Although that may have been the most apparent injury on the card, there were droves more who wound up with the same length suspension. In total, eight more fighters would join Royval with the 180-day layoff.

Both Jennifer Maia and Alan Jouban will be facing that layoff due to some damage to their nose. Each appeared to have suffered a fracture of the nasal bone and will have to be cleared by an ear, nose, and throat doctor to get back in the cage.

There were also a trio of suspected broken hands on the card. Title challenger Alex Perez appeared to break his right hand during one of the early punches that he landed on the champ. Meanwhile, Daniel Rodriguez, who lost a controversial split decision to Nicolas Dalby saw his right hand take a hit while giving one out as well. To round out the batch, Joaquin Buckley who delivered plenty of punishment to the face of Jordan Wright, may have delivered a bit too much. He also has to have an x-ray of his right hand.

And that’s just the start of the list. You can see a full list of medical suspensions below:

Alex Perez – 180 days or until cleared by right hand x-ray
Jennifer Maia – 180 days or until cleared by ear, nose, and throat doctor
Tim Means – 30 days
Mike Perry – 45 days
Cynthia Calvillo – 180 days or until cleared by right shoulder MRI
Mauricio Rua – 45 days
Brandon Royval – 180 days or until cleared by right shoulder MRI
Joaquin Buckley – 180 days or until cleared by right hand x-ray
Ariane Lipski – 180 days or until cleared by ophthalmologist
Nicolas Dalby – 180 days or until cleared by right foot and right elbow x-rays
Daniel Rodriguez – 180 days or until cleared by right hand x-ray
Alan Jouban – 180 days or until cleared by ear, nose, and throat doctor
Jared Gooden – 45 days
Dustin Stoltzfus – 45 days
Sasha Palatnikov – 45 days
Louis Cosce – 60 days

Suspensions originally reported by Kirik Jenness.

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Deiveson Figueiredo

Figueiredo’s win over Perez marks his first title defense after winning the title against Joseph Benavidez back in July. Followin the fight, Dana White announced that Figueiredo will be staying in Vegas to defend his belt again on December 12 at UFC 256. He will be defending against Brandon Moreno who won via TKO against Brandon Royval at UFC 255. Well, that makes our job easy.

Figueiredo’s next fight: Brandon Moreno at UFC 256 

Valentina Shevchenko

Shevchenko has successfully defended her title four times now after her win over Maia this past weekend. Although Dana White didn’t book her fight as he did with Figueiredo, he did say that he would like for Shevchenko to fight Jessica Andrade in her next fight. He also said that if she gets past Andrade, he will seriously consider giving her another shot at Amanda Nunes.

Shevchenko’s next fight: Jessica Andrade

Tim Means

Tim Means won a unanimous decision over Mike Perry at UFC 255. This win puts Means on a two-fight win streak. Both of his opponents in his last two fights also missed weight. Means is a veteran of the sport and should be looking to make one last run at the title. With that being said he should be looking to fight former champion, Robbie Lawler in his next fight. Not only would this be a great stylistic match-up, but it would also be great for Means’ position in the rankings should he win. Lawler was originally scheduled to fight Perry, who Means just beat.

Means’ next fight: Robbie Lawler 

Katlyn Chookagian

Katlyn Chookagian made a fast turnaround to fight Cynthia Calvillo at UFC 255. She won the fight by a unanimous decision which makes her next fight a tough decision. Andrade will likely be getting the next shot at the title so Chookagian will likely have to fight one more time before receiving a title shot. Chookagian already has recent wins over Jennifer Maia and Cynthia Calvillo, which only leaves Lauren Murphy as a possible opponent in the top five. A lot of fans thought that Murphy should have got that title shot over Maia, so I’m sure nobody would mind her being in a number one contender fight in her next one. Chookagian has actually defeated Murphy once before, but that was four years ago, and Murphy is now on a four-fight win streak.

Chookagian’s next fight: Lauren Murphy 

Paul Craig

Paul Craig was able to finish Shogun Rua in the second round of their UFC 255 bout. Shogun was forced to tap to strikes due to a lot of intense ground and pound. Earlier in October, Jimmy Crute scored a TKO over Modestas Bukauskas. This win got Crute the number 13 ranking in the light heavyweight division. Craig is currently ranked at number 15 but he just defeated the number 14 fighter in Shogun. Craig will most likely be ranked number 14 or 13 when the rankings are updated. That fight would also be great stylistically as both Crute and Craig both have great grappling.

Craig’s next fight: Jimmy Crute

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Alex Perez

Perez’s rise to the top was a fast one, but also one that did not include many high ranked opponents. While he did beat Jordan Espinosa and Jussier Formiga, noticeably absent from that resume is a top level striker in the division. Kai Kara-France is also coming off a high level loss and would be a great way to find out a little more about Perez’s game. Should he have no problem with Kara-France, he would quickly be back near a contender fight.

Alex Perez’s Next Fight: Kai Kara-France

Jennifer Maia

Maia shocked the world for one whole round on Saturday. Round 2 saw her control Valentina Shevchenko in a way nobody really expected her to. Despite the positives, the loss brings her record to 2-2 in her last 4, which includes missing weight twice. As such, she’s going to have to do some work to get herself anywhere near a title shot. Standing in a similar position is Jessica Eye, who also flopped in her efforts to wrangle the belt from Shevchenko. This would give either one of them a step in the right direction.

Jennifer Maia’s Next Fight: Jessica Eye

Mike Perry

After missing weight fairly badly after joking about eating burgers (and that’s not even to mention domestic abuse allegations and a litany of other shenanigans), it’s hard to imagine that this next bout would be in the UFC. With that being said, the UFC has a way of surprising us regarding these types of things. If we ignore all of that, we all know what we want to see for Mike Perry fights. We want to see him mix it up with a fearless, power puncher. Abdul Razak Alhassan has dropped two in a row, including a brutal one to Khaos Williams. If Perry is still in the UFC, let’s allow these two to throw caution to the wind and duke it out.

Mike Perry’s Next Fight: Abdul Razak-Alhassan

Cynthia Calvillo

Calvillo’s run in the flyweight division has been quick and very high level. In just two fights, she fought two title challengers and finds herself ranked in the top 5. However, this past weekend, she found out that the wrestling skills that brought her to so many wins in her career are a little less absolute up at flyweight. Some of that was due to the fact that Chookagian is a master of keeping the distance. To test and see if that is the sole reason, let’s pair Calvillo with Roxy Modafferi. Roxy loves the clinch and likes to mix it up on the ground herself, and therefore would be the perfect test to see if Calvillo’s style is going to keep working at 125lbs.

Cynthia Calvillo’s Next Fight: Roxanne Modafferi

Shogun Rua

Shogun will turn 39 later this week and just had the momentum of a 3-fight unbeaten streak halted — and in dominant fashion. This loss is likely going to drop him from the rankings and into that zone known as “fun fights.” When you think about light heavyweight and having fun striking contests, Sam Alvey is always a name at the tip of your tongue. Given a partner willing to throw, Smilin’ Sam never disappoints. Rua seems willing to let those hands go now, and it seems like his wrestling has waned a bit. As a result, Alvey might be just the partner he needs to bring out the classic Shogun.

Shogun Rua’s Next Fight: Sam Alvey

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Daukaus keeps a notebook to assist him with both his fighting career, and daily life as well, he told media outlets following the fight. Which contains “A lot of just like mental repetition stuff. I go like day-to-day, write down how I feel, write down my AM and PM routine. And just my goals for the day, you know, trying to be the best brother, be the best boyfriend, and be the best son I can be every day.”

At UFC 255, Daukaus (10-1) secured his first win inside the octagon. After a short-notice opportunity didn’t go his way earlier this year, things were much different this time out. The fight went the distance, in the end. There were moments in the fight that Daukaus appeared to have opponent Dustin Stoltzfus hurt. It’s not something he was aware of at the time — and that awareness, he believes, will come with experience.

“It’s weird. Like, when you’re in there, you don’t recognize it until afterwards,” Daukaus explained. “I recognized like three times that they were telling me ‘he’s hurt, he’s hurt.’ And I’m just like, damn, I really wish I could just zone in and focus in and see that. But that all takes experience. Every single time I’m getting in the cage I’m focusing more on what’s happening, and I’ll get there soon enough.”

Daukaus also downplayed the “Battle of Pennsylvania” narrative surrounding the fight. There’s no bragging rights with the win, he said. “I mean, not really. He lives in Germany. I saw he’s from Pennsylvania, I’m like, ‘dude, you’re from Germany. You’ve been living there for a while now.’ That’s my state.”

Watch the full UFC 255 post-fight press conference with Kyle Daukaus above.

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Craig (14-4-1) isn’t letting it go to his head, however. “That’s just the sport of MMA. Some you win, some you lose,” he told media outlets including Cageside Press backstage at the UFC Apex.

During the fight, in a grappling exchange, Craig was the victim of an unintentional “oil check” from the PRIDE legend. While no doubt unpleasant at the time, getting a finger up the bum from Shogun will be “something ingrained in my butthole forever,” Craig joked following the bout.

Following the fight, some questioned whether Shogun is the fighter he once was. But as Craig sees it, “he’s still Shogun Rua, and he still has that one-punch knockout power.”

On the radar now are some other big names in the light heavyweight division. “I match up well with anybody in the top ten of that division, with my grappling ability,” proclaimed Craig. “Guys like Johnny Walker are a good fight for me. Very very explosive and very very wild, but I feel, stylistically, he makes mistakes, and I can capitalize on that.”

“Not only that, we’ve got Misha Cirkunov, as well,” he continued. “He’s a grappler, I think that could make an interesting fight. Normally turns into a slugfest. And then we’ve got guys like Glover Teixeira. I took out Shogun Rua. Could we get another legend out of this game?”

Only Walker is free, coming off a win back in September. Cirkunov has a fight lined up with Ryan Spann currently, while Teixeira is in the running for a title shot. So Craig may have to wait a bit — but he’s likely due for a step up in competition upon return.

Watch the full UFC 255 post-fight press conference with Paul Craig above.

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It’s probably indicative of recency bias in a sport that is constantly obsessed with a fighter’s most recent performance, and who the big winner of late is. Calvillo made her debut in the flyweight division this year, and knocked off a top contender and former title challenger in Jessica Eye.

Chookagian? Yesterday’s news, right up until she wasn’t. Instead, she used a smart game plan, relying on her reach and constant movement, to just plain outwork Calvillo en route to a unanimous decision win.

“It was definitely easier than some of our sparring sessions,” Chookagian (15-4) said following the fight, referencing training partner Sijara Eubanks, who fights next month. And when it comes to Calvillo, there might be another reason she entered as the favorite: a record that isn’t what it seems at first glance.

“She hasn’t faced too many top-level fighters. A lot of her finishes are girls that are in the bottom of strawweight or have even been cut,” observed Chookagian. “It’s next level fighting. It’s easy to just bulldoze through someone when they’re inexperienced or scared.”

As to what comes next for Chookagian, the landscape at 125 probably dictates that she’ll have to play gatekeeper for a while. “Blonde Fighter” had her own title shot earlier this year, after all.

“Obviously, if anyone wants to get by Valentina [Shevchenko], they probably have to fight me first,” Chookagian said. “I’ve already beat Lauren Murphy, but I’ll do it again. It’s an easy paycheck. So whatever. I don’t care who I fight, I just want to stay active. And I have no injuries. I’ve had five fights in a year. So if I can keep that going on, I like that.”

Watch the full UFC 255 post-fight press conference with Katlyn Chookagian above.

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When Buckley scored a highlight reel two-touch knockout in October against Impa Kasanganay, a kick that will live on in replays the way the “Showtime Kick” did, Krause was one of the few naysayers. Not about the kick, but about Buckley himself. “He’s been kicked out of every gym in St. Louis, I’ve never heard a good word said about him,” Krause said in an interview with What the Heck (via MMA Fighting) shortly after Buckley went viral.

Buckley, it turned out, had asked to train at Krause’s gym. Krause refused, and later said he was willing to fight Buckley.

Following another big knockout win at UFC 255, Buckley gave his side of the story. “It’s just the mentality of where I come from. A lot of people hate on each other. A lot of people don’t want to see another person rise up and be successful if they can’t be put in that position themselves,” he said after his knockout of Jordan Wright on Saturday. “I think it’s just hatred, just envy. At the end of the day, whatever he said about me, he could have proved, for me to come in and spar with him. He wasn’t willing to do that. He just wants to keep a brother down.”

With the crux of the issue seeming to be Buckley’s behavior in sparring, “I had to go to a whole other place just to get some love. And they don’t complain about my sparring. At all,’ he stated.

So in short, Buckley does not believe that he’s a bad training partner. “No, I don’t. You can ask Khaos [Williams], you can ask anyone from Michigan. They’ll tell you the truth.”

Buckley was quick to say he’d be willing to fight Krause, at middleweight. He’s just not about to put his rival’s name in the headlines, at least not directly. “[The fight] definitely makes sense for me, for sure. But at the end of the day, I’m not going to say his name. I don’t need to,” he said.

However, with two straight wins, he’s hoping to get on the Conor McGregor card next year. Whether it’s Krause he’s fighting or not. “That’d be dope. Yeah. As soon as possible. ASAP.”

Watch the full UFC 255 post-fight press conference with Joaquin Buckley above.

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Can you blame him? Moreno was ranked #1 in the division coming into the fight. The UFC opted to promote a lower-ranked fighter to face Deiveson Figueiredo. Moreno, meanwhile, got Royval as his own replacement.

Moreno got the job done at least. While Royval was hurt in the fight, bringing it to an early end, Moreno looked dominant while it lasted. “I don’t know nothing about injuries. I just know I beat Brandon Royval, I get the W this night,” said Moreno. “That’s all that matters to me right now. I’m so happy right now.”

Later, he admitted that yes, “I know something happened in the fight. But I dominated in the fight.”

And it should be no surprise, believes Moreno, that as good as Royval is on the ground, he held his own. “Everyone forgets, all my career, I was an amazing Brazilian jiu-jitsu fighter. I think right now, I’m a more complete athlete. My striking is better right now,” he pointed out. “But my Brazilian jiu-jitsu, it’s amazing too.”

Following the win, Moreno was unsure about his chances of landing a title fight. “Beat Alex Perez, and you’re the next for the title,” Moreno said he was told by the promotion prior to UFC 255. “Right now, they say the same stuff. It’s hard to believe them again, because they put Alex Perez [in the fight] for the title.”

Well, the good news came after the event. Dana White announced that Deiveson Figueiredo would fight Brandon Moreno for the UFC flyweight championship next month.

That will be the end of a tough road for Moreno — and the start of another journey, potentially. “I think my road to the title is tougher than other people. Because I’m not a trash talker,” Moreno said Saturday. “I hate going on Twitter, because there’s too much haters. I’m a martial artist. I think my statement was my fighting. And that’s it.”

Watch the full UFC 255 post-fight press conference with Brandon Moreno above.

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That may actually be a tad heavy on the hyperbole. But Perry did come in at 175.5lbs, a full 4.5lbs over the acceptable welterweight limit for a non-title affair. Championship weight? Forget it.

Means (31-12-1, 1NC) wound up taking home a unanimous decision win in a hard fought contest. Perry had the chance for a submission early, something of a surprise. Means slowly picked him apart on the feet, bloodying Perry’s face in the process.

After the fight, Means was not at all sore about his opponent missing weight. The fine money being the main factor. “He gave me $27,000 so I don’t care about what he does,” Means told media outlets including Cageside Press.

Perry’s weight became a question mark when he began posting clips of himself chowing down on burgers ahead of the bout. Means confirmed backstage Saturday that “Platinum” had been direct messaging him on social media with similar content.

“He was sending me Instagram messages like two weeks ago, eating big cheeseburgers with onion rings on them, stuff like that. They looked delicious,” revealed Means. “He asked me how the weight cut was going, I sent him some pictures of broccoli, avocados or whatever.”

Turnabout is fair play. And Means seems to accept that stunts like that come with the territory when it comes to Mike Perry. “We knew with Mike, coming into this fight, I know him behind the scenes and stuff. What you get on camera, that’s exactly who he is off camera,” Means said. “I have nothing but respect for the guy. I know he’s going through some adversity and stuff, this sh*t will just make him stronger.”

Perry’s cheeseburger taunts weren’t the only bizarre incident attached to the pair’s UFC 255 fight. During the walkout, the wrong walkout song was played for Perry. He wound up coming out to Beyonce’s Halo, and Means revealed that when he entered the cage, Perry was actually singing. “He serenaded me, it was quite nice.”

Though Perry is known for his powerful punches, Means also told reporters that he was never hurt in the fight. “No. I thought he would hit harder than he did.”

Watch the full UFC 255 post-fight press conference with Tim Means above.

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“I’m ready to get back and have another title defense,” she told media outlets backstage at the UFC Apex, following a unanimous decision win over Jennifer Maia. That was title defense number four. The fact that Maia managed to win a round raised some eyebrows, but by the time the bell rang, it wasn’t exactly close.

Following her victory, UFC President Dana White suggested that Jessica Andrade, the former strawweight champ who recently arrived at flyweight, should be next for “Bullet.”

“I don’t choose my opponents. Whoever will be in front of me, I’m going to face,” Shevchenko responded to the suggestion. “For me, it doesn’t make any difference. Andrade, or someone else, or whoever.”

The flyweight champion does see the merit in hosting a number one contender’s fight for the division, mind you. It’s the timing that troubles her.

“I think it would be fair to have Andrade against Lauren Murphy,” suggested Shevchenko “because Lauren Murphy, she showed her strengths and she has a lot of wins.”

“But the question is if I want to wait that much,” she added, immediately answering her own question by saying that “I don’t want to wait that much. Because I was waiting a lot already, and I’m not agreeing to wait more. Because if they fight, they have to recover, and it’s going to be a few months from there. And I’m ready to go back to the octagon as soon as I feel good — and I feel good.”

When asked about a return time frame, Shevchenko couldn’t give a specific month. First, she wants to celebrate the win over Maia. “It’s not going to be long,” she promised.

Asked about another fight against Amanda Nunes at bantamweight, or perhaps Weili Zhang moving up to challenge for Shevchenko’s flyweight title, the Kyrgyzstani fighter still has her heart set on another fight with “The Lioness.”

“I think knowing that our second fight, I didn’t lose to Amanda — I technically lost, but I didn’t — I think the third fight is going to be something big,” Shevchenko predicted. “But it has to be in the right time, right place. And I would like to see it not without fans. With a lot of crowds, with a lot of energy.”

“I know it’s going to happen sometime, some day. It’s going to be huge,” she added.

Watch the full UFC 255 post-fight press conference with Valentina Shevchenko above.

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