What mattered most at UFC 250 in Las Vegas? Here are a few post-fight musings …
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1. Amanda Nunes remains the GOAT
Amanda Nunes further entrenched herself as the greatest female fighter in history when she utterly dominated Felicia Spencer for five rounds to win a unanimous decision and add more history to her already lengthy resume.
The big narrative around Nunes coming into this fight was her chance to become the first simultaneous two-division champion to defend in multiple weight classes. She defended her bantamweight belt for the fifth time against Germaine de Randamie at UFC 245 this past December, then made the first defense of her women’s featherweight strap against Spencer.
Life is absolutely good if you’re Nunes at this point, and the biggest threat to her success seems to be herself. There’s no real threat out there across either division, and UFC boss Dana White has already ruled out a third showdown with women’s flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko happening anytime soon.
Nunes and her wife, Nina Ansaroff, are expecting their first child soon, which means Nunes is likely to take a bit of a break to settle into motherhood. Hopefully in that time a worthy contender will emerge.
2. Cody Garbrandt rises from the ashes
Cody Garbrandt needed a win as badly as any fighter in recent memory when he stepped into the octagon with Raphael Assuncao. And he came through in the clutch.
Garbrandt rose up the UFC ranks in lightning-quick fashion to become an undefeated champion and prove he deserved all the hype he got. Once he got the belt, though, it quickly fell apart. He suffered three knockout losses in a row, and a lot of people considered him done.
The narrative can change quickly in MMA, though, and Garbrandt made that happen with an absolutely brilliant, highlight-reel finish of Assuncao at the buzzer of the second round. It was utterly awesome, and now he’s a player again.
Garbrandt said he’s determined to get the belt back, but it’s not going to be easy. Assuncao was a very beneficial matchup for him, but as he tries to move upward at 135 pounds, there’s nothing but killer who will be coming after his chin. It’s hard to tell how he’ll compete against the top five, but he earned his chance by stopping Assuncao the way he did.
3. Aljamain Sterling makes his statement
In a fight labeled as a No. 1 contender bout by UFC president Dana White, it couldn’t have gone much better for Aljamain Sterling.
Sterling showed up in the best form of his career and completely washed away the highly regarded Cory Sandhagen with a first-round submission. It was nothing short of spectacular, and there’s no question a title fight should be next.
If I had my druthers, Sterling would be involved in the next fight for the currently vacant bantamweight title. The UFC seems insistent on making Jose Aldo vs. Petr Yan for that fight, with Sterling getting dibs on next. If that fight is made soon I suppose we can live with it. But if it drags out for any reason, Sterling should certainly slide in.
4. Sean O’Malley proves his legitimacy
Sean O'Malley called his shot against Eddie Wineland. He promised a viral knockout, and he delivered in spades with a ridiculous one-punch finish of the former WEC champion.
Ahead of this fight, I thought Wineland was not getting enough credit for his career accomplishments and the challenge he brought to O’Malley. He was not getting his due respect, so before anyone criticizes O’Malley’s competition, let it be known Wineland is one of the most well-traveled bantamweights in history.
Because of that, it only elevates the impressiveness of what O’Malley pulled off. No one has beat Wineland quite like that, and in my mind it validates a lot of the hype around “The Suga Show.” He’s no UFC creation, and he is dangerous to his core.
It’s going to be fascinating to see what the UFC does with O’Malley next. He’s a future contender in my mind, but this performance shouldn’t lead to rushing him. Give him someone else on the cusp of the top 10, and see if he can do what he did against Wineland again.
5. A new flyweight contender is born
Alex Perez birthed himself as a new threat to the UFC flyweight title when he took out perennial contender Jussier Formiga in stunning fashion with the use of some brutal leg kicks.
No one had ever finished Formiga quite like Perez did, and that’s going to open up some eyes. He’s won 11 of his past 12 fights (including six of seven in the UFC) and while still not very well known, he seems to be some real potential.
The UFC flyweight division is wide open at the moment. Deiveson Figueiredo and Joseph Benavidez will rematch for the vacant title on July 18, but there’s no clear cut contender after that. With his performance, Perez might have put himself in that spot.
