UFC 226 Winners and Losers

UFC 226 took place on Saturday July 7, 2018 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The main card aired on pay-per-view while the prelims on FS1 and UFC Fight Pass.

Below we will talk about the winners and losers of UFC 226. For the complete and official results you can go here. For the fighter salaries, bonuses and Reebok Sponsorship Payout you can go here. 

Winners:
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Daniel Cormier: D.C. went into his heavyweight title fight against Stipe Miocic as a +200 underdog. Many MMA analysts predicted an early knockout victory for Miocic but it was Daniel Cormier who earned the early victory. Aside from D.C. now being a two-division champion, he can finally rinse off the stink of the Jon Jones losses. Cormier can now rightfully put his name in the hat of the “Greatest of All Time” conversation and seems to have a super fight in order against WWE star and former UFC Champion, Brock Lesnar.
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Anthony Pettis: Many, including myself, counted Pettis out of his fight against Michael Chiesa. This bout ended early so there isn’t much to breakdown but for many, “Showtime” Pettis looked like the Lightweight champion version of himself. With flashy kicks, timely punches, and crafty work from his back, Pettis is ready for more top ten competition in the talent stacked Lightweight division.
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Paulo Costa and a potential Fight Night in Brazil: Paulo Costa looked outstanding in his contest against creative UFC veteran Uriah Hall. He took a few heavy shots but who doesn’t against Hall? This was a big test for the #10 Middleweight and he definitely passed. Israel Adesanya, who dominated the #8 ranked Middleweight Brad Tavares the previous night, called for a fight against Costa. Brazil needs another star and Costa has the look and resume to headline a fight night in Brazil. Adesanya vs. Costa makes for an outstanding fight in the near future.

Losers:

The UFC Light Heavyweight division: Just a few years ago, the 205 pound division was the most talent rich in the organization. Now, D.C. seems to show no interest in returning to the division because of his desire for super fights, all at Heavyweight. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy watching Gustafsson, Volkan, Anderson, and O.S.P compete but they are not household names for the casual fans and until Jon Jones returns, I don’t see many casual fans tuning in to watch the top ten guys compete.
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Derrick Lewis and Francis Ngannou: There’s not much to say about this one other than “What the Fuck.” What an absolute disappointment and snooze fest. This was the fight many were most excited about but the two Heavyweights respected the power of each other to an absolute fault. If you want to know more, please listen to Joe Rogan’s commentary. He hits it right on the head and I don’t want to plagiarize.
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Curtis Blaydes: The rising #2 contender in the Heavyweight division is finding extreme dismay with the state of the division following last night. He called for a title fight against the winner of Miocic vs. Cormier which seems to make complete sense……until Brock Lesnar enters the arena and cuts the best promo for television since “Who da Fuck is that guy.” Blaydes definitely deserves the shot but Cormier vs. Lesnar is no surprise, as the UFC is owned by an entertainment business.
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You may have noticed that I didn’t include Stipe Miocic in the “Loser” section despite his loss. That’s because there is absolutely no shame in his loss to D.C. He lost to a man that was 13-0 at Heavyweight and Stipe still has a great future in the division. I believe he will reclaim the title in the future and I feel bad for who he has to fight next. (Curtis Blaydes makes sense)

Closing Thoughts: This was absolutely a stacked card. There were knockouts, submissions, and razor close decisions. The UFC needed this card and they needed the Lesnar promo. Mike Perry earned a victory that he needed following a string of losses and Raphael Assuncao punched his ticket for a Bantamweight title shot with the winner of Dillashaw vs.Garbrandt at UFC 227.

Thanks for reading and be sure to listen to “The Concussion Discussion” Podcast on iTunes, Youtube, Spotify, Google Play, and give a follow on instagram @theconcussiondiscussion before fights for further breakdowns, fight news, and predictions.

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Roberto Villa is the CEO, Founder, Executive Writer, Senior Editor of FightBook MMA. Has a passion for Combat Sports and also a podcast host for Sitting Ringside. He’s also a former MMA fighter and Kickboxer.