Devonte Smith def. Justin Jaynes via TKO (Doctor Stoppage)
Devonte Smith – Joe Solecki
Devonte Smith had a lot riding on this fight given his roller coaster of the past couple of years. He had a ton of hype until he was derailed by teammate Khama Worthy back in 2019. This was his first fight since and accepted a late opponent change. Smith used his reach and size to his advantage and defeated Jaynes in all areas of the fight. The doctors were forced to stop the fight due to the swelling of Jaynes’ eye. Smith will likely look for another unranked fighter or two before calling for the big names of the division. A fight with Gym-O’s Joe Solecki would launch one of the two closer toward the top of the deepest division in the UFC.
Justin Jaynes – Daniel Teymur
Justin Jaynes has been the definition of a company man in the short time he has spent within an organization. In many interviews, he reiterated how being within the organization means more than anything else. He has stepped up in multiple weight classes on short notice in his eight months with the promotion. Despite the three-fight skid, Jaynes will likely be rewarded with at least one more fight for stepping up on short noticed. Hopefully Jaynes returns to his natural weight class of 145lbs. Daniel Teymur has been inactive since December of 2019 and also has his back against the wall losing 4 of his last 5. A fight between the two would make for a fun fight.
Karol Rosa def. Joselyne Edwards via Unanimous Decision
Karol Rosa – Sara McMann
Karol Rosa was able to use the clinch and ground work to get the win over the very athletic Joselyne Edwards. Rosa had more than four times the strikes in the clinch and on the ground than her opponent. The Brazilian is now 3-0 in the UFC and is due for a ranked opponent next time out. There is a good chance she leapfrogs her original opponent Nicco Montano when the rankings are released next week. Sara McMann has been one of the greatest bantamweights on the roster since it’s inauguration of the division. Currently ranked at #8, it would be a great opportunity for both women to solidify their position in the top 10.
Joselyne Edwards – Stephanie Egger
Joselyne Edwards had the opportunity to enter exclusive company in being one a few fighters to win multiple fights within a month. The turnaround may have been too quick, as she was not prepared for the tremendous grappling of Rosa. At 10-3 she is very experienced outside of the organization and that will likely play a role when matchmaking the only Panamanian to ever compete in the UFC. Stephanie Egger made her UFC debut on short notice against Tracy Cortez in a losing effort over 3 rounds. Egger would pose a similar threat as Rosa, so it will be a good test for Edwards to see if she can apply lessons from this fight.
Lara Procopio def. Molly McCann via Unanimous Decision
Lara Procopio – Gina Mazany
Lara Procopio entered this fight as the heavy underdog against McCann and proved all the doubters wrong. She put on the best performance of her career and earned her first UFC victory via unanimous decision. She is coming down from bantamweight and it seemed to have paid off, so we can expect to see her at 125lbs going forward. Gina Mazany recently picked up her first win of her second UFC stint back in November. Like Procopio, Mazany recently dropped down to Flyweight from 135lbs. A matchup between the two would be a nice addition to the prelims of a May-June card.
Molly McCann – Liliya Shakirova
Molly McCann was overwhelmed by Procopio’s grappling and has now lost two straight. She remains the only female from England to have a win in the UFC. Heading into 2020 she was on a three-fight win streak, and now for the first time in her career her back will be up against the wall next time out. The UFC will likely give her a step back in competition in the summer. Liliya Shakirova was brought in on short notice to face Lauren Murphy in a losing effort. A fight between the two will get one of the women back in the win column.
Seung Woo Choi def. Youssef Zalal via Unanimous Decision
Seung Woo Choi – Bill Algeo
Seung Woo Choi had the best performance of his four-fight UFC career thus far. He managed to earn the unanimous decision victory over a very highly touted prospect in Youssef Zalal. He is now riding a two-fight win streak and will look to continue his rise up the featherweight rankings. Back in November, Bill Algeo earned his first UFC victory defeating Spike Carlyle via unanimous decision. Both men are in need of a couple big wins before making their case to being ranked. A fight between the two would be fireworks.
Youssef Zalal – Doo Ho Choi
It is crazy what a few short months can do for someone’s career. In October, Zalal was on his way to being one of the brightest prospects in the entire featherweight division. He has now lost two-straight fights for the second time of his career. He is still only 24 so he has a ton of room to grow before writing him off entirely. He is likely going to be taking some time off so we could expect to see him in the summer. From a fan perspective, a fight with Doo Ho Choi would make for fireworks. Both are exciting strikers and a win would be huge for both men.
Timur Valiev def. Martin Day via Unanimous Decision
Timur Valiev – Tony Gravely
Timur Valiev looked unbelievable in his second fight and utilized his elite wrestling to secure the win. He is now 1-0-1 in his first two fights for the promotion after the first was overturned. Valiev is unfortunately in the most stacked division meaning he will likely have to win a few more before even considering a Top 15 opponent. Tony Gravely recently picked up his first win under the UFC banner against Geraldo de Freitas back in November. The two will likely have a similar turnaround time so a matchup between the two could be on the cards for the early summer.
Martin Day – Bharat Kandare
Martin Day took a huge gamble when he accepted the short-notice fight against the highly touted Russian. Although the UFC surely appreciated the willingness to fight, it may be the end of the road for the Hawaiian. He has now long all four of his UFC appearances bringing him to an 8-6 record. The bantamweight division is so deep that it is unlikely we see him in the Octagon next time out. However, if he were to be given another shot a matchup with India’s Bharat Kandare would be a nice fight. It would give both gentlemen an opportunity to enter the win column for the first time.
Ode Osbourne def. Jerome Rivera via KO (Punches)
Ode Osbourne – Francisco Figueiredo
Ode Osbourne spent more time walking to the Octagon than he did in the fight. In an usual sequence he caught a head kick from Rivera with his shoulder and countered with a left. A few seconds later, the referee was forced to stop the fight after he landed a few bombs from the top. Osbourne hasn’t competed since his debut over a year ago. He will look to stay busy, and a return to his natural weight class of 125 seems imminent. After the fight, he called for a matchup with Francisco Figueiredo, who recently picked up a victory over Rivera as well. The two’s timelines could add up and the winner would slot nicely into the Top 15.
Jerome Rivera – Malcolm Gordon
Tremendous respect for Jerome Rivera who will be in the UFC’s good graces for accepting the fight on short notice. That being said, he is now on a three-fight slide to open up his UFC career. He has fought at Flyweight, Bantamweight and now Featherweight, however I expect to see him at 125lbs in his return. Look for the UFC to give him another shot in the deficient Flyweight division. Malcolm Gordon is in a similar boat opening up his UFC career 0-2. Both fighters will feel like their backs are on the wall in this one, but it would make for an exciting showcase.
