Based on the amount of views, this post format has quickly become a pretty popular one and I'm happy that is the case. If you're new around here and don't know what this is, I'll try my best to explain it. If you go back to the main page, you will see that I have some longer, detailed posts about the fallout of the biggest fights from each card. UFC 273 had three longer breakdowns. That keeps the headlines on the biggest and most important fights each week, which is fine, but there's quite a few fights that I don't get to talk about much other than the few sentences I write when I make my pick. Basically, this post is going to be a condensed version of those long "fallout" posts. I'll take a look at some of the biggest or most important wins from the rest of the card and discuss what we could or should see from them in the future. I like giving some shine to the fights that don't get talked about as much, so I'm glad these have become so popular. Let's get into it.
We'll start from the beginning of the card and the first fighter that I want to talk about is Alexei Oleinik. I can't believe I'm still talking about him fighting as he's literally been active for as long as I can remember, but I can't get enough of him. He joked that he wants to continue for another 5-10 years and at this rate, I'm tempted to believe him. His skillset is a bit limited, he doesn't have great cardio, and he can't take shots the way he used to, but he's still out there and finding ways to win. It wasn't all that long ago that he was in the rankings, so I don't think it is a wild idea that he could face a ranked opponent in his next fight. He was previously booked against Ilir Latifi and I think that fight still does make some sense. I wouldn't mind seeing him fight Shamil Abdurakhimov either. They're both older guys coming to the ends of their career, I think that fight is a reasonable one for the both of them if they both want to fight again.
The next fighter to discuss is Raquel Pennington. She had a really solid performance in her win against Aspen Ladd and is in a position to fight for a number one contender spot in her next one. She speculated that she broke her hand on Saturday and if true, that would hold her out for some time. Not knowing the extent of her injury and how long she'll be out makes giving her an opponent a little more difficult, but we'll try our best. Holy Holm is booked to fight Ketlen Vieira late next month, so those two could be options. If Julianna Pena defeats Amanda Nunes for a second time, she's going to need someone to challenge for her title, in which case Holm vs Vieira could be the number one contender fight. Pennington could get the loser of that and position herself for the next potential title fight. If Nunes wins, I assume that will set up a trilogy fight with Pena where Rocky could get the Holm vs Vieira winner for the number one contender spot. Beyond those scenarios, Irene Aldana can fit in. It was originally supposed to be her fighting Aspen Ladd this past weekend until she sustained her own injury. If both women are healthy, that fight would make a good bit of sense based on where they currently sit in the rankings. Either way, Rocky always represents a tough test and a fun fight to watch, so I'll be interested to see what she does next whenever she's healthy to return.
I know he's becoming a bit more unlikeable to a lot of people with each passing day, but we're going to talk about Ian Garry. Garry turned in another solid performance in his second UFC fight. It was enough to win, but he has some things to work on before he's ready to make a real run. He's long, fast, and powerful, but he is going to have to strike with better volume to get to the point where he is ready for someone close to the rankings. He's still young and has plenty of time, so there really isn't any rush with him. I assume that we will see him against a similar level of opponent who is going to be willing to stand and strike with him. If they really want to ease him along, Pete Rodriguez and Blood Diamond would give him the style of fight he's looking for, but I think Garry is at a level above that right now. I think Mickey Gall would make some sense as well. He's a name people recognize and I think Garry would be ready for that level of competition. Takashi Sato, Jack Della Maddalena, and Carlston Harris are all fights I would actually want to see Garry in. They're all strikers who represent some relative level of danger and would be a good test for Garry with where he currently is. If they wanted to give Garry a little bit of a higher push, Bryan Barberena and Matt Brown would be fun, but I don't think they're going to push Garry to that level just yet. If I had to pick which one I would like to see most, I think Della Maddalena would be pretty fun. If I had to guess what was most likely, I think Mickey Gall would be someone they would look at.
Next up is the former Olympic wrestler, Mark O. Madsen. Madsen turned in another solid win over Vinc Pichel to remain undefeated. He isn't particularly active or he probably would have already faced some much higher level competition. I expect that he's going to get a bit of a jump up sooner or later. Every time I talk about lightweight, I feel like I'm discussing the same names over and over because there is such a large group of really talented fighters sitting right outside of the top 15. I'll suggest some of those same names for Madsen. I think Grant Dawson, Drew Dober, and Thiago Moises are at the tier that Madsen needs to be fighting at in his next appearance. I think I would be most interested in seeing Madsen vs Dober. Dober is a very durable guy who has solid wrestling and will be able to give Madsen's striking a test if he can't get him down. Madsen also isn't the youngest guy, so if he's going to ever make a run at the top of the division, he's going to have to start facing some tougher competition so that he can even think about fighting ranked opponents soon.
The final fight I want to discuss is MacKenzie Dern vs Tecia Torres. I thought Dern was at a disadvantage in this one and she was able to pull out a close decision win. Strawweight has moved a little slowly in recent years, so that does limit what Dern can do next. She's already faced Nina Nunes and Marina Rodriguez, so those are out and Zhang Weili is booked against Joanna Jedrzejczyk, so they aren't really being considered either. The loser of the Rose Namajunas and Carla Esparza fight would be a logical next opponent. Yan Xiaonan also makes some sense even though she's coming off a loss. They're the highest ranked opponent the other can get right now, so I don't see why either one would shy away from that matchup.
That's it from me for UFC 273. What did you guys think of the card? What was your favorite fight besides Khamzat vs Burns? Who do you want to see some of these fighters fight in their next appearance? Leave your thoughts and comments below. Thanks for reading and have a good one.
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