UFC Combat Evening was delivered in Columbus, Ohio with the mud settled over three divisions as Curtis Blaydes, Alexa Grasso and Kai Cara France carried out whereas the present champions had been notified. Will any of the three get a battle title with their subsequent match?
Blaydes definitely hoped so, as he publicly known as the fighter for his subsequent main shot. Blaydes talked about that Stipe Miocic, who was current to look at the festivities, whereas within the Octagon to satisfy him after the battle. With Frances Ngannou’s future and reign as heavyweight champion in query, may we see Blade battle for the interim belt this summer time?
Brett Okamoto, Jeff Wagenheim and Carlos Contreras Legaspi broke a card on Saturday, together with Neil Magne becoming a member of Georges St-Pierre on the high of the welterweight leaderboard, and Mark Diazeki displaying distinctive grappling potential in his efficiency in opposition to Vyacheslav Borschev.
Watch UFC Combat Evening: Blaydes vs. Daukaus on ESPN +
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What does the long run maintain for Curtis Blades?
Who ought to be the next: Step Music
Oh man, I feel it could be Musick. Why not? The one cause for that no be is that if Miocic is preventing Jon Jones (almost certainly for a short lived title). This division is considerably messy, however it’s comprehensible as effectively. Frances Ngannou is out the remainder of the 12 months with knee surgical procedure. This might probably imply a short lived title battle. Who’re the plain candidates for a short lived title battle? Musicick and Jones. However is Jones preventing? It says it exists, however the place is the proof? Why hasn’t the UFC booked him but? Jones has been speaking about this transition to heavyweight for the higher a part of a decade now. When does that occur? If Jones is prepared, that is the battle. Musicic vs. Jones. However I am beginning to marvel if/once we’ll see Jones battle once more. The UFC must unravel it. And if Jones is not able to go quickly sufficient, Miocic vs. Blaydes is the battle to be fought.
If not Miocic? Cyril Jane
Jin emerges from a title unification loss to Nagano in January. It was a disappointing loss for Gane, as he climbed on the scorecards early however could not deal with Ngannou’s wrestling through the match. If he will get into hassle with Ngannou wrestling, he is more likely to have a tricky time with the Blaydes. Nonetheless, that is the plain battle to be fought from a ranking perspective if the Blaydes aren’t preventing for an interim title. It will be a tricky draw by way of fashion for Gane, but when he needed to be on the high of this division, he would not have any weaknesses. There’s an opportunity that he may have to show he can wrestle among the finest gamers within the division subsequent time. – Okamoto
Grasso exhibits off her full sport in Columbus
Generally a 12 months’s depart could be a good factor for a fighter. For Alexa Grasso, making one thing good out of a collection of scraps and dealing on jiu-jitsu along with her Brazilian coach and coaching accomplice Diego Lopez was a high precedence. She knew her velocity may make Joanne Wooden wrestle on her ft, and he or she was searching for an announcement by displaying off her improved floor sport.
The Guadalajara-born fighter was about at hand over former strawweight champion Carla Esparza in Mexico Metropolis in 2019. She promised her coaches a debut for her profession this time round and threw in opposition to Wooden, who was introduced in three of the final. 5 fights.
In a division the place Valentina Shevchenko appears untouchable, Grasso is aware of she wants to provide a full sport to get her consideration. It was additionally her first promotional ending. Viviane Araujo – who was speculated to face off at UFC 270 in January – and Manon Fioro, who took a giant win over former title contender Jennifer Maia on Saturday night time, might be the proper match within the subsequent No. 1 contender’s battle. – Legaspi
STOP OR MEH: Diakes flips the textual content, and Rosa lacks solutions
Stand: Mark Diakis vs Vyacheslav Borshev
Diakiese got here to MMA from kickboxing. So did Borschoff. So who would have anticipated their gentle bout to play out like a wrestling competitors? The followers did not get the difficulty they had been anticipating, however that did not make this battle utterly irritating as a result of it confirmed us one thing. It was a credit score to Diakiese that he had confirmed himself effectively sufficient to dominate the canvas. The British Congolese light-weight had 11 eliminations, tied for third all-time within the division. Diakize collected 12 minutes and 24 seconds of 15-minute battle management time, which he received by unanimous (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) to finish a two-game shedding streak with a powerful show.
ME: Sarah McMahon vs. Carol Rosa
Similar to Diakiese vs. What was so disappointing about that? I imply, good for the 41-year-old McMahon, the 2004 Olympic silver medalist in wrestling, that she will be completely in management. However Rosa anticipated way more. It went right into a successful streak of six fights and was a greater than 2-to-1 favourite guess. However that night time, she had no solutions. – Waggenheim
Put some respect on the Kara-France title with this title shot
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Kai Kara-France tells the story of assembly Go Buro for the primary time and has no concept who he’s.
In Auckland, New Zealand, Metropolis Kickboxing is residence to 2 UFC champions: middleweight Israel Adesanya and featherweight Alexander Volkanovski. It may quickly be three.
This was not a powerful chance for health club membership Kai Kara-France within the early moments of a flyweight match with Askar Askarov. The unbeaten Russian took Kara-France to the board in beneath 90 seconds, shortly taking up the dominant place and threatening to succumb to a big portion of the primary spherical. However from that second on, it was the Kara-France battle. He repulsed all however one in every of Askarov’s ten removing makes an attempt. He harm him together with his punches and put him down within the second spherical. After Ascrof (14-1-1) captured a physique triangle and once more chased a serve within the remaining spherical, the New Zealander eliminated him and continued the assault till the final century. Kara France then jumped onto the cage and pointed to a belt round his waist and shortly raised his hand for a unanimous victory in Columbus.
“Hey, I do know Brandon Moreno and Davson Figueiredo are preventing very quickly. I need the following title shot!” shouted Kara-France, referring to the anticipated fourth-straight assembly this summer time between champions in Figueiredo and former belt holder Moreno. Preventing – and successful for the third time in a row in opposition to a ranked competitor – Kara-France, on his twenty ninth birthday, confirmed that he belongs within the title battle. He additionally confirmed that even when he struggled at first, Cara France would not make anybody’s night time simple. – Waggenheim
Magny’s degree with St-Pierre is a giant deal
Neil Magney’s nineteenth welterweight win is an unimaginable achievement. Georges St-Pierre is arguably the best fighter of all time, and Magney will probably overtake him for the successful column later this 12 months. Understandably, Magny is not the expertise St-Pierre ever was when he was lively. It is also comprehensible that Magny’s label is not the identical as that of GSP as a result of the Canadian celebrity has persistently battled the perfect of his period because the dominant welterweight champ. I am not suggesting that Magny’s 19 wins within the 170-pound UFC division equal St-Pierre. They aren’t, and historical past won’t confuse them.
However in some methods, the truth that Magne not The expertise of a technology like St-Pierre makes his achievement all of the extra spectacular. Nobody anticipated this profession for Magny, the seventh decide for The Final Fighter collection again in 2012, who began his profession at UFC 1-2. Magni has persistently gotten probably the most out of his abilities; He’s at all times in nice form, lively and deserves credit score for this feat. Except he can lastly beat the hump and declare a title, followers will not keep in mind him as one of many best weightlifters of all time and even among the finest weightlifters of his technology. Nonetheless, he’ll probably go down as probably the most profitable welterweight in UFC historical past based mostly on his win rely. Nitpick that no matter you need, it is an enormous deal. – Okamoto
Fiorot is transferring up the ranks – which isn’t a foul factor
The ladies’s flyweight division is so open it is really a continuing danger of expediting his prospects. It occurred to Maycee Barber, who jumped up the rankings in a short time and misplaced to Roxanne Modafferi. It occurred to Cynthia Calvillo, who seemed good in opposition to Jessica I, however then misplaced three straight occasions to Catelyn Chukajian, Jessica Andrade and Andrea Lee. Casey O’Neill caught our consideration in 2023 with three straight wins, however she virtually misplaced to retired Modafferi final month and we’ll see how he stacked up within the high 10 battle in opposition to Eye this summer time.
The danger is not essentially dangerous, nevertheless it’s value watching given the break up scenario. Valentina Shevchenko has been a dominant champion and he or she wants recent blood, and Manon Fioro might be subsequent. Fiorot, who convincingly beat No. 4 seed Jennifer Maya, could also be down within the close to future. Generally quick observe is the suitable observe, and based mostly on Fiorot’s expertise in karate and Muay Thai, mixed along with her distinctive long-range fashion – she should not fall sufferer to rising pains. Will Shevchenko be defeated in the long run? Let’s not get forward of occasions. However she’s within the high 5 to remain for now, in my view, and he or she’s prepared for that. – Okamoto
