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 on ESPN 10 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 …
Merab Dvalishvili
Wants to fight: Sean O'Malley
The callout: “Big respect for Sean O’Malley, but I want to fight next with him. So let’s make this happen, I’m ready. Let’s show everyone a good, real fight.”
The reality: There are so many options available for the UFC’s matchmakers at bantamweight, and with O’Malley continuing his relentless rise up the UFC’s 135-pound division with a victory over Eddie Wineland at UFC 250, the choice of his next opponent will be the topic of much speculation. The UFC could decide to throw him in with top-10 opposition next, but with a host of contenders already jostling for position at the sharp end of the division, they may opt to slow-play “The Suga Show” and give him someone a little lower down the pecking order. That may open up the opportunity for Merab Dvalishvili, whose ambitions at 135 are as high as O’Malley’s.
The fight would offer a fascinating clash of styles, with O’Malley’s striking skills going up against Dvalishvili’s seasoned grappling credentials. It would act as an acid test for both men, but it’s a risky fight, especially given Dvalishvili’s unranked status. Is it a risk worth taking now, or should the UFC matchmakers build both men with a view to the pair meeting in a battle of ranked contenders further down the line? I’d probably side with the latter approach.
Next up: Dominant debutant issues a challenge, but should she be aiming higher?
Mariya Agapova
Wants to fight: Shana Dobson
The callout: “I wanna tell Shana Dobson, stop running away from me! Let’s go fight here! I wait for you here!”
The reality: Mariya Agapova is now a UFC fighter, and after her impressive debut victory over Hannah Cifers, she’s marked herself out as one to watch in the women’s flyweight division. Smartly, she issued a callout immediately after her win, as she pitched for a fight with Dobson, who she accused of running away from her. But I can’t help but think Agapova should be setting her sights a little higher than a fighter who is 1-3 in her UFC career and suffering a three-fight skid.
Agapova’s performance showed that she could be a legitimate threat at 125 pounds, but it’s way too early to start throwing her in with top contenders, so why not build her up gradually instead? The division isn’t massively deep, so perhaps a tilt at one of the contenders ranked between 10 and 15 makes more sense.
If she wants to test herself and make a real impact, why not make an early statement and challenge the champion’s sister? Agapova vs. Antonina Shevchenko sounds like a much more interesting test for her next assignment. But if the Dobson fight was one the UFC was looking to make before this weekend, it may still be an option they consider for a quick turnaround.
Next up: Bantamweight winner makes “Fight Island” request
Jordan Espinosa
Wants to fight: Tyson Nam
The callout: “Man I’m trying to get on ‘Fight Island!’ I was supposed to have my first international fight. I’ve never even been overseas before. It was supposed to be in Kazakhstan today and that got scrapped because of COVID. But I’m down to get on the July 25 card on Fight Island. Tyson Nam just got a knockout. I’d be down to fight him.”
The reality: Not all callouts are made the same. Some are highly-strung, emotional pleas for a chance, others are heated calls to face a rival and some resemble matter-of-fact business transactions. Jordan Espinosa’s post-fight callout of Tyson Nam certainly fell into the latter category.
Espinosa delivered an excellent performance to outpoint Mark De La Rosa in his bantamweight bout, then delivered a clear, sensible callout against a fighter on the same timeline as his own. Nam had just knocked out Zarrukh Adashev in his preliminary card fight and stated his wish to return to action as swiftly as possible, and Espinosa offered to make the matchmakers’ jobs easy for them by putting himself forward to be the man to face him. He even stated his wish to compete on “Fight Island,” where the UFC is currently looking to fill out its four-fight cards for the 14-day run of events in Abu Dhabi.
Espinosa’s callout certainly made plenty of sense to me when he said it live, but does it make sense to you, too? Let us know via the poll below.
