The UFC is back to pushing for a return to action in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, with a major card announced for May 9 that will apparently consist of three championship bouts: Tony Ferguson vs. Justin Gaethje for the interim lightweight title, Henry Cejudo vs. Dominick Cruz for the bantamweight belt, and Amanda Nunes vs. Felicia Spencer for the women’s featherweight strap.
If the promotion is able to find a way to pull off the event, did the organization put together the appropriate championship matchups? MMA Junkie’s Simon Head, Farah Hannoun and Mike Bohn give their opinions in the latest edition of Triple Take.
****
Simon Head: Tony Ferguson vs. Justin Gaethje
Let’s be honest here, we all want to see Tony Ferguson back in the cage. He made weight at home last weekend, even though he already knew his fight was off and has gone to great lengths to let the world know that he’s in championship shape and ready to go.
His ever-elusive fight with Khabib Nurmagomedov may be on the back burner (yet again), but if we’re looking for a suitable replacement, it really doesn’t get much better than Justin Gaethje. Both men are among the most exciting fighters in the sport to watch, both have the ability to finish fights in an instant and, best of all, both have an entertaining habit of turning every one of their fights into all-out barnburners.
On top of all of that, it’s the right fight to make from a divisional standpoint, too. Gaethje is the highest-ranked ’55er not to have fought for a title yet, while Ferguson never actually lost the interim title in competition.
It means Ferguson vs. Gaethje is a slam-dunk booking at 155 and sets everything up perfectly not only for fight night, but also for what comes next, which (pretty please) will see the winner take on Nurmagomedov around September for the undisputed unified title.
If ever there was a main event fight to kick-start the UFC’s return to business, this is it.
Next page – Farah Hannoun: Cejudo vs. Cruz
Farah Hannoun: Henry Cejudo vs. Dominick Cruz
Although Henry Cejudo’s choice of opponents has been quite questionable lately, it’s about time we see him back in action.
Minus the antics and the cringe, Cejudo has been on quite an incredible run, with wins over Demetrious Johnson, T.J. Dillashaw, and Marlon Moraes, as he captured UFC titles at both flyweight and bantamweight.
There are three top contenders in Aljamain Sterling, Cory Sandhagen and Petr Yan waiting for Cejudo at 135 pounds, but instead he went for bantamweight newcomer and former featherweight king Jose Aldo, who was edged by Moraes in his debut at 135 pounds.
After Aldo was forced out due to travel ban restrictions, Cejudo opted instead to face former champ Dominick Cruz, who’s also coming off a loss and hasn’t competed since 2016.
Is it the fight to make? No. But Cruz is widely regarded as the greatest bantamweight of all time and has shown that ring rust means nothing to him. It’s an intriguing stylistic matchup, given Cruz’s strong wrestling ability and evasiveness on the feet. There’s also quite the size difference between the pair, and it’ll be interesting to see how Cejudo deals with it.
It’s clear that Cejudo is chasing legacy and making the most of his opportunities to challenge the sport’s big names. It’s certainly not the matchup that needs to happen, especially for Cejudo’s first title defense, but Cejudo hasn’t competed since last June, and it’s about time he defends that title.
Next page – Mike Bohn: Nunes vs. Spencer
Mike Bohn: Amanda Nunes vs. Felicia Spencer
There’s not much to criticize about this fight. Of the three title bouts the UFC hopes takes place on this card, the women’s featherweight championship contest between Amanda Nunes and Felicia Spencer remains as the only unaltered booking.
This was the fight to make for dual-champ Nunes (19-4 MMA, 12-1 UFC), and that remains true to this day. There’s no interim belts or replacement opponents involved here, nor is there any controversy about Spencer (8-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) being the challenger. It’s actually quite a relief, and has a different feel than the cobbled-together title fights of Ferguson vs. Gaethje and Cejudo vs. Cruz.
Now, is Nunes vs. Spencer the title fight people are going to care about most on May 9? Far from it. In reality, it’s quite the opposite, and probably at the bottom of the ladder.
Nunes, who also holds the bantamweight title, is going to enter the matchup with Spencer as a massive betting favorite, and rightfully so given her body of work in recent years. But Spencer, even though she’s only on a one-fight win streak, is the right person to be there, especially with “The Lioness” adamant about defending her 145-pound belt next.
