Last night saw a terrific fight card at UFC 285 with action over all the fights. This posed a question for the winners, where do they go next?
Bo Nickel
Bo Nickel walked into his first UFC fight after the contender series and put on a terrific display of wrestling at UFC 285. The 27-year-old faced Jamie Pickett and managed to put him away by submission midway through the second round, increasing his professional record to 4-0. There was talk of a potential low blow going into the takedown to win the fight, but Nickel has since denied the claims by saying, “I’m not a cheater” in the press conference after his win. Bo Nickel now puts his name out there in the middleweight division and has a large avenue of fights he could potentially take. A fight with Kyle Daukaus could be something a matchmaker could look at in the future. It’s a big name for Bo Nickel, and with Daukaus having one win in his last four bouts, it could be a statement win for him.
Mateusz Gamrot
Mateusz Gamrot got the job done on Saturday night with a split-decision victory over Jalin Turner. The loss will not damage Jalin Turner too much, with it being a close affair throughout the 15 minutes Gamrot will be looking to move up the rankings next, but the lightweight division is already very booked out. Waiting for the division to become more open may be the option for the man from Poland unless he is looking to be active. If he is looking to be active, a name he could take on is Rafael Dos Anjos. It’s a massive name to put on the CV is he gets it done, but it is a risk to take. Dos Anjos is 9th ranked in the lightweight standings.
Shavkat Rakhmonov
The incredible run of Shavkat Rakhmonov continues as he submitted Geoff Neal in the final round. With five wins now in the UFC and beating the 7th Ranked fighter in the division, the man has put himself potentially one win of a title shot. A fight that would benefit Rakhmonov next would be to put him up against Belal Muhammad. Belal is ranked 4th in the division but currently keeps discussing that he deserves a title shot. If he was to take this fight and win, that could be a possibility for him as well as a real possibility for Rakhmonov.
Alexa Grasso
Onto one of the biggest upsets in the organisation’s history as Alexa Grasso managed to submit the before seemingly unbeatable Valentina Shevchenko. This joins a list of incredible upsets only within the last two years, with Edwards’s win against, at the time, the pound-for-pound king Kamaru Usman, winning the Welterweight title and also Pena’s incredible win against Amanda Nunes. It is very straightforward what is next for both fighters, an immediate rematch. Many people don’t like the fact immediate rematches keep occurring, but if anyone deserves the shot, it’s Valentina. With such a dominant title reign until Saturday night, it is hard to deny it to her.
Jon Jones
The potential greatest of all time, Jon Jones, returned last night to face Ciryl Gane for the heavyweight title. Jon Jones made quick work getting a takedown in within the first minutes, and before you knew it, Ciryl Gane was submitted halfway through round one by an extremely impressive guillotine. Jones’s next fight picks itself, with the 2-time heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic looking to get his belt back as soon as he can after his loss to now a free agent, Francis Ngannou. The GOAT of the sport against debatably one of the, if not the best, heavyweights to be in the UFC. It will be an incredible fight to watch.
Which fight do you feel makes sense from the main card winners listed above following UFC 285?
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