Curtis Blaydes

After his win over Daukaus, Blaydes said that he would like to fight Ciryl Gane for the interim heavyweight title next. This win puts Blaydes on a two-fight win streak and he should be ranked inside the top three of the division. With the champion, Francis Ngannou, taking some time off following knee surgery, an interim title fight against Gane would be the best move for Blaydes. Whether the UFC books it remains to be seen.

Blaydes’ next fight: Ciryl Gane 

Alexa Grasso

Alexa Grasso should be ranked close to the top five in the division when the rankings are updated this week. With that in mind, she should be looking to take a fight that will get her another step closer to a title fight with the champion, Valentina Shevchenko. In May, Amanda Ribas will be moving up a weight class to fight Katlyn Chookagian. Coincidentally, Grasso called out Katlyn Chookagian for her next fight. Chookagian would be in line for a number one contender’s fight with a win over Ribas, and if Ribas was to win she would likely switch places with Chookagian in the division. Either way, fighting the winner of that fight would benefit Grasso the most going forward.

Grasso’s next fight: Winner of Chookagian-Ribas

Bryan Barberena

Bryan Barberena went to war with Matt Brown at UFC Columbus. Both men threw caution to the wind, and ended up winning a Fight of the Night bonus for their performance. Barberena received a hefty dose of boos from the crowd because Brown was the hometown fighter, but that performance wasn’t worth anything less than a standing ovation. Barberena should be looking to keep his hype train rolling by fighting an exciting welterweight in his next bout.

Khaos Williams is 4-1 in the UFC with three of those wins being by knockout. He will be fighting Randy Brown early in May. This works out perfectly for Barberena because if Williams wins he gets to fight a welterweight with knockout power that is on a two-fight winning streak. If Brown wins, Barberena will get the chance to avenge one of his UFC losses from earlier in his career. Barberena will need a new UFC deal first however.

Barberena’s next fight: Winner of Williams-Brown 

Kai Kara-France

Kai Kara-France won a razor-close decision over Askar Askarov this past weekend at UFC Columbus. France is now on a three-fight win streak and will likely be moving into the top five for his next fight. Deiveson Figueiredo will be defending that flyweight title later this year against Brandon Moreno. Meaning unless France wants to wait another year and a half to fight again, he will likely have to take another fight before getting a crack at the title.

Alexandre Pantoja is on a two-fight winning streak and is currently ranked one spot behind Moreno in the rankings. Pantoja is the next best option for France if he would like to stay active in the coming months.

Kara-France’s next fight: Alexandre Pantoja

Neil Magny

Neil Magny won a split decision over Max Griffin this past weekend. The fight was very close but ultimately, Magny was able to squeak out a win. This win makes him 5-1 in the past two years with his only loss being a decision loss to Michael Chiesa. Magny has looked like a completely different fighter in that fight with Chiesa versus his fight with Geoff Neal just four months later.

Michael Chiesa has not won since his decision win over Magny in January of last year. Magny could take a rematch with Chiesa to prove that he has fixed the holes in his game. It would allow him to move forward in the division and chase the title.

Magny’s next fight: Rematch with Michael Chiesa 

Marc Diakiese

Marc Diakiese rained of the “Slava Claus” parade at UFC Columbus. Viacheslav Borshchev had his takedown defense exposed, as Diakiese had the perfect gameplan to defeat the Contender Series winner.

Up next for “Bonecrusher” will hopefully be a fight at home in the U.K. for the Congolese-born fighter. Who should that be against? Lightweight is deep, and Diakiese just snapped a two-fight skid. His losses include names like Dan Hooker and Rafael Fiziev, so fighting dangerous opponents is nothing new. How about John Maksessi? He doesn’t have a fight booked, has been out a while, but is the type of hard-hitting foe that would draw interest.

Diakiese’s next fight: John Makdessi

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What’s next for the losing side of the UFC Columbus card? Here’s our stab at playing matchmaker this week.

Chris Daukaus

There’s a tendency to throw the baby out with the bathwater in MMA. A couple of losses, and somehow, Daukaus is being looked at like he should be on the scrap heap.

Let’s be real: we’re not in Sam Alvey territory here. Daukaus is an up-and-coming talent in the heavyweight division who has been given back-to-back fights against the Knockout King, and Wrestling King (even though Blaydes never used it) in the weight class.

Yes, he came up short both times. And all that means is, you slow his roll. Give him some time to develop. Before he lost two straight fights, he’d won five. And the guys he’s losing to? A multi-time title challenger in Lewis, and a future one in Blaydes.

Tai Tuivasa called out Tom Aspinall just over a week ago, and we still like that fight. For Daukaus, how about #13 ranked Augusto Sakai? They’re of a similar age, experience level, and Sakai has lost three straight. Daukaus wins, and he’s back in the fans’ good graces, not that he ever should have left them. He loses, then maybe there’s a little more reason for concern.

Daukaus’ next fight: Augusto Sakai

Joanne Wood

It is hard for a self-professed “JoJo” fan to admit, but Joanne Wood may not ever fight for a title in the UFC. Her decision to turn down a title shot against Valentina Shevchenko a couple of years back will be up there with Hatsu Hioki levels of regret for many fans.

To borrow from Max Holloway and a million other sports figures, it is what it is. Wood dropped her third straight fight at UFC Columbus, and once again, her weakness was on the ground. She took it all in stride, responding to the loss on social media by saying “This will be an easy time to say that I’m done but I ain’t, I’m just in with the best in the world and [I’ll] take my place further down the ladder while continuing to work hard everyday and most of all enjoying everyday.. nothing changes there.”

Further down the ladder is the right call. At this point, it seems like a better idea to book fun fights for Wood. A rematch with Andrea “KGB” Lee would be interesting, but she’s on a two-fight win streak at the moment and booked against Viviane Araujo. Instead, let’s go right outside the rankings. Antonina Shevchenko is booked opposite Cortney Casey next month. If Shevchenko loses, she’ll be on an 0-3 run like Wood. If she wins, a rematch with Casey isn’t a bad idea. The pair fought in 2015, but it was Casey’s UFC debut, at a lower weight class.

Wood’s next fight: Antonina Shevchenko-Cortney Casey loser

Matt Brown

Even losing a split decision, his fight with Bryan Barberena would have been a great fight for “The Immortal” to go out on. It could have easily gone his way, it had the fans on their feet, and the pair earned Fight of the Night at UFC Columbus.

Assuming the 41-year old welterweight fights on, how about Cowboy Oliveira? He’s lost four straight, is known for fun fights, and was just finished by elbows, something Brown knows a thing or two about.

Brown’s next fight: Alex Oliveira

Askar Askarov

Things were going well for Askar Askarov at UFC Columbus right up until they weren’t. When Kai Kara-France came on in the second half of the fight, Askarov saw his shot at the title slip away. Kara-France will be next in line now, even if he has to wait for a fourth fight between Deiveson Figueiredo and Brandon Moreno.

As for Askarov, he’s already beat Alexandere Pantoja, and the next highest ranked name, just behind him at the moment, is Brandon Royval. He’s set to face Matt Schnell in May; give Askar Askarov the winner.

Askarov’s next fight: Royval-Schnell winner

Max Griffin

Decisions have not been kind to Max Griffin over the years, and he lost a split decision against the highly ranked Neil Magny at UFC Columbus.

That snapped a three-fight win streak for Max “Pain,” but it shouldn’t set him back too far. Magny was ranked #9, let’s give Max another crack at the top 15. Li Jingliang sits at #13, and that sounds like a really fun fight.

Griffin’s next fight: Li Jingliang

Viacheslav Borshchev

No milk, no cookies for “Slava Claus,” who had to suffer through a wrestling-heavy attack from Marc Diakiese on Saturday. If nothing else, Borshchev knows exactly what he needs to work on moving forward. And that’s clearly his takedown defense.

So, do you throw him a bone and set him opposite a striker, or see how much he can shore up that wrestling D and book him against a wrestler?

We’ll go with someone a little more well-rounded. France’s Fares Ziam is 2-2 in the UFC, coming off a loss, with five career knockouts and four submissions. Let’s see if this match-up puts a smile on Viacheslav’s face.

Borshchev’s next fight: Fares Ziam

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The card opened with three straight decisions, much to the annoyance of those in attendance at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, who actually managed to boo and jeer some pretty entertaining fights. But that would give way to a pair of finishes, with Chris Gutierrez in particular standing out when he landed a spinning back fist on Danaa Batgerel.

The back fist and follow-up elbows finished the fight, and captured the featherweight one of two Performance of the Night bonuses at UFC Columbus. The other went to main event heavyweight Curtis Blaydes, who eschewed his usual wrestling-heavy game plan, and instead put Chris Daukaus down with a right hand in the second round.

While wrestling is very much a part of mixed martial arts, fans have never got behind the smothering ground game of Blaydes. But with zero takedowns attempted Saturday, they showed their love for a fighter who was looking to make a statement with his hands.

Fight of the Night at UFC Columbus went to Bryan Barberena and Matt Brown, and there was no surprise at that result. The welterweight pair battled it out for three rounds, trading punches, elbows, kicks, both heavily damaging the other. With Brown at home in Ohio, the crowd was firmly in his corner, but it was Barberena walking away with the split decision win in the final fight of his UFC contract.

All four fighters will pick up an extra $50,000 for their efforts, on top of show and win money, and outfitting pay.

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At some point later this year, with Ngannou recovering from knee surgery and still trying to hammer out a new deal with the organization, an interim title fight will likely be booked. Until that time, both Daukaus and Blaydes were looking to hold onto their spot in the weight class, with Blaydes admitting as much ahead of the fight.

For Daukaus, who had fallen to Derrick Lewis in December, UFC Columbus was a second straight headlining opportunity to prove he belonged among the elite of the weight class.

It was Daukaus connecting first in Saturday’s main event, a glancing blow with a right hand. A heavier right hand connected moments later, forcing Blaydes back. Blaydes fired a low kick, but it was the takedown most observers were waiting for. Another Daukaus right hand landed, Blaydes fired one of his own. More than half the round had ticked away, and Blaydes still hadn’t shot for a takedown. The pair continued to exchange in the second half, and while Daukaus was the busier fighter, he also had a small cut opened up to the side of his left eye.

In the second round, Curtis Blaydes flipped the script. His feared wrestling nowhere to be seen throughout the fight, Blaydes instead crushed Daukaus with a right hand, dropping him. Daukaus was caught on the way in, and Blaydes pounced, landing a bit of ground n’ pound before the ref came in to make the save.

HOW DO YOU LIKE @RAZORBLAYDES265 NOW?!?!? 💥 #UFCColumbus pic.twitter.com/80h2SPvpuO

— UFC (@ufc) March 27, 2022

The win, his second straight, was one of Curtis Blaydes’ more memorable highlights, which should bode well moving forward.

Official Result: Curtis Blaydes def. Chris Daukaus by TKO, Round 2, 0:17

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The UFC Columbus card was in essence to make up for the cancelled show at the Nationwide Arena in 2020, which was wiped out due to the coronavirus pandemic. Two years later, it was heavyweights topping the card, with Curtis Blaydes looking to maintain his position in the division, as Chris Daukaus hoped to bounce back from a loss to Derrick Lewis late last year.

The heavyweight main event could have greater stakes depending on what the UFC opted to do with the weight class in the absence of champ Francis Ngannou, who had fought out his contract earlier this year — and who recently underwent knee surgery.

Also on the UFC Columbus card, some big performances from rising title contenders. Manon Fiorot and Alexa Grasso both made statements by defeating contenders in the women’s flyweight division, while Kai-Kara France pulled off the upset against Askar Askarov on the men’s side.

Following the event, tune in for the UFC Columbus post-fight press conference, capping off the night’s action. A live stream of the affair can be found in the embed above.

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In hindsight, that decision — which led to Jennifer Maia facing champ Valentina Shevchenko for the flyweight championship instead — was easy to critique. More so, given Wood entered UFC Columbus on a two-fight skid and well away from the title picture.

Alexa Grasso, on the other hand, had found a new lease on her fighting life at 125lbs. A win over Wood would mark three straight, and almost certainly land her in the title conversation.

“JoJo” opened the action with a kick, and immediately pressed forward. In the clinch, Grasso would greet her with elbows/forearms. When they went to the ground, it was Grasso on top, in guard. Wood did manage to make it back up, with about half the round remaining. She went on the offensive again, pressing forward and using her Muay Thai.

It was Grasso, however, that got back in the driver’s seat shortly after. She pulled Wood down, getting her hooks in and locking in the rear-naked choke. It was deep under the chin, and Wood had no choice but to tap!

With her third straight win at flyweight, Alexa Grasso will likely enter the title conversation alongside Manon Fiorot, who also picked up a big win earlier in the night.

Official Result: Alexa Grasso def. Joanne Wood by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 1, 3:57

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For a fighter entering his 40s at the time, the loss of UFC Columbus in 2020 might have marked his final chance to compete on a UFC card at home in Ohio. But “The Immortal” has lived up to his name, and despite losing the rescheduled date with Baeza and a subsequent bout with Carlos Condit, Brown bounced back last year by knocking out Dhiego Lima.

On Saturday, Brown finally got to fight in his home state, opposite the always game Bryan Barberena.

The pair traded kicks early as the action got underway, though little of note landed. Brown doubled up on his jab, briefly backing Barberena up, but “Bam Bam” battled back in a very back-and-forth opening minute. Brown ducked a punch, and practically pushed Barberena to the ground, though he was back up in an instant. Tying up along the fence, they reversed, but Brown, with a body lock, got the fight down.

From there, Barberena moved to his knees, though he ate a knee or two to the body in the process. Brown kept his leg intertwined with Barberena’s to slow his momentum; Barberena peppered Brown with short shots, almost slaps, to create space, and finally freed himself.

Back at center, Brown landed a kick to the body, while Barberena lunged forward with punches. A high kick by Brown was blocked, but “Bam Bam” found a home for his left hand in a combo. Brown would briefly throw Barberena to the mat in the dying seconds of the round, but it was Barberena landing an elbow that appeared to have the greater effect.

There was a lot to digest in the first round of Brown vs. Barberena. In the second, Barberena pressed early, walking forward, throwing probing leg kicks. But it was Brown with a big takedown just over a minute in, putting Barberena on the floor with his back to the fence. Barberena worked his way up methodically, but ate a nasty elbow from Brown in the clinch. Barberena answered with a right hand, and the pair did a little phone booth fighting. A Barberena elbow hurt Brown, however, and he was under fire for a moment, firing a spinning back fist out of desperation.

Brown then landed a key takedown, and went after an arm, but wound up on bottom, having to contend with some nasty elbows from Barberena. “The Immortal” escaped back up, but he looked winded, and still hurt from the earlier elbow. Then it was Brown with some big lead elbows; Barberena answered back, and Brown dug to the body and finished the round with a knee.

THIS. FIGHT. 👏#UFCColumbus live on @ESPN! pic.twitter.com/16KRlZLwKi

— UFC (@ufc) March 27, 2022

In the third, a hell would break loose. Brown opened the action with a kick to the body. Barberena pushed forward, backing Brown up the the fence. Brown got the momentum back, putting Barberena on the defensive, but a counter from Barberna shifted momentum again. A check hook by Barberena landed. Brown missed on a knee, but landed a second one to the body.

Matt Brown then came through with another push-style takedown, and appeared to consider a guillotine for a moment. Instead, Barberena got to the fence, with Brown right on him, firing knees to the side. On the way up, Barberena let loose, but Brown answered with a head kick that was blocked.

From there, Barberena retreated, and after some more back-and-forth, Brown landed a big double leg takedown. He just couldn’t keep Barberena down, and instead ate an elbow on the way up. Barberena began landing, connecting with an uppercut, but Brown then tagged Barberena. The fight had devolved into a slugfest, with both men landing hard. Back-and-forth they went. Brown missed a spinning back fist, Barberena tried for a takedown but couldn’t finish it, and Brown took some heavy fire but survived to the bell!

In the end, it was Barberena winning a split decision, for which he was booed mercilessly by the Ohio faithful.

Official Result: Bryan Barberena def. Matt Brown by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

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In terms of the actual short term future of the weight class, the winner of Askarov vs. Kara-France was likely next in line for a title shot — dependent on whether the promotion wanted to book a fourth fight between Deiveson Figueiredo and Brandon Moreno, with their career series even at one win each, plus a draw in their first fight.

If the UFC was waiting for the outcome of Saturday’s flyweight tilt before moving forward with their plans,

Kara-France, the underdog coming in, and Russia’s Askarov circled early, feeling each other out. Kara-France led with a jab, but Askarov deftly jumped out of the way. Despite the flyweight reputation for fast-paced fights, this one started out slow — but Askarov made things interesting by grabbing a leg and hoisting Kara-France up. Some great balance by Kara-France saw him stay upright even as Askarov lifted him, but the takedown was completed moments later.

From there, Askarov took the back, and latched on with a body triangle. Then, he went hunting for the choke, using punches to the side of the head to find an opening. Kara-France stayed cool under pressure, but gave up his back trying to escape. He wound up taking Askarov, still on his back, with him as he climbed back to his feet. The Askarov-shaped backpack, meanwhile, continued to look for a rear-naked choke. After Kara-France fought it off, Askarov smashed his opponent with some nasty elbows — which still mounted on the back.

It was a small miracle that Kai Kara-France even made it to the second round. When he came out for the second, he swung first, and got his hands going again, connecting with a left hand that drew a cheer from the crowd. Askarov, however, got back in the driver’s seat, shooting for a takedown. Kara-France tried to fight it off, but wound up taken down, though not for long.

Back at center, Kara-France had to be careful not to be backed up to the cage, where he was a sitting duck for Askarov’s takedowns. That, however, was exactly what happened, but Kara-France fought it off, then lit up Askarov! A heavy blow had Askarov slumping forward, and moments later, he shot for a desperation takedown. Instead, Kara-France pushed him off and went back on the attack, tagging Askarov again. Askarov tried to shoot again, came up short, and ate another Kara-France punch, but he wound up saved by the bell.

Round three opened with one simple question looking to be answered: was Askar Askarov still compromised? If he was, he soon had a reprieve. The Russian landed a low blow, which resulted in Kara-France being given time to recover. But that in turn gave Askarov time to recover as well. Back underway, Kara-France fired a kick to the body; Askarov then slipped, and the next time they came together, he latched on with a body lock, looking to ground the fight.

Askarov, from there, climbed the back and sunk in a body triangle. Kara-France shook him off, but Askarov was right back on a leg. Kara-France landed an elbow, and escaped out a moment later— but he’d need to make every effort to avoid being taken down, or even stalled, by the Russian.

The second half of the round saw Kara-France fire a low kick, then press forward with a combo. The the pace seemed to have slowed, and Kara-France was soon moving backwards. Kara-France pressed back, but by the final minute, he was basically head-hunting, whiffing on a massive swing. Kara-France then changed levels for a takedown, but bailed on the attempt. They’d battle it out to the final bell, getting a standing ovation at the end of three rounds.

Come the scorecards, it was unanimous, with the judges awarding a close third round to Kara-France.

Official Result: Kai Kara-France def. Askar Askarov by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

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While it was originally the UFC Columbus featured prelim, the loss of Aleksei Oleinik vs. Ilir Latifi saw the welterweight clash promoted to the main event at the last minute on Saturday.

Both fighters took the center of the octagon— no touch of gloves in this one. A low kick from Griffin and a body kick from Magny started the fight. Two calf kicks from Griffin were followed by a punch that backed Magny up. A front kick from Magny came next, and he ate a punch. Magny threw a spinning attack that missed. 2:45 left, and Griffin dropped Magy with a left hand! Griffin let Magny back up, but couldn’t find the finish. Two minutes left in the round, and Griffin landed another calf kick. One minute left in the round, and Magny ate another left hand. Magny started getting going with just over 30 seconds left. A high kick from Magny was blocked.

Round two started with a power jab from Griffin. Magny tried to clinch with Griffin, but he escaped. Griffin landed a nasty body kick, but Magny ate it. A low kick from Griffin, and a 1-2 from Magny, followed.

Griffin poked Magny in the eye, and the action was halted about ninety seconds in.

The fight started back up once Magny had recovered, and Griffin landed another right hand. Griffin landed a three-punch combo that hurt Magny. Just over two minutes left in the round, and Magny landed a combo himself that hurt Griffin. Less than two minutes left, and Magny shot for a takedown which put Griffin against the fence— Griffin escaped. Magny landed a punch and followed with a clinch attempt, but Griffin escaped again. The round ended with Magny on Griffin’s back.

Round three started with both fighters landing a flurry of combos. Magny grabbed Griffin and put him against the fence. Just over ninety seconds in, Magny finally got Griffin down and took his back. Magny was landing some ground and pound from Griffin’s back against the fence. Magny stood up, landing some shots, and with that, Griffin got to his feet. Magny put Griffin back against the fence. Thirty seconds left, Magny landed an elbow, and Griffin escaped. The fight ended with Magny essentially landing a piledriver!

The scorecards had it for Magny — two of them, anyway. A split decision win in a close fight. With Magny’s victory, he is now tied with Georges St-Pierre for welterweight’s all-time wins record. Incredible.

Official Result: Neil Magny def. Max Griffin via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

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In the end, it wasn’t a very merry visit for Borshchev, who was out-wrestled essentially from bell to bell, without even a glass of milk and plate of cookies to show for it.

It was Diakiese pressing the action early, driving Borshchev back to the fence. Diakiese stayed on the attempt while Borshchev employed a whizzer; he then reversed position, only to be reversed again. They’d spin around again, then again, Diakiese refusing to relent on the takedown. But in the process, he gave up his back, and as they separated, Borshchev let his hands go.

The pair, still in a clinch, would go to the ground, and come back up, before Diakiese finally landed a takedown, pulling Borshchev’s feet out from under him. When Borshchev regained his feet, Diakiese hoisted him up and dropped him down with a little more force. That would happen again, with about 90 seconds left in the round, after Borshchev was warned by the ref for grabbing the fence.

Round two saw Diakiese looking for a takedown again, and he had it within the first minute. Borshchev found himself on his back, seemingly miles from the fence, with Diakiese in his guard. Diakiese spent lots of time in control, and as Borshchev tried to escape out, he was dragged right back down. He then tried to roll his way out; that didn’t work either, but Borshchev was able to scramble up, only to be taken down again.

Come the third round, it was rinse and repeat. Borshchev had no answer for the takedowns of Diakiese. He was planted on his back early, nowhere near the fence, much to the displeasure of the fans at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, who hollered their disapproval as Borshchev shrimped back to the cage. When Borshchev got up, Diakiese slammed him back down, with next to no offense from “Slava Claus” by the end.

Official Result: Marc Diakiese def. Vlacheslav Borshchev by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

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