UFC 239: Fights to make

All the best, most interesting, and unquestionably coolest fights the UFC needs to book following their latest fight card in Las Vegas, NV.

UFC 239 may not have ended on an electric main event, but the PPV card more than delivered its share of ultra-violence. Amanda Nunes put the boot to Holly Holm to keep a firm grip on the bantamweight title. Jorge Masvidal excommunicated Ben Askren from the church of the unbeaten. And Jan Blachowicz turned Luke Rockhold’s light heavyweight debut into an open casket viewing.

So, is anybody really in position to fight Jon Jones right now? What about Amanda Nunes? Is the winner of GDR vs. Ladd next or will she bounce back up to featherweight. And did Jorge Masvidal just ensure that the next welterweight title shot goes to him?

I’ll be answering all those questions – and many, many more – using the classic Silva/Shelby matchup model of years gone by. That means pitting winners against winners, losers against losers, and similarly tenured talent up against one another. As I mentioned a couple week’s back, I’ll only be looking at guest contributors for PPV cards from this point forward. So, if you’d like a chance to do your own fantasy fight booking, keep an eye out for the UFC on ESPN 4: RDA vs. Edwards “Fights to Make” column—where I’ll once again be scouting out readers who want to try their hand at making some meaningful future bouts.

This week’s winner is BE reader Chad C Smith:

Hey Everyone, my name is Chad Smith (@PlayFor90 on Twitter). I’m not too active in the comments, but I’ve been reading Bloody Elbow for years. On the side, I’m the Editor at TheBlueTestament.com—which is the SB Nation site about Sporting Kansas City (MLS). I’ve been hardcore about MMA since UFC 98 and haven’t missed a card since, and I was a casual fan before that. I’d say I’m going to follow the winner vs. winner format but realistically I’m going to book the fights that I want and make the most sense to me.

JON JONES

Chad - I’m a big ‘Bones’ Jones fan, but I’m not sure he won this fight and at the least it was his closest fight ever. If Thiago Santos didn’t clearly have a terrible knee injury I’d say “Run that fight back,” but Santos is likely to be out a while. Jones has said he wants to stay active, but there is no clear contender. Dominick Reyes is undefeated, but is coming off a lackluster performance (that I thought he lost, but he was given the decision). Corey Anderson has three straight wins. I doubt he’ll do it, but I’ll say fight Daniel Cormier at heavyweight if he beats Stipe Miocic. I could see him taking the Reyes fight to stay at light heavyweight though, since it’s lower risk and DC could very well lose to Miocic or just retire.

Zane - What’s next for ‘Bones’? He could go to heavyweight and take that trilogy fight with Daniel Cormier, but there’s no guarantee that DC even sticks around long enough to make that fight—and Jones still doesn’t sound that interested in doing it. So, otherwise, it’s all about waiting to see the wheat get separated from the chaff. If Jones wants to compete again in the fall, then Jan Blachowicz or Dominick Reyes would be the top contenders to book against him. But, I’d be happier to see one of them to get another win, or for another new contender – like Johnny Walker – to emerge. If I absolutely had to pick a next fight for Jon Jones right now, I’d say go with Reyes. Jan is likely more ‘ready’ and wouldn’t benefit from more time like Reyes would, but I also feel like Reyes is more likely to deliver an exciting fight given the opportunity. Ideally Some combination of Reyes, Santos, Smith, and Blachowicz battle and the most exciting winner gets the next light heavyweight title shot. If not? Just go ahead and pay Jones to go to heavyweight, I guess.

THIAGO SANTOS

Chad - Marreta, despite injuring his knee, put on a hell of a performance. It’s unclear how long he’ll be out but the division could be a in very different place by the time he returns from rehab or surgery. This is only his fourth fight at light heavyweight, so there are tons of match-ups out there for him upon his return. I say match him up with whoever is still top five when he’s back from injury. Assuming his knee is fine (it’s not), give him Corey Anderson and then when he wins put him back in for the title.

Zane - A valiant effort for Santos. Despite his left knee going out on him early. He kept up a steady diet of low kicks, body kicks, and winging left hooks to nearly match Jones for output all night and – at least according to one judge – perhaps even take the win. He didn’t get the title in the end, but one or two big stoppage victories and it wouldn’t be hard to see him get a second shot in short order. The light heavyweight division is full of guys right now who would like to use him as a stepping stone. He could face Dominick Reyes, or Corey Anderson, or even Johnny Walker. Guys like Walker and Rakic could probably use another fight before taking on a top title contender. But, a bout with Dominick Reyes would be a hell of a lot of fun to watch. Santos wins that, and he may be right back at the front of the line. Reyes wins, and light heavyweight will have turned one of their brightest prospects into a full blown contender. Thiago Santos vs. Dominick Reyes is the kind of violent light heavyweight action I want to see.

AMANDA NUNES

Chad - The Lioness is, without a doubt, the best women’s fighter in the world. She said she wants to defend her 145 pound belt next, but the only way I can see that happening is if Cris Cyborg gets past Felicia Spencer. If Spencer wins, I supposed Amanda could fight her and beating Cyborg is no small task. However, I’ll say Nunes should fight the winner of Germaine de Randamie and Aspen Ladd at 135 if Cyborg losses. If Cyborg wins, run that back at 145—and see if Cyborg can fight a smarter fight the second time around.

Zane - There’s something of a top contender bout in the works, between Aspen Ladd and Germaine de Randamie. It’s headlining an upcoming card, the winner will almost certainly be the the fighter best in position for a title shot—especially with Ketlen Vieira’s long injury layoff. But, the winner of Felicia Spencer vs. Cris Cyborg may be the much bigger fight (it absolutely will be if Cyborg wins). Nunes says she wants to defend her featherweight title, and while she dusted Cyborg in their first meeting, it’s still the biggest fight in all the women’s divisions. I expect that’s the direction the UFC and Nunes will go if the opportunity presents itself. Otherwise, don’t be surprised to see GDR vs. Nunes 2, or Aspen Ladd getting bumped up into a shot at the belt. Amanda Nunes vs. the Cyborg/Spencer winner feels like the most likely fight for all involved.

HOLLY HOLM

Chad - Outside of the win over Ronda Rousey, Holm just keeps coming up short in title fights. She is now 1-4 with a belt on the line in the UFC. It might be lazy matchmaking, but I’d give her the loser of de Randamie and Ladd. She no doubt wants to get that win back from the Iron Lady, or if de Randamie continues her streak, then Ladd is a new fight for Holm.

Zane - I wasn’t necessarily against Holly Holm getting this title shot, but apart from her big win over Ronda Rousey, she’s consistently struggled against the elite. Most of those were still tough, long fights. But Nunes made it clear, she’s a big step ahead of Holm right now. That means Holm needs to take a bit of step back. Fights against Lina Lansberg or Yana Kunitskaya wouldn’t be too bad. Of the two, Kunitskaya seems much more like the woman looking for a path to title contention. A win over Holm would absolutely be the way to do that. If not her, perhaps a bout against Sijara Eubanks or maybe wait for the aftermath of Aldana vs. Pennington. Holly Holm vs. Yana Kunitskaya is my immediate choice, but no reason for Holm not to take some time off and wait for other fights to shake out.

JORGE MASVIDAL

Chad - Gamebred sure quieted ‘Funky Ben’ with that flying knee. Fastest KO in UFC history! It was truly brutal and scary to watch. All that smack talk from Ben probably caused him to eat some extra shots when he was already out too. There is a case to be made that Masvidal should fight Kamaru Usman for the welterweight title coming off two huge wins at WW. However, he lost his two fights before that and missed all of 2018. I’m okay with giving Masvidal the next shot at the belt’ because he has 47 fights and he’s coming off two of his biggest wins ever. If the UFC wants to book him in one more fight, I’d put him against Tyron Woodley to see if he can knock off another top level WW.

Zane - Masvidal’s next fight has to be for the belt. Anything else is criminal. Yeah Colby Covington got there first, but he’s booked now—against Robbie Lawler. That’s no guaranteed win, and Masvidal’s last couple wins have been absolutely electric. A longtime veteran at the height of his skills after more than 15 years in the game. And he’s putting together the best finishes of his career against some of his best competition, and ended Askren’s 20-fight unbeaten streak in the process. Stick him in against Kamaru Usman. Get the champ back in the cage and let Masvidal have his chance to take home UFC gold almost eight years after he fought for the Strikeforce lightweight title. Kamaru Usman vs. Jorge Masvidal is the only fight to book.

BEN ASKREN

Chad - Ben Askren has already retired once, and I wouldn’t put it past him to call it a career after that brutal knockout. If he’s sticking around though, he’ll want someone at the top of the division to get back into contention quick. If Colby Covington losses to Robbie Lawler I’d love that fight for the trash talking potential—and Askren is less likely to get knocked out again. If Covington wins, then there is another top ranked welterweight coming off a big KO that would be an interesting match stylistically. Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson is the fight if Covington wins and Askren decides against retirement.

Zane - It had to happen sooner or later, but I don’t think anyone thought it would quite happen like this. Masvidal ran out the gate and just melted Askren with a flying knee in the opening seconds. Askern ducked right into it—and thus the fastest KO in UFC history was born. A hard setback for Ben, who came out of retirement to try a run to UFC gold. Maybe this sets him back on that retirement path. But if not, a fight with Demian Maia makes a hell of a lot of sense as one of those ‘what if’ bouts that fans should get to see before both men walk away. A fight with Stephen Thompson would also be a decent name opponent that could keep Askren around. I doubt he has any interest in fighting Robbie Lawler again. Before both men decide to retire, lets see Ben Askren grapple against Demian Maia in the Octagon.

JAN BLACHOWICZ

Chad - Jan Blachowicz has quietly won five of his last six fights, with his only loss coming to the monster Thiago Santos. I didn’t make the case above, but perhaps Blachowicz sneaks into the next title shot against Jon Jones if he stays at LHW. Stranger things have happened. Since a one fight streak probably isn’t good enough to fight for the belt, I’d say put him against Johnny Walker. He should just about be healed from the injury he picked up celebrating his win over Misha Cirkunov, and whoever wins that has a legit case to fight for the LHW title next.

Zane - Blachowicz is right back in contention. Santos was a serious setback, but a win over former champion Luke Rockhold – especially a crushing KO – could make him the man of the moment if Jones is set on facing every new top contender light heavyweight can throw at him. I’d still like to see Blachowicz get one more big win before he gets a shot at Jon Jones. Anthony Smith probably shouldn’t get right back to the belt – given how poor his title shot went – but he would make for a fascinating fight against Blachowicz, as would Dominick Reyes. This could also be the time for a Corey Anderson rematch. Of all those, I think the Smith/Blachowicz fight sounds like the most fun. Let Reyes find another path to the belt. If Blachowicz can get a big win, give him a shot at the champ. If he can’t, then he can fight one of the top young rising prospects next time out. Jan Blachowicz vs. Anthony Smith makes a lot of sense for both men right now.

LUKE ROCKHOLD

Chad - Speaking of retirement, I wouldn’t put it past Rockhold to call it a career and return to his gig as a model. He’s been brutally knocked out twice in a row, with just a David Branch victory sandwiched between another knockout. Sometimes a fighter gets knocked out and they are just never the same. If he wants to keep fighting, there is another middleweight coming to light heavyweight that’s down on his luck too that would be a great test. Run back the 2015 thriller between Rockhold and the ‘All-American’ Chris Weidman.

Zane - Rockhold really set himself up for this hard fall. For months ahead of his first trip to light heavyweight, he was willing to tell anyone that would listen that the division was ripe for the picking—and that Anthony Smith & Thiago Santos were absolute proof of that. He stepped in to take on top contender Jan Blachowicz (who Santos beat), and he looked like he expected Blachowicz to fold instantly. Blachowicz didn’t and Rockhold ended up out cold on the canvas... again. That means the fight he set up best, against Anthony Smith, doesn’t make a lot of sense right now. Instead, Chris Weidman recently announced he was taking the trip to 205 as well. Is it time for the rematch? That’s gotta be the biggest meaningful fight to make. Otherwise, maybe Gokhan Saki – when he returns from injury – or Shogun Rua? It feels like the stars have aligned to give us Luke Rockhold vs. Chirs Weidman 2 at light heavyweight.

SONG YADONG

Chad - If you’ve never heard of Song Yadong you probably have now. He absolutely starched Alejandro Perez who was ranked 13th at bantamweight. That likely means Yadong is the third Chinese fighter to be ranked when those numbers are updated this week. He’s quietly won four straight in the UFC, and passed this big step up with flying colors. Like it or not he’s probably fighting ranked guys from here out. If the UFC want to slow play him he can fight Thomas Almeida or John Dodson—who are ranked 14th and 12th respectively, but have each lost three of their last four. If the UFC wants a winner vs. winner they could book Rob Font who was pulled off the recent Korean Zombie/Renato Moicano card. I’d go with Dodson or Almeida on the Singapore card in October.

Zane - Yadong has added his name to the list of streaking future title contenders in a division that currently seems just about flooded with them. At some point he’s going to have to meet Petr Yan, Cory Sandhagen, Ricky Simon, Raoni Barcelos, Nathaniel Wood, and Said Nurmagomedov... and I’m here for all of it. I’d love to see Yadong take on Cody Stamann, but it’s hard to know just when he’ll return from injury. And while John Dodson is always a good measuring stick for the division’s elite, he’s also on a two fight skid. For me, that leaves Rob Font as the best positioned fighter for a ranked bout right now. If Simon gets by Urijah Faber, then that would be an electric bout, but there’s no guarantees. Just keep getting all these guys booked until they’re nipping at the heels of the elite. Then throw them in together for absolute mayhem. And in the meantime, Yadong vs. Font should be a war.

OTHER BOUTS: Michael Chiesa vs. Elizeu Zaleski, Diego Sanchez vs. Ben Saunders, Arnold Allen vs. Shane Burgos, Gilbert Melendez vs. Rick Glenn, Marlon Vera vs. Raoni Barcelos, Nohelin Hernandez vs. Ryan MacDonald, Claudia Gadelha vs. Tatiana Suarez, Randa Markos vs. Yan Xiaonan, Alejandro Perez vs. Rani Yahya, Edmen Shahbazyan vs. Kevin Holland, Jack Marshman vs. Charles Byrd, Chance Rencountre vs. Alex Morono, Ismail Naurdiev vs. Carlo Pedersoli, Julia Avila vs. Leah Letson, Pannie Kianzad vs. Duda Santana