ‘The Leech’ is on the verge of hitting the top 15 of the welterweight division; the fight that could potentially earn him a number next to his name in rankings is Jingliang vs Elizeu Zaleski Dos Santos. The pair were meant to be fighting at this event, however ‘Capoeira’ was forced to pull out due to injury. With both fighters within the top 20 of the welterweight division, the winner would solidify their top 15 spot. Both can finish the fight at any time with their perfect timing and power, and is a fight I’d love to watch as a fan. Definitely has ‘Fight of the Night’ written all over it!

Other fights to make after UFC Beijing:

Curtis Blaydes vs Alexander Volkov
Sergei Pavlovich vs Blagoy Ivanov
David Zawada vs Emil Meek
Alex Morono vs Muslim Salikhov
Rashad Coulter vs Paul Craig
Weili Zhang vs Alexandra Albu
Kevin Holland vs Khalid Murtazaliev
John Phillips vs Rob Wilkinson
Louis Smolka vs Brett Johns