Match Maker Monday Following UFC Mexico City – What’s next?
Saturday was a tough night for both men in the main event of UFC Mexico City. The featherweight match up between Yair Rodriguez and Jeremy Stephens ended in a no contest due to an accidental eye poke to Stephens just 15 seconds into the fight.
On the other hand it was a great night for Carla Esparza as she defeated a talented up and coming prospect in Alexa Grasso.
Whether good or bad it’s time to move on and see what’s next for these fighters on this Match Maker Monday.
Yair Rodriguez, featherweight
Result: No contest at :15 of first round
Next: Stephens
Rodriguez was very upset after the fight. In fact, his emotions got the best of him and as a result he gave Michael Bisping a hard time when he tried to interview him in the cage following the fight.
While he’s upset over the outcome, he still has a chance to take care of some unfinished business. Rodriguez, who was fighting in his home country, needs to run it back with Stephens. After all, the fight only lasted 15 seconds. Hopefully they can rematch in the very close future.
Jeremy Stephens, featherweight
Result: No contest at :15 of the first round
Next: Rodriguez
Stephens is as tough as they come. So if he couldn’t continue after the eye poke you know his eye had to be injured.
Stephens is all about squaring off again in the next four or five weeks. Not only does the fight make sense due to the rankings (Rodriguez #7, Stephens #8) and the fact that there was hardly any action in their main event, but there’s bad blood.
Stephens said today on the Ariel Helwani MMA Show that he shoved Rodriguez in the hotel during fight week. After the fight Stephens was also angry that Rodriguez thought he was faking it.
You know what makes rematches fun? Bad blood and tension.
Carla Esparza, strawweight
Result: Defeated Alexa Grasso via majority decision
Next: Nina Ansaroff
Esparza just fought another prospect. She beat Cynthia Calvillo in 2017, lost to Tatiana Suarez in 2018, and now won against Grasso. She’s now riding a two-fight win streak so she should get a top tier opponent.
Esparza currently sits at number seven in the division and Ansaroff is ranked fourth. Ansaroff is also coming off a loss to Suarez in June.
Esparza, who was the first ever strawweight champion, would like to get her title back. If Esparza and Ansaroff are to the fight, the winner could end up one fight away from a title opportunity depending on how the rest of the division plays out.
Alexa Grasso, strawweight
Result: Lost to Alexa Grasso via majority decision
Next: Tecia Torres
Grasso is still young. The 26 year old has a lot of potential and she’ll only get better with more experience. On Saturday, she hurt Esparza in the third round and she had a chance to do damage in that final round. Nonetheless, there are definitely going to be better days for Grasso.
Unfortunately for Grasso she’s going to drop in the rankings and work her way back into the top 10. I think a match up with Torres would be fun. They’ll both be outside the top 10 in the rankings and both fighters have potential in the deepest women’s division in the UFC.
Torres would enter the fight on a four-fight losing streak, but that all comes against great competition. Those losses were to two former champions, the current champ, and an undefeated fighter (Jessica Andrade, Joanna Jedrzejczyk, Zhang Weili and Marina Rodriguez).
