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 Jacksonville, 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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Let’s take a look at the main card …
Rodrigo Nascimento
Wants to fight: Chase Sherman
The callout: “Yeah, there is a name I’d like: Chase Sherman. I saw him fight. He won; I won. Why don’t we do that fight?”
The reality: Rodrigo Nascimento produced an impressive performance in his octagon debut to defeat Don’Tale Mayes, then issued a perfectly pitched callout against a fellow fighter looking to move his way up the heavyweight division.
Chase Sherman made a victorious return to the UFC as he kicked off his second stint with the promotion with a solid win over Ike Villanueva at UFC on ESPN+ 29 earlier in the week, and Nascimento reckons the pair should meet next.
It’s a callout that makes perfect sense. Both men are on the same timeline, both are coming off wins, and both appear to have some promise as rising heavyweight prospects. One of them can move their way up the ladder with a win, so why not book it?
Next up: “The Trailblazer” fancies a drop to 170
Kevin Holland
Wants to fight: Mickey Gall
The callout: “I hear they got a card coming up in a couple weeks, and I hear Mickey Gall wants to fight. I was trying to get Marvin Vettori, but I hear he has something already booked coming up. So I’ll just go ahead, drop that weight. I only came here at 188 pounds. Came in yesterday at 182. So Mickey Gall, I usually get choked out, so if you want to do that, that’s the only way you usually win. Let’s run it!”
The reality: Kevin Holland is a ball of energy, even in his post-fight interviews, and his callout of Mickey Gall tells you everything you need to know about him. He wants a quick turnaround, even though it means a punishing cut to 170 pounds, and he’s happy to call out a fighter whose strengths match up with his own past shortcomings. On top of it all, he did it with the sort of self-deprecating humor that will likely resonate with Gall.
They’ve both come through UFC talent-finding shows – Gall from “Dana White: Lookin’ For A Fight,” Holland from “Dana White’s Contender Series” – and a matchup between the pair could make for an interesting clash in styles. Gall told MMA Junkie last month that he’d accept a fight with “Whoever, pretty much. I’m not really feeling too picky these days.” If that’s the case, Holland’s callout might just give the UFC matchmakers a nice easy bout to book.
Next up: Polish middleweight wants to run things back with an old nemesis
Krzysztof Jotko
Wants to fight: Uriah Hall
The callout: “This (defeat to Hall) still hurts me. I dropped him three times in the first round, and I fought him with my broken left hand, so I want to see him when I’m healed and 100%, like now.”
The reality: Krzysztof Jotko’s callout of Uriah Hall is the perfect example of a fight making sense to one party, but not to the other. For Jotko, it’s a fight that makes all the sense in the world. He wants to avenge his loss to “Prime Time,” while at the same time facing an opponent inside the UFC’s Top 15. But while it works for Jotko, it’s unlikely to be as well received on Hall’s side. He was supposed to face Ronaldo Souza at UFC 249 on May 9, but “Jacare’s” positive COVID-19 test during fight week saw their matchup scratched. It’s a matchup both men are likely to run back later in the year, leaving Jotko the odd man out, looking for someone else to share the cage with.
Next up: Featherweight contender wants some respect, and a top-name opponent
Dan Ige
Wants to fight: Chan Sung Jung
The callout: “I said it last fight: I want to fight ‘The Korean Zombie.’ The guy says he doesn’t know who I am – I hope he does now. Hey, dude, I just beat Edson Barboza. No disrespect against ‘Zombie,’ I just think that’s an exciting fight, and I don’t think you guys will disagree.”
The reality: If there was any doubt over Dan Ige’s place as a legitimate contender in the UFC’s talent-filled featherweight division, his hard-earned victory over Edson Barboza should have eliminated it.
Ige’s display, backed up by his six-fight winning streak, demands respect and a shot at one of the division’s top names. His callout of “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung makes sense as words have been spoken by both men about each other in the past, and few fighters at 145 are actively campaigning to share the cage with the South Korean star. It’s the step up in competition Ige deserves, and while Jung may need to be convinced to take on someone a little lower down the rankings, it’s a matchup that would keep both men active, and potentially position one of them for a title shot later in the year.
Next up: Top strawweight wants a rematch
Claudia Gadelha
Wants to fight: Carla Esparza
The callout: “Hey, Carla Esparza! Let’s do it again!”
The reality: The callout may have been short and sweet, but Claudia Gadelha’s call to face Esparza in a rematch of their June 2018 clash at UFC 225 makes all kinds of sense.
That first meeting between the pair went all the way to the scorecards, with Gadelha edging it via split decision. Now, two years on, both fighters will likely see the fight as the perfect springboard to a No. 1 contender fight and, given the razor-thin nature of the outcome last time, there’s plenty for both women to prove if they did face off for a second time.
