UFC delivered yet another killer card this past Saturday in Newark. The main event featuring Henry Cejudo and Aljamain Sterling was one of the closest decisions the UFC has ever seen. Both fighters had their moments. Neither fighter was truly able to take over and dominate the fight. A split decision win for Sterling allowed him to retain his bantamweight title. It could have gone either way, as many fans disagreed with this decision. This win for Sterling sets up a mega fight between him and “Suga” Sean O’Malley. O’Malley stepped into the cage post-fight and made it clear he is ready to take the strap from Sterling this summer.
Belal Muhammad and Gilbert Burns were the co-main event in a five-round fight. Burns landed an early takedown in round one. While completing the takedown, he tore a muscle in his left shoulder. This led to Burns only using his right hand and could not find success. He powered through the pain, surviving all five rounds. Muhammad was able to take advantage of the injury and connect on many exchanges. Muhammad methodically broke Burns down for the last four rounds en route to a unanimous decision victory. Dana White confirmed post-fight that Muhammad will be facing the winner of Colby Covington and Leon Edwards for the welterweight title.
Steam Rolla
There were many more fighters that gained a lot from last Saturday. A flawless knockout for Yan Xiaonan put her in title contention overnight. The UFC can set up a main event featuring her and Zheng Weili in China for the women’s strawweight title. Matt “Steamrolla” Frevola just entered the top 15 in the lightweight rankings with a knockout win over Drew Dober. He used this performance to call out Paddy Pimblett.
Ikram Aliskerov looked like a future contender in the middleweight division with his knockout over veteran Phil Hawes. His performance was one of the best debuts the company has seen. Aliskerov’s only loss was to Khamzat Chimaev. That alone is impressive. He looks ready to take a step forward in hopes to become a future champion. Like Frevola, Aliskerov took a shot at a big name in Bo Nickal. We will see how Dana feels about future matchmaking, but any of these fights would be fireworks.
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