After a three and a half year absence, the UFC returned to Singapore this past weekend for UFC Fight Night 111 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang, Singapore. Former champions Holly Holm and Rafael Dos Anjos returned to the win column after both struggled with form recently and UFC icon Andrei Arlovski fell to yet another defeat at the hands of Polish heavyweight Marcin Tybura.
Once again we at MMA Plus, have taken a look at the winners from Saturday’s main card and consider who’s next for those who came out on top in the latest edition of ‘Fight That Make Sense’.
Fights that make sense – UFC Fight Night 111
Holly Holm (11-3)
After three consecutive defeats, Holly Holm’s reputation was in dire need of a boost and the former women’s bantamweight champion did not disappoint with a third round KO of Bethe Correia. A head kick similar to that she utilised in her breakthrough victory over Ronda Rousey was enough to take out her Brazilian opponent, and for the first time since 2015, Holm can look at making progress with her next fight rather than trying to recover from a setback.
A match-up that could see her back in title contention would be a bout with TUF 18 winner Julianna Pêna, who most recently lost a title eliminator to current number one contender Valentina Shevchenko, and will be due to return shortly. “The Venezuelan Vixen” seemed on the path to her first title challenge after a 4-0 start to her UFC career however she would fall at the last hurdle when Shevchenko bested her by submission at UFC on Fox 23.
With the retirement of Miesha Tate and the continued doubts over Rousey’s future, the women’s bantamweight division continues to be short of legitimate contenders to challenge champion Amanda Nunes. A fight between Holm and Pêna would provide both with the opportunity to prove they deserve to be in contention at 135lbs once more.
Marcin Tybura (16-2)
After losing his UFC debut to Timothy Johnson at UFC Fight Night 86, Marcin Tybura has bounced back with three victories in a row with his latest coming against fading MMA legend Andrei Arlovski. It wasn’t pretty from the Pol, however, he got the job done with a gritty performance and adds the biggest scalp of his career to a resume which lacks recognisable fighters.
Having been ranked No.13 in the UFC’s official heavyweight rankings prior to his win, the time has come for the former M-1 champion to be given a chance against the more prestigious names currently situated above him. A suitable opponent for Tybura would be PRIDE and UFC veteran, Mark Hunt.
“Super Samoan” Hunt is coming off his first win in over a year after he upset Derrick Lewis in front of a raucous Kiwi crowd last week at UFC Fight Night 110, and despite his advancing years, is still a test for anyone in the 265lb division. His reputation from his days in Japan as well as being a UFC regular for the past seven years have made Hunt one of the most recognisable faces in the heavyweight division and a match-up with Tybura would see the Pol in his highest profile fight to date.
Now aged 43, the New Zealander is not the force he once was, however, his KO of Lewis shows he is still enough of a threat to give Tybura the challenge he requires if he is going to continue his development.
Colby Covington (12-1) & Rafael Dos Anjos (26-9)
Sometimes matchmaking is made easy by circumstance and this is one such occasion. With Rafael Dos Anjos and Colby Covington both picking up wins in the welterweight division, it makes complete sense to pair them up for their next bouts.
Former lightweight champion Dos Anjos has only just made the move to the 170lb division after two losses in a row and a scary incident, which saw the Brazilian pass out several times before his title defence against Eddie Alvarez, has pushed Dos Anjos to fight at a more natural weight. After a strong showing in his first welterweight outing against Tarec Saffiedine, Dos Anjos will want to climb his way back into contending for the gold.
A good step on that ladder would be Covington, who after going 7-1 in his UFC tenure so far, will also be looking towards the top of the rankings. Despite being both a consistent and effective performer inside the Octagon, the Oregon native’s style is not considered fan friendly as he out-grapples his opponents and grinds them out over the course of a fight. Despite the complaints, nobody can argue about his methods and a fight against an ex-champion like Dos Anjos would be a great litmus test for Covington and could see him force his way into the chasing pack lining up behind current champion Tyron Woodley at welterweight.
