Liam Lindsay

BKFC 90: Tierney vs. Franco is live from the Utilita Arena in Birmingham, England, featuring an Interim Title Fight rematch between Connor Tierney and Rico Franco. UK MMA legend **Darren "The Gorilla" Till** takes the co-main event spot against Aaron Chalmers. Till is making his **BKFC debut tonight** against Chalmers, who is 2-0 in bare-knuckle boxing. Here are the live results for the card.

**Prelims 7pm BST / 2pm ET (Free on YouTube)**

## Lightweight Bout: Nathan Leeson vs. Stevie Devenport

**Result:** Nathan Leeson def. Stevie Devonport via TKO (Doctor Stoppage, 1:29) Round 4.

## Heavyweight Bout: Lucasz Parobiec vs. Kaseem Saleem

**Result:** Lucasz Parobiec def. Kaseem Saleem via TKO (punches, 0:47) Round 4. 

![kaseem-vs-lukasz.jpeg](https://imagedelivery.net/kd_oB-9dZCrENaJzp7HSCA/ed57c283-680a-46ce-0840-bafab1929c00/pub "Lucasz Parobiec exchanging with Kaseem Saleem. Credits to: BKFC.")

## Welterweight Bout: Kris Trezise vs. Luke Brassfield

**Result:** Kris Trezise def. Luke Brassfield via TKO (punches, 1:53) Round 4.

## Main Card (Available on BKFC.com)

## Lightweight Bout: Tommy Hawthorn vs. Will Smith

**Result:** Tommy Hawthorn def. Will Smith via TKO (corner stoppage, 1:42) Round 3.

**The Action:** It was a dominant display from Tommy Hawthorn who dropped Will Smith early in the first round with a flurry of punches. The damage from Hawthorn kept up into rounds two and three, and following another knockdown in the third, the corner threw in the towel for Smith.

## Middleweight Bout: Paul O'Sullivan vs. Paul Hilz

**Result:** Paul O'Sullivan def. Paul Hilz via Unanimous Decision (50-45, 50-45, 50-45)

![paul-vs-paul.jpeg](https://imagedelivery.net/kd_oB-9dZCrENaJzp7HSCA/51c5dcff-743c-4f58-8f7d-7b14cd308200/pub "Paul O'Sullivan def. Paul Hilz via UD. Credits to: BKFC.")

## Middleweight Bout: Liam Hutchinson vs. Simeon Ottley

**Result:** Liam Hutchinson def. Simeon Ottley via Unanimous Decision (50-45, 48-47, 50-45)

## Featherweight Bout: Michal Lesniak vs. Martin McDonough

**Result:** Michal Lesniak def. Martin McDonough via TKO (punches, 0:57) Round 4.

![polish.jpeg](https://imagedelivery.net/kd_oB-9dZCrENaJzp7HSCA/21843fc9-679e-4b8d-d9fc-f7bb8e162700/pub "Michal Lesniak celebrates his win over McDonough. via UD. Credits to: BKFC.")

## Middleweight Bout: George Thorpe vs. Leigh Cohoon

**Result:** George Thorpe def. Leigh Cohoon via Unanimous Decision (50-45, 49-46, 49-46)

## Bantamweight Bout: Jonno Chipchase vs. Brian Hyslop

**Result:** Brian Hyslop def. Jonno Chipchase via Unanimous Decision (50-43, 49-45, 50-53)

## Cruiserweight Bout: John Phillips vs. Ryan Barrett

**Result:** John Phillips def. Ryan Barrett via TKO (punches, 1:03) Round 1.

## Co-Main Event: Light-Heavyweight Bout: Darren Till vs. Aaron Chalmers

**Result:** Darren Till def. Aaron Chalmers via KO (punch, 0:22) Round 2.

## Interim BKFC Welterweight Championship: Connor Tierney vs. Rico Franco

**Result:** Rico Franco def. Connor Tierney via KO (punch, 0:50) Round 2.



BKFC 90: Tierney vs. Franco Live Results

UFC Macau delivered one of the better cards of the year, with four fighters each taking home the $100,000 bonus. The UFC has confirmed the post-fight bonuses following Saturday's event in China, with Song Yadong's guillotine finish of Deiveson Figueiredo headlining a night full of stoppages.

## Fight of the Night: Alonzo Menifield vs. Zhang Mingyang

Alonzo Menifield went straight at Zhang Mingyang from the off, had him in serious trouble early, and punished him when Zhang tried to trade. Zhang stuck in the fight and landed some good shots too, but the power difference was real. The result was a first-round TKO for Menifield, his tenth career knockout win, and eleventh UFC victory, and he leaves China with $100,000 for his efforts. Zhang will also recieve $100,000 for a fun fight while it lasted.

## Performance of the Night: Song Yadong

Song Yadong saved the night for the home nation. The Bantamweight contender bounced back from his close defeat to Sean O'Malley by submitting former Flyweight Champion Deiveson Figueiredo with a guillotine choke in the second round, countering a takedown attempt to pull off the finish. A much needed main event win that keeps him in the top-5 of the division, and he takes home the $100K bonus.

## Performance of the Night:  Kai Asakura

The final performance bonus was delivered to Kai Asakura, who got a long awaited UFC win after losing his first two fights to Alexandre Pantoja and Tim Elliott. He destroyed his opponent Cameron Smotherman with a viscious combination, earning his first win in the UFC and first bonus too. 

## Finish Bonuses ($25,000 each)

Several fighters earned finish bonuses on the night: Jaqueline Amorim opened the card with an armbar finish over Loma Lookboonmee, Rodrigo Vera stopped Zhu Kangjie on his UFC debut, and Cody Haddon dominated Aoriqileng for a second-round TKO. Rei Tsuruya submitted Luis Gurule early in the first, debutant Luis Felipe Dias got the finish against Yi Sak Lee, and Sergei Pavlovich re-announced himself as a Haeavyweight title challenger by knocking out Tallison Teixeira in the opening seconds.

Who stood out to you most from UFC Macau? As a member of the Verdict Community, let us know with a comment down below.

UFC Macau Bonus Winners Confirmed: Who Took Home $100K?

UFC Macau makes its return to Galaxy Arena tomorrow, live on Paramount+ from Macau, China, headlined by a Bantamweight bout between Song Yadong and Deiveson Figueiredo. All fighters hit their marks on the scale at Friday's official weigh-ins. Here are the results.

## Main Card — 6 AM ET

**Bantamweight:** Song Yadong (136) vs. Deiveson Figueiredo (135.5)
**Light Heavyweight:** Zhang Mingyang (205) vs. Alonzo Menifield (206)
**Heavyweight:** Sergei Pavlovich (257) vs. Tallison Teixeira (250)
**Bantamweight:** Kai Asakura (135.5) vs. Cameron Smotherman (135.5)
**Welterweight:** Jake Matthews (170) vs. Carlston Harris (170.5)
**Flyweight:** Su Mudaerji (126) vs. Alex Perez (125.5)

## Prelims — 4 AM ET

**Middleweight:** Yi Sak Lee (185) vs. Luis Felipe Dias (184.5)
**Welterweight:** Ding Meng (170.5) vs. Jose Souza (170.5)
**Bantamweight:** Aoriqileng (135) vs. Cody Haddon (135)
**Bantamweight:** Rei Tsuruya (135) vs. Luis Gurule (135)
**Strawweight:** Angela Hill (115) vs. Xiong Jing Nan (115.5)
**Featherweight:** Zhu Kangjie (145) vs. Rodrigo Vera (145)
**Strawweight:** Loma Lookboonmee (115) vs. Jaqueline Amorim

Who are you most excited to watch? As a member of the Verdict Community, let us know with a comment down below.

UFC Macau Weigh-In Results

Darren "The Gorilla" Till made his presence felt at the BKFC 90 press conference in Birmingham today, and he wasted absolutely no time putting the entire roster on notice. Two days out from his bare-knuckle debut against Aaron "The Joker" Chalmers at the Utilita Arena, Till was the loudest voice in the room.

# Till Fires Shots At Everyone

Till made clear his ambitions stretch far beyond Saturday night, declaring he intends to wipe the whole BKFC roster out, naming Mike Perry, Lorenzo Hunt, and John Phillips specifically as fighters he views as "punch-drunk mongoloids." He also said he believes the fight with Mike Perry may not happen because Perry is desperately trying to avoid him.

John Phillips, the former UFC and BAMMA Middleweight veteran who fights Ryan Barrett on the same card, was sat in the same room when Till made those remarks. The exchange between the two turned heated, with Till dismissing Phillips by telling him he's not fighting him and that he doesn't even know who he is. Phillips was gunning for the moneyfight against Darren Till, and he might get it if they're both victorious on Saturday.

## The Fight

Chalmers enters as a significant underdog at +650. He believe's his experience in the BKFC will give him an edge, but whether he can back that up against a former UFC title challenger making his bare-knuckle debut is another question entirely.

Till is on a multi-fight deal with BKFC and has made clear he sees himself as the future face of the sport. A matchup with Mike Perry is definitely one that needs to happen.

What do you make of Till's comments, and does his arrival shake up the BKFC landscape? As a member of the Verdict Community, let us know with a comment down below.

Darren Till : Mike Perry Is A "Punch-Drunk Mongoloid", Says Perry is Avoiding Him

Oleksandr Usyk has successfully kept his undefeated 25-0 record intact in his most recent fight against former GLORY Kickboxing World Champion Rico Verhoeven, flooring him once in the eleventh round before referee Mark Lyson stopped the fight seconds after the bell had already rung, right in front of the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt.

## Rico Verhoeven Shocked The World

The entire fight was a spectacle to watch. Rico Verhoeven surprised a lot of people by fighting strongly in the first round, hunched over with quick feet and active feints. He competed with Usyk in the lead hand battle and didn't let Usyk establish any sense of rhythm with his jab. What was even more surprising was that Verhoeven performed well in the second round too, and followed it up with another strong third round.

In the fourth round, momentum changed. I thought, and I'm sure a lot of others thought, this was the big turning point in the fight. Usyk pressed forward with combinations, landing clean uppercuts which hurt Verhoeven and made him drop his mouthpiece. Usyk was doing what he does best: downloading data and gradually turning up the pressure.

Now reading everything so far, would you expect me to say that between rounds five to nine, I gave Usyk just one of those rounds? Verhoeven, who looked revitalised after a difficult fourth round, started to comfortably outbox Usyk both at range and up close. **The +800 underdog was giving Usyk serious problems for large stretches of rounds six through nine.** He never slowed down. I found it mesmerising. This man is used to fighting 5x3s in Kickboxing, and now he’s outworking the workhorse.

I’ve watched Usyk take out legend after legend, beating Murat Gassiev and Mairis Briedis to conquer the Cruiserweight division, stopping Daniel Dubois twice, ending the undefeated reign of Tyson Fury, battering Anthony Joshua in the 12th round in their fight at Tottenham. **And Rico Verhoeven was outboxing him. Ridiculous.**

## The Fight Started To Flip

The tenth round was a turning point in the fight, a much better one for Oleksandr Usyk. For me though, I felt it was far too little, too late. **There was a serious argument that Usyk was down 8-2 (98-92 on the scorecards)** going into the Championship rounds of the fight. I genuinely thought Verhoeven could afford to lose a 10-8 round and still edge the fight on the cards. Very naive.

Then the eleventh round happened. At this point in the fight, I had it scored 7-3 (97-93) for Rico Verhoeven, with Usyk honestly taking just two clear rounds. The eleventh was competitive before the big shot landed. In the closing seconds, Usyk dropped Verhoeven with a perfectly timed uppercut. Quite impressively, Rico returned to his feet and looked fine to continue. Usyk swarmed with a late flurry, and then the bell rang. A tough moment for Rico, who would certainly need to survive a difficult twelfth... **what? The fight's over?**

The bell had already sounded, yet Mark Lyson stepped in moments later to wave the fight off after Usyk missed his final punch. Oleksandr Usyk, and still.

## Boxing, Consistency, and the Scorecards

The problem I find with boxing is that there's no consistency with these kinds of stoppages. Just a few weeks ago I watched Fabio Wardley get mauled before he was brutally TKO'd in the eleventh round. I watched him struggle to stand on his feet before the tenth round started, and yet there was no stoppage. Two years ago I watched Tyson Fury nearly go unconscious on his feet when Oleksandr Usyk rocked him in the ninth round of their first fight, and again there was no stoppage. Two hours ago I watched Rico Verhoeven climb off the canvas in a fight where he hadn't previously been hurt, and it was stopped. **Where is the consistency?** But don’t get me confused, I absolutely think Wardley should have been pulled out earlier in that fight. There’s a fine line between stopping a fight too early and stopping it too late, and boxing referees seem to lose balance on that tightrope constantly.

I'd be remiss not to mention the scorecards. Judge Manuel Oliver Palomo had it a draw. Judge Fabian Guggenheim also scored it a draw. Judge Pasquale Procopio had it 96-94 (6-4) in favour of Rico Verhoeven. I'm honestly not sure what surprised me more, the stoppage or those scorecards. I understand boxing is a difficult sport to judge, and in no way am I insinuating I could do a better job than three qualified judges, but the general consensus online appeared to be that Verhoeven was ahead by at least a few rounds. For two judges not to have split the rounds more evenly through ten rounds shocked me badly.

It is a shame about the stoppage, and I think the scorecards are disappointing as well. But Rico Verhoeven being in that ring tonight was anything but a shame. This fight evolved from a novelty spectacle into a legitimate Heavyweight Championship-level contest. The King of Kickboxing showed up and delivered against the consensus greatest Heavyweight boxer in the world right now. Huge respect to Rico Verhoeven. Of course, respect to Usyk as well, who still has plenty of options for his next fight. **You can hate the stoppage as much as you want, and I certainly do, but you can’t hate Usyk. That man has always been, and will continue to be, one of the classiest figures in boxing.**


The King of Kickboxing Was Almost The King of Boxing

Themba Gorimbo (14-7) has officially retired from mixed martial arts. The Zimbabwean Welterweight announced his decision in an Instagram post, citing his failure to reach his dream of becoming a UFC Champion as the reason for walking away from the sport.

Gorimbo's retirement comes on the back of a third consecutive loss, dropping a split decision to Jonathan Micallef at UFC Perth on May 2. The defeat left him with a 4-4 UFC record and no quick path toward title contention. In his Instagram statement, Gorimbo was candid about where things stood.

> "My dream is to be a UFC champion and if I cannot be that I am going to walk away from the sport." - Themba Gorimbo

Alongside his four Octagon wins, Gorimbo will be remembered for his viral moment when Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson gifted him a home in Miami after winning his first fight in the UFC after hearing his story. He will also be etched in history as the first Zimbabwean to win in the UFC.

Gorimbo left the door open for a future in coaching or management, and as anyone who follows MMA knows, retirements in this sport are never truly final.

Themba Gorimbo Announces Retirement From MMA

Dana White has confirmed the full card for UFC 329, and it might be the most stacked non-title event in recent memory. The International Fight Week headliner takes place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on July 11th, with Conor McGregor's long-awaited return leading a card loaded with compelling matchups from top to bottom.

## McGregor vs. Holloway 2

Conor McGregor (22-6) returns to the Octagon for the first time in nearly five years against former Featherweight and BMF Champion Max Holloway (27-9) in a five-round Welterweight main event. The two originally met in 2013 at Featherweight, with McGregor winning via unanimous decision at UFC Fight Night 26. Since 2021, McGregor has been sidelined by a broken leg, an 18-month USADA suspension, and a string of off-cage controversies. Holloway is coming off his own setback, a lopsided decision loss to Charles Oliveira at UFC 326 in March, but he's still a heavy favourite. It's a big risk for McGregor's return fight. A win could propel him straight into a title fight with current Lightweight Champion Ilia Topurua, but it's a big ask for McGregor to beat one of the best strikers in the UFC in his return fight.

## Paddy Pimblett Back in Action

Paddy "The Baddy" Pimblett (23-4) makes his first appearance since suffering his first UFC defeat, a unanimous decision loss to Justin Gaethje in January's interim Lightweight title fight at UFC 324. He takes on Benoît "God of War" Saint-Denis (17-3) in the co-main event. Saint Denis arrives in red-hot form with four straight wins, most recently finishing Dan Hooker at UFC 325 in January, and is currently ranked fifth in the Lightweight division. Pimblett, ranked sixth, needs a convincing performance here to stay in the title conversation. Saint-Denis poses a difficult style matchup for him; this is far from an easy bounce back fight.

## Bantamweight Rematch

Cory Sandhagen (18-6) and Mario Bautista (17-3) run it back in a rematch from their 2019 encounter, where Sandhagen submitted Bautista in round one. Both men have come a long way since then, Sandhagen most recently challenged Merab Dvalishvili for the Bantamweight title, while Bautista has built himself into a top-eight contender with wins over the likes of José Aldo and Patchy Mix.

## Flyweight Title Implications

Brandon Royval and Lone'er Kavanagh meet in a Flyweight bout that has big title implications. Kavanagh is coming off a breakout win over Brandon Moreno earlier this year, and a victory over the experienced Royval would make him near-impossible to ignore in the title conversation.

**Also on the Card**

- Robert Whittaker vs. Nikita Krylov — Light-Heavyweight
- Gable Steveson vs. Elisha Ellison — Heavyweight
- Cody Garbrandt vs. Adrian Yañez — Bantamweight
- Tracy Cortez vs. Wang Cong — Women's Flyweight
- Kai Kamaka III vs. Luke Riley — Featherweight
- Damian Pinas vs. César Almeida — Middleweight
- Cody Durden vs. Ode' Osbourne — Flyweight
- Ryan Gandra vs. Zachary Reese — Middleweight

What are you most looking forward to on the UFC 329 card, and who do you have winning the main event? As a member of the Verdict Community, let us know with a comment down below.

Dana White Confirms McGregor's Return at UFC 329

MVP MMA makes its debut tomorrow, live on Netflix from the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California, headlined by a Women's Featherweight bout between Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano. The official weigh-ins took place today, here are the results.

## Main Card 9 PM EST

**Women's Featherweight:** Ronda Rousey (142) vs. Gina Carano (141.4)

**Welterweight:** Nate Diaz (168.6) vs. Mike Perry (169.6)

**Heavyweight:** Francis Ngannou (257) vs. Philipe Lins (220.6)

**Lightweight:** Salahdine Parnasse (154.8) vs. Kenny Cross (155.4)

**Heavyweight:** Junior dos Santos (245.4) vs. Robelis Despaigne (258.8)

## Prelims 6 PM EST

**Welterweight:** Namo Fazil vs. Jake Babian (171)

**Catchweight (130 lbs):** Adriano Moraes (129) vs. Phumi Nkuta (129)

**Welterweight:** Jason Jackson (170.8) vs. Jeff Creighton (168.2)

**Featherweight:** David Mgoyan (145.2) vs. Albert Morales (143.8)

**Catchweight (130 lbs):** Aline Pereira (128) vs. Jade Masson-Wong (129)

**Catchweight (165 lbs):** Chris Avila (164) vs. Brandon Jenkins

MVP MMA 1: Rousey vs. Carano Weigh-In Results

The UFC is live on Paramount tomorrow from the Meta Apex in Las Vegas, headlined by a Featherweight bout between Arnold Allen and Melquizael Costa. The official weigh-ins took place today, here are the results.

## Main Card 8 PM EST

**Featherweight:** Arnold Allen (145.5) vs. Melquizael Costa (145.5)

**Featherweight:** Doo Ho Choi (146) vs. Daniel Santos (145)

**Bantamweight:** Malcolm Wellmaker (135.5) vs. Juan Diaz (135.5)

**Catchweight (215 lbs):** Modestas Bukauskas (213.5) vs. Christian Edwards (214.5)

**Bantamweight:** Timothy Cuamba vs. Bernardo Sopaj (136)

**Welterweight:** Nikolay Veretennikov (170.5) vs. Khaos Williams (170.5)

## Prelims 5 PM EST

**Light Heavyweight:** Tuco Tokkos (205.5) vs. Ivan Erslan (205.5)

**Lightweight:** Thomas Gantt (156) vs. Artur Minev (155)

**Women's Bantamweight:** Ketlen Vieira (136) vs. Jacqueline Cavalcanti (135.5)

**Middleweight:** Cody Brundage vs. Andre Petroski (185.5)

**Women's Strawweight:** Alice Ardelean (116) vs. Polyana Viana (115.5)

**Flyweight:** Daniel Barez (125.5) vs. Luis Gurule (125.5)

**Women's Strawweight:** Shauna Bannon (115.5) vs. Nicolle Caliari (115.5)

UFC Vegas 117: Allen vs. Costa Weigh-In Results

Sean Strickland shocked the world for a second time in the main event of UFC 328, handing previously undefeated Khamzat Chimaev the first loss of his MMA career via split decision.

It was a sluggish fight from both fighters, who laboured their way through the championship rounds with competitive striking numbers and a surprising lack of wrestling aggression from the Chechen. Two of the three judges decided Strickland's accurate jab did enough damage to secure him the final round of the fight, turning in two 48-47 scorecards to award Strickland the victory.

```iframe
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The oddsmakers are always confident in Israel Adesanya.<br><br>He&#39;s lost 3 fights to Alex Pereira, but the oddsmakers still have him as a favorite heading into this weekend.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/UFC287?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#UFC287</a> <a href="https://t.co/0MF4krsH1v">pic.twitter.com/0MF4krsH1v</a></p>&mdash; Verdict (@TournamentsMMA) <a href="https://twitter.com/UFCNews/status/2053336166230024436?s=20">April 5, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
```

Khamzat Chimaev's cardio looked about as bad as we've seen it in his MMA career, as he struggled to take Strickland down after the first round of the fight. Strickland was able to hold him down for an entire round in the second, the first time that's happened to Khamzat in his sixteen-fight career. We've seen Chimaev slow down significantly against former opposition, notably Gilbert Burns and Kamaru Usman, but not to this amount, and certainly not this early either. Multiple factors can play into this, including Strickland's stellar takedown and submission defense, but it'd be amiss to not notice Chimaev struggled with the weight cut going into his first defense of his Middleweight title.

Shortly after the fight, Chimaev informed Dana White he no longer wishes to compete in the Middleweight division, and now eyes an immediate jump up to the Light-Heavyweight division, where Carlos Ulberg currently reigns. The question now is which fighter "Borz" takes on in his 205-pound debut, the third weight class of his short MMA career.



## The One Everyone Wants to See

In 2023, Khamzat Chimaev was scheduled to face former Middleweight title challenger Paulo Costa at UFC 294. Costa pulled out two weeks out, prompting Kamaru Usman to step in on short notice, and the fight was never re-booked. But just because it fizzled doesn't mean these two aren't itching to fight each other. Costa has repeatedly called out Chimaev online since their fight fell out. Costa recently made a successful and impressive debut at Light-Heavyweight, taking the undefeated record of Azamat Murzakanov at UFC 327 via third-round knockout. With Costa coming off a career-best performance and Chimaev looking to establish himself in a new division, this feels like the perfect fight to book next for both fighters.

## Straight to The Belt?

When the UFC booked Chimaev against Strickland, it was clear they're moving away from a meritocratic system, and instead offering title fights based on two statistics: name value and availability. Given Chimaev's star power in the sport, the UFC will be itching to get him back into a championship spot. This matchup isn't as likely, but because of Chimaev's name and recognition, he could be next for Carlos Ulberg's Light-Heavyweight title. Ulberg is coming off a first-round KO win over Jiri Prochazka, but is sidelined with an ACL tear for the next six months. Chimaev averages one fight every eight months, so that timeline fits for "Borz." If the UFC wants Chimaev back in a headliner spot, this could be the next move.

```iframe
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The oddsmakers are always confident in Israel Adesanya.<br><br>He&#39;s lost 3 fights to Alex Pereira, but the oddsmakers still have him as a favorite heading into this weekend.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/UFC287?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#UFC287</a> <a href="https://t.co/0MF4krsH1v">pic.twitter.com/0MF4krsH1v</a></p>&mdash; Verdict (@TournamentsMMA) <a href="https://twitter.com/RMCSportCombat/status/2043178077186879877?s=20">April 5, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
```

## Two Top Contenders

Light-Heavyweight is a totally fresh division for the Chechen, and any matchup is an interesting one on paper. The leading stories going into his 205 debut will undoubtedly be his uncharacteristic performance against Strickland, and whether that'll persist into his new division. As well as that, how will he size up against the division's best? The two names that stand out to me the most are former Champions Jiri Prochazka and Magomed Ankalaev, who will both bring a completely new style to test Chimaev in the cage.

Jiri Prochazka has one of the most unpredictable fighting styles we've seen in MMA. With his relentless cardio and signature awkward striking style, it'll be a puzzle Chimaev won't be able to even attempt to solve until he steps in the cage. We've seen Chimaev struggle with fighters in the past on the feet, most notably Gilbert Burns, and with all respect to Durinho, Prochazka poses a much larger threat on the feet, one Chimaev has never seen before. And equally, Chimaev possesses all the tools to hand Prochazka a second straight defeat, with Prochazka being finished in all of his career losses and posting a 60% takedown defense accuracy. Those are the kind of numbers Chimaev will smell blood on.

Ankalaev essentially poses the opposite problem. A tidy striker with a strong wrestling base both offensively and defensively. Kamaru Usman is the most decorated wrestler we've seen Chimaev face in the Octagon so far, and he was able to stuff eight of Chimaev's twelve attempted takedowns. And we have to remember, that was a version of Usman coming up a weight class with little preparation on two weeks' notice. Ankalaev fights in a weight class 35 pounds heavier, and if Chimaev can't assert his signature wrestling style in that division, he could be in serious trouble coming off the first loss of his career.

Whether it's the tricky style of Prochazka or the technical well-roundedness of Magomed Ankalaev, we'll see in the upcoming months how the division unfolds and where Chimaev can fit in to the picture. Overall, it's very likely one of these matchups is the next for the former Middleweight Champion.

What did you make of Khamzat Chimaev's performance against Sean Strickland, and how would you matchmake him in the new division? As a member of the Verdict Community, let us know with a comment below.

Satoshi Kamiyama