Another weekend, another card. Let’s take a moment and see what is next for our top fighters on the UFC Minneapolis card.

Demian Maia Grapples His Way To Second Straight Win

Demian Maia is one of the most seasoned vets in the 170 pound division. He took a tumble after his title fight in 2017 with losing three straight losses. Now, Maia is back with a win streak. He might have his best years behind him, but Maia has a bunch of gas left in the tank.

Anthony Rocco Martin said himself that this one was a tough one to swallow. While it was a majority decision in favor of Maia, he still showed he can compete with the best. He can rebound from losing his 4 fight win streak real easy if he stays where he needs to be mentally.

Next opponent for Demian Maia: Santiago Ponzinibbio, Neil Magny

Next opponent for Anthony Rocco Martin: Mike Perry, Curtis Millender

Joseph Benavidez Defines Statement Win

Joseph Benavidez went out this last Saturday night and did the exact damn thing he needed to do. With his second round KO of the streaking Jussier Formiga, it’s clear he’s earned a title shot against the double champ, Henry Cejudo. Unfortunately, Cejudo is out for the year. This might call for a legitimate interim title fight.

Formiga loses his win streak just shy of his first ever title shot. Unfortunately it was all Benavidez in this fight, and Jussier didn’t get to show off many of his skills. With the flyweight division in question it’s uncertain if Formiga will ever get that shot after UFC Minneapolis.

Next opponent for Joseph Benavidez: Henry Cejudo, Pantoja/Figueiredo winner

Next opponent for Jussier Formiga: Tim Elliot, Rogerio Bontorin

Francis Ngannou Still Punches Hard

Francis Ngannou knocked out his third straight opponent at UFC on ESPN 3. This most recent effort was his longest bout in that streak with 1:11 of cage time. Still, he managed to find the power to finish Junior Dos Santos in the first round. Ngannou is in a weird spot with DC and Stipe about to fight and DC’s career nearing it’s end. He will have to wait for the fight to play out to see who he fights next.

Junior Dos Santos didn’t look bad in this fight. With the leg strikes that had Francis buckling, he mixed up his attack well. He made one mistake and threw a big over hand that had him hurt easy. The ref did a good job stopping the fight before Dos Santos was majorly hurt. Despite the gaffe, he can rebound quick after his loss at UFC Minneapolis.

Next opponent for Francis Ngannou: Stipe/DC winner, Jon Jones for vacant title

Next opponent for Junior Dos Santos: Alistair Overeem, Alexander Volkov