UFC Fight Night 147 went down last Saturday (March 16, 2019) inside O2 Arena in London, England, featuring a Welterweight showdown between Jorge Masvidal and Darren Till that resulted in “Gamebred” knocking out “The Gorilla” in violent fashion (highlights). In addition, Leon Edwards picked up his seventh straight win after edging out Gunnar Nelson in the co-headlining act (recap), and then proceeded to mix it up with the aforementioned Masvidal backstage.
Winner: Jorge Masvidal
Who He Should Fight Next: Leon Edwards
It’s pretty obvious this is now the fight to make after Masvidal fed Edwards a “three piece and a soda” backstage at O2 Arena. Plus, the two men are separated by just one spot in the official UFC rankings. Sure, Masvidal — and even Kamaru Usman’s team — have high hopes of a title shot, but I really don’t see that happening. I mean, if he got it I wouldn’t be mad, it’s just hard to envision him getting bumped over Colby Covington, Santiago Ponzinibbio or even Edwards.
UFC should have “Gamebred” and “Rocky” duke it out (in a sanctioned fight) next, build off the impromptu brawl (like you know UFC will), and see who emerges as a legit title contender after that. There were talks of the two men squaring up awhile back, so why not make it official now that the beef has bubbled over? There is the possibility of Ben Askren stepping in to face Masvidal, but UFC passing on Masvidal vs. Edwards at this point is highly unlikely.
Winner: Leon Edwards
Who Should He Face Next: See Above
Winner: Dominick Reyes
Who Should He Face Next: Corey Anderson
This one was a bit tricky, as I would’ve liked to see Reyes and Thiago Santos square off next. But, if UFC does indeed book “Marreta” to face Jon Jones for the Light Heavyweight title next, then it’s on to the next for “The Devastator.” Alexander Gustafsson is booked to face Anthony Smith, two men coming off a loss; Jan Blachowicz and Volkan Oezdemir are on losses, while Corey Anderson is riding a three-fight win streak.
That said, “Overtime” is really the only sensible option for Reyes after “Devastator” escaped London with a win over Oezdemir. The winner will set himself up nicely to face “Bones” — or Santos — sooner, rather than later.
Winner: Nathaniel Wood
Who Should He Face Next: Ricky Simon
Wood picked up his third straight win inside the Octagon, eighth straight overall, after submitting Jose Alberto Quinonez. Meanwhile, Simon, coincidentally enough, is also riding an eight-fight win streak, including three inside the Octagon.
Sure, Simon is ranked (No. 15), while Wood is hoping to crack the rankings list after his latest win, but the fight simply makes sense. It will be a bit before either of them can start looking ahead at Top 10-ranked foes, so why not let them handle business inside the cage to see who gets closer to that goal?
Winner: Claudio Silva
Who Should He Face Next: Anthony Rocco Martin
Can we start Silva a little more respect? All the man has done is win 13 in a row, including beating the aforementioned Edwards, and hasn’t tasted defeat in 12 years. Martin, meanwhile, is on a four-fight win streak and most recently competed at UFC Fight Night 146 by defeating Sergio Moraes. With the win, Martin earned himself his first-ever Top 15 ranking, something Silva may accomplish this week. Both men have a well-rounded game, are black belts in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and can stand-and-bang if need be. Book it.
Winner: Jack Marshman
Who He Should Face Next: Tim Boetsch
Marshman — who came in overweight for his fight against John Phillips — snapped his two-fight skid in London via razor-thin split decision, so let’s not start giving him the cream of the crop just yet.
Boetsch, meanwhile. suffered his second straight defeat at UFC Fight Night 146 against Omari Ahkmedov, so the two men should be eying a return to action around the same time. For Marshman, facing a recognizable name and long-time veteran like “The Barbarian” would look good on his resume. Boetsch needs a win in the worst way, and while it won’t come easy against Marshman, it’s a good challenge to see where he currently stands.
For complete UFC London results and coverage click here.
Get the latest gear
