Of course the most pressing of those narratives is the knee heard around the world. In the first of three title fights, Petr Yan landed a blatantly illegal knee to the head of Aljamain Sterling, ending the bout early. The bout caused plenty of a stir online with back and forth between the two fighters regarding the legitimacy of the injuries. The Nevada State Athletic Commission seems to have deemed the injuries legitimate and issued Aljamain Sterling a sixty day suspension – which, for the record, is fairly standard for a concussive blow.

Sterling won’t be the only one coming out of a title fight with a layoff. Both Megan Anderson and Israel Adesanya have been handed 180 day suspensions for their injuries in the cage. Anderson appears to have taken damage from the triangle arm bar and punches leading up to it. Her suspension is contingent upon x-rays to the nose and and MRI of the elbow in question. Adesanya on the other hand appears to have damage to his left foot and ankle and will need x-rays there. Each of these suspensions can be lessened by doctor’s clearance.

Full list of medical suspensions:

Jan Blachowicz – 30 days
Israel Adesanya – 180 days or until cleared by left foot and ankle x-ray
Megan Anderson – 180 days or until or until cleared by right elbow MRI and nasal x-ray
Aljamain Sterling – 60 days
Aleksandar Rakic – 180 days or until cleared by right ankle x-ray
Thiago Santos – 21 days
Dominick Cruz – 30 days
Casey Kenney – 30 days
Kyler Phillips – 30 days
Song Yadong – 21 days
Joseph Benavidez – 45 days
Rogerio Bontorin – 45 days
Tim Elliott – 30 days
Jordan Espinosa – 180 days or until cleared by right hand x-ray
Kennedy Nzechukwu – 30 days
Carlos Ulberg – 45 days
Jake Matthews – 30 days
Livia Souza – 45 days
Aalon Cruz – 45 days
Mario Bautista – 45 days

Suspensions originally reported by Kirik Jenness.

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Israel Adesanya

Israel Adesanya’s quest to become a champ-champ was thwarted by the late grappling, and distance management of Jan Blachowicz. While his foray into the light heavyweight class wasn’t successful, Style Bender is still the champ at middleweight, which is where he should return. Part of what made this divisional change possible was that a contender was waiting to shake itself out. This gave it some time to happen, but it appears to still need one more fight to do so. Former champion Robert Whittaker and Paulo Costa square off next month. The winner of that fight should get their second crack at Adesanya’s middleweight belt.

Israel Adesanya’s Next Fight: Whittaker/Costa Winner

Megan Anderson

Apart from actually assembling a division for her to be in, the options are fairly limited for Megan Anderson. There’s no way she’s going down to 135lbs and there is virtually nobody at 145lbs for her to fight next. The lone fight booked in the division is Danyelle Wolf vs Felicia Spencer. Seemingly the only option for her is to fight the winner of that in what would probably be a #1 contenders fight. The bottom line is that the UFC need to fish or cut bait here.

Megan Anderson’s Next Fight: Wolf/Spencer Winner

Petr Yan

Going into that fateful fourth round, Petr Yan was ahead on two of the three judges’ scorecards. By all accounts, he was ahead in the fourth leading up to the very illegal knee that ended the fight. That round would have been enough, save a finish by Sterling, for him to take the decision. Given that fact, you have to imagine that they’re going to have to run this one back when the two are healthy. Being that there will be a nice narrative that the UFC can sell, I’d be surprised if they didn’t do just that.

Petr Yan’s Next Fight: Aljamain Sterling

Drew Dober

Drew Dober was right on the edge of the top 15 thanks to his three-fight win streak, but looked out of his element again Islam Makhachev. Often lauded for his takedown defense, Dober had no answers for the Russian in that arena. Being as Makhachev may wind up being a title challenger, there is no reason to send Dober too far back in the line after a loss like this. I do think that he needs to prove that his ability to keep his feet in a fight is as-advertised if he is going to fight ranked guys. A great test for that would be Armenian-prospect Arman Tsarukyan. His ten takedowns in his last fight showed just what a problem he could be, and it would be nice to see if that’s the type of problem Dober is capable of solving.

Drew Dober’s Next Fight: Arman Tsarukyan

Thaigo Santos

Thiago Santos has now lost three straight after the dominant streak that led him to the title. In this fight, he not only seemed a little gun-shy, but also a touch too slow for the likes of Rakic, who picked away at him for 15 minutes. While he is certainly capable of hanging with the top of the division, it is time for him to take a bigger step down and build the confidence back up. Magomed Ankalaev would be a good one to test this. His threat of the takedown may not be as scary as Glover Teixeira, his hands not as fast a Rakic. If Santos is going to make a second run, it will have to start with someone of that caliber.

Thaigo Santos’ Next Fight: Magomed Ankalaev

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The word “official” needs to be inserted into that sentence mainly because Jones’ first win, a Comeback of the Year effort against Timur Valiev last year, was overturned by the Nevada State Athletic Commission. Over something most jurisdictions as well as USADA are becoming more lenient on, if not doing away with entirely: marijuana use.

Still, that Valiev win is in the record books as a no contest. The Baustista win is official, however. And Jones showed that bantamweights can hit hard.

“Back when I wasn’t in the UFC I used to hear them say the 35’ers don’t have a lot of power,” he exclaimed during the UFC 259 post-fight press conference. “I’m just showing something new in the division.”

Jones (13-6, 1NC) saw the writing on the wall in the second frame. “Coming into the second round, he wasn’t moving the same no more. He was right in front of me, just like I like to fight — and that was a bad night for him.”

Moving forward in 2021, Jones is looking for “more wins man, more wins. Stay focused, like I was so focused for this fight. And I just want to win.”

He was also pulling for a post-fight bonus. “I hope I get that Performance of the Night, because I just want to get my grandma a house. If I get my grandma a house, I’m happy. And I can come out and keep putting on great fights for Dana White, and you guys. And that’s all I want,” he stated.

“My grandma took me and my brothers and sisters in when we were young and my mom passed away,” Jones continued. That saw the entire family move to Guam in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. “I just want to return the favor. I’m in the position now to be the first out of my brothers and sisters to return the favor. If I get her out of her little apartment, get her a house, my happiness goes through the roof, and I can come out here and fight unlimited for you guys.”

Jones did not, unfortunately, win a Performance of the Night bonus at UFC 259 in the end. But he’s back on the right track in his burgeoning UFC career.

Watch the full UFC 259 post-fight press conference with Trevin Jones above.

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Known as “The Matrix,” Phillips landed a nasty head kick on the Chinese fighter early in the bout. Yadong, showing some grit, not to mention some chin, kept right on going.

“I hit him in the first with that right head kick, and I was like ‘damn, that guy took that shot.’ I thought it would have put him out,” Phillips said after the bout, which ultimately saw him win a unanimous decision. “And when he took that, I was like, ‘okay.’ It made me feel good inside. Because I was like, ‘I’m in for a fight.’ This is a top 15 guy in the UFC, the big show of my dreams. This just got real.”

It did get real. The pair threw down in a high-level bout that even caught the attention of former UFC interim lightweight champion Justin Gaethje.

Speaking at the UFC 259 post-fight press conference, Phillips revealed that he was further motivated, believe it or not, when he was hit by a couple of Yadong’s big right hands. “It’s good to get that type of fight, because usually I’m very technical, or I’ll try to take a guy out on the ground, or standing. So it was good to get one of those fights in there.”

What’s next for Phillips? That remains to be seen. “I’m going to the top, man. I’m going to go home and make some decisions, but I can’t wait to just keep working my way up.”

At 25, it would seem that he has time on his side. With his prime still ahead of him. “I like to think like that, as far as opportunity, and window of opportunity,” agreed Phillips. “But I also know, on the opposite end, it doesn’t really matter. There’s people that start in this sport late. But I know at this point in my career right now, there is no putting on the brakes. There is no chilling out, there is no going back.”

Watch the full UFC 259 post-fight press conference with Kyler Phillips above.

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She did it against a former Invicta FC champion in Livia Renata Souza, en route to a knockout win in the opening round. After the victory, Lemos said she has more to show.

“It means a lot to me. I want to do a lot more, I can show a lot more,” Lemos said during the UFC 259 post-fight press conference. “But it does mean a lot to me to be recognized among those four.”

Alongside herself, the other female athletes to land two knockdowns in a single fight are Amanda Nunes, Lucie Pudilova, and Joanne Calderwood.

With a dominant win under her belt, Lemos (9-1-1) is hoping to return to action sooner rather than later. “One week resting, I’ll be back training. I want May or June, as soon as I can get back into the ring.”

Asked about the divisional rankings and breaking into the top 15, Lemos said that “I think I deserve it. I can do a lot more. I want to be able to show the fans what I can do so that I can keep on moving forward.” She’s shown a lot in her last three fights, with three straight wins, two via finish.

Lemos has a couple of names in mind for when she does break into the rankings. “I want to fight a top 10. Michelle Waterson and Angela Hill seem like good names.”

Watch the full UFC 259 post-fight press conference with Amanda Lemos above.

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It came in a Comeback of the Year sort of effort, Kara-France (22-9, 1NC) weathered an early storm on the ground, where he was clearly out-classed, then came back and landed a knockout of Rogerio Bontorin late in the first round. A walk-off KO at that.

“I knew my experience would get me through this night,” Kara-France said during the post-fight press conference, speaking to media outlets including Cageside Press. “Weathered the storm, and just had to let the cannon out. Live up to this nickname, and just throw with bad intentions.”

Kara-France’s nickname, for those unaware, is “Don’t Blink.” After surviving a nasty submission attempt earlier in the fight, the New Zealand native did indeed live up to it in the end.

“I knew the finish would be there, just had to be patient, and there it was. Vintage Mark Hunt walkaway knockout,” said Kara-France. “Shout out to Mark Hunt.”

The ending was a bit of a mess, mind you. Kara-France walked away from the scene prior to referee Herb Dean actually waving it off. For a moment, it seemed like Dean wasn’t going to make the call. Kara-France briefly looked ready to re-engage, before the ref called the fight, leading to an irate Rogerio Bontorin throwing his mouthpiece.

“When I saw him hugging the mat, face-planting the mat, I knew it was over,” said Kara-France. The connection from the punch, he said, “was full impact, and I knew it was just going to get even worse if I jumped on him. I’m not there to do more damage than needed to be [done].”

Shortly before Kai Kara-France walked out for his fight, teammate Carlos Ulberg was on the losing end of a hard-hitting affair with Kennedy Nzechukwu.

“It’s always tough watching teammates take losses,” noted Kara-France. Especially just before his own fight. “It’s something I’ve had to learn in life not to absorb. Situations or energy, don’t let it consume you. You’ve just got to take it as it comes.”

The key was to “re-focus, and know that that doesn’t effect me.” But despite that, and having his own job to do, Kara-France did admit that “I put pressure on myself to be like ‘I’ve got to turn this back around and pick the energy back up.’ Especially with my teammate fighting for a second title tonight, we want to bring him into this fight on a high.”

Watch the full UFC 259 post-fight press conference with Kai Kara-France above.

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In the first round alone, unofficially, opponent Carlos Ulberg threw over 100 strikes. More got through than Nzechukwu no doubt would have liked.

“Absolutely. I shouldn’t have taken those shots, but I was just trying to get my mind in it, because I had a year and a half layoff from the cage,” Nzechukwu (8-1) said following the bout. “I was trying to get focused.”

Nzechukwu, like Ulberg, is firmly in the “prospect” category for now. While City Kickboxing’s Ulberg got the spotlight in his debut, Nzechukwu is equally promising. In his third UFC bout Saturday, he ultimately picked up his second win, first finish (knocking out Ulberg in the second round), and his first Fight of the Night bonus.

Not too shabby, even if he did get hit a little too much. “He did get some strikes in, but I just knew I had to pressure him and keep that forward pressure, because cardio’s going to weather as time goes on,” noted Nzechukwu.

Throughout the fight, Ulberg appeared to have his head glued to the centerline. His hands rarely came up above chest level. That’s something Nzechukwu had picked up on ahead of the affair. “Yeah, me and my coach study the City Kickboxing guys, and we see that they usually keep their chin up in the air,’ Nzechukwu said, adding “and they have that lateral movement. [My coach] just wanted me to throw more of the hooks, to get him to my power hand before I threw my straight. We just worked on the hooks in the back before I stepped out to the cage.”

Nzechukwu wants more fights in 2021, but first he plans to go back to the drawing board with his coaches. He also addressed whether Saturday’s bout was a setup fight for Ulberg — one Nzechukwu was expected to lose. After all, Ulberg comes from a red hot team, where he trains alongside star Israel Adesanya.

“Yeah,” Ulberg replied to that suggestion. Only Nzechukwu doesn’t seem to be taken aback by it. “I mean to be honest, he wants to get paid just as much as I want to get paid. So I’m not going to put so much emphasis on that setup part of it,” he said. “I just want to win. Once I get the victory, I just want to go home and thank God. That’s pretty much it.”

Watch the full UFC 259 post-fight press scrum with Kennedy Nzechukwu above.

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Coming in heavy on weigh-in day is something no fighter wants. Yet these things happen in MMA, where extreme weight cuts have become the norm. In just about any other circumstance, missing weight by a single pound might get a pass in the long run. But for Askarov, his bout with Joseph Benavidez on Saturday was seen as a chance to stake his claim for a title shot.

Missing weight was not a good start. Although winning a dominant decision likely made up for that, at least in part.

“First of all, I just want to bring my apologies for not making the weight limit at the weigh-ins,” Askarov said following the fight, speaking to media outlets including Cageside Press during a post-fight press conference appearance. Apologizing to Joseph Benavidez directly as well, Askarov explained that “there was some miscalculation during the training camp. I’ll do my best, it won’t happen ever in future.”

Regardless of the weight flub, Askarov (13-0-1) remained upbeat after the win. “I’m happy, I’m happy to pass over such a big name in the division. That was good experience for me, because I see my next fight as a title fight,” he said.

After the victory, still in the octagon, Askarov made it clear that his goal was the belt. And he’s not worried about any other names that turn up in the mix while champ Deiveson Figueiredo and number one contender Brandon Moreno prepare for their rematch later this year.

“Main thing, I want to fight for this belt. When I get the belt, and after that, it doesn’t matter who’s going to come,” said Askarov. “[Cody] Garbrandt’s going to come, [Daniel] Cormier’s going to come to this division, [Henry] Cejudos’ going to come back— I can fight with all of them. But the first thing for me that I see, the goal is the belt.”

Watch the full UFC 259 post-fight press conference with Askar Askarov above.

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The highly anticipated debut of Contender Series alum Medic (7-0) did not disappoint at UFC 259. “The Doctor” was explosive, lightening quick, and simply steamrolled opponent Aalon Cruz in preliminary card action.

“I wasn’t expecting that. I thought he was going to start off slower. I thought he had that game plan prepared where he was going to take things easy,” he said following the fight, speaking to media outlets including Cageside Press backstage at the UFC Apex. Medic explained that he had expected Aalon Cruz to try to take him to the ground, “which he eventually tried, but that wasn’t very successful.”

“I kind of saw him trying to strike with me and after that didn’t work out, I expected him to shoot,” he continued. “I was strong, defended the takedowns, capitalized, and finished the fight. I wouldn’t say it was too hard or too crazy. I’m happy with the performance.”

The only drawback from the Performance Bonus-winning affair was what many saw as a late stoppage by referee Marc Smith. Not that Medic is to blame for that — he was simply doing his job, continuing to batter Cruz until the ref intervened. Unfortunately for Cruz, the ref was easily a minute late when he finally called off the fight.

Medic agreed that the end came later than it should have. “Yes, yeah. I think it was a late stoppage. I feel bad for Cruz,” he stated. The rule of thumb is that a fighter needs to be intelligently defending himself; that wasn’t the case as the fight wore on. “I saw him taking the damage, and he wasn’t defending himself properly, because a lot of it was landing. He was bleeding a little bit. I thought it could have been stopped sooner.”

While Cruz’s corner had called out that Medic was gassing out, Medic disputed that notion. “My tempo was slowing down, but I wasn’t gassing out. I was prepared for this fight, I had a full camp. I could have kept that momentum going. I hope he’s okay, I hope nothing bad happens. I don’t think it was too crazy, but it definitely could have been stopped a little bit sooner just so he can get back in the game a little bit sooner.”

Although, Medic added, “that’s the fight game. Nobody forces us to do this.”

Watch the full UFC 259 post-fight press conference with Uros Medic above.

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Rakic (14-2) went three rounds with Brazil’s Thiago Santos. It was not the barn-burner fans expected, with Rakic instead controlling the range and avoiding the Brazilian’s powerful strikes.

The question now is, was it enough to earn him a shot at the title? “I hope so,” said Rakic. Speaking at the UFC 259 post-fight press conference, Rakic revealed that he’d told Dana White after the fight that “I’m the new face of the light heavyweight division.”

“I’m young, I’m hungry, I fight well, I have a good record, and I’m representing the sport the best way. I’m a good guy, added Rakic. In terms of his resume, “Thiago is the third former title challenger in a row for me.”

He might have to wait his turn, as Glover Teixeira has the next title fight locked up it seems. But if that’s the case, Rakic is willing to be patient. “I’m going to wait for my shot.”

Of course, the waiting could take a while. When Rakic spoke to reporters Saturday, it was prior to the Jan Blachowicz vs. Israel Adesanya main event. Asked how long he was willing to sit, the Austrian replied “I don’t know. Let’s see how the main event fight goes. If Adesanya wins, we need to see when he wants to come to the light heavyweight division.” Adesanya, however, didn’t win, simplifying the title picture at 205lbs.

“If Jan wins, then the UFC needs to decide what’s next,” Rakic continued. But he had one warning for the division. “The longer they wait, it’s not good for them. Because I’m a talented guy improving every day. I’m training all my skills every day. And I’m improving like I cannot explain. You would have to follow me one month to see. I have the best coaches in my corner.”

Watch the full UFC 259 post-fight press conference with Aleksandar Rakic above.

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