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 11 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 …
Justin Jaynes
Wants to fight: Drakkar Klose or Austin Hubbard
The callout: “I’ve got a couple of guys on my hit list right now, and I wanna talk to my manager and see what we can line up down the road, and take it day-by-day for that. … Drakkar Klose. Beat me 2007, high school wrestling state championship. Got a little salty about that, still. He ruined my dreams. And (Austin) Hubbard. He just beat a friend of mine, Max (Rohskopf). I’d like to redeem his loss.”
The reality: After a performance like the one he delivered on his debut at UFC on ESPN 11, it seems like a no-brainer to get Justin Jaynes, fitness permitting, straight back into the cage at the earliest opportunity. Austin Hubbard earned a stoppage win on the same card and is therefore on the same timeline, so that could be a simple one for the matchmakers to book.
But I think the high school wrestling angle makes the fight with Klose much more intriguing. Fights always seem to capture the imagination more when there’s a real backstory to them, and Jaynes losing out to Klose back in their high school wrestling days offers a nice opportunity for the UFC to build interest in a possible matchup. Klose will be keen to bounce back after his recent loss to Beneil Dariush, and may see Jaynes as a familiar face who he’s bested once before on the wrestling mats. On paper, it looks like a nice matchup to test Jaynes, while giving Klose the opportunity to bounce back from his recent setback.
Next up: The “King” fires back at the “Texecutioner”
Bobby Green
Wants to fight: James Vick
The callout: “You tell him I’m gonna slap him when I see him! Tell him to bring it on!”
The reality: If we’re being honest, this is less of a callout, more of a response to a callout, but on a relatively quiet week for callouts in the UFC, Bobby Green's emphatic response to James Vick’s callout seemed worthy of inclusion in this week’s “Callout Collection”.
On fight night Vick tweeted,
“I remember when I was winning fights Bobby Green was ranked significantly below me and on a losing streak but kept calling me out like I was scared of him lol of course then the fight didn’t make sense then but I bet now that I’m on a losing streak his ass wouldn’t dare fight me.”
When that callout was put to Green during the post-fight press conference, Green smiled, then issued his short, to-the-point response. Vick hasn’t been shy of making some noise in the past, and Green seems to revel in a little back and forth himself. And with Green looking to build himself up and Vick aiming to halt a four-fight skid, this matchup might just make sense to everyone concerned, including the UFC matchmakers.
Next up: Welterweight stalwart wants a shot at higher-grade opposition
Belal Muhammad
Wants to fight: Santiago Ponzinibbio
The callout: “You never know with these rankings, man. I just want to be able to fight these ranked guys. These ranked guys are so afraid to fight. Santiago Ponzinibbio, you’ve been out for like 25 years. I don’t know how you’re still in the rankings. Hit my line, let’s go. You’re calling out dos Anjos. Dos Anjos lost five of his last six. He’s a ’55er. Come get a 70er.”
The reality: The time has certainly come for Belal Muhammad to get a crack at Top 15 opposition, but his callout of Ponzinibbio, who has slipped out of the UFC’s 170-pound Top 15 due to inactivity, seems like a well-pitched request.
Victory for Muhammad over Ponzinibbio, who two years ago was considered a fringe contender at 170 pounds, should catapult “Remember The Name” into a bigger fight later this year, and would also provide the Argentine athlete with a solid test upon his return to action in his first fight since November 2018.
There’s a chance Muhammad might be offered someone in the 10-15 range of the rankings list, with the likes of Neil Magny and Vicente Luque also potential options. But the Ponzinibbio fight certainly seems like an ideal springboard for both men to push their way into the upper echelon at 170 pounds later this year.
