The UFC has its next featherweight title eliminator set. On Tuesday, the promotion confirmed that its London card next month would be headlined by British hero Lerone Murphy fighting Movsar Evloev.
The winner is certain to be Alexander Volkanovski’s next challenger, and that is frankly a fight that “The Great” should take. Meanwhile, here are three more matchups that Sean Shelby should get done.
After a very long absence, Arnold Allen made his return to the Octagon at UFC 324. Alas, it was not a triumphant one, as he dropped a decision to Jean Silva. Allen must now focus his attention on bouncing back, and two names immediately come to mind when it comes to his next fight.
Youssef Zalal floundered in his first UFC stint, going 3-3-1, Three straight losses and a draw led to his release, but it only ignited a fire in him. Three straight stoppage wins in the regional scene netted “The Morroccan Devil” a second chance, and he has made the most out of it so far with five straight wins. The latest in that streak was a submission of former interim title challenger Josh Emmett that cemented him as a bona fide contender.
Meanwhile, Steve Garcia has been on a tear since going 1-2 in his first three fights in the Octagon. “Mean Machine” is currently on a seven-win streak and has gone the distance just once in that span, with the rest being devastating knockouts. Last time around, he became the first person to finish David Onama and is now aiming upward.
If Allen wants to remain among the top-ranked featherweights in the world, then he must held off either of these hungry wolves…
Speaking of Silva, this is what his next assignment should be.
Throughout his bantamweight reign, Aljamain Sterling had always been non-committal about fighting his friend and stablemate Merab Dvalishvili, which posed a major matchmaking problem for Dana White. Fortunately, Sean O’Malley solved that equation by dethroning Sterling, then “The Funkmaster” further added to White’s relief and joy by going ten pounds north.
Since then, Sterling has gone 2-1, with wins over Kattar and Brian Ortega flanking a loss to Evloev. Sterling is clearly angling for a title shot, but Silva is also looking for the same. Both men are right next to each other in the rankings, so this move is only logical.
Remember when Diego Lopes and Yair Rodriguez exchanged trash talk at the UFC 314 press conference? After nearly a year of waiting, it is time for them to settle their scores and find out who the “real Mexican” is between them.
There is not much that needs to be explained about this fight, other than the timing. Former two-weight champion Henry Cejudo suggested the period around Cinco De Mayo as the earliest it could happen, and it is frankly not a bad idea.
At least one person thinks Volkanovski should be done fighting after UFC 325: former lightweight champion Frankie Edgar, who recently told MMA Junkie:
“Who gets to do that nowadays? Nobody. Not many people get their flowers in this sport, unfortunately, and he’s in a position where he can.”
Unfortunately, “The Answer” is wrong (pun not intended). After doing mostly rematches throughout his time as champion, Volkanovski deserves fresh competition, and those litany of fights will do that argument wonders.
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