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+ 8 event in Sunrise, Fla., 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 winners.
Angela Hill
Wants to fight: Jessica Aguilar
The callout: “Let’s get another fight going. I know (Jodie Esquibel) had a pretty even fight with Jessica Aguilar, so I think a fight with her would be a good matchup. I just want to keep getting wins, and I really don’t care who it is. I just want to get a good streak and show everyone how good I am.”
The reality: Angela Hill (9-6 MMA, 4-6 UFC) looked phenomenal in a one-sided decision win Jodie Esquibel, slipping and moving and countering an aggressive foe to perfection. It was Esquibel’s first UFC appearance since July 2018, when she lost a more closely contested decision to former WSOF champ Jessica Aguilar (20-8 MMA, 1-4 UFC). In Hill’s mind, it’s time for a little MMA math matchmaking, it seems.
Overall, it’s really not a bad idea. Despite her impressive performance on Saturday, Hill still stands at just 3-4 in her current octagon run, the second of her career. Meanwhile, Esparza has really struggled in her transition to the UFC, notching just one win in five trips to the cage. Both fighters are capable of great moments, but neither has been able to put together a consistent run. Perhaps one of them could get pointed in the right direction if they faced each other.
Jim Miller
Wants to fight: Dustin Poirier
The callout: “I know I compete with the best. I am not the type to dwell on things, but Dustin Poirier just won the interim belt, and he has looked pretty fantastic since our fight, but that was a bad camp for me and a bad night, just dealing with the things that I had to deal with at the time, aside from fighting one of the best guys in my division. So, I know that healthy and training at 100 percent, I can beat him. I know I can beat anyone if I fight with my strengths.”
The reality: Jim Miller (30-13 MMA, 19-12 UFC) and Poirier (25-5 MMA, 17-4 UFC) met at UFC 208 in February 2017. Two of the most respected veterans in the game, the pair clashed for a “Fight of the Night” affair that saw Poirier take home a majority decision.
Since that time, Poirier has rattled off four more wins, including his epic UFC 236 win over Max Holloway to claim an interim UFC title. While Miller looked phenomenal on Saturday, he’s gone just 2-4 since the loss to Poirier.
Miller’s UFC on ESPN+ 8 win was made all the more special by the fact his four kids were attending at cageside, and in an emotional moment after the big win, you can’t blame the New Jersey native for shooting high. And who knows what might happen down the line – Miller said he’d love to put together one more title run before calling it a career. But right now, Poirier has got a unification bout with Khabib Nurmagomedov calling his name.
Next up, let’s check out the main card.
Roosevelt Roberts
Wants to fight: “Matt Frevollow”
The callout: “Sean Shelby – you right there? Hey, I would like to get in June or July. Hey, I want the guy Matt Frevollow. He fought my brother Jalin Turner. I need that. I need that. You feel me? I need that. So make sure he signs that. I’ll sign the contact whenever. Send it. Matt Frevollow, I want you, boy. I need some revenge. Let’s go!”
The reality: The undefeated Roosevelt Roberts (8-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) looked absolutely dominant in a one-sided decision win over Thomas Gifford. It was the first time “The Predator” has needed the judges in his eight-fight pro career, but their call was quite simple.
Afterward, Roberts had a specific next foe in mind: Matt Frevollow.
Roberts can certainly be forgiven for not knowing the proper pronunciation of Matt Frevola (7-1-1 MMA, 1-1-1 UFC), though one might wonder how he’s made it this far in life without hearing Matt Serra yell out “Steam-roll-a!” to help him learn. Regardless, Roberts is looking for a measure of revenge agains the man who beat his training partner earlier this month at UFC 236.
Both are young in their careers, and neither has any other fights that need to be booked right now. If there’s a little natural flavor to add in, why not? Nice callout, Roosevelt. You heard the man, Sean Shelby. Get it done.
Glover Teixeira
Wants to fight: Corey Anderson
The callout: “I have somebody in mind: Corey Anderson. He beat me last time. The fight was two-weeks’ notice. I was preparing for (Ilir) Latifi. It was totally different. No excuses. I want to fight him again. I want to fight him again.”
The reality: Glover Teixeira (29-7 MMA, 12-5 UFC) weathered an early story against the powerful Ion Cutelaba before battling through the adversity to secure an impressive second-round submission win that was good enough to earn Teixeira a “Performance of the Night” bonus. Afterward, Teixeira made it clear that a shot at redemption is what matters most.
With Saturday’s result, Teixeira now stands at 3-1 in his past four appearances. The only loss in that stretch is a decision defeat at the hands of Anderson (12-4 MMA, 9-4 UFC) in their July 2018 clash, which “Overtime” took on short notice – a result that still obviously irks Teixeira.
Anderson currently boasts a three-fight winning streak and is not currently booked. He’s been holding out hopes for a big-name opponent, but with Jon Jones facing Thiago “Marreta” Santos in July and Alexander Gustafsson meeting Anthony Smith in June – a card that also has Volkan Oezdemir vs. Ilir Latifi – there aren’t a ton of matchups available.
For Anderson, the only other name that might make sense right now is Dominick Reyes. But he should probably act as quickly as possible, and taking a rematch against a man you’ve already beat shouldn’t prove too intimidating. But with Luke Rockhold also making his way to the division soon, as well, Anderson’s title path could continue to get more and more murky if he doesn’t act quickly. Teixeira might provide that name to keep him top of mind.
Mike Perry
Wants to fight: Darren Till
The callout: “I heard Darren Till got himself into a little trouble there. I’m trying to make a jump in the rankings system. I’m trying to get my hands on Colby Covington. These guys fight once a year, it seems like. I’m fighting so many dang times, I can’t even keep count. That’s 18 in the past four years. Let’s get it baby. Nineteen coming soon.”
The reality: Mike Perry (13-4 MMA, 6-4 UFC) turned in an incredibly gutsy performance, delivering a “Fight of the Night” performance against fellow crowd-please Alex Oliveira. Afterward, “Platinum” took to the mic and revealed that math probably isn’t his strongest subject (for the record, it was officially his 17th pro fight in five years and seven months).
That said, who cares? No one is interested in hiring Perry to do their accounting.
But Perry vs. Till (17-2-1 MMA, 5-2-1 UFC)? Come on. That’s a slam dunk, especially considering Perry later said he wasn’t exactly in a rush to book it, since he’s going to need “some time to heal.” Till is on the same plan following his March knockout loss to Jorge Masvidal. But give the two time to set something up for later this year, and you’re guaranteed to have fireworks. The pre-fight build-up will be insane – like, literally a matchup of two madmen – and the action in the cage could be just as fun.
And now, our main event.
Jack Hermansson
Wants to fight: Another top name
The callout: “I am expecting another top name. I want to continue climbing up and get to the title. I have four first-round finishes. I have a win on short notice against one of the top guys in the world, and I think that’s enough to put me right there on the top and to be one of the contenders.”
The reality: Jack Hermansson (20-4 MMA, 7-2 UFC) picked up the biggest win of his career on Saturday, convincingly outpointing Ronalda Souza over the course of five rounds. It’s an unfortunate setback for “Jacare,” but it’s a massive opportunity for Hermansson who has made it clear he wants to hold UFC gold. Truthfully, there aren’t a lot of places to move up past Souza until current champ Robert Whittaker and interim titleholder Israel Adesanya hold their unification fight.
So who should Hermansson fight in the meantime? Well, it’s not exactly what most people might consider a “reward,” but how about Yoel Romero (13-3 MMA, 9-2 UFC)? Want to prove you’re the best in the world and deserving of a crack at the belt? Beating a monster like Romero would certainly go a long way toward that goal.
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