Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) was back at it again last Saturday (Feb. 23, 2019) as UFC Fight Night 145 — which aired on ESPN+ — went down from inside O2 Arena in Prague, Czech Republic.
The event saw Thiago Santos knockout Jan Blachowicz in the headlining act (see it). In the co-main event, Stefan Struve submitted Marcos Rogerio de Lima in Heavyweight action to snap his three-fight skid (highlights).
Winner: Thiago Santos
Who He Should Face Next: Corey Anderson
It’s probably not the fight Santos wants next, but it will likely be what he gets. After running over Blachowicz, Santos called for the winner of the upcoming Light Heavyweight title fight between Jon Jones and Anthony Smith, which is set to go down this weekend (Sat., Mar. 2, 2019) at UFC 235 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Santos and Anderson are tied for the No. 6 spot on the official UFC rankings and Corey currently has an empty dance card. Since Thiago escaped Prague unscathed, I can see him itching for a quick return. UFC matchmakers can always surprise everyone and award Santos the title shot, but that seems unlikely.
Winner: Stefan Struve
Who He Should Face Next: Retirement
After submitting Marcos Rogerio de Lima in the second round of their co-main event bout, “Skyscraper” laid his gloves in the center of the Octagon and revealed during a post-fight interview that he would be calling it a day at 31 years of age. The win helped him snap his three-fight skid and gets to leave the fight game on a win. Struve leaves the industry with an 29-11 mark, 13-9 inside the Octagon.
Winner: Michal Oleksiejczuk
Who He Should Face Next: Magomed Ankalaev
Michal kept his winning streak going (10) after knocking out Gian Villante in the very first round. Up next should be a fight against Magomed Ankalaev, who was also victorious this past weekend by outlasting Klidson Abreu. It was Magomed’s second win in a row, and it’s time he takes a step up in competition. Both men are looking to break into the Top 15, and a win here gets them closer.
Winner: Liz Carmouche
Who She Should Fight Next: Sijara Eubanks
Don’t look now, but Carmoche is slowly making a push toward title contention, as the No. 6 ranked women’s Flyweight in the world is on a two-fight win streak and should enter the top five after her big win over Lucie Pudilova.
Up next for Liz should be a fight agaisnt Sijara Eubanks, who is coming off a win over Roxanne Modafferi. Sijara is also on a two-fight win streak and is eying a shot at the title after having her last-minute shot taken away as quick as it was given to her last year. With Joanna Jedrzejczyk seemingly one and done at flyweight, that opens up another spot for the rest of the division, and Liz should be eying top five foes moving forward. This fight simply makes sense based on the current landscape and matches lined up within the division.
Winner: Magomed Ankalaev
Who He Should Face Next: Michal Oleksiejczuk
See above.
Winner: Petr Yan
Who he Should Fight Next: Rob Font
The Yan express just keeps on chugging along after Petr defeated John Dodson to collect his seventh straight win (four inside the Octagon). A fight against Rob Font should be on the horizon for Petr. Font is coming off a win over Sergio Pettis last December, and is currently ranked ahead of Yan.
Anyone else in the top 10 doesn’t make sens for Petr at the moment, as some are coming off losses, are already booked, or are eying higher-ranked opponents. A win for Petr here gets him into the top 10 and sets him up for bigger and better fights moving forward.
For complete UFC Prague results and coverage click here.
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