UFC 258 included long-awaited welterweight champion Kamaru Usman and the strong performances of both women in the main event, Alexa Grasso and Maycee Barber. It also included one of the most startling results in recent memory, as Anthony Hernandez defeated by submission Rodolfo Vieira, seven-time world champion in the presentation fight.
The event at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday night offered a privileged showcase for several fighters who want to continue their search for a title. Grasso showed a new dimension to his game and offered Barber a potential plan to follow. Hernandez now has the attention of the UFC, and what can he do about it?
But at the end of the night, all eyes were fixed on Usman, who once again held on to the 170-pound belt. Where are the champion and his last rival, Gilbert Burns, heading?
Brett Okamoto, Marc Raimondi and Jeff Wagenheim reflect on the action of the night.
Okamoto: What will happen to Usman and Burns?
Who will be next for Usman: Leon Edwards
This is the only answer right now. The only. Edwards has just lost an opponent to Khamzat Chimaev, whom he was to face on March 13th. He wants to stay on that card and the UFC tries to reserve him a new opponent. Potentially Colby Covington, according to UFC President Dana White.
Regardless of who gets Edwards, or even if he doesn’t get anyone, if he wins, it’s next. If you end up not fighting, it’s next. The man has done everything he could ask for to win a title. Covington is not booked. Jorge Masvidal is not booked. Edwards was willing to fight Chimaev, a boy no one wanted. He is the No. 1 candidate from now on and as long as he can’t fight and lose, there will be nothing that will change that.
Wildcard: Colby Covington
The UFC likes this revenge because the first fight was so good. Usman is also open there. Covington reaches a dominant performance against Tyron Woodley. He’s running for a title, but he shouldn’t be ahead of Edwards.
Who will be next for Burns: Khamzat Chimaev
Sure, it’s not the result Burns was looking for, but no one has been able to beat Usman all the time he’s been in the UFC. So while you never want to lose, there is no shame in losing that opponent level.
That’s why Burns doesn’t fall too high in the rankings. Honestly, I’d love to see Burns fight Masvidal, because I think it’s a great fight stylistically. I don’t know what Masvidal wants right now, but I don’t think he wants Burns. Just my speculation.
So what’s the next realistic fight for Burns? Well, if Chimaev recovers in the near future, what about him? The UFC will still want to fight Chimaev and Burns is one of those heavyweights who seems willing to fight anyone. Fans would accept this showdown. If Chimaev returns in a reasonable amount of time, let’s do it.
Wildcard: Colby Covington
If Edwards gets the next title, which I think it should be, Burns vs. Covington is an obvious fight. There has been talk of Covington against Masvidal, but it doesn’t look like it’s over. If it doesn’t come together, this is a good pivotal showdown.
Raimondi: Grasso can show Barber the way
Maycee Barber has lost two in a row. His plan, as one of the main prospects in all of MMA, was to become the youngest champion in UFC history. This is not going to happen now, and that’s totally fine. Barber is only 22 years old. There is really no hurry. However, she was not ready for champion Valentina Shevchenko. Few are. This short skid at this point in Barber’s career could end up being a disguised blessing.
If Barber wanted a good example of what the future might look like, he shouldn’t look any further than the woman who beat her Saturday night: Alexa Grasso. Six years ago, Grasso was one of the hottest MMA prospects. UFC president Dana White attended to see her on an Invicta FC card in Los Angeles and talked about her potential. Grasso was supposed to have a meteoric rise and become the next big Mexican star in the UFC. This did not happen. But guess what: Grasso has gone from straw weight to fly weight and has won two in a row. After her victory Saturday night, she is now a legitimate 125-pound contender.
Grasso is only 27 years old. He is in the midst of athletics. Barber is five years younger than her, and all she has is time. And what Barber was able to do in the third round, make adjustments and go to the finish line against Grasso when he needed it, was a positive sign. Barber needs a constant home where to train. Maybe he found it in Chicago with Mike Valle and Israel Martinez. No, she may not become the youngest UFC champion in history. But that doesn’t mean he won’t wear that golden belt one day.
Wagenheim: Anthony Hernandez presented the most shocking result of the night
Who knows, maybe his nickname, “Fluffy,” played a role in Hernandez, who settled in as one of the lows of the night. A more likely factor was Hernandez’s result in the past three years – just one win in his last four previous fights. Above all, however, the +370 odds against him were a statement about his opponent, Rodolfo Vieira, who went undefeated in MMA with an elite pedigree in one of the key disciplines of the sport.
Vieira had only two UFC appearances, but this belt is black in its history in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. The 31-year-old Rio de Janeiro player is a seven-time world champion to show up. In more than 100 professional matches, he has only performed once.
But now Vieira has a loss of submission to his MMA record. Hernandez, who later revealed he is only a purple belt, reached the finish line with a third-round guillotine strangulation.
Of course, elite catchers like Braulio Estima and Bernardo Faria would like to have a word with Hernández. They did not fare as well in the world championship clashes with Vieira, but the rules of jiu-jitsu did not allow them to soften it with punches, elbows and blows to the head, as Hernández did before the strangulation. .
However, the minutes book only shows a victory for Hernandez, with no asterisks added for the damage caused before the capture. And bettors who charged the tickets that read “Hernandez by Submission,” with a 30-1 probability, according to the broadcast, are sure they won’t return the money won. No matter how you try to classify it, it was a special finish, which will make fans respect the name “Fluffy”. And future opponents will have something to think about: Hernandez’s defensive defense from the start against a virtuoso on the field, his grain to turn the tables, and his desire to get the most unlikely finishes.