Bantamweight Goat(s)?

via msn.com

Something’s going on here. What we are witnessing is unprecedented, something we haven’t seen since Khabib Nurmagomedov’s title run. What we are experiencing is a fighter who is so dominant that it poses the question: how did we not see this coming earlier, and who is going to stop this guy? 

This past weekend reminded us again that we somehow overlooked him. We, as fans, thought things might be different; he would be knocked out stiff, his cardio would finally decline, and his age would catch up to him. But at this point, we all need to acknowledge that this is, without a doubt, the greatest bantamweight in UFC history. We had contenders for this with Dominick Cruz, TJ Dillashaw, and Aljamain Sterling, but it was never crystal clear. No one set themselves apart from the pack. It’s clear now. Merab Dvalishvili has cemented his legacy and immortalized his name in Bantamweight supremacy. Dvalishvili now has wins over Marlon Moreas, Jose Aldo, Petr Yan, Henry Cejudo, Umar Nurmagomedov, and Sean O’Malley, not once, but twice. However, it’s not just the winning, it’s how the Georgian is doing it. Like Khabib, opponents know what’s coming. Still, they can’t stop it: infinite cardio coupled with world-class wrestling, Dvalishvili’s game plan is transparent for all opponents: compete with them in the early rounds before separating himself in the ladder rounds. Cardio is something you can’t train, and fighters competing against the Georgian know that if there’s any chance of victory, you have to finish him early. But it’s hard to finish fights from your back, a place most opponents find themselves. Ultimately, all of the wrestling and cardio training really doesn’t matter. So the question is, where do we go from here? For the champ, there seems to be one matchup left: Cory Sandhagen. But if he gets through that fight, which at this point should be expected, the skies are the limit for this fighter. And with his friend and fellow countryman Ilia Topuria out of the equation, we could see Merab soon challenging for the featherweight throne in the pursuit of double champ status. 

On the other side of the cage, is this the end of the Suga Show? After being dominated again by the champion, it begs the question all MMA fighters dread: Where does he go from here? If O’Malley stays at 135, he won’t get a title shot for a couple of years, so his next move may be a weight class up, with a move to the featherweight division. Now, this weight class also has a murderer's row of contenders from Volkanovski to Lopes, to Evloev, and many more, and it just seems like the path to title contention is equally brutal. Now, please don’t get it mistaken, fans aren’t writing his obituary. This isn’t a farewell for O’Malley. He’s still a world-class fighter at the top of his weight class, and he has paths to success. Historically, it’s been proven that moving up weight classes benefits fighters. Fighters like Robert Whittaker, Charles Oliveria, and Dustin Poirier have proven this feat achievable. It may be a long road back, but at 30 years old, fans can rest assured that the Suga Show is still alive. 

In the co-main event, we found ourselves a new women’s Bantamweight champion. Kayla Harrison dominated her way to victory, submitting Julliana Peña with a nasty crucifix to take the throne. Regarding the fight, there isn’t much to be said. The contest went as most fans predicted. Harrison would overwhelm Peña with brute strength, take her down, control her, and find the finish with a brutal crucifix. Immediately, as the fighters clinched, it was clear who had the strength and technique advantage. Having been a two-time Olympic Judo gold medalist, Harrison was able to use those techniques to force Peña to her back, and ultimately, the contest was finished right then and there.

Now we look ahead to the biggest fight in women’s MMA history: Kayla Harrison versus Amanda Nunes. This is a fight that can officially revive women’s MMA, from the depths of irrelevance to the forefront of the UFC’s brand. Despite Nunes' legacy, the old saying rings true: you don’t get better at something by not doing it. Nunes has been on the sidelines for two years, and at 37 years of age, she will need every advantage she can get against undoubtedly the toughest opponent in her entire career. This fight is going to be fireworks. Amanda Nunes versus Kayla Harrison is the definition of an unstoppable force versus an immovable object.