The co-main event from Saturday may have actually been the fight I was most looking forward to. We saw long time UFC veteran and former title challenger Marlon Moraes pitted against young up and comer Song Yadong in what was promised to be a striking battle. It didn't disappoint in that we did see some striking, but it didn't last particularly long after Yadong was able to knock Moraes out with a solid right uppercut. This is a fight that sort of felt like what I talked about yesterday with what could be next for Thiago Santos. Everyone was sort of feeling that Moraes was nearing the end and the UFC wanted to build a name off of his back in Yadong and it played out as many thought it would. The future is up in the air for Moraes going forward and we'll get into that in little bit. The future however is very clear for Yadong as he is going to continue his rise up the bantamweight ladder and he should find himself in another pretty big fight next time out.
I would normally address the performance for each individual in these and I'll try to do so here, but there really isn't too much to talk about when it comes to what we saw from Yadong. We already knew he was a very talented striker. He is both powerful and fast and can throw is strikes with a diversity and volume that is going to be a problem in this division for a long time. He already has so much experience for someone his age as well and it makes him such a unique prospect. He had his striking skills on display for the 2 minutes that we got to see him and that is really all I have to say. He was able to land the uppercut flush and we saw the kind of power he has as Moraes was walking the line between conscious and unconscious as he fell to the ground.
The excitement surrounding him is really based on the conversation of who he fights next. It is a really interesting conversation because there really isn't a clear answer. Aljamain Sterling's injury has created a bit of a logjam at the top that we still aren't sure how the UFC is dealing with. The key to all of this in my mind is TJ Dillashaw. If we knew how the UFC was approaching things with him, this would all be so much easier. The problem is that we really don't know when he's going to be fighting again due to both his health and the status of the belt. When he beat Cory Sandhagen, it seemed like he was guaranteed the next title shot. Of course, Aljo wasn't cleared by the doctors and they needed an interim title shot, which Dillashaw couldn't take because of the knee surgery. The question that we all need answered is if Dillashaw is waiting on the title fight or if the UFC is making him fight again. If he is just waiting, then things become a tad more clear. If he has to fight again, then I'm not really sure what is going to happen. Let's start by diagnosing this piece by piece. I'm writing this on Sunday, so I can't be sure, but I have to assume that Yadong will be in the 10 spot that is currently occupied by Moraes. I am also kind of assuming that they want him to fight up. They normally don't have their bright young potential stars fighting down in the rankings coming off of a win, so that would come as a surprise to me. As for everyone above him, Rob Font and Chito Vera are the only guys booked right now (other than Yan and Aljo of course). I believe that Dillashaw, Aldo, and Sandhagen are all out of his reach right now as well. That leaves Merab Dvalishvili, Dominick Cruz, and Pedro Munhoz. He called out Cruz post fight and while that would be a lot of fun, Dom has made it clear time and time again that he is only looking to move up. He hasn't said it publicly, but I get the vibe from him that this is his last run. He's going to keep fighting up until he loses and then he will probably just walk away from competing. That leaves just Merab and Munhoz and I think both of those are possible. Merab would be a pretty significant jump up the rankings, but I honestly think a lot of fighters are avoiding him. He's such a tough matchup that if Song were to throw his name into the hat to fight him next, he might be the only name to pull out. That is a huge risk and Merab is as tough a fight that exists at 135 right now, but it is also a huge opportunity and a win could springboard Song all the way into the top 5. The clearest and most obvious option is Pedro Munhoz and I think that is the fight we will see in all likelihood. You guys know by now that I am a fan of the slow build to the top and that is what Munhoz represents for Yadong. I know gatekeeper has sort of a negative connotation in the MMA world, but I don't see it that way. Munhoz is the perfect measuring stick for this weight class and anyone who wants to really be in the title conversation needs to go through him. He provides a lot of things that are a good test for young fighters. Whether its Yadong, Sean O'Malley, or Ricky Simon, I expect one of them will get Munhoz next. He's tough, he has solid cardio, and he's powerful. He's going to stay standing for all 15 or 25 minutes of the fight and he's going to force his opponent into a fight. He's not going to fade or get put away early and I think that is something we need to see from all of those young fighters. A big thing towards the top is how fighters look when everything isn't going their way and they face some resistance and Munhoz is exactly the guy to provide a lot of those things. I think that is the fight that I would be looking to make if it was up to me.
This is the part of writing for the week that I really wasn't looking forward to. I don't think I really have to say too much when it comes to the current state of the career of Marlon Moraes. It looked like he might retire right in the cage as he had his gloves off pretty early, but there was nothing after that. I think what makes it a little more sad is that Marlon still has fight left in him. He's not even that old. I kind of view him in a similar way to how I saw Junior Dos Santos at the end of his UFC run. They still have the offense to be dangerous. Marlon still has good hand speed and power in his strikes. We saw that much when he fought Merab before this. He still has the technical skill and he's still in good shape. The chin is just really holding him back to the point where I just don't know if it is worth continuing to compete and take this damage over and over again. He's now been knocked out in 5 of his last 6 and this one to Yadong was the worst of them. He suffered the TKO to Henry Cejudo, then got the split decision win over Aldo. Since then, he's gotten wheel kicked by Sandhagen, pieced up by Font, he gassed and got finished by Merab, and now put out by Yadong. At the very least, I think Marlon should take the rest of the year off. Really rest up, let the chin heal, and stay away from training for a few months and just relax. I don't think the UFC should force him out the door just yet, but I think we are close to the point where they cut bait with him. I think he should take a nice extended layoff and then come back and see if the chin can get any better. If he gets knocked out again then I think he needs to retire and call it a career. I don't really feel the need to discuss a next opponent for Moraes because I don't think anyone is suggesting that he turn around quickly. He needs to take some time to himself and just stay away from the gym for a little while to try and heal. We see in other sports that people take a year off and feel much better when they do return. Rob Gronkowski comes to mind as a guy who just couldn't stay healthy at the end and then he took a year off and he was really rejuvenated when he came back. I hope this can happen for Marlon because he isn't an old man by any means. His offensive skills are still there and I would hate to see him go out like this.
If this is the last time I ever get to talk about Marlon Moraes in a pre or post fight post, then I wish him the best with whatever he chooses to do with the rest of his life. He's been in this game a long time and I would like to see him go out with his health relatively in order. He's provided us all with so many memories and great fights. If for some reason he or someone close to him sees this, it is nothing but respect from me. Best of luck if this is it and if not, we look forward to the next one.
What do you guys think? Can you really draw any conclusions from this fight? Who should Song Yadong fight his next time out? What should Marlon Moraes do going forward? Leave any and all thoughts below. Thanks for reading and have a good one.
Comments
Post a Comment