By Alex Baynham

The “Notorious” Conor McGregor made a notorious statement, Holly Holm won in a conventional but boring way and the weathered veteran Aleksei Oleinik proved he is still one of the very best at submitting his opponents. But where does each fighter go from here?

Conor McGregor

Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone had no idea what hit him … literally. Conor McGregor revolutionized the clinching game by throwing multiple shoulder-shots into Cerrone’s nose, breaking it on his way to a forty-second TKO.

After the fight, Dana White, president of the UFC, mentioned the idea of McGregor fighting Khabib Nurmagomedov, the reigning UFC Lightweight Champion who beat McGregor in the memorable UFC 229, in the near future. 

This would be a well-advertised fight due to the ending of their last bout, which saw McGregor tap out in the fourth round and the ensuing brawl between Nurmagomedov and McGregor’s athletic team outside of the octagon.

Nurmagomedov is going to fight Tony Ferguson on April 18 in Barclays Center in New York, so McGregor would have to wait to see the result of said match before White would entertain a timeframe for the rematch.

This eliminates the idea of McGregor fighting Jorge Masvidal.

“If Conor and Masvidal fight, neither one of them even have the title,” White said. “Khabib is the fight to make.”

Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone

There was a lot of speculation Cerrone would retire in the near future, especially after a shockingly quick defeat at the hands, or shoulder, of McGregor.

However, Cerrone put those rumors to rest after the fight.

“I love this sport, I’ll keep fighting. I don’t care, it’s just what I love, man,” Cerrone said. “I got my family right here, I’m okay. Thank you everyone for supporting me over the years, I love it, I don’t know what else to say.”

But who should he fight next?

Cerrone is in the midst of a three-fight losing streak and is 36 years old; so, pitting him against a young stud does not necessarily make sense. The best bet would be Gunnar Nelson who is experiencing a two-fight losing streak and is 31 years old.

Holly Holm and Racquel Pennington

An uneventful fight led to a unanimous decision in favor of Holm.

Pennington took to Instagram to express her discontent with the way the fight went: “Well it was not the fight I wanted after waiting 5 years. I wanted to fight not be hugged the whole time but that’s the fight game for you.”

Holm spoke on the nature of the fight afterward on how it was not particularly exciting, but her strategy was an effective way to get the job done.

The groundwork is already laid for some excellent trash talking. Perhaps a third part to the saga could take place?

Aleksei Oleinik

Oleinik is 42 years old. Perhaps he should set his fighting days behind him and retire?

Heck no. Oleinik believes he is still dangerous and does not want to retire now. Maybe a fight against Alexander Volkov is in order? Both fighters are older, and Volkov does not have a fight in the near future after defeating Greg Hardy on November 9, 2019.

Maurice Green

Green showed excellent vigor and determination against Oleinik by lasting over a minute while in a chokehold. Unfortunately, Oleinik’s armbar was too much for Green to handle and he tapped out.

This was Green’s second UFC loss in a row. There are not a ton of UFC fighters in his position, so he should probably wait for another heavyweight prospect to make his UFC debut and make a statement over him.

A fighter like this could be Ciryl Gane who is coming off of a win over Tanner Boser on UFC Fight Night on December 21, 2019.

Edited by Emma Moloney | ehm3gd@mail.missouri.edu