What mattered most in a loaded MMA weekend that included UFC on ESPN 29 in Las Vegas; Bellator 265 in Sioux Falls, S.D.; and 2021 PFL Playoffs 2 in Hollywood, Fla.? Here are a few post-fight musings …
1. Jared Cannonier’s post-fight comments
[autotag]Jared Cannonier[/autotag]’s performance against Kelvin Gastelum en route to a unanimous decision win in the UFC on ESPN 29 main event is worthy of praise. He showed discipline, strategy and skill over the course of five rounds to deservedly get his hand raised, so full credit for that. Unfortunately, when it relates to Cannonier (14-5 MMA, 7-5 UFC), the performance isn’t what had everyone talking in the aftermath of his fight. Instead it’s the comment he made to Daniel Cormier during their post-fight interview in regard to his financial situation. When Cormier asked Cannonier what was next, and if he’d consider waiting for a title shot against the Israel Adesanya vs. Robert Whittaker winner, Cannonier said sidelining himself for an extending period of time is not an option because he’s “broke.” At this stage no one should be surprised to hear a UFC fighter say as much, but to hear it from the No. 3 fighter in the UFC’s official middleweight rankings has a bit more impact than a prelim-level name who is making his first or second octagon appearance. https://twitter.com/mikewhoatv/status/1429329225841053701 As always when it comes to these types of situations, it’s only fair to look at both sides of the coin. UFC fighters are only cashing checks when they compete, and Cannonier has fought just three times in past three years. He hasn’t fought more than twice in a calendar year since 2017, so his money-making opportunities have been few and far between. On the flip side, though, Cannonier’s past three fights have been an ESPN-televised headliner with Gastelum, a pay-per-view co-main event with Robert Whittaker under Khabib Nurmagomedov’s retirement bout at UFC 254, and another main event with Jack Hermansson that streamed on ESPN+. Those are some big spots, and would seemingly come with enough money to keep one afloat. Without knowing Cannonier’s exact payout for this fight – which is unavailable in Nevada – or the ones before it, it’s impossible to determine how underpaid Cannonier is. He’s almost certainly getting shorted in the grand scheme of things (as is almost every UFC fighter), but you can’t rule out the possibility he’s managed his money poorly to some degree, too. The topic of UFC fighter pay isn’t new, and it isn’t going anywhere. It’s been touched on in this column too many times to count. The closing argument is the same every time, though. The fighters deserve more, but the UFC isn’t in the business of doing good deeds when it doesn’t have to. There’s no way someone as highly ranked and meaningful to the sport as Cannonier should be on national television declaring he’s “broke,” but the only way for that to change is for the athletes to collectively come together to negotiate a bigger piece of the pie. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OLwGIMdFt7g
2. Kelvin Gastelum’s necessary reset
[autotag]Kelvin Gastelum[/autotag] is treading into a slightly scary territory in his career in the wake of his main event loss to Cannonier, and a reset is needed before it’s too late. Gastelum (16-8 MMA, 11-8 UFC) went tooth and nail vs. Cannonier for five rounds before losing on the scorecards, and though he apparently thinks he should’ve won, the result didn’t go his way and it’s now five losses in his past six fights. In fairness, simply looking at that 1-5 record dating back to his “Fight of the Year” with Adesanya at UFC 236 in April 2019 doesn’t tell the real story. His losses are to Adesanya, Darren Till, Jack Hermansson, Whittaker and Cannonier. Only the most special of fighters would have a significantly different record against that strength of schedule, but that’s not sustainable reasoning. At some point the praise for Gastelum’s heart, durability and competitiveness is going to go away – especially if his chin starts to falter and he’s getting finished in these fights. That’s why it’s important for Gastelum to make a change, and do it now. What change are we suggesting? It’s a commitment to taking a step back in competition to rebuild. As we heard 1,000 times on Saturday’s broadcast, Gastelum is still just 29. He has the time to alter his trajectory and go on a title run, but that’s only going to happen through confidence and momentum-building fights. Gastelum got a slice of that when he fought Ian Heinisch at UFC 258 in February. That was a bout he was supposed to win after a three-fight losing skid, and he did just that. He should’ve had another fight in that vein afterward, but a short-notice opportunity with Whittaker came up, and he lost. It would behoove Gastelum to spend the next 18-24 months of his career fighting names on the bottom tier of the top 15 or top 20. If he can put together multiple wins then he’ll be back in position to go after a top contender. If he keeps going down his current path, though, it’s a risky situation. No matter how well you fight or the quality of opposition, eventually the volume of losses overcome that, and that’s when job security becomes an actual concern. [listicle id=798525]
3. Alexandre Pantoja earns his opportunity
Before anyone says anything about Askar Askarov being the most deserving next title challenger for flyweight king Brandon Moreno, be reminded that he’s currently injured, and also missed weight in his most recent fight. If the former doesn’t disqualify him from getting the opportunity, then the latter most certainly should. Even with Askarov in the mix, though, it’s hard to turn your head away at the storyline of [autotag]Alexandre Pantoja[/autotag] being on deck to face Moreno for the 125-pound belt. The Brazilian has had a few octagon slip-ups – including one to Askarov – but he’s been remarkably consistent during his UFC tenure, and his feat of being the first man to submit Brandon Royval is undeniably impressive. Moreover, Pantoja (24-5 MMA, 8-3 UFC) has not one, but TWO wins over Moreno already on his resume (albeit one as an exhibition on “The Ultimate Fighter”). Like, come on. This is too perfect a story to ignore. Moreno (19-5-2 MMA, 7-2-2 UFC) should be chomping at the bit for this fight, and it would be a magnificent way to kick off his title reign if he were able to avenge his blemishes against Pantoja. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mzzX721FoLc
4. Kayla Harrison pitches a shutout and sends a message
[autotag]Kayla Harrison[/autotag] kicked off a busy weekend in MMA in grand fashion when she secured her place in the PFL women’s lightweight final with a one-sided blowout of Genah Fabian, who didn’t land a single strike before being taken down and obliterated into a TKO. Although Harrison (11-0) winning was probably the most predictable result of the weekend, the fact she’s living up to the dominance expected of her fight after fight without a single slip-up is something to be applauded. The thing that makes it all the more intriguing, is Harrison is just one win away from a major career crossroads. She’s a free agent at the end of this PFL season, and she’ll have some major decisions to make. On one side, it’s not a bad idea for Harrison to stick around with PFL and cash another easy $1 million in the 2022 season. The promotion would be wise to do everything in its power to keep her around. On the flip side, Harrison’s competitive drive seems to be a much stronger force than money or easy wins. She’s said from Day 1 in MMA that it’s her goal to be the best female fighter on earth, and unless PFL can make a major play in acquiring notable talent like a Megan Anderson or Julia Budd for its next season, Harrison will never be able to prove herself the way she wants with this organization. In order to really be considered the best – or at least have an argument – Harrison needs to join Bellator and fight Cris Cyborg, or sign with the UFC and chase Amanda Nunes. She seems confident in her ability to win both of those matchups, but the hypothetical will only get her so far. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G6qkroh3l4A
5. Cheick Kongo’s clock keeps on ticking
Just need to close this column out with a tip of the cap to [autotag]Cheick Kongo[/autotag]. What does submitting Sergei Kharitonov in 2021 really mean? Not much. Just like it wouldn’t have meant much if the result went the other way, but it’s nice to see someone like Kongo still around and winning. Kongo’s UFC run began in July 2006. He moved to Bellator in October 2013, and he’s been winning with stunning consistency wherever he’s gone. More often than not it’s in underwhelming fashion, but even at 46, Kongo (31-11-2 MMA, 13-3 BMMA) is still capable of providing a moment that gets the adrenaline flowing. He gave that to us against Kharitonov, where after a lackluster first round where it looked like he had nothing going, Kongo turned it around in the second frame to hurt his Russian foe with strikes before securing a buzzer-beater rear-naked choke to force the tap. No one is here thinking Kongo, given his age and style, is going to be able to beat heavyweight champion Ryan Bader in a rematch, nor would he be a favorite over interim champion Valentin Moldavsky. However, the Frenchman is one of the true OGs of the game, and he deserves some appreciation. Kongo is the all-time Bellator heavyweight wins leader by a pretty wide margin, and it’ll be interesting to see how much longer he wants to stay in the game. [listicle id=798711]
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