We’re in the course of a really uncommon week within the UFC schedule – and in MMA, usually, in actual fact – with no main fights to observe as March closes out and April begins.
Nevertheless, there’s a lot to be mentioned and contemplated within the sport, together with the persevering with prospect of Khameza Shemayev’s victory hopes and the belief of Jorge Masvidal’s future after the chaos of the previous few weeks. Listed below are 5 issues on my radar as we sit down every week away from our subsequent foremost occasion, UFC 273.
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1. Attempt to be affected person in heavy weight
It has been over two months since Frances Ngannou defended his UFC heavyweight title in opposition to Cyril Jean in what Ngannou stated could be his final look underneath his UFC contract. Ngannou stated his contract will expire on the finish of this 12 months, and if he and the UFC do not attain a brand new deal by then, he’ll discover choices exterior the UFC.
The takeaway: Endurance is essential right here. Issues worsened between Ngannou and the UFC in the beginning of the 12 months, when efforts to strike a brand new deal continued to emerge. These negotiations have to start out someday, and there can be no stress to get one thing accomplished rapidly, as a result of Ngannou had knee surgical procedure this month and may’t battle till 2023 anyway.
On the identical time, this division seems to be on maintain. Nagano’s future is unsure, and within the meantime, the place is Jon Jones? When will Stipe Miocic battle once more? Will there be a brief handle whereas Ngannou recovers? The place do names like Curtis Blades, Tai Toivasa and Tom Aspinal – who’ve all fought over the previous month – slot in? The UFC schedule is already crammed up via July. When will we get readability in heavyweight?
Ngannou has already begun to rehabilitate his knee. I used to be advised the docs made him make small actions The evening of the surgical procedure. He returned to Las Vegas for bodily remedy. Ngannou is contemplating attending Tyson Fury’s boxing match in opposition to Dillian White on April 23 in England. If he does, that Ngannou can be requested about his curiosity in Fury boxing in 2023. I hope Ngannou and the UFC can sit down earlier than the April 23 date making an attempt to get on the identical web page. He’ll be out for some time, however let’s have a look at what occurs within the heavyweight division.
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In the course of the first spherical, Shimaeev’s Khamees took Li Jingliang off the carpet, carried him towards the fence and chatted with Dana White.
2. It is virtually time for Shemaev’s bangs
I do not need it to sound like I’ve no respect for Gilbert Burns right here. I am solely stating that the plot round his battle in opposition to Chimayev on April 9 was brought on by Chimayev. Sport has been ready for this. We have talked about whether or not Chimaev is the actual deal. We have seen what he can do within the octagon. We have heard tales of what he can do within the gymnasium. We need to see him in an actual take a look at, which is clearly represented by Burns, who challenged for the UFC welterweight belt only a 12 months in the past.
I used to be in Sweden a couple of weeks in the past and watched Shemayev work out within the gymnasium – which is certainly one among a sort. I watched him wrestle with Alexander Gustafsson, a three-time UFC gentle heavyweight title contender who’s now contending as a heavyweight. The bodily energy that Chimayev displayed in opposition to an opponent of this dimension was spectacular.
That was a number of weeks in the past, and even then, Chemayev was in distinctive form. It is a nice signal, as a result of his battle to realize 170 kilos for his battle in opposition to Li Jingliang in October was very actual. It was so actual that Chemayev’s workforce was rethinking how lengthy they might realistically compete at welterweight. However these fears waned on this camp, as a result of he was too skinny.
If Shemayev wins, and does so admirably, it will likely be attention-grabbing to see what’s subsequent. The UFC is firmly dedicated to the battle between champion, Kamaru Usman, and ESPN welterweight, Leon Edwards, which he hopes will occur in July. Chimayev wouldn’t need to wait till the top of the 12 months to battle once more. My guess is – once more, if Chimayev wins – it might be fairly comprehensible to have the welterweight title within the financial institution, and we’ll see him battle a middleweight battle whereas he waits for it.
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Kai Kara-France and Askar Askarov gave Columbus followers their cash within the final minute of the second spherical.
3. Kai Kara-France is a present within the weight of a fly
I wasn’t positive what the judges’ scorecards would seem like on the finish of final weekend’s battle between Kara-France and Askar Askrov. That third spherical, the decider at UFC Struggle Evening in Columbus, Ohio, was shut. Earlier than studying the outcomes, I used to be considering that it doesn’t matter what that rating is, Kara France will battle for the title in some unspecified time in the future. He is confirmed to be in that prime tier of weights. Even when he misplaced the choice, I believe Kara France would have been combating for the title inside a 12 months. And when the Rulers stood by him, that made a title shot inevitable.
The UFC will seemingly go along with Deiveson Figueiredo-Brandon Moreno 4 subsequent. Personally, I desire Figueiredo vs Cara-France and Moreno vs Alexandre Pantoga – to offer us a break from one other Figueiredo vs Moreno match. For me, that fourth battle is 100% inevitable, so why ought to it occur instantly? However this can be a private choice. If it is Figueiredo’s match in opposition to Moreno 4 after that and Cara France takes the winner, that is completely acceptable.
Cara France has an actual probability in opposition to any of those guys. What appeared like a two-fighter flyweight race earlier this 12 months has morphed into what I consider to be a three-fighter competitors. Cara France might be the flyweight champion by the top of the 12 months.
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Colby Covington defeated Jorge Masvidal within the majority of the UFC 272 foremost occasion for a powerful win.
4. Predict the following battle of Jorge Masvidal
The ultimate focus round Masvidal has been on his alleged assault on Colby Covington on the streets of Miami Seashore. His actions after shedding within the Octagon to Covington on March 5 are clearly not best. But when historical past tells us something, accidents exterior the cage do not at all times derail an MMA profession. So let’s speak about one other angle of Masvidal – like, what’s subsequent by way of fight?
I used to assume if Masvidal bought to some extent the place I felt the title shot was too far-off, he and Nate Diaz would need to revisit the rematch. However now that we’re right here, I do not get that feeling. Diaz needed a right away rematch after shedding to Masvidal within the third spherical TKO in 2019 and wasn’t proud of Masvidal as a result of it did not. Diaz’s not the sort to say, “Oh, At present You need to battle me for positive, if it suits in your schedule, then let’s do it. “It seems like Diaz has moved on. He even posted on social media a request for his launch from the UFC.
Nevertheless, as a lot as it might sound as if Masvidal is in a vacant lot now – dealing with prison prices in Florida, using a triple-fight sled – I can see a state of affairs the place he is solely One Combating away for a title shot, as unimaginable because it sounds. If Masvidal wins his subsequent battle and Edwards goes to defeat Usman for the welterweight championship, I can see a state of affairs the place Edwards and Masvidal meet – due to their historical past, particularly given the “Three Pieces With Soda” reference. A battle between Edwards and Masvidal is nearly sure to occur in some unspecified time in the future. This will occur with an handle on the road.
Within the meantime, I consider Masvidal will face the winner of the April 16 match between Vicente Luc and Bilal Mohamed. Luque’s fashion, particularly, suits completely with Masvidal and makes for a really entertaining match.
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Darren Until explains how Khamza Shemayev’s mentality performed a task in his determination to coach with him.
5. Darren Teal vs. Uriah Corridor?
Watch Corridor as he competes at UFC Struggle Evening on April 16 in Las Vegas. Corridor is the underdog in opposition to Andre Muniz. It is not going to be a simple battle. But when Corridor can win, it might be ideally fitted to him to take a middleweight battle in opposition to Until. Even when Corridor misplaced, it might nonetheless be the following battle.
Corridor and Until have gone forwards and backwards on social media, saying they need to confront one another subsequent. The timing is sweet. I might see the battle happening within the UK, after UFC President Dana White stated he’s trying ahead to returning there this 12 months following the massive success of the March 19 occasion in London.
The Corridor-Until rivalry appears apparent…however I believe it really works loads higher if Corridor wins in Las Vegas. So let’s have a look at what occurs.
