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 250 event in Las Vegas, 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 preliminary card …
Herbert Burns
Wants to fight: Ryan Hall or Bryce Mitchell
The callout: “I want to get back quickly, I want to get back soon. I want to fight on the ‘Fight Island’. We already know the location – they already decided it’s in Abu Dhabi – so the plan is to go there and fight again soon, and hopefully against a good guy. I gave two names: Bryce Mitchell and Ryan Hall, two grapplers. Ryan Hall’s even ranked – he’d be my first choice. But if he doesn’t want (it), I know Mitchell is a tough guy (and) he doesn’t run from a challenger. I’m a challenger, so let’s go.”
The reality: Herbert Burns may have kicked off his UFC career with a knockout, but he returned to his grappling roots to score an impressive win over Evan Dunham at UFC 250 and his post-fight suggestions for his next opponent showed where his strengths lie.
Burns very smartly called out a pair of fellow grapplers who few people are keen to face right now, which should give him a great chance of landing one of them for his next fight. Mitchell will face anyone and would have no qualms about testing his own impressive ground game against the Brazilian grappling ace. But the fight that offers the most intrigue for me is the Hall fight. “The Wizard’s” very specific set of ground skills has made him a must-avoid opponent at 145 pounds, which makes Burns’ callout all the more interesting.
Both matchups seem like valid options for Burns, but the Hall fight offers a bout against ranked opposition and gives “The Blaze” the chance to catapult himself towards title contention at 145 pounds while his older brother Gilbert attempts to capture gold at 170. A two-pronged Burns brothers title charge would certainly make for an interesting narrative, so sending Herbert down the faster track could make promotional sense here.
Next up: Middleweight campaigner offers two solid options
Ian Heinisch
Wants to fight: Uriah Hall or Brad Tavares
The callout: “I think Uriah Hall would be a great matchup. I think Brad Tavares – we could get that matchup going. I got a concussion before the last fight, so anything that keeps me climbing, I’m good with.”
The reality: Ever since Ian Heinisch earned his spot on the UFC roster through Dana White’s Contender Series, the 31-year-old has been handed a string of punishing assignments. “The Hurricane” blew through his latest test against Gerald Meerschaert at UFC 250 to snap a two-fight skid, and respectfully offered two fight options for his next matchup.
The Uriah Hall fight is one that would give Heinisch the chance to score a victory over a noted unranked name in the division, but his suggestion that the UFC revisits his prior booking with Brad Tavares seems to make a lot of sense. The pair originally was set to face off last October, and a potential matchup between the pair at a similar time this year might just fit everybody’s timeline.
Tavares is looking to bounce back from knee surgery before the end of the year and told MMA Junkie in late-March that he hoped to be ready to fight again as swiftly as six months from then. If the Hawaiian’s rehab continues to go well, that could fit nicely with a return date for Heinisch and give both men a matchup they had already started to prepare for 12 months earlier. Much depends on Tavares’ injury recovery, but if it stays on track, it’s a matchup that may suit both parties perfectly.
Next up: “The Haitian Sensation” doubles down on past callout
Neil Magny
Wants to fight:Michael Chiesa
The callout: “I don’t know how many times I call out Mike Chiesa for him to keep ducking me, but that’s the fight I want the most right now. He called me out when I couldn’t do anything about it, and now that I’m healthy and ready to go, he’s nowhere to be found. So that’s a fight I’d love to have.”
The reality: We’ve been here before with Neil Magny. After his win at UFC 248 in March, Magny issued a call for a fight with Chiesa and our assessment was that the fight made a lot more sense for Magny than it did for Chiesa. Three months on and with Chiesa still to make his next appearance in the octagon, little has really changed.
Currently listed at No. 8 in the UFC’s official rankings, and No. 13 in the USA TODAY/MMA Junkie MMA rankings (which includes fighters from other promotions), Chiesa’s next move will almost certainly involve him looking to nudge his way up the rankings, rather than fend off someone ranked below him. So with that said, the ball’s in Chiesa’s court. If he fancies the Magny matchup, it’s an easy booking, but the likes of Demian Maia and Stephen Thompson may offer more upside.
Next up: Bantamweight contender says it’s time to fight for the gold
Aljamain Sterling
Wants to fight: The winner of Jose Aldo vs. Petr Yan
The callout: “To do what I did, I think it really solidifies everything that I am the next guy that deserves a title shot. Yesterday, Dana did some scrums and Dana White was saying that this fight was pretty much a title eliminator – that’s what it was. So I think going out there, doing what I did solidifies it. So I should be the next guy up, and if they don’t make the next fight between Jose Aldo and Petr Yan, sign me up!”
The reality: Is there really any argument at this stage? For my money, Aljamain Sterling should be facing Yan for the bantamweight title right now, but the UFC has opted to hand the shot to Aldo instead. It meant Sterling was handed a dangerous test at UFC 250, and “Funkmaster” passed with flying colors. Now there surely can be no debate – he simply has to be next.
There’s a strong argument that if contracts haven’t yet been signed for an Aldo-Yan title fight, Sterling still deserves to be in that fight for the vacant title. But it seems the UFC are locked in on Aldo over Aljo for the time being.
The only thing Sterling can really hope for at this stage is for the Aldo-Yan fight to go off without a hitch, and for the bout to produce a definitive result. Then the New Yorker should get his shot on a full camp and give himself the best chance to realize the potential that we’ve seen inside the octagon since his arrival back in 2014.
Next up: Former champion offers an “old-school” idea
Cody Garbrandt
Wants to fight: …in a UFC bantamweight title tournament
The callout: “Let’s do a tournament. Let’s do a bantamweight tournament. Let’s get us in there, go to ‘Fight Island’ for a few months, go get quarantined out there, bring our coaches … and let’s go to war. Let’s get this battle, let’s get this tournament, and let’s see who the real champion is. Let’s go back to the old-school days.”
The reality: Cody Garbrandt knows his current place in the UFC bantamweight division, and has issued his callout accordingly. The former 135-pound champion may have picked up a stunning knockout of the year contender at UFC 250, but while it’ll certainly feature heavily in the UFC’s upcoming highlight reels, the truth is it’s his first UFC win since December 2016. That gap between wins, plus the three stoppage losses that led him into Saturday’s co-main event, means “No Love” will still need at least one more big win before he can lay claim to a possible title shot.
So, Garbrandt has a solution to help catapult himself back into contention, and it’s an entertaining one, too. A bantamweight tournament would leverage the growing excitement around the UFC’s 135-pound division and could help build real momentum around the UFC’s most fascinating weight class. Talent-wise, the division has never looked better, and a well-promoted tournament (perhaps on “Fight Island”) could offer additional intrigue.
However, Dana White hasn’t been too keen on tournaments before, and while Garbrandt’s suggestion is certainly an exciting one, it’s unlikely we’ll see it come to fruition.
