A quick snapshot at the weekend before Fighters of the Week fleshes it out a bit more.
Biggest Upset: Anthony Pettis +325 over Stephen Thompson
Notable New Champions:
- BBBofC Light Heavyweight Champion: Joshua Buatsi
- Interim LFA Bantamweight Champion: Casey Kenney
- WBO European Junior Welterweight Champion: Sam Maxwell
- WBC United States Featherweight Champion: Jessie Magdaleno
A Few Storylines Going Forward:
- The Rise of the Lightweights: That makes two weeks in a row where title-challenging welterweights got flattened by longtime-lightweights. Last week, it was Jorge Masvidal starching Darren Till, and on Saturday night, it was Anthony Pettis pulling out some Showtime against Stephen Thompson. Will this make fighters at 155, traditionally the biggest shark tank in MMA, comfortably test the waters at welterweight? Well don’t look now, but in a month and-a-half, we have Kevin Lee vs. Rafael dos Anjos.
- Pulev Stays Alive: Kubrat Pulev main-evented a Top Rank on ESPN card in a seemingly-gimme fight against Bogdan Dinu. What he didn’t plan on was Dinu opening up a crimson mask on his eye. To Pulev’s credit, he rebounded and put Dinu down, not panicking, and fought composed and smart. He’s the IBF mandatory challenger for Anthony Joshua, but regardless of where he lands, he’s in the mix in the heavyweight title scene.
- We’ll See You When We See You: College wrestling season is over. The NCAA national champions have been crowned, and like every year, it’s a signal of spring-time. For some, they’ll work towards repeating next year, moving weight-classes, or possibly transferring. For those who fell short, they have a goal in mind and will be hyper-focused towards it. But for those that have completed their college careers, well, let’s see where they land. Some will continue in wrestling, going to World Championships or other competitions, some will go into coaching, and some will go into MMA, as many champion wrestlers have. Let’s see who the new breed brings.
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