UFC Oklahoma City was yet another example of why the Fight Nights on the road have arguably been the best part of the MMA leader’s product for the past little while. A good mix of action and stakes, capped off with a good main event with name value at the top of the card. This time around, it was two former champions facing off, with both fighters looking to keep their title hopes alive. With UFC Oklahoma City behind us, let’s look at what’s next for the winners.
Dricus Du Plessis
The former champion held his spot near the top of the division by winning a unanimous decision over welterweight great Kamaru Usman. Though the name value in Usman is still good, going the distance with a 39-year-old Usman who has been known to have bad knees for some years is not the accomplishment it is on paper. It certainly shouldn’t be enough to leapfrog Nassourdine Imavov in the title picture, even with two wins over the current champion. I am not saying Du Plessis is three or four fights away from a title shot, he’s probably one good finish away from getting back in there, but he still needs to earn said good finish. If Gregory Rodrigues defeats Anthony Hernandez next month, the car crash that “Stillknocks” and “RoboCop” would create could result in a Fight of the Year contender, and that is an opportunity I am not willing to pass on.
Du Plessis’ next fight: Hernandez/Rodrigues winner
Christian Leroy Duncan
Though he didn’t get a finish, CLD won a clean unanimous decision over a staple of the middleweight top 10 in Jared Cannonier to keep his momentum going. With this win, the Englishman now puts himself with the Gregory Rodrigues’ and the Joe Pyfers as the next crop of 185ers looking to take out the established names. With “RoboCop” already having a fight booked, CLD can look at names such as Caio Borralho, the winner of the Sacremento co-main or even Dricus Du Plessis. However, the one I landed on is Brendan Allen, who unfortunately still seems to be in no man’s land despite a big upset win over Reinier de Ridder last October.
Leroy Duncan’s next fight: Brendan Allen
Chase Hooper
After seeing his five-fight win streak get snapped by knockout against the then fellow streaking Alexander Hernandez last summer, Chase Hooper failed to bounce back against Lance Gibson Jr. this past March. The UFC then opted to give Hooper what can only be described as a “gimme” fight against Mitch Ramirez who was winless in the UFC and on DWCS, getting KO’d in every bout. Hooper, as expected, made short work of Ramirez, and while the win was meant to get him some confidence back, the weight miss still wasn’t a good look for the 26-year-old. For that reason, I’d look to give Hooper another “gimme” before steadily increasing the level of competition again. There are multiple candidates for a fight like this, but someone like Anshul Jubli should do.
Hooper’s next fight: Anshul Jubli
Fatima Kline
Filling in on short notice up a division against a top 10 flyweight in Jasmine Jasudavicius, who is big for that weight class and in the middle of the best win streak of her career, was always going to be a tough debut for anyone. But since then, Fatima Kline has done nothing but win. This latest win against Tabatha Ricci will propel her into the strawweight top 10 and will provide her with a great opportunity to insert herself into the title conversation. With Tatiana Suarez and Zhang Weili still around, Kline will surely be in need of another win before truly asserting herself as the next challenger. I think facing the loser of the upcoming title fight in Philadelphia is exactly the kind of fight she needs next.
Kline’s next fight: Dern/Robertson loser
Tommy McMillen
Tommy McMillen earned his second UFC victory in as many fights. His loud personality combined with his fan-friendly style will surely put him in the promotion’s good graces. He asked to be on the Noche UFC card in Arizona in September and I don’t see why the UFC wouldn’t acquiesce to that demand. Why not have him fight another featherweight who will be willing to throw down and put on a show? Someone like Fernando Padilla, who happens to be Mexican, would be a good dancer partner for McMillen.
McMillen’s next fight: Fernando Padilla
