At UFC 250, the bantamweight division took center stage. Former champion Cody Garbrandt returned from a 15-month layoff to knock out Raphael Assuncao in dramatic fashion; Aljamain Sterling shined with an early submission win over fellow top contender Cory Sandhagen; and Sean O’Malley earned his biggest win to date with a one-punch knockout of veteran Eddie Wineland.
So, with that in mind, what should be next for those three winners? Nolan King, Farah Hannou and Danny Segura sound off in this edition of Triple Take.
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Nolan King: Aljamain Sterling should fight Petr Yan
Yes, I’m fully aware I’m beating a dead horse – but that doesn’t change the fact that [autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag] vs. Petr Yan should be the next UFC bantamweight title fight.
Yan vs. Jose Aldo is a fight that never should’ve been booked – at least not right now. Before he was matched up with Sandhagen, Sterling did more than enough to warrant a title shot. Instead, the UFC is going with Aldo – the money choice – coming off back-to-back losses.
It’s funny. I’m actually old enough to remember when the UFC awarded title shots to people coming off wins. No disrespect to Dominick Cruz and Aldo, of course. They’re legends of the sport, and they’re not the ones making these decisions.
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I’ve become obnoxiously preachy with this sentiment, but that doesn’t make it any less true. Putting money fights ahead of legitimate title contenders in one of the most stacked divisions does damage to long-term divisional success.
Instead of letting the division flourish at the pinnacle of a contender-rebuild stage, contenders end up knocking each other off. Just look at Sandhagen. He’s already been a casualty of an unnecessary logjam.
Sure, Yan vs. Aldo is set. And sure, the UFC is not going back on its decision. But that doesn’t change the fact that Sterling has beaten five solid names en route to where he is now.
A title shot? He’s earned it.
Will he get it? No.
Next page – Farah Hannoun: Cody Garbrandt should fight Marlon Moraes