UFC Houston promised to be an excellent night of mixed martial arts action and fans weren’t disappointed with the display.
We saw fan favourite Chan Sung Jung return after his three-year stint away at where he defeated featherweight contender Dennis Bermudez in under three minutes.
Another eye-catching performance was that of Felice Herrig. A 3/1 underdog coming into the fight with top prospect Alexa Grasso, “Lil Bulldog” cruised to a unanimous victory, subsequently wanting to face Paige Vanzant or Michelle Waterson.
The Korean Zombie
After a stellar performance in Houston, Texas, “The Korean Zombie” has silenced any doubters with his first round TKO of featherweight contender Bermudez. A vicious uppercut to the chin of “The Menace” floored him and Jung quickly pounced on the New Yorker to earn himself the victory and performance of the night.
In terms of who he fights next, people well and truly believe the South Korean is back in the mix for a title shot and one name stands out more than any other, Cub Swanson. After the Californian defeated “The Korean Superboy” Doo Ho Choi, his South Korean counterpart will be looking for revenge. Ranked as the number four contender, Swanson would be a great fight for TKZ and his ambition of earning a title shot.
Dennis Bermudez
After a disappointing loss to The Korean Zombie, Bermudez now has to look at regathering himself and making sure his next fight is a victory as another loss could seriously damage his career.
In my opinion, a fight with Charles Oliveira would be an ideal match-up for the Long Island MMA athlete. With three losses in his last four fights, “De Bronx” is in poor form despite being ranked in the top ten in his division. A win over Oliveira would not only prevent any possible rot but would also be a good fight for his ranking.
Felice Herrig
A superhuman effort from Herrig in this fight. With bookmakers and experts writing her off at their own peril, Felice produced the performance of her career when she got the victory over previously undefeated Grasso.
The Illinoisan made no secret of her ambition for a rematch with Paige Vanzant or clash with Michelle Waterson. A match-up with Paige would not only be lucrative but a chance for the Team Curran athlete to avenge a recent loss on her record.
Jessica Andrade
With much hype surrounding Andrade’s bout against the returning Angela Hill, it was a worrying prospect of the fight not living up to expectations. However, this certainly wasn’t the case. Voted as the fight of the night, the Brazilian dominated “Overkill” in an enthralling unanimous decision victory.
With convincing wins over Joanne Calderwood and now Hill, “Bate Estaca” will be looking for a title shot in the near future. We could see a repeat of an experienced fighter overcoming a prospect if Andrade was to target a fight with Rose “Thug” Namajunas. With just one year of age separating the two strawweights, the difference in experience is evident. With respective wins over Hill and both being ranked in the top five in the division, this would make for an epic battle and could revive the division seemingly dominated by Joanna Jedrzejczyk.
Alexa Grasso
At just 23-years-old, Grasso is still one of the most exciting prospects in women’s MMA. If anything, a loss to Herrig at this stage of her career could prove pivotal. As opposed to an easy win, Grasso was tested, didn’t have things her own way and now with a loss, knows what she has to improve on.
A next fight I would like to see for the Mexican is fellow strawweight contender Valerie Letourneau. With three consecutive losses but still with a top 15 ranking, “Trouble” would be an ideal confidence boosting fight for the young Lobo Gym athlete.
James Vick
An impressive submission on Abel Trujillo saw “The Texecutioner” bounce back in style following his loss to top ten lightweight contender Beneil Dariush and sees the prospect back to winning ways.
Gilbert Melendez would be a great match-up and a must win fight for both. After four losses in his last five bouts, “El Nino” will want to stop the rot and bounce back with a win. However, for James Vick, it’s another opportunity to prove he belongs in the top 15 in his division.
Volkan Oezdemir
In what seemed an unpredictable clash, light-heavyweight prospect “Cousin” recorded a significant victory over number six contender Ovince Saint Preux and thus carried on his ascendancy on the 205lb ladder. The Swissman edged the fight in the eyes of the judges and recorded a split decision victory over the Tennessean.
With a near flawless record, Oezdemir has to be looking at the top 15 and pushing towards a title shot. A fight with fellow European Nikita Krylov is a fight that would spark interest and with “The Miner” being ranked top ten, it’d be another reputable scalp for the central European.
Marcel Fortuna
Marcel Fortuna continued his rise up the rankings and excellent form after he recorded a miraculous knockout victory over Anthony Hamilton as he connected with a right cross to the temple of “Freight Train.”
A sensible next fight for the Californian would be Andrei Arlovski. The risk-reward for this clash would weigh massively in Fortuna’s favour and could see him end Arlovski’s career whilst etching a significant win onto his record. “The Pit Bull” has lost his last four fights and the Ralph Gracie Jiu-jitsu will more than fancy his chances against the Belarusian.
