Welcome to another episode of MMA Squared. Today we look at UFC 228 and marvel at how completely decent it is. While there are no megastars, the card is downright decent from top to bottom. Is this what we should expect going forward?
Real talk: Tyron Woodley vs Darren Till... sure the welterweight title is on the line, but the real battle is between what the UFC wants to happen and the actual results. Woodley’s bank account hangs in the balance because the UFC would love a European star in his place.
Till on the other hand is getting a bit of the Francis Ngannou treatment and risks suffering the same fate: losing both the fight and the promoter’s push. Worse still, he might get pushed up to middleweight if things don’t turn out brilliant.
The undercard is loaded with both relevant fights and old familiar faces. What I’m most keen to see is the winner of Jessica Andrade vs Karolina Kowalkiewicz get a shot at Rose Namajunas. I’ve got my preference though, and it’s WMMA’s answer to Wanderlei Silva.
Finally, a new segment called After Reebok: Aljamain Sterling is charismatic exciting fighter with a great personal style. After Reebok he should have a line of 80’s hip-hop themed merch in the style of Run-DMC, complete with an ADIDAS sponsorship.
MMA Squared is sponsored by COMBAT WOMBAT, an expression of marsupial violence known... somewhere. The shirts are sold out, but will be back in the fall. Thanks for your interest. As always, this is Chris (@RiniMMA), take care of yourself and I’ll talk to you next week.