UFC London went down on Saturday featuring an exciting 13-fight card. The main card was a special treat for fans, featuring six fights. In the main event, former welterweight champion, Leon Edwards, was strangled by Sean Brady in championship rounds. The co-main event featured the unsuccessful return of former light heavyweight champion. Jan Blachowicz, who was coming back from an extended layoff due to injury and fell in a chess match to Carlos Ulberg.
This edition of losers matchmaker features a couple of former champions, a fighter that’s winless with the promotion and a couple of exciting strikers.
Leon Edwards
Leon Edwards was submitted by Sean Brady via guillotine choke in the fourth round of the UFC London main event on Saturday. Edwards was originally supposed to take on Jack Della Maddalena but JDM rebooked and is now fighting Belal Muhammad for the belt at UFC 315. That fact, makes this fight outcome sting just that much more for Leon.
Edwards entered the fight ranked at #1 in the welterweight division, while his opponent, Sean Brady, was ranked at #5. Leon is just two losses removed from a 13-fight unbeaten streak that saw him capture the welterweight belt. You can’t disrespect Leon’s body of work with his next matchup but one more loss could slide him out of the elites of the welterweight division.
Leon should fight Ian Garry next. Ian last fought in December of last year when he lost his first pro MMA bout opposite of Shavkat Rakhmonov. Garry is ranked at #7 in the welterweight division and has some dynamic striking as well as good fight IQ. This has all the potential makings of an excellent technical stand-up battle between two of the best muay thai strikers in the division. Winner would go back to being one impressive win away from challenging from the belt. Loser would likely have to fight someone rising thru the ranks with a trajectory inside the top 7 of the division.
Edwards’s next fight: Ian Garry
Jan Blachowicz
Jan Blachowicz lost a competitive unanimous decision to the streaking Carlos Ulberg in Saturday’s UFC London co-headliner. Blachowicz suffered a shoulder injury ahead of his scheduled fight with Aleksandar Rakic in January of 2024. So, this was the first time fans had seen Jan since his split decision loss to Alex Pereira in July of 2023.
Blachowicz is now 0-2-1 thru his last three bouts (including a split draw to Magomed Ankalaev in 2022). Despite the layoff, Jan entered the bout ranked at #3 in the light heavyweight division while Carlos was ranked at #6.
Jan’s next fight should be a rematch against Aleksandar Rakic. The two have a weird fight history. Jan and Aleksandar were first scheduled to fight in March of 2022, but the fight was cancelled due to a neck injury from Rakic. When the two finally fought a few months later, Rakic injured his knee in the third round of the bout triggering a TKO win for Jan. Blachowicz would go on to have his draw against Ankalaev and lost against Pereira- while Rakic recovered from his injury. The two fighters were booked for a rematch in January of last year, but Jan withdrew due to a shoulder injury. In the meantime, Rakic was finished by Jiri Prochazka and lost a decision to Magomed Ankalaev, most recently.
This would be a great time to revisit this fight considering how the last couple of years have played out for both fighters. Rakic is currently ranked at #5 in the UFC’s light heavyweight division. Winner would be right back in the conversation of one or two wins from a title shot. A definitive ending to that saga could be interesting if this matchup materializes. But the winner of #8 Nikita Krylov vs #11 Dominick Reyes at UFC 314 could also make sense depending on how that fight goes.
Blachowicz’s next fight: Aleksandar Rakic
Gunnar Nelson
Gunnar Nelson dropped a tough fight to Kevin Holland in his first UFC fight in two years. Nelson had a couple of moments in the bout but was largely pieced up on the feet. The loss snapped a two-fight winning streak for Gunnar (that saw him earn victories over Takashi Sato and Bryan Barberena).
Despite the inactivity, Gunnar has fought some very stiff competition. He is a tough and more than competent fighter, even at the age of 36 years old. There are a lot of opponents that Gunnar could potentially take on next. Bottom line is Gunnar has competed just three times since 2019, it seems like he is content take on meaningful challenges against proven competition.
With that in mind, Gunnar should take on Rafael dos Anjos for his next fight. The former lightweight champ is a tall task and a big name but he’s now 40 years old. RDA has lost three of his last four fights and suffered a knee injury in his last bout against Geoff Neal last October. A fighter like Gunnar would be a good test for RDA when he returns. And Gunnar would likely appreciate some time on the shelf waiting for RDA to fully recover from his injury (if the past six years have been any indication). A solid name for Gunnar and a meaningful fight for the division between two older, tenured, vets.
Nelson’s next fight: Rafael dos Anjos
Molly McCann
Molly McCann was quickly overwhelmed and submitted in her fight against UFC newcomer, Alexia Thainara, at UFC London. The loss was Molly’s second straight and she has now lost four of her last five fights.
After the result an emotional Molly took to the center of the octagon to express that if she couldn’t beat a fighter making their debut on short notice- then it’s time to move on. McCann subsequently announced her retirement ending her tenure with the UFC with a 7-7 record, and four performance bonuses at 34 years old.
McCann’s next fight: Retirement
Jordan Vucenic
Jordan Vucenic was guillotined by Chris Duncan in the second round of their bout on Saturday. The 29-year-old English fighter is now 0-2 in his UFC tenure since being signed in August of last year.
Winless within the UFC’s lightweight division is a scary place to be. Jordan should fight Bolaji Oki in his next fight. Oki, who is also 29, is a 2023 Contender Series alum who is 1-1 with the UFC. Oki won his debut last February defeating Timmy Cuamba (a featherweight) by split decision. In Bolaji’s last fight, he was also submitted by a guillotine choke in the first round by Chris Duncan. This would be the perfect fight for both men. A fighter that is 0-2 vs a fighter that is 1-1 with a split decision against a guy from a lighter weight class. The loser of this bout will likely be packing their bags.
Vucenic’s next fight: Bolaji Oki
Morgan Charriere
Morgan Charriere lost a unanimous decision to Nathaniel Wood in what was both a competitive and entertaining fight to open the UFC London main card. Charriere has lost two of his last three fights but is 2-2 with the UFC. This was Morgan’s first bout with the UFC where he was unsuccessful in securing a performance bonus.
Morgan’s next fight should be against an old foe in William Gomis. Gomis competed earlier this month when he was edged out in a split decision opposite of Hyder Amil. Morgan defeated William in 2016 via heel hook for the 100% Fight featherweight tournament championship. This fight was previewed in an earlier edition of losers as a possibility. Both guys produce some action-packed fights and revisiting an old matchup could easily result in fireworks for fans.
Morgan’s next fight: William Gomis
