Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) returned to the hurt business last night (Sun., July 22, 2018) with UFC Fight Night 134 from inside Barclaycard Arena in Hamburg, Germany, live and free on FOX Sports 1. The event saw Anthony Smith knockout Mauricio Rua in a little less than two minutes in the main event of the evening (see it again here). In the co-main event, Corey Anderson outscored Glover Teixeira after three rounds of action.
Winner: Anthony Smith
Who He Should Face Next: Alexander Gustafsson
“Lionheart” called for a showdown against “The Mauler” immediately after disposing of “Shogun.” But much to his dismay, it was revealed Gustafsson had been taken off the UFC 227 card on Aug. 4, 2018 due to an injury. Bad timing, I guess. Nevertheless, it’s a fight that makes sense, as Smith has made a name for himself in the division, and fast, after knocking out former light heavyweight champions back-to-back. And while we know “The Mauler” is hung up on fighting Daniel Cormier, that ship has sailed for good according to “DC.” This would be a fresh matchup, which is something the division needs at the moment.
Winner: Corey Anderson
Who He Should Face Next: Ilir Latifi
It only makes sense to have the man Corey replaced against Glover to answer the call. While the extent of Latifi’s injuries — which forced him out of UFC Fight Night 134 -- are unknown, they don’t seem to be too serious as he has been calling for a title shot against Daniel Cormier. That fight, though, simply isn’t going to happen. No way, now how. A fight against Anderson makes all the sense in the world, as “25/8” has won two in a row, as has Latifi. The winner of this matchup could set themselves up for an even bigger fight down the road.
Winner: Marcin Tybura
Who He Should Face Next: Alistair Overeem
Tybura broke his two fight skid with an impressive performance over Stefan Struve (recap), putting him back in the win column for the first time in over a year. And though “The Reem” is coming of back-to-back defeats, he still holds a higher ranking that Marcin. And if Tybura wants to keep climbing the ladder, her needs to face and defeat higher-ranked foes, and Alistair is the one that seems more appropriate. It would be a good bounce back test for Alistair, who is in desperate need of a win. For Tybura, it’s an opportunity to score a big name victory for his growing resume.
Winner: Danny Roberts
Who He Should Fight Next: Curtis Millender
Both Roberts and Millender have won their last two UFC fights and are slowly climbing up the ranks, though they are still far from overthrowing the lower ranked fighters in the division. The up-and-coming scrappers would be a good fit for one another, and since they each competed just a few weeks apart, their recovery and return times should align perfectly to have them get it on inside the eight-sided cage.
Winner: Nasrat Haqparast
Who He Should Fight Next: Drakkar Klose
Nasrat picked up an important win over Marc Diakiese, defeating the once-promising Lightweight via unanimous decision to hand him his third straight defeat. One of those defeats came to Drakkar Klose, who recently got back into the win column himself by outclassing Lando Vannata at UFC 226 a few weeks ago. Stylistically, this fight could be bananas, as both men like to stand-and-bang and have the push-the-pace style that all fight fans love.
For complete UFC Fight Night 134 results, including play-by-play, click here.
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