UFC 250 was the first mixed martial arts pay-per-view event to air from the UFC APEX. Amanda Nunes and Felicia Spencer fought for the featherweight crown in the main event that had Nunes further prove her dominance in the sport. There were some other notable finishes and it looks like the men’s bantamweight division will be correcting itself soon.
There was a lot to take away from UFC 250, and having it happen from the UFC’s home base in Las Vegas made it feel a little more normal in the world. Here are a few things to take away from the event.
Unhappy champions
Oddly enough, the news of fight week for the UFC had little to do with UFC 250 and more about negotiations and unhappy title holders. Dana White had to address the social media posts of light heavyweight champion Jon Jones and BMF titleholder Jorge Masvidal while doing the media that could be done in Vegas.
True grit
Cody Staman fought and won a decision against Brian Kelleher in a fight he probably didn’t have to take. Stamann lost his brother who was said to be one of his biggest supporters. He made weight, fought, and won a fight that many would have turned down if going through what Stamann and his family were going through. It was a fantastic fight too.
Almost called off
A fight was almost scratched when Ian Heinisch’s cornerman had tested positive for COVID-19. However, the positive turned out to be false so his match with Gerald Meerschaert went ahead. Heinisch was able to pull off a first-round finish.
Walk-off knockouts
Both Sean O’Malley and Cody Garbrandt had the most spectacular finishes of the night. These are best seen and not read about but for Garbrandt in particular, the win was a sign that he’s not going anywhere for a while.
The Funkmaster is next
Aljamain Sterling has been working hard to get his title shot for the 135-pound belt for quite some time. With Dana White announcing earlier in the week that this would be a title eliminator bout between him and Cory Sandhagan, Sterling just backed up what he has been saying all along with his quick, first-round submission win. He’s got next.
Is there no one else?
Amanda Nunes has proven over and over that she is truly the best female fighter on the planet. While she did not finish Felicia Spencer, she made the five rounds seem like a workout against another former Invicta FC champion. It seems as if there is nothing left for Nunes to prove in MMA unless there’s someone out there that can bring her a real challenge.
What’s next?
During the post-fight press conference, Dana White addressed Conor McGregor’s retirement announcement and everything else that has been going on while trying to keep the UFC moving forward. Part of the reason behind it, White believes, is due to the extra time on the hands of fighters that cannot fight due to the pandemic. As long as fighters want to fight, the UFC has shown that they will move forward with new stars if the old ones are unhappy.
Fight Island will be up and running in July, who do you think will be there?
