UFC 258 included the anticipated welterweight champion Kamaru Usman and strong performances from both women in the co-main event, Alexa Grasso and Maycee Barber. It also featured one of the most surprising results in recent memory when Anthony Hernandez beat Rodolfo Vieira, a seven-time world submission wrestling champion, by submission.
The Saturday night event at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas provided an excellent showcase for a number of fighters looking to continue their title hunt. Grasso showed a new dimension to her game, offering Barber a possible blueprint to follow. Hernandez now has the attention of the UFC, so what can he do with it?
But at the end of the night, all eyes were back on Usman, who was holding the 170-pound belt again. Where do the champion and his last challenger, Gilbert Burns, go from?
Brett Okamoto, Marc Raimondi and Jeff Wagenheim reflect on the action of the evening.
Okamoto: What’s next for Usman and Burns?
Who’s next for Usman: Leon Edwards
This is currently the only answer. The only. Edwards has just lost an opponent at Khamzat Chimaev, which he should take on March 13. He wants to stay on that card and the UFC is trying to book him a new opponent. Potentially Colby Covington, according to UFC president Dana White.
Regardless of who gets Edwards – or even if he doesn’t get anyone – if he wins, he’s next. If he doesn’t get into a fight at all, he’s next. The man has done everything he can to earn a title. Covington has not been booked. Jorge Masvidal has not been booked. Edwards was willing to fight Chimaev, a man no one wanted. He’s the No. 1 contender from this point forward, and as long as he doesn’t fight and lose, there’s nothing that would change that.
Wild card: Colby Covington
The UFC likes this rematch because the first fight was so good. Usman is also open to it. Covington comes with a dominant performance against Tyron Woodley. He has a chance for a title shot, but he shouldn’t be ahead of Edwards.
Who’s next for Burns: Khamzat Chimaev
Obviously, it’s not the result Burns was looking for, but no one has been able to beat Usman the entire time he was in the UFC. So while you never want to lose, there is no shame in losing an opponent of that level.
Burns do not fall too far in the rankings. Honestly, I’d love to see Burns fight Masvidal, because I think stylistically it’s a great fight. I don’t know what Masvidal wants now, but I don’t think he wants Burns. Just my speculation.
So, what’s a realistic next fight for Burns? If Chimaev recovers in the near future, what about him? The UFC will still want to put Chimaev in a big fight, and Burns is one of those welterweights who seems willing to fight anyone. Fans would embrace this matchup. If Chimaev comes back in a reasonable amount of time, let’s do it.
Wild card: Colby Covington
If Edwards gets the next title, what I think he should do is Burns vs. Covington a clear fight to make. There is talk of Covington vs. Masvidal, but he doesn’t seem to come close. If it doesn’t come together, this is a good match to turn to.
Raimondi: Grasso can show Barber the way
Maycee Barber has lost two in a row. Her plan, as one of the best prospects in all of MMA, was to become the youngest champion in UFC history. That won’t happen now – and that’s totally okay. Barber is only 22 years old. There is really no rush. She wasn’t really ready for champion Valentina Shevchenko anyway. Few of them. This brief slip at this point in Barber’s career could eventually become a blessing in disguise.
If Barber wanted a prime example of what could be the future, she should look no further than the woman who hit her Saturday night: Alexa Grasso. Six years ago Grasso was one of the most popular prospects in MMA. UFC President Dana White was on hand to see her on an Invicta FC card in Los Angeles gushing about her potential. Grasso would have a meteoric rise to become the UFC’s next great Mexican star. That did not happen. But guess what: Grasso has moved from strawweight to flyweight and has won two straights. Following her Saturday night win, she is now a legit contender at 125 pounds.
Grasso is only 27 years old. She’s in her athletic prime. Barber is five years younger than her, and she has time alone. And what Barber managed to do in the third round, make adjustments and go for a finish against Grasso if she needed one, was a positive sign. Hairdresser needs a consistent home to train in. Maybe she found that in Chicago with Mike Valle and Israel Martinez. No, she may not be the youngest ever UFC champion. But that doesn’t mean she won’t be wearing that gold belt one day.
Wagenheim: Anthony Hernandez has submitted the most shocking result of the evening
Who knows, maybe his nickname ‘Fluffy’ played a part in Hernandez’s installation as one of the biggest underdogs of the night. A more likely factor was Hernandez’s results over the past three years – just one victory in his four most recent previous fights. But mostly +370’s odds against him were a statement about his opponent, Rodolfo Vieira, entering MMA undefeated with an elite pedigree in one of the sport’s most important disciplines.
Vieira had only two UFC appearances under his belt, but that belt is a black one from his storied career in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. The 31-year-old from Rio de Janeiro is a seven-time world submission wrestling champion. In more than 100 professional grappling competitions, he has only been submitted once.
But now Vieira has a submission loss on his MMA record. Hernandez, who afterwards revealed he is just a purple belt, got the finish line by a third round guillotine choke.
Of course, elite wrestlers like Braulio Estima and Bernardo Faria are eager to talk to Hernandez. They didn’t fare so well in World Cup confrontations with Vieira, but the rules of jiu-jitsu didn’t allow them to soften him with punches, elbows, and head kicks, like Hernandez did before finishing with the choke.
However, the record book only shows a win for Hernandez, without an asterisk for the damage done prior to the tap-off. And all the gamblers who cashed tickets that read “Hernandez by submission” with a 30-1 odds, according to the broadcast, are definitely not returning the money they won. No matter how they try to qualify it, that was a special finish, the kind that will make fans show respect for the name “Fluffy”. And future opponents will have something to think about – Hernandez’s initial defensive struggle against a ground virtuoso, his determination to turn the tables, and his guts to go for the most unlikely of finishes.