UFC on ESPN+ 6, otherwise known as UFC Nashville, was definitely an entertaining card even though eight fights went to the judges. Despite having names like Anthony Pettis, Stephen Thompson and Curtis Blaydes at the top of the bill, the card did lack some star power. However, there was still a number of intriguing matchups on the bill and in the end, the card delivered.
So who were the biggest winners from UFC Nashville? Let’s take a look.
Anthony Pettis
This one is a no brainier. “Showtime” is back!
Having reached the highest level of the sport at 155 pounds and even making a run in the featherweight division, Pettis took his talents to the 170-pound division. The results speak for themselves.
Pettis is the latest of a long list of fighters that have decided to move up in weight and compete at a more natural class. His knock out of “Wonderboy” was both surprising and brutal. Pettis insists he is here to stay in the welterweight division although and called for fights with Rafael dos Anjos and Conor McGregor after his victory.
Maycee Barber
“The Future” is here!
Barber, 20, continues her quest to become the youngest UFC champion in company history. Her victory over JJ Aldrich will move her closer to her ultimate goal.
The win makes it a perfect 7-0 for the young fighter who switched things up for this camp. Having called Factory X home for the last couple years, Barber moved to Milwaukee to train at Roufusport.
A top 10 opponent seems prudent.
Bryce Mitchell
Since finishing season 27 of The Ultimate Fighter, Mitchell has rolled off two quick wins inside the Octagon.
His win over Bobby Moffett improves his record to 11-0. (his loss to Brad Katona on TUF was an exhibition bout) Mitchell goes by the moniker “Thug Nasty” and he reps Arkansas every chance he gets. He is entertaining both in and out of the Octagon.
Curtis Blaydes
He said he was going to run over Justin Willis and that is exactly what “Razor” Blaydes did last weekend in Music City.
Blaydes, 28, continues to be one of the younger heavyweight prospects to keep an eye on. With the win, Blaydes improves to 11-2. Both of his losses are to former title challenger Francis N’Gannou.
Having already occupied the No. 4 position in the standings, this win should solidify Blaydes presence at the top of the division. From here, a matchup with Stipe Miocic makes sense.
This article first appeared on BJPenn.com on 3/25/2019.
Miesha Tate couldn’t believe the news that Kayla Harrison would be cutting down to 135 pounds for her UFC debut.
UFC CEO Dana White dropped a bombshell when he announced that former PFL champion Kayla Harrison will be featured on the UFC 300 card on April 13. She’ll be facing former UFC women’s bantamweight champion Holly Holm at 135 pounds. When Harrison competed under the PFL banner, she was in the lightweight division.
Luke Rockhold has recalled the time he had a sparring session with Sean Strickland.
Strickland has developed quite the reputation for being raw and unfiltered. He has come under fire, however, for how he handles sparring sessions. Strickland has even admitted that he doesn’t really have an off switch, and treats his spars like an actual UFC fight.
Arnold Allen is in reflection mode following his close UFC 297 defeat against Movsar Evloev.
Allen and Evloev shared the Octagon on January 20 inside Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was three hard-fought rounds of action between these two. The featherweight clash went all three rounds and Evloev was awarded the unanimous decision victory with scores of 29-28 across the board.
Joe Rogan has called for Canada to “get their sh*t together” after fans were chanting “F**k Trudeau” at UFC 297 in Toronto.
The Ultimate Fighting Championship made its highly anticipated return to Canada earlier this month for the UFC 297 pay-per-view event. Headlining the card was a middleweight title fight between Sean Strickland and Dricus Du Plessis.
Former UFC champion Ronda Rousey has reacted after her former employer Vince McMahon announced his resignation from WWE.
McMahon, the longtime face of the WWE, was appointed TKO Group Holding’s Executive Chairman and board member following the company’s merger with the UFC. However, Vince’s position within the company drew heavy scrutiny after the Wall Street Journal shared a story regarding a lawsuit filed by Janel Grant, that insinuates Vince McMahon was abusing her sexually for years and even pimping her to other men.
Dillon Danis found it comical that Sean Strickland would have the gull to criticize UFC commentator Jon Anik.
Anik made headlines two days ago when he hinted at a career change, suggesting he was growing tired of the ever-toxic MMA space.
Conor McGregor teased a return at UFC 300 on Friday night, spawning reactions from Michael Chandler and Nate Diaz.
McGregor (22-6 MMA) spent most of yesterday promoting his new movie ‘Road House‘ with a series of messages and video trailers on ‘X‘. However, the Irishman concluded his evening by sharing the following cryptic tweet, hinting at a return at April’s historic UFC 300 event.
UFC commentator Jon Anik has issued an apology to the MMA fan base for the recent comments he made on his podcast.
It was just two days ago that Anik, a long-time play-by-play man for the UFC, made headlines when he told Kenny Florian that he was growing tired of the MMA space.