Photo credit: John Locher/Associated Press
By: Chris Huntemann, Columnist
In case you already forgot, UFC 175 was last weekend, and it included two showstopping performances from two of the UFC’s premier champions: Chris Weidman and Ronda Rousey.
The career paths of those two and others may take an interesting turn following their performances. I’ll share my thoughts on where I think some of their paths will take them.
Urijah Faber Faber made a rare preliminary card appearance prior to the actual PPV, securing a rear-naked choke victory against Alex “Bruce Leroy” Caceres. Although Faber was a heavy favorite, Caceres gave “The California Kid” all he could handle. Faber was medically suspended following the show and will be sidelined until 2015. By then he might have the opportunity for a rubber match with his nemesis Dominick Cruz, assuming “The Dominator” gets past Takeya Mizugaki in September. He might also be ready for a title shot against the winner of T.J. Dillashaw/Renan Barao 2 at UFC 177 on Aug. 30.
But, would Faber be willing to fight his teammate for the belt? According to this article, only if asked by Dillashaw. I’d count on Faber being in the mix yet again for a bantamweight title shot by this time next year. If we get Cruz/Faber 3, all the better.
Matt Mitrione/Stefan Struve This fight was cancelled at the last minute when Struve passed out in the locker room. Struve is coming off a long break due to a serious heart ailment, the type of condition that makes any athlete second-guess what he or she is doing. Struve says he’s fine and that what happened isn’t related to his condition. Mitrione has already moved on and is slated to face Derrick Lewis in September. I think after getting his health in order, we’ll see Struve in the new year, maybe against someone like Gabriel Gonzaga.
Ronda Rousey has another bout under her championship belt, and it was another instance of out-and-out domination for Rousey. If there was still any doubt that she is the most dominant fighter in women’s MMA, it was thoroughly eradicated with her 16-second obliteration of Alexis Davis. Now Rousey gets some well-deserved time off, thanks to a hand injury and arthroscopic knee surgery that will keep her on the shelf until next year.
The big news in women’s MMA is not only Rousey’s domination of Davis, but also the fact that UFC signed Holly Holm, long rumored to be the next formidable challenger for Rousey. She will most likely need to win at least one fight before getting a title shot. Rousey’s rumored other challenger, Cat Zingano, makes her return against Amanda Nunes at UFC 178. Cris "Cyborg" Justino is also in the mix now that she is apparently agreeing to terms with Invicta and plans to fight at 135 pounds.
So where does this leave Rousey in the new year? I think if Zingano makes short work of Nunes (which I believe she will), she will finally get her long-awaited title shot, and we will possibly see yet another Rousey domination.
Chris Weidman: Any belief that Weidman’s two victories against Anderson Silva were a fluke was hopefully erased after his performance against Lyoto Machida. Weidman received all he could handle from “The Dragon,” but he displayed a champion’s mettle and perseverance and battled through. It is definitely Weidman’s division now. So, who will be his next challenge? I think it will be Vitor Belfort. He seems to finally be working through his drug testing-related issues and will finally receive a title shot that seemed to be a lock after he knocked out Michael Bisping, Luke Rockhold and Dan Henderson back-to-back-to-back. Will “The Phenom” be the same fighter without testosterone? I guess we’ll find out. But a battle between Belfort and Weidman will definitely be must-see-TV in the new year.
Chris Huntemann writes about mixed martial arts in the state of Maryland. He also contributes his thoughts to our site on the UFC, Bellator, and World Series of Fighting. Check out his blog, or follow him on Twitter: @mmamaryland.
