A top-tier bantamweight contender is calling out a former champ, an MMA legend had a run-in with a UFO, and the UFC has been adapting well in the COVID era. Huh.
Finding the proper response to much of the news finding its way into our social media feeds is becoming a tougher task every day. Nothing is surprising anymore, and there’s always more to the story. Leaving us with one reply: “huh?”
Last week, Cory Sandhagen called out two-time former UFC bantamweight champion T.J. Dillashaw for the latter’s return bout in 2021, Diego Sanchez saw a UFO, and the UFC continued to showcase relatively impressive economic numbers, despite the global pandemic. Huh?
The reason “huh?”, in its various forms, is such a quality reply is simple. The word is as versatile as a response gets, and while it may require some explanation, “huh?” is sometimes the only way to react to the news of today. Defined by Merriam-Webster as an interjection that’s “used to express surprise, disbelief, or confusion, or as an inquiry inviting affirmative reply”, “huh” or “huh?” can mean a lot of different things.
Despite some of the follies of evolution (see: The Yorkshire Ripper), the development and growth of “huh” is something we should embrace. To be the change we want to see in the world, here are a few MMA stories last week that made us go “huh?”
Cory Sandhagen calls out former champ T.J. Dillashaw
Following his dominant victory over Marlon Moraes last month, Cory Sandhagen has his mind set on a number-one contender bout with two-time former UFC bantamweight champion T.J. Dillashaw. Huh.
“I definitely think my No. 1 contender fight should be against T.J. just because it makes the most sense. I think that I have a pretty strong case now, and when T.J. comes back, he’s going to have a pretty strong case. I’d love to fight him and then right after that when the winner of Yan and Sterling are ready to go, fight one of those guys in the spring or sometime.” – via MMA Fighting
We talked about potential opponents for Dillashaw’s return next year, and Sandhagen made the list. It’s an interesting matchup for a vareity of reasons, and checks a lot of boxes for fans and analysts alike.
There would be plenty at stake for both fighters, giving Sandhagen the chance to cement his chances at a title-shot in 2021 with another marquee victory. At the same time, Dillashaw getting to jump the line on the 135-pound rankings in his first fight back could have him attempting to become a three-time UFC bantamweight champion by the end of next year. Sounds fun, right?
It’s great to see quality call-outs like this, when a fighter states their case clearly and without making anyone listening or reading roll their eyes. It’s also pretty easy to do in the men’s 135-pound UFC division, especially when it comes to ranked fighters. It’s a loaded weight class, and tossing in Dillashaw next year should make for some fantastic fights. Let’s start with Dillashaw-Sandhagen.
