Matches to Make After UFC on Fox 22
The promotional heft for the
Ultimate Fighting Championship’s latest Fox event was placed
firmly behind Paige
VanZant. It appears Michelle
Waterson deviated from the script.
Waterson put the Team Alpha Male standout to sleep with a first-round rear-naked choke in the UFC on Fox 22 headliner on Saturday at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California. The former Invicta Fighting Championships titleholder marked her territory in the women’s strawweight division, as she put together a virtually flawless performance at a most opportune time and took her place in the line forming behind 115-pound champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk.
VanZant was never afforded the chance to exploit her size and
strength advantages. Waterson kept her at a safe distance with side
kicks to the gut and hearty right hooks upstairs before engaging
the “Dancing with the Stars” alum in the clinch. A quick-strike
head-and-arm throw put VanZant on the canvas, as Waterson made a
smooth transition to the back and locked in a body triangle to
secure position and cut off potential escape routes. She
immediately went to work on the choke, tightened her squeeze as
VanZant struggled to free herself and waited for the 22-year-old to
lose consciousness.
In the aftermath of UFC on Fox 22 “VanZant vs. Waterson,” here are five matches that should be made:
Michelle Waterson vs. Maryna Moroz: Waterson has recorded back-to-back victories since arriving in the UFC some 17 months ago, disposing of VanZant and Angela Magana with rear-naked chokes. The 30-year-old Jackson-Wink MMA and her 5-foot-3 frame are better-suited for 105 pounds, but the absence of an atomweight division in the UFC means she will be forced to compete against larger, stronger opponents for the foreseeable future. Moroz, a 25-year-old Ukrainian boxer who operates out of the K Dojo Warrior Tribe camp in New Jersey, owns a 3-1 mark inside the Octagon and last fought at UFC Fight Night 92 on Aug. 6, when she was awarded a split decision over Danielle Taylor.
Alan Jouban vs. Tim Means-Alex Oliveira winner: He solved the riddle that Danny Roberts and Hyun Gyu Lim could not. Jouban outstruck the previously unbeaten Mike Perry across three rounds to claim a unanimous decision in their welterweight showcase. According to FightMetric figures, he outpaced Perry in the significant strikes department by close to a 2-to-1 margin and was responsible for the only two takedowns in the fight. Jouban has rebounded from his UFC 192 loss to Albert Tumenov in October 2015 with three consecutive wins over Perry, Belal Muhammad and Brendan O’Reilly. Means will lock horns with Oliveira at UFC 207 on Dec. 30 in Las Vegas.
Colby Covington vs. Zak Cummings: Covington seems to have begun his metamorphosis from prospect to contender. The NCAA All-American wrestler improved to 11-1 with an emphatic unanimous decision over Bryan Barberena on the undercard. Covington executed a career-high 12 takedowns and smothered the MMA Lab representative in the clinch, all while putting his improving standup on display in intermittent bursts. All signs point to further development. Cummings has won seven of his past nine bouts and last competed at UFC Fight Night 99 on Nov. 27, when he submitted Alexander Yakovlev with a straight armbar.
Eddie Wineland vs. Rob Font: A former World Extreme Cagefighting champion who was flirting with the idea of retirement not long ago, Wineland looks as if he has quite a bit left in the tank. Takeya Mizugaki became his latest exhibit, as he cut down the Japanese journeyman with a pair of right hands and follow-up punches in the first round of their preliminary bantamweight clash. It lasted a little more than three minutes. With that, Wineland completed a clean two-fight slate in 2016. While he may never again reach top-10 heights, the 32-year-old could help the UFC separate the wheat from the chaff at 135 pounds. Font last appeared at “The Ultimate Fighter 24” Finale on Dec. 3, when he took care of Matt Schnell with a first-round knee strike and punches.
Paige VanZant vs. Randa Markos: VanZant saw her momentum stalled yet again, as she was choked unconscious by Waterson in the main event. The Team Alpha Male star failed to back up her highlight-reel stoppage of Bec Rawlings at UFC on Fox 21 in August, losing for the second time in three outings. Still just 22 years of age, VanZant still has plenty of time to hone her skills and maximize her considerable potential, but the cutthroat sport of mixed martial arts waits for no one. That reality now rings truer than ever for the woman they call “12 Gauge.” Markos has not fought since she submitted to a Cortney Casey armbar at UFC 202 on Aug. 20.
Waterson put the Team Alpha Male standout to sleep with a first-round rear-naked choke in the UFC on Fox 22 headliner on Saturday at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California. The former Invicta Fighting Championships titleholder marked her territory in the women’s strawweight division, as she put together a virtually flawless performance at a most opportune time and took her place in the line forming behind 115-pound champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk.
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In the aftermath of UFC on Fox 22 “VanZant vs. Waterson,” here are five matches that should be made:
Michelle Waterson vs. Maryna Moroz: Waterson has recorded back-to-back victories since arriving in the UFC some 17 months ago, disposing of VanZant and Angela Magana with rear-naked chokes. The 30-year-old Jackson-Wink MMA and her 5-foot-3 frame are better-suited for 105 pounds, but the absence of an atomweight division in the UFC means she will be forced to compete against larger, stronger opponents for the foreseeable future. Moroz, a 25-year-old Ukrainian boxer who operates out of the K Dojo Warrior Tribe camp in New Jersey, owns a 3-1 mark inside the Octagon and last fought at UFC Fight Night 92 on Aug. 6, when she was awarded a split decision over Danielle Taylor.
Alan Jouban vs. Tim Means-Alex Oliveira winner: He solved the riddle that Danny Roberts and Hyun Gyu Lim could not. Jouban outstruck the previously unbeaten Mike Perry across three rounds to claim a unanimous decision in their welterweight showcase. According to FightMetric figures, he outpaced Perry in the significant strikes department by close to a 2-to-1 margin and was responsible for the only two takedowns in the fight. Jouban has rebounded from his UFC 192 loss to Albert Tumenov in October 2015 with three consecutive wins over Perry, Belal Muhammad and Brendan O’Reilly. Means will lock horns with Oliveira at UFC 207 on Dec. 30 in Las Vegas.
Colby Covington vs. Zak Cummings: Covington seems to have begun his metamorphosis from prospect to contender. The NCAA All-American wrestler improved to 11-1 with an emphatic unanimous decision over Bryan Barberena on the undercard. Covington executed a career-high 12 takedowns and smothered the MMA Lab representative in the clinch, all while putting his improving standup on display in intermittent bursts. All signs point to further development. Cummings has won seven of his past nine bouts and last competed at UFC Fight Night 99 on Nov. 27, when he submitted Alexander Yakovlev with a straight armbar.
Eddie Wineland vs. Rob Font: A former World Extreme Cagefighting champion who was flirting with the idea of retirement not long ago, Wineland looks as if he has quite a bit left in the tank. Takeya Mizugaki became his latest exhibit, as he cut down the Japanese journeyman with a pair of right hands and follow-up punches in the first round of their preliminary bantamweight clash. It lasted a little more than three minutes. With that, Wineland completed a clean two-fight slate in 2016. While he may never again reach top-10 heights, the 32-year-old could help the UFC separate the wheat from the chaff at 135 pounds. Font last appeared at “The Ultimate Fighter 24” Finale on Dec. 3, when he took care of Matt Schnell with a first-round knee strike and punches.
Paige VanZant vs. Randa Markos: VanZant saw her momentum stalled yet again, as she was choked unconscious by Waterson in the main event. The Team Alpha Male star failed to back up her highlight-reel stoppage of Bec Rawlings at UFC on Fox 21 in August, losing for the second time in three outings. Still just 22 years of age, VanZant still has plenty of time to hone her skills and maximize her considerable potential, but the cutthroat sport of mixed martial arts waits for no one. That reality now rings truer than ever for the woman they call “12 Gauge.” Markos has not fought since she submitted to a Cortney Casey armbar at UFC 202 on Aug. 20.
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