Earning wins in the UFC is certainly no easy task, but what comes next is often even more important: the post-fight callout.
So after Saturday’s UFC 247 event in Houston, TX., who took advantage of their time on the mic? See below for this week’s Callout Collection – and just how realistic each one is.
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First up, let’s take a look at the night’s prelim winner.
Lauren Murphy
Wants to fight: Roxanne Modafferi or Joanne Calderwood
The callout: “I called out Roxanne in the octagon, but really I’d face her or Jojo [Calderwood] next. Either one. I think they are the only ones in the top 5 because Viviane [Araujo] is coming from a loss, [Jennifer] Maia and [Jessica] Eye both missed weight. So Jojo and Roxanne are the only ones right now coming from wins and making weight, so they are the only ones I’m interested in facing next.”
The reality: Following her win over Mara Romero-Borella last time out, Lauren Murphy picked up a big win against Andrea Lee to claim notable back-to-back victories, and her callout of Roxanne Modafferi seems perfectly pitched, too.
Modafferi is a tough test for anyone in the division and probably isn’t someone too many of her fellow 135ers will readily accept, so the UFC matchmakers are likely to welcome Murphy’s callout, and a meeting between the pair later this year may prove to be a useful addition for one of the UFC’s summer cards.
Next up, let’s check out the main card.
Dan Ige
Wants to fight: Chan Sung Jung
The callout: “I’m fighting all these guys and I feel like I’m taking their souls. Maybe I’ve got to fight a guy with no soul. Maybe someone like a zombie – a Korean Zombie. I’d love a fight like that. I think that makes a lot of sense. “Zombie” brings it, I bring it, that’d be a crazy fight. I know he wants (Alexander) Volkanovski, so do I, so let’s fight for it.”
The reality: Following his hard-earned win over Mirsad Bektic in Houston, Dan Ige has earned his right to shoot his shot. But jumping all the way up to take on “The Korean Zombie” might be viewed as a slight overreach at this stage, and he might need to beat someone outside the Top 10 before joining the division’s title contenders at 145.
That man might be someone like Arnold Allen. The Brit is undefeated in the UFC and is riding a seven-fight win streak at featherweight. He’s also on a similar timeline to Ige, having only fought a week ago at UFC on ESPN+ 24 in Raleigh. A matchup between Ige and Allen would seem to make sense on paper, and could determine who’s next to springboard into a fight with Top 10 opposition later in the year.
