Another Fight Night, Another Rising Star
By Eddie Sanchez
Another successful Fight Night came and went as fans were treated to much action, highlight finishes and a look towards the finish line for some of the promotion’s stars.
In the co-main event Donald Cerrone and Niko Price fought to a majority decision draw which snapped Cowboy’s four fight losing streak. Unfortunately, that was not enough for Dana White.
“He fought back, he’s tough, he’s durable. I love ‘Cowboy,’ and I know this is going to f*cking crush him and break his heart, but it’s time to have a conversation with him (about retirement).”
If this is truly the end of the line for Cowboy, he will go down as one of the most respected fighters the UFC has promoted and will walk away with a legacy defined by his loyal fanbase and toughness.
Niko Price gave off the impression that he was just happy to be there which is a sight fans could appreciate. This did however create a swan song sort of feeling for Cowboy. It will be a sad day when Cowboy does finally walk away.
Nearing the finishing line looks to be a theme from the night. Tyron Woodley was finished in the fifth round against Colby Covington due to a rib injury. It was a poor look and has brought many questions about his future within the UFC.
Although it was the injury that ultimately ended the fight, Colby issued five rounds of dominance on Woodley where the 38 year old held a look of helplessness in his eyes similar to his previous two bouts.
That seems to be the outlook most have with Woodley. Although his three fight losing streak includes losses to the current top-three within the Welterweight division, there are legitimate concerns for his well being going forward.
It seems he has two options: retire or seek marketable fights outside of working towards a title, with guys like Anthony Pettis, Robbie Lawler or the Diaz brothers. These fights would be marketable as a co-main on a PPV or a headliner for a Fight Night with the proper supporting fights.
On the other side of the coin, Colby Covington looked dominant and has kept himself in the thick of the title picture. The number two ranked Welterweight added a future Hall of Famer to his resume and used the moment to flex his marketable-muscles.
His current brand is that of a Trump-supporter with hints of not-so-subtle racism. With the stage to himself and all eyes and ears pointed towards him, he unloaded on Joe Biden, Kamala Harris and Lebron James among others. he even accused Tyron Woodley of being a domestic Terrorist by supporting the Black Lives Matter movement.
As if the rhetoric he was spewing wasn’t enough of an eye sore, it was compounded by the fact that it caught the attention of President Donald Trump.
As we predicted pre-fight week, Colby utilized his stage to continue spreading his political beliefs. The Disney-owned ESPN+ remained impartial and did nothing to limit his voice despite the political differences the MMA generally has compared to other leagues like the NBA.
These are unprecedented times in the sport media world. It will be interesting to see what kind of impact athletes like Lebron James and Colby Covington, among others, have on the upcoming election. With voices on the opposite side of the spectrum screaming from the same platform, it will be fascinating to see the impact.
Sticking within the octagon, Ariel Helwani offered his thoughts on who should be next for Colby Covington.
While I am not opposed to a Covington-Edwards matchup, I would much prefer the Masvidal-Diaz matchup not take place and see Covington take on Masvidal in a PPV event. Regardless of what happens, I am interested in seeing how this division shakes up.
While these fights were fine and dandy, the man that stole the weekend is rising star Khamzat Chimaev!
What a display of power he showed in his one-punch, seventeen second knockout performance.
In the past 66 days, he has alternated between Middleweight and Welterweight, landed 196 strikes and has only been hit twice. This is unreal dominance he is showing on the UFC stage in his first three fights with the promotion.
It’s also safe to say he has the full-fledged support from Dana White.
Khamzat was double-booked prior to his fight with Gerald Meerschaert and given the quick outing, Dana wants to book an additional fight before taking on Demian Maia on Fight Island.
If this can be, I am game! I want to see this man in as many fights as possible. The Maia fight will be incredibly important as the 42 year old is currently ranked seventh in the welterweight division. Khamzat would skyrocket up the rankings if he is victorious and would put him in prime position to work his way even further up the rankings in the near future.
He has also caught the attention of Stephen Wonderboy Thompson. The uncharacteristic call-out is a welcome sight for fans and this fight would proved a marketable opponent fand seasoned veteran for Khamzat to test his skills.
Regardless of what happens next, the Welterweight division is extremely exciting right now and I can’t wait to see how everything unfolds.
