Matches to make after UFC 232: Jones vs Gustafsson 2
UFC 232 is now officially in the books, marking the end of UFC events in 2018. While the pre-fight controversy and last minute location change are going to be what many remember about this card, there were still plenty of impressive performances which set up some great matches down the line.
Jon Jones vs. Daniel Cormier 3 at heavyweight
Jon Jones is back. Gustafsson, arguably his biggest test, had absolutely nothing for Jones at 232 and now it’s time for Jones to move up to heavyweight and challenge the reigning champion, Daniel Cormier. Although Jones and DC have fought twice before, at heavyweight, DC is a different beast. After his destruction of Gustafsson Saturday night, there is nothing left for Jones at 205 and if he wants to cement his legacy and make up for lost time, he needs to move up to heavyweight and a title fight with Cormier is the fight to make.
Amanda Nunes vs. Cris Cyborg 2
Amanda Nunes is now without a doubt the greatest WMMA ever after her pummelling of Cris Cyborg, who looked absolutely unstoppable prior to UFC 232. Given Cyborg’s history as a dominant champion, she deserves an immediate rematch and really, who else is there for Nunes to fight? Though UFC President Dana White isn’t too keen on making this matchup again, it’s the fight to make to determine the current queen of WMMA.
Michael Chiesa vs. Rafael dos Anjos
Michael Chiesa looked great Saturday night with his submission victory over welterweight legend Carlos Condit. Chiesa now adds his name to the ever-growing list of fighters who reached new levels after moving UP in weight, not down. A good next fight for him would be versus another fighter who moved up in weight and had success, former UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos. While RDA has had mixed results as of late, he is still a world class fighter at 170 and if Chiesa can best him, it would be a huge statement that he’s ready for the top dogs at 170.
Alexander Gustafsson vs. Corey Anderson
Gustafsson didn’t have a good performance Saturday night and was clearly outclassed by the returning Jon Jones. However, let’s not forget that this was Daniel Cormier’s position not too long ago and he turned it around to not only hold the belt at 205, but also go up in weight and win a belt there too. That can be Gustafsson’s position in a few years if he keeps at it as he is probably the third best 205er in the world still, after Jones and DC. A good next fight for him would be against surging contender Corey Anderson, who picked up a decision win Saturday night against Gustafsson’s fellow teammate and countryman, Ilir Latifi.
BJ Penn vs. the urge to continue fighting
Let’s face it, the BJ we saw Saturday night against Ryan Hall is nowhere close to the BJ of long past and he needs to hang them up. He has nothing more to prove and already has accomplished so much in his career but now he’s just tarnishing his legacy as he clearly has nothing left.
