UFC 230 looked like a reasonably fun card on paper and turned out to be a reasonably fun card in practice. Sure, Daniel Cormier ran through Derrick Lewis, as expected. But, he did it quickly and definitively, just the way a championship fighter is supposed to with a forgiving opponent. The win likely sets the stage for a big retirement bout, from which DC can ride off into a broadcasting filled sunset.
So, what will that fight be for the ‘double champ’? And what’s the UFC going to do with the middleweight division after a major shakeup? And did Sijara Eubanks make any kind of case for herself as an immediate title challenger?
To answer all those questions – and many more – I’ll be using the classic Silva/Shelby fight booking methodology of years past. That means pitting winners against winners, losers against losers, and similarly tenured talent against one another. If you’d like to take your own shot at some fantasy fight booking, leave a comment below starting with, “I keep saying, man, I don’t throw and hope, I aim and fire.” I’ll pick one winner from the responses below to join me next time.
This week’s winner is BE reader “Timqwe”:
Hey guys, Tim here again. Not much changed since last time. Got one year older, decided to start working instead of going to college and started boxing instead of kickboxing. For the rest you can just go back to the last time I had the pleasure of joining Zane in this fantasy booking thing.
DANIEL CORMIER
Tim - The ‘Daddest Man On The Planet’ does it again. Now I could be wasting everyone’s time by pretending this is a serious sport and Cormier is going to fight the rightful contender, but it’s not and he’s not. Cormier is going to fight Brock Lesnar. And if he isn’t, then he’s going to fight Jon Jones. If somehow both these guys fail a drug test/crash a car/go to jail/get abducted by aliens, then he could fight either Blaydes or Stipe, but c’mon, it’s going to be Brock. And honestly, I’m all here for it. Get paid Dad Champ!
Zane - I know it’s a fight that probably nobody other than DC actually wants to see, but I really do think that he should stick to the Brock Lesnar idea. Everything else, at least in terms of what’s good for Cormier, just seems like kind of a waste of time. If he really is set on retiring after his next bout, he already beat Stipe. Giving Stipe a chance to get one back wouldn’t be much of a legacy fight. And while Jon Jones is out there – turning up like a bad penny – we’ve seen that fight twice. DC lost it. And Jones has done enough damage to his own reputation since that fighting him seems more like an exercise in personal frustration than a chance to conquer a great talent. Lesnar has cache. He’s a former champ, he’s a cross-industry star, and he’s a behemoth of a man. Let DC get paid and go out on a win, leave Jones and Stipe to rebuild without him. Daniel Cormier vs. Brock Lesnar is the best option for Cormier.
DERRICK LEWIS
Tim - We all kinda knew this was going to happen, but that doesn’t mean I can’t be slightly disappointed by it. One has to wonder how many fights Lewis is left. His body at this point is held together by duct tape, superglue and fried chicken, he takes a lot of damage in nearly every fight, and it’s doubtful he finds himself a payday like this again. But if he wants to fight again, there are a couple guys at the lower end of the top 10 that could be intriguing. If Tai Tuivasa and JDS weren’t fighting each other in a month, I probably would’ve gone with one of them. For now Alexie Oleinik has nothing lined up and quite frankly, Lewis vs Oleinik sounds hilarious.
Zane - I think the best takeaway for Lewis here is that he didn’t really appear to take much of a beating. He got taken down, he got out-wrestled, and he got out-grappled, but he didn’t exactly get busted up. DC only landed 19 significant strikes. That means Lewis could probably get back out there again soon if he wanted to. The winner of Overeem/Pavlovich wouldn’t be a bad idea, and there’s always Stipe if he wants to keep fighting the division’s few elite talents. But, I’ll say a fight with Oleksiy Oliynyk would be the one to make. The ‘Boa Constrictor’ stands a great chance of exposing Lewis’ grappling again, but is also clunky enough standing for Lewis to potentially blast him. Plus Oliynyk is 41. And if Oliynyk can get the win, it adds to his improbable run toward some kind of title contention. Lewis vs. Oliynyk is the right fight right now.
JACARE SOUZA
Tim - Oh Middleweight, you ridiculous dumpster-fire of a division. Really, the only reason this division exists is because Whitaker is an actual PfP great, and Connor Ruebusch and Phil Mackenzie have a weird craving to satisfy. Other than that, everyone either should be in a different division, is at the age of retirement, just plain terrible, or a combination of these three. Anyhow, Jacare announces himself back into title contention with this win, even if he already (controversially) lost to the challenger and (very clearly) to the champion. But, the title fight is still 3 months away. Luckily there was a fighter on this card announcing himself as a new top 5 candidate. Jacare vs Adesanya for the next shot at the Middleweight Champ is the fight to make.
Zane - I really don’t like matching up fighters with opponents from the same card that they were just on. It feels lazy. Anyone can get hyped about seeing two guys they just watched fight one another. But, with a card that included three big middleweight fights, it makes a bit more sense. Plus, Jacare vs. Adesanya just feels like a cool fight right now. Gastelum and Whittaker aren’t fighting until early next year, book Adesanya and Jacare as the co-main, or for the week after just in case. If that won’t work, then Jacare could always wait and see if he’ll be next in line just by waiting, but that’s always a dangerous game to play. A rematch with Luke Rockhold would be the other obvious bout, when Luke is healthy, but Jacare vs. Adesanya is a prime fight.
CHRIS WEIDMAN
Tim - Yikes, Weidman continues his trend of not doing bad, or maybe even winning fights, before getting absolutely flatlined. It doesn’t help that apparently the referee hates the remaining brain cells he has left either. For me personally, I’m not that interested in seeing Weidman take more damage, but this is fights to make, not retirements to make. He could try to start again at LHW, but I haven’t heard him talk about that, and I’m not sure how great an idea that is with his defense. So, I’m matching him up with another guy that has hit a rough patch in his career. Let’s see if Weidman can bounce back against Krzysztof Jotko.
Zane - Man that’s a rough loss. Like all of Weidman’s recent bouts that have gone against him, he seems to be doing so well... right until he gets clubbed. Jacare caught him on the top of the head and had him absolutely reeling. Time to take a step back, slow things down a bit, maybe take on someone who isn’t a very top contender just right now. How about Brad Tavares. Chris Weidman vs. Brad Tavares would be just the right speed for the ‘All-American’ once he’s recovered.
Jared Cannonier
Tim - The last time I did the “Fight to Make”, I pre-wrote only one paragraph. That was Vitor Belfort, and it turned out then that he was not leaving the UFC. This time there was only one fighter I was so confident in that he would win, that I already pre-wrote his next fight. Well, that fighter was David Branch. Sorry Branch-fans, I jinxed it. Still, Cannonier looked great at 185. Just a reminder, that’s two weightclasses down from where he started his UFC career. His takedown defense is still horrid, but without having to face bigger fighters he can use his freak athleticism and solid bottom game to get up again and stay in the fight. On top of that, his power and speed also seem to have translated over. It would be interesting to see what Jared can do against a more technical striker in Brad Tavares. If that doesn’t come together I wouldn’t be mad at him facing the winner of Theodorou vs Anders or the winner of Ferreira vs Breeze. But since Tavares has nothing lined up yet, might as well book that fight.
Zane - Initially, it feels like this win should rocket Cannonier up into a huge fight. A KO of a top ten ranked opponent deserves a serious bump up, right? In Cannonier’s case I think a step sideways, or even a slight step down would be the more natural move to make. He made a splash, give him a chance to prove he can be consistent. Give him a chance to be the favorite in a fight, and see if he can be dominant in that position before throwing him at one of the truly great talents populating the top few slots at 185. To that effect, fights with Antonio Carlos Jr. (when he’s healed up), Paulo Costa, or the winner of Cezar Ferreira vs. Tom Breese are all options. But I think the fight I’d most enjoy is Jared Cannonier vs. the winner of Elias Theodorou vs. Eryk Anders. Anders vs. Cannonier would be a war, and the ‘Killa Gorilla’’s power would be a serious test of the ‘Spartan’’s high volume style. And given Cannonier’s inconsistencies neither would be a lock for him to win. Jared Cannonier vs. the Theodorou/Anders winner.
ISRAEL ADESANYA
Tim - Well, I kinda buried that lead there didn’t I? Still, Israel continues to be doing better the more his level of competition rises. He went from giving up three takedowns to Wilkerson, to two, one and zero in his next fights against exponentially better wrestlers. He must start shooting for his own in the next fight, just to keep the differential improving. Still, like I said, I want to match him up with Jacare. If Rockhold and Romero decide to stay a bit longer at 185, they would be fine too. Adesanya could even get lucky and step in if someone gets injured in the title fight, but for now, Jacare it is.
Zane - So, as originally stated, Jacare vs. Adesanya would be a logical next fight. Adesanya really has nowhere but up to go from a win like this. If he wants to just take a step sideways, though, Paulo Costa is a name on everyone’s lips right now. And I guess there’s always Yoel Romero if that Romero/Costa fight isn’t happening. It’s that or the winner of Uriah Hall vs. ... Bevon Lewis??? Nah. Make Adesanya vs. Jacare. Or Costa if you have to. But a Jacare bout seems like it’s just too good a match to pass up.
DEREK BRUNSON
Tim - Well, Brunson looked like an absolute mess out there. From the moment he couldn’t get that first takedown and Herb Dean broke them up, it seemed like any motivation Derek had was sapped away from his body. He still got a few clinches and got in deep on a takedown, but the ‘Last Stylebender’ scrambled away relatively easy, and at range Brunson had nothing for the kickboxer. Like nearly every middleweight, Brunson could move to LHW. If Anthony Smith can beat the #2 guy in the division, why not Brunson? Still, at middleweight he might as well face fellow loser of the night in David Branch.
Zane - A rough loss for Brunson as he continues to search for the kind of form that could take him from fringe player to top contender. He came looking to wrestle Adesanya – as well he should have – and it just wasn’t good enough to get the job done. A fight with David Branch wouldn’t be a bad idea, coming off his own upset loss; as would someone like Brad Tavares, or even the winner of Theodorou vs. Anders, or Antonio Carlos Jr. when he’s ready. Still, Branch vs. Brunson is a little too on the nose to ignore isn’t it. Both MW grinders, both coming off big KOs. Time to see who can right the ship. Derek Brunson vs. Dave Branch works for me.
SIJARA EUBANKS
Tim - “Sijara Eubanks has finally managed to secure her titleshot”. That is what I planned to write two days ago. Then she missed weight, coming in at 2.7lbs above the championship limit, which she still was aiming to hit just three weeks ago. If that wasn’t enough, she also had a lackluster performance against Modafferi. Even if Sijara made weight, I doubt this would’ve been enough to fight for the title. Now however, I would be surprised if the even allowed her to fight at 125 at all. That’s why I’m booking her against Irena Aldana at 135. It’s not an opponent as high ranked as she would get at 125, but she needs to prove herself in the more established bantamweight division first.
Zane - Eubanks would seem like she’s still in easy reach of a title shot, after Shevchenko vs. Jedrzejczyk goes down later this year. But, nothing about this fight really sold ‘Title Contender’ to anyone. She missed weight, Modafferi took her down and worked her over in the second round, and her offense was never dominant even when she was in control. If the winner of Chookagian vs. Eye doesn’t look incredibly dominant either, then that’d probably be the right fight for Eubanks to get. Otherwise Liz Carmouche is right there, waiting for a big fight. And if Nicco Montano can get healthy, then a fight between her and Eubanks would provide some good closure. Of all of those, the Carmouche bout seems like the most readily bookable. Sijara Eubanks vs. Liz Carmouche is a fine next stage in Eubanks’ development.
ROXANNE MODAFFERI
Tim - We all love Roxi right? Unfortunately she hasn’t been and will never be able to compete with the athletes at the top of the division. But, once again she managed to be competitive with her grit an toughness. A logical matchup would be Lauren Murphy, who also just lost against Eubanks and also has a win over Honchack. Alternatively there is also a rematch with Jennifer Maia where Roxi could try to get a win back. I’m going against the usual trend and will book a winner vs loser fight though. Calderwood’s last win was quite frankly meaningless, and Modafferi could test if her grappling is actually up to par for the UFC. Let’s do Modafferi vs Calderwood.
Zane - This was a hard reality check for fans who hoped that Modafferi was fast tracking herself toward another title shot after that Honchak win. The spirit is forever willing, but the physical tools just aren’t there. For as hard as she fought and as experienced as she is, Eubanks was just too fast, too strong, and too big. A fight with Lauren Murphy would be a strong bounce-back opportunity for Roxy; battling against another woman struggling to find consistent footing in the UFC, as would bouts with Joanne Calderwood or Alexis Davis. The Murphy fight just seems the most right somehow. Modafferi vs. Murphy is where it’s at.
LYMAN GOOD
Tim - Mister Lyman Good! How dare you? You keep your hands of Killa B. If it were up to me anyone who knocks out Ben has to fight Rousamir Palhares with their arms tied behind their back next. Unfortunately I’ve been informed that Palhares is not allowed to fight for the UFC, and that there is no commission that allows me to tie fighters up (don’t give Texas ideas though). Still, Good had an impressive performance. With pretty much all his losses coming against elite competition he is deserving of a step up though. The easiest way to do that is probably to match up with the latest guys to beat Saunders, Sérgio Moraes and Alan Jouban. Moraes is probably closer to being ranked, but Jouban is the bigger name and I think the better fight. Good vs Jouban it is.
Zane - I hate to see BE family lose like this. Ben has been a fun action fighter in the UFC for years now, but he just can’t seem to string wins together lately. Not only that, but when he loses, he loses hard. Unfortunately for Good that kind of makes this less of a rocket-up-the-division win, and more of a get-yourself-back-on-track win. He hasn’t fought often enough lately to build any momentum - just two fights since 2015 - so, how about a really tough fight against someone without much name value? Win that and then he can start getting bigger fights. For now though, I’ll say book Lyman Good against Ramazan Emeev.
OTHER BOUTS: Roberson vs. Azaitar, Marshman vs. Perez, Rinaldi vs. Henry, Knight vs. Fishgold, Moraes vs. Young, Arce vs. Bermudez, Saunders vs. White, Frevola vs. Madge, Vannata vs. Hirota, Burgos vs. Glenn, Holobaugh vs. Fili, de Lima vs. Bhullar, Wieczorek vs. Albini