With one of the greatest UFC events now consigned to the history books, UFC 217 was all about the 1, 2, 3’s.
Marking their second ever visit to the world famous Madison Square Garden in New York City, UFC 217 saw the first time in the promotions 24-year tenure that three titles changed hands in one night.
In the first title fight of the blockbuster event, Rose Namajunas claimed her very first world championship with a first-round knockout over the long-reigning Joanna Jedrzejczyk.
In the second title fight of UFC 217, T.J Dillashaw earned his second world title with a second-round TKO of rival Cody Garbrandt while in the third and final title fight, Georges St-Pierre successfully won the third UFC championship of his illustrious career with a third-round submission of Michael Bisping.
With UFC 217 still fresh in the minds, here are five fights that the UFC should make with the five main card winners of Saturday night:
Georges St-Pierre vs Robert Whittaker
After four years away from competition – and doing so at 36-years old – Georges St-Pierre became just the fourth fighter in UFC history to hold UFC gold in two weight classes.
Despite the fact we hadn’t seen GSP in the Octagon since what seems an eternity ago at UFC 167, St-Pierre seemingly picked up right where he had left off with crisp and more powerful striking.
St-Pierre’s return will be a welcome one for the UFC with their current dearth of stars and with his latest win, there’s a whole host of possibilities for what’s next for the Canadian. Tyron Woodley or even Conor McGregor are real contenders as far as big-money potential but Robert Whittaker deserves the chance to unify the division.
I doubt it will happen with UFC matchmaking the way it currently is at the elite level but GSP vs ‘The Reaper’ is what the old-school thinking of meritocracy demands.
T.J Dillashaw vs Demetrious Johnson
T.J Dillashaw vs Cody Garbrandt promised to deliver fireworks and did just that for the bantamweight title.
Both men took big shots at some stage in their two-round battle but Dillashaw’s greater variety of strikes to choose from gave him the edge against his bitter rival.
A match-up against the winner of Dominick Cruz vs Jimmie Rivera would make a lot of sense for Dillashaw but when the opportunity presents itself for what would be one of the highest levels of mixed martial arts, why not chase it?
With the call-out being made by Dillashaw on the biggest possible stage, TJ vs DJ would make the mouth water in anticipation.
Rose Namajunas vs Joanna Jedrzejczyk
Of the ways you would predict Rose Namajunas to defeat Joanna Jedrzejczyk, first-round KO would probably be at the bottom of the list.
From the get-go, Jedrzjczyk simply couldn’t find her distance against ‘Thug’ Rose and the challenger made her pay with every strike.
There’s little in the way of clear challengers at women’s strawweight as there is only one fighter in the top 5 on more than a one-fight win streak.
The UFC could easily move Jedrzejczyk up to the newly formed women’s flyweight division but an immediate rematch for a champion who had defended her belt five times would open out the division.
Stephen Thompson vs Colby Covington
A week ago I called for Colby Covington to fight the winner of Thompson/Masvidal and while I can only see that fight going one way, it does make sense with the welterweight division in its current state.
Thompson’s speed and mastery of distance proved too much to overcome for Jorge Masvidal but a title fight shouldn’t be contemplated for Thompson while Woodley is the champion.
If Woodley doesn’t want to entertain Covington’s ‘bad guy’ persona in a quick turnaround title fight, Thompson vs Covington would pit two high ranked fighters against one another and eliminate one from title contention.
Paulo Costa vs Krzysztof Jotko
While Johny Hendricks had moments against Paulo Costa, the former champion was inevitably blasted into submission by Costa’s power.
Costa has a ton of potential as the UFC’s new Brazilian star and they should take a steady approach with the heavy hitter.
While he may have called out Derek Brunson, Brunson deserves a higher ranked opponent with his record. Instead, and while it may not be the sexiest of fights, Costa should take on a fighter ranked but on the downslide in Polish fighter Krzysztof Jotko.