This past weekend's UFC Long Island card was one of the best Fight Night events and just one of the best events of the year so far. Put it right up there with the first London card in terms of the general feel and excitement (obviously it is below that London card). Honestly, the way it ended up playing out was better than international fight week. There was a lot of pretty important fights and the winners have set themselves up for some really nice opportunities going forward. There's a lot of fighters to cover so I'm not going to waste anymore time on the intro. Let's get into it.
The first winner of the night was Emily Ducote and she really opened some eyes. Her boxing looked crisp and she was giving Penne all sorts of issues. The low kicks were really the story of the fight as they started to really damage Penne mid way through the second round and almost finished her early in the third. I assume Ducote will take Penne's spot in the rankings, meaning she is already in line for a big fight. I imagine they'll try to give her something similar to Penne instead of another young fighter, but it is hard to say for sure. Maybe that means either someone out of the Calvillo vs Nunes fight, Virna Jandiroba, Michelle Waterson-Gomez, or Angela Hill. I kind of like the Virna fight for her.
Dustin Stoltzfus picked up his first UFC win in a competitive fight against Dwight Grant. Whenever it looked like Grant was about to start pulling away, Stoltzfus landed some takedowns that flipped the narrative of the fight and got him the win. He almost finished the fight in the second round as well. I don't expect anything all that crazy for his next opponent, but it is going one step at a time. I think someone like Tresean Gore, Joseph Holmes, Dusko Todorovic, or Jordan Wright make some sense. I kind of like the Holmes fight for the both of them as that presents some interesting stylistic components to the fight.
Dustin Jacoby continued the winning streak that he is on with a huge knockout of Da Un Jung. I can't believe Jacoby is still not fighting up the rankings, but I think that has to change next time. He's not a perfect fighter and he could be grappled by the right opponent. I'm not sure how he would do against intense pressure either, but I would still like to see him get the opportunity. He's still a high level kickboxer and poses a serious problem for most fighters in this division. I think Johnny Walker, Jimmy Crute, Ryan Spann, or Volkan Oezdemir all make some sense. I would kind of like to see the Walker fight if it was up to me.
Bill Algeo picked up a great win over Herbert Burns and is looking to continue his rise towards the top. After he survived those early submission attempts, it was kind of clear that Algeo was going to be able to get the win, but that doesn't take away from way he did. I like Algeo's style and while he me never reach the title contention level, he is a fun fighter to watch and there's plenty of fun matchups for him out there. I think they should look to remake that fight with Billy Quarantillo, but if not, they could look at Josh Culibao, Julian Erosa, or Alex Caceres as fights that I think would all be solid, fun fights to make.
Ricky Simon picked up a massive win over Jack Shore and is now primed to really make a push towards the top of the division. His athleticism was on display as he looked noticeably faster and more powerful than Shore. His pressure and strength in the clinch and wrestling exchanges also jumped off the screen. Simon isn't necessarily a flawless fighter, but his style is so difficult to match up with for most of the rest of the division. The division is kind of in a strange spot where a lot of guys are booked in the coming months, but I think Simon could potentially be the guy that gets Frankie Edgar next. Everyone wants him to fight Sean O'Malley, and I do to, but I just get the feeling that it isn't going to happen. They could always look to make the rematch between Simon and Rob Font as well. The Font fight would be pretty fun, but I don't know that they would go that route. If they're going to remake O'Malley vs Munhoz, I think Simon probably gets Frankie Edgar in November. If not, make O'Malley vs Simon.
After a slower first round, Puna Soriano found the knockout shot to defeat Dalcha Lungiambula. Puna has all of the talent, I just think he needs to refine his skills and really sharpen them in order to rise to another tier. As things currently stand, I think he needs to be given tough fights, but also I think they should look to give him so matchups that will allow him to stand and bang. I think fights with Julian Marquez, Marc-Andre Barriault, or even Eryk Anders are fitting for where Puna is in the division right now.
Lauren Murphy pulled off the upset win over Miesha Tate and did so really without too much of an issue. It really isn't ever pretty with Murphy, but she finds ways to pull out wins. She called out the winner of Chookagian vs Fiorot that is happening in September and I think that was the right call. That seems to be the fight for her in my opinion. Of course, if Fiorot wins, she's probably getting the title shot against Valentina since they're looking for new contenders there. However, if Chookagian wins, I think that makes perfect sense for Murphy. If Jessica Andrade is still considering fighting at flyweight then I think that would be another place to look for Murphy. Either of those sounds good to me.
Shane Burgos just edged out a win over Charles Jourdain and that puts him on a winning streak now after a bit of a tough stretch for him. He had to go to his grappling in this fight, but I think that was ultimately a good thing. The fact that he was willing to pivot off of his boxing and do what it took to pick up the W is a good sign for him going forward. Personally, I think a fight with Dan Ige would make a lot of sense for the both of them. I think that the style of fight is what both guys are looking for and would make sense for the both of them at this stage. If not him, Ilia Topuria would be fun, but I'm still not sure what weight Topuria is going to be fighting at. Ige really seems like the obvious fight to make in my opinion.
Matt Schnell pulled off a crazy win against Sumudaerji after it looked like both men were going to get the win at least 3 times each. Schnell's clearest path was via his ground game and that is ultimately how he got it done, but not without some excitement. He took a ton of shots and was able to walk through them and make it out on the other side. You have to feel good for a guy like Schnell because it was starting to feel like things were just starting to get away from him, but that is the kind of win that can really give someone some momentum. He called out Matheus Nicolau and I think that was a pretty good call out honestly. That fight is within reach and is a solid option for both me. If not him, then I think David Dvorak would make some sense. He is coming off of two losses in a row before this fight, so maybe they have him fight down against Manel Kape or Jeff Molina, but I kind of don't think so after a fight like that.
Li Jingliang is back in the win column and he still feels incredibly dangerous in this division. He is a bit overlooked as he isn't necessarily the most interesting guy and doesn't bring a lot of flash, but he is a really tough fighter. He's a good striker and he's extremely tough. For me, the fight to make with him is the Michel Pereira fight. That just sounds like so much fun and a great matchup to watch. Otherwise, I think the loser of Geoff Neal vs Vicente Luque would make some sense or maybe even a Michael Chiesa fight. Pereira seems like the obvious choice to me though.
Finally, we have to talk about Amanda Lemos getting back on track with a really impressive submission win over Michelle Waterson-Gomez. The first round was really close, but Lemos was looking much better in the second and then Lemos snatched the neck and that was that. I hope that the UFC doesn't look to rush her again like they did in her previous fight when they gave her to Jessica Andrade. Looking at the rankings, I think Tecia Torres is the play too look. The loser of Yan Xiaonan vs MacKenzie Dern is another place to look as is Amanda Ribas. I really think Torres is the fight they will want to make, but it is a matter of what Torres is looking for as her career is winding down.
That is it from me on this card though. What did you guys think? What was your favorite fight? Who was your biggest winner? Who do you want to see them fight next? Leave all of your thoughts in the comments. Thanks for reading and have a good one.
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