UFC 241 had very high expectations due to the return of a Stockton legend, a grudge match that finally took place and a rematch of who truly is the baddest man on the planet. And it’s safe to say that UFC 241 met all those expectations with all 3 main events having very different storylines and performing differently as well. Now we look what is next for the winners of Saturday nights card.

5. Derek Brunson vs. Jacare Souza

Derek Brunson showed maturity in this fight by being very patient and having techniques we haven’t seen him have before. Derek was very patient in this fight and not looking for the finish or being ansy in the cage. He outpointed and outclassed Ian Heinisch and put a close to his 5 fight winning streak. The next logical fight for Brunson is a rematch with Jacare Souza. Brunson is in need of stiffer competition to make a case for title contention and this seems like the fight to make.

4. Sodiq Yusuff vs. Misrad Bektic

Sodiq Yusuff stock kept rising after his stunning KO finish Saturday night. He is a rising star in the Featherweight division and deserves higher level competition. Not saying throwing him into top 10 or 5 category but #15 Mirsad Bektic is the right opponent for him. Bektic is coming off at defeat against Josh Emmett in July and needs an exciting and skilled opponent to bounce back. This matchup will show if Yusuff is ready for the best the UFC has to offer and how Bektic can bounce back after his first loss in his professional career.

3. Paulo Costa vs. Robert Whittaker OR Israel Adesanya

This matchup against Yoel Romero was everything that was advertised and the some. Quite possibly the fight of the year so far, these two men put it on each 0ther and didn’t get each other a single break throughout the fight. Many questioned how Paulo Costa would deal with such a jump in competition from Uriah Hall to #2 Yoel Romero but he passed with flying colors. He showed the world he belongs with the elite of the elite and is among one of the scariest men in the UFC roster. Although much of the crowd had issue with the decision, the truth is that it could’ve gone anyway due to the nature of how close it was but he was advancing much more and had the more notable strikes thrown in the fight. With the victory, he puts himself next in line for a Middleweight title opportunity against the winner of the UFC 243 main event, Robert Whittaker or Israel Adesanya.

2. Nate Diaz vs. Jorge Masvidal

The long awaited return of Stockton’s favorite son was a good one. Many questioned how Nate’s leg kick defense, ring rust, and overall motivation of fighting BUT once those cage doors closed, he shut the door to any of that nonsense. He came in motivated and pushed the pace from the very beginning of the bout. After round 1, Pettis was noticeably gassed and Diaz took advantage and it became a vintage Diaz performance. Got him up against the catch and boxed him up and didn’t give him an inch of room to breathe or do anything else. This performance showed that Diaz is back and better than ever, but most importantly it showed the UFC brass that Diaz is a star of the likes of Conor McGregor and Ronda Rousey. After the fight he made a surprising callout of Jorge Masvidal and the Anaheim crowd popped when they heard that. This is a matchup that fans never knew they wanted. This can main event any card, but hopefully the MSG card.

1.Stipe Miocic vs Francis Ngannou

It seemed like a foregone conclusion that Daniel Cormier was going to dominate and dispatch Stipe Miocic to set up a trilogy fight against Jon Jones but Miocic but a holt on all that. The first 3 rounds were mostly Cormier utilizing his quickness and striking to catch the bigger and somewhat slower Miocic. But in the 4th round, Miocic changed his gameplan and began throwing hard punches to DC’s body that eventually helped set up an overhand right and subsequent blows to get a TKO in the later stages of the 4th round. There shouldn’t be a rematch, Daniel Cormier has nothing else to prove in this sport because he is one of the greatest of all time and should retire. The man that has proven and deserved a title shot is #2 Francis Ngannou. He’s on a 3 fight winning streak defeating two former champions and a surging Curtis Blaydes all in under 3 minutes and all knockouts. That is insane and unheard of. Although he was dominated in the first fight, Ngannou has improved immensely from the first fight and has been virtually impossible to beat and poses a real threat to the heavyweight king Stipe Miocic.

Going into the main event, it was a tough night for the Brazilians as they lost the last 5 fights that involved a Brazilian so when Jessica Andrade scored a KO slam victory over Rose Namajunas the crows erupted and also had a sigh of relief as they watched on of their own become world champion. As we look ahead, these are 4 fight the UFC should book after UFC 237.

4. Rose Namajunas vs. Claudia Gadelha

Rose Namajunas fought a near perfect fight throughout the whole fight. Crisp boxing, excellent footwork and outclassing Jessica Andrade throughout the whole 1st round and a majority of the 2nd. But a high-crotch slam ended her night and her title reign. Although she does has a strong case for an immediate rematch due to her performance Saturday night, it was her first defense if you don’t count Joanna and also there’s others who rightfully stake claim as the next title challenger. With all the top 4 Strawweights in action, the most sensible opponent for her is #5 Claudia Gadelha. She last fought at UFC 231 in a losing effort against rising star Nina Ansaroff. A win for either will put them in prime position to be a title challenger in the upcoming months or year. All this is up to Rose because the comments she made after the fight was unsettling but she needs to do what’s best for her and herself only.

3. Jared Cannonier vs. Chris Weidman

In the nights co-main event we saw Jared Cannonier win in somewhat gruesome fashion. After he threw a leg kick that landed behind Anderson Silva’s right knee, he instantly fell and grimaced in pain and the fight was called off after that. That was about the 10th leg kick he landed during the fight so his victory cannot be discredited. He won the biggest fight of his career and now needs a step up in competition. As the #10 Middleweight as of right now, the best fight for him is #7 former Middleweight champion Chris Weidman. While Cannonier is riding 3 fight winning streak and a 2 fight streak since moving to Middleweight, he looks in excellent shape and needs another win against a big time opponent to be considered a threat in this division. Weidman is 1-4 in his last 5 and needs a win desperately or something has to be done, a change of camps or a move up to Light Heavyweight like Luke Rockhold might be a idea he might need to think about, but something needs to change. A win for Cannonier will set him up for a title opportunity in the near future and boost him into the top 5, a win for Weidman will restore his confidence and dominance we’ve seen before when he was the Middleweight champion 4 years ago.

2. Alexander Volkanovski vs. Max Holloway

Max Holloway, Conor McGregor, and Alexander Volkanovski stand as the only men who have beaten Jose Aldo. It’s a huge accomplishment in its own right because he is the greatest Featherweight of all time. Volkanovski put on a great performance and had a game plan that worked to perfection. He neutralized Aldo and was in control and in charge of the pace and the fight the whole time. He outlanded Aldo 129-39 in total strikes and 95-29 in significant strikes. he stakes claim as the number one contender for the Featherweight belt as he is riding a 17 fight win streak. With the announcement of Holloway vs. Edgar at UFC 240 it looks unlikely and he will have to wait for the winner of that bout (unless an injury occurs and he can step in.

1.Jessica Andrade vs. Tatiana Suarez or Nina Ansaroff

In the main event we saw why MMA is great. Anything can happen, you can dominate the fight the whole time and one mistake or one shot and in this case one slam can end it all. The pure power and strength of Andrade is unique and you have to finish her to win because although she was getting beaten and battered throughout the whole fight she kept pushing and fighting to an eventually win. UFC 238 featured prelim will display the #1 and #3 Starwweights and the winner of that bout is guaranteed the next opportunity fo the 115 belt. Nina Ansaroff is riding a 4 fight winning streak last defeating Claudia Gadelha at UFC 231 and has placed herself right in the mix to become the next champion. In her way is #1 ranked Tatiana Suarez who is 7-0 and last defeating former champion Carla Esparza in dominating fashion. Her elite wrestling is a problem for every 115 female on the roster, she is destined for the champion and poses a huge threat for Jessica Andrade.

Saturday night had many good fights, but the two interim championship bouts where 2 of the best fights of the year, even all time. In the co-main event we saw Israel Adesanya claim a decision victory over the always game Kelvin Gastelum in what can only be said as one of the greatest Middleweight bouts of all time. In the main event we saw Max Holloway move up a weight class to take on Dustin Poirier in a rematch from 7 years ago. The power of Dustin was too much for Holloway and he picked up the interim Lightweight title in a fantastic fight. As we look ahead, these are 5 fight the UFC needs to make next for these competitors.

5. Khalil Rountree vs. Mauricio Rua

If not for the remarkable main event and co-headliner, Rountree could conceivably have left Atlanta as the talk of UFC 236. “The Ultimate Fighter 23” finalist looked like a new man, as he bludgeoned and abused a flummoxed Eryk Anders for three rounds in their featured pairing at 205 pounds. All three cageside judges struck 30-26 scorecards for Rountree, who chewed up the former University of Alabama linebacker’s lead leg with a series of savage kicks and knocked down Anders four times in the second round. A winner in four of his last five bouts, Rua has not competed since he put away Tyson Pedro with third-round punches at UFC Fight Night 142 on Dec. 1.

4. Kelvin Gastelum vs. Yoel Romero

In the co-main event we saw on of the greatest title fights of all time when Kelvin Gastelum took on Israel Adesanya, but at the end Adesanya put forth the most pressure during the 5th round to gain the decision victory. You can’t take anything away from Gastelum, he fought his heart out and came out a star after this fight. Yoel Romero recently pulled out of his bout against Jacare Souza due to an illness. Once he gets fully healthy the fight that makes most sense is this one, both coming out from losses and a victory for one of these two puts them right back into title contention.

3. Max Holloway vs. Alexander Volkanovski (if he defeats Aldo) OR Frankie Edgar

Max Holloway tasted defeat for the first time in 6 years and losing his 13 fight winning streak. It was very noticeable early on that the power difference between himself and Poirier was obviously lopsided. He got rocked many times during the fight and was the first time he looked somewhat human in a long time. Although his future is in the 155 division, he still has unfinished business in 145. Alexander Volkanovski has been on a tear and has climbed the ladder quicly to become the next contender, but he has a date against the legendary Jose Aldo at UFC 237. If he gets a victory over the Brazilian in his backyard of Rio de Janeiro there’s no denying him a title opportunity. But that’s if he wins. If he loses in the other hand, veteran of the sport and the division Frankie Edgars seems like the next viable option. He’s coming off a win against Cub Swanson, but that was nearly a year ago. He’s been recovering from a torn bicep but should be able to recover very soon, this fight has been made twice but both times cancelled due to injuries. They say third times the charm so why not make it a third time.

2. Robert Whittaker vs. Israel Adesanya

Israel Adesanya showed why he’s the real deal Saturday night. He faced adversity for the first time in his MMA career and fought to the end and learned to deal with it has the fight went on. He also showed how his striking is a level above the rest with slick punches, kicks, slipping, etc. Although he proved deserving of his title shot, there was a few holes in his game that he needs to patch up before his date with the current Middleweight Champion Robert Whittaker. This fight has to happen in Australia in a stadium because these two are massive overseas and will do big business.

1.Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Dustin Poirier

Dustin Poirier has been knocking at the door for a Lightweight title shot for a very long time and Saturday night he got his opportunity and he shined and showed why he’s next up for Khabib. He made the great Max Holloway (arguably the best Featherweight of all time) look like a shell of what we’ve been accustomed to see at timed during the fight. But the toughness of Poirier weathered the storm anytime Holloway got going and responded with big shots that rocked Max many times during the fight. The best time to make this fight is September or October, because Khabib’s suspension will be over by then. Dustin gives Khabib problems he hasn’t seen yet which will make this the most anticipated fight to make after UFC 236

I usually come in here and talk about takeaways and topics of the game but in all honest, there isn’t. Watching this Lakers team this season has been an emotional rollercoaster and last night was an abismal and dissapointing game to say the least. Coming in to this game The Suns were 12-51 and at the very bottom of the NBA. We’ve handily beaten this team many times this year and in the past as well. Going into this game, it was fairly obvious that this was a must-win game. But soon after the tip off, it seemed like the team was not motivated and going through the motions.

As I’m sitting here this Sunday evening I’m starting to realize that LeBron James might’ve ruined this team and it’s a point where there’s simply no trust in this team. I know that this is a huge accusation, but as soon as the trade rumors started to pile up and also the injury to LeBron didn’t help either. Although getting Anthony Davis would’ve been great and would speed up the process of regaining another championship, I’m in the firm belief that we shouldn’t trade our young core (or at the very least keep most of them) and let them reach their full potential. If you look at our past “young core” D’Angelo Russell, Julius Randle, Jordan Clarkson, and Larry Nance Jr. They are all having career years and have great careers ahead of them. I wouldn’t want that to happen to our core because I believe Lonzo Ball will be a superstar and Kuz and BI as well. The media kept adding fuel to the fire by making reports that LeBron really wants AD and pushing for this move and whilst saying this young core will never be any better than role players like what the fuck.

Another reason that this team is plummeting is the absence of Lonzo Ball. Before his injury he was playing the quite possibly the best basketball of his young career but a bad landing and boom he was out. He is the engine that keeps this Laker team going. Although not the best scorer, that’s not his game, his game is pass first, keep the pace up, and play smothering defense against all opposing guards and forwards. With Lonzo they were 6th in defense but shortly after fell all the way down to 27th. That shows how much of a vital piece to the puzzle Lonzo is. I guarantee you, Devin Booker wouldn’t gotten 25 and Eric Bledsoe wouldn’t of gotten 31. If we look back this season, he’s held many of the leagues best guards to inefficient nights, including Steph Curry, Jamal Murray, Klay Thompson, Chris Paul, and the list goes on. I don’t expect Rajon Rondo to have the same impact or even near the same impact on defense but the team as a whole looks so terrible at times, that it’s hard to watch.

I can rant about this team all day, but I won’t. I am a die hard Lakers fan and when we signed LeBron, I knew we had a hard uphill battle to climb because the Western Conference is so deep but I figured with LeBron we can make a deep run in the playoffs, but I never fathomed the possibility of missing the playoffs. What I’ve seen so far this season is that LeBron James might no longer be the best player in the NBA and it shows on and off the court. It recently became public that the night before his “Load Management” game where he didn’t play, he was in the studio all night with 2 Chainz. That might not mean anything but it might because it could show that he has one foot out the door already. I’ll stop here but I want to leave with one last thing. back in the 2012-2013 season, The Lakers were in the same position, fighting to get the 8th seed. What I saw from Kobe Bryant was absolutely unreal. Many of nights he played all 48 minutes and hitting clutch shot after clutch shot just to keep the Lakers alive, that intensity that and heart Kobe had, I honesty don’t see in LeBron.

UFC 235 was a stacked card from top to bottom. Although the main event and co-main event weren’t very exciting performance, but showed dominance by each of the winners. Aside from that, the rest of the card delivered very exciting matchups, and kept us on the edge of our seats all nights long. Here are 5 fights the UFC should make after this PPV.

5. Zabit Magomedsharipov vs. Yair Rodriguez

Zabit Magomedsharipov came out with a unanimous decision victory over Jeremy Stephens in the featured prelim. The fight did not disappoint, very fast paced and highly technical matchup. This was the first big test of Zabit’s career and he passed with flying colors, mixing his unique style to confuse Stephens and not engaging with the heavy hander. Although a great performance, you can see in the 3rd round that Zabit’s gas tank was starting to run low and if he wants a shot at a person in the top 5 he will need to address that issue because most of the fighters in the top 5 are cardio machines ESPECIALLY the champion Max Holloway. Yair Rodriguez is coming off the best knockout of 2018 and is ready to get back in the octagon to show his very versatile style. This matchup has been made and fell through many times, now with both fighters coming off impressive wins, the time is now for the fight. With a win, each fighter is one step closer to a title fight.

4. Tyron Woodley vs. Santiago Ponzinibbio

In the co-main event of the night, Kamaru Usman completely dominated the champ Tyron Woodley to become the new Welterweight Champion. Woodley looked lost all night and had no answer to what Usman was giving him. It was quite shocking because we know Woodley as being a patience and calculated fighter who can knock the lights out at any given moment, but we didn’t see that Saturday night. He described it in the post-fight presser as a “bad dream” and vowed to get the title back and wants an immediate rematch. Unfortunately later in the presser, Dana White confirmed that Colby Covington will get the next shot at the Welterweight strap. That’s bad news for Tyron because he does deserve the immediate rematch after defending the title 4 times against the toughest competition, but the company decided to go another route. With most of the top Welterweights already in action in the next few months and others already being beaten by Woodley, the best matchup for him would be the #7 ranked Santiago Pinzinibbio who is on a 7 fight win streak (last defeating Neil Magny in November) and wants to stake his claim as the next challenger after Colby Covington. This matchup has big implication for both fighters because it can bee seen as a #1 contender match. With a win over the former champion, Ponzinibbio he puts himself squarely as the next contender. As for Tyron, this is a good matchup because it gives him an opportunity for a strong comeback and eventually another shot at the belt he lost.

3. Ben Askren vs Darren Till/ Jorge Masvidal

The long awaited UFC debut of forner Bellator and ONE Championship champion Ben Askren was everything but smooth. In the opening minute of the fight his takedown was stuffed and eventually reversed to an Angle Slam (look it up, WWE reference) that spiked Askren straight on his head and Lawler added some of the vicious ground and pound ever seen. But Askren ate all those shots and eventually got back on his feet. The ending of the fight was very controversial, Ben Askren eventually got the back of Robbie Lawler and whilst going for a rear-naked, couldn’t get the legs wrapped but eventually sunk in a bulldog choke for the victory. For the people watching at home, all we saw was the Lawler’s arm go limp and Herb Dean signaling that the fight was over. BUT upon further replays shown, Lawler immediately gets right back up to protest the finish. A fight like that feels like it needs a rematch due to the controversial ending, but Askren was very adamant after the fights saying that he didn’t want to fight Lawler in the first place and will most certainly not fight him again. With the rematch looking not likely to happen (but Dana wants it) the next best fight for Askren is to fight the winner of UFC on ESPN+ 5 main-event, Darren Till or Jorge Masvidal. Askren has been in a twitter roast sesssion with most every Welterweight, including these two. Askren confirmed that he will be in attendance for that clash which will take place March 16 in London.

2. Jon Jones vs Thiago Santos

In the main event, Jon Jones showed us why he’s in a different level to the rest of the Light Heavyweights. A near perfect performance (aside from a finish) was shown Saturday, Anthony Smith had zero answers to what Jones was doing. Using his reach to confuse Smith, throwing calf, leg, body kicks made it difficult for Smith to get his offense going. With no opponents in the heavyweight division that makes sense right now, Jones is looking to clean out the Light Heavyweight division and it started with Anthony Smith. Fighting the top contenders will only further solidify why Jones will go down as top 1 or 2 of all-time. Not chasing the superfights and just facing the top contenders like GSP for most of his career (aside from Michael Bisping) is what made him the GOAT. Looking for a quick turn around and wanting to fight 3 more times this year won’t be easy but Jones can do it. The next logical opponent is 21-6 #4 Thiago Santos, who is 3-0 since he’s moving up from Middleweight. Santos has been a different animal since moving up, having 3 straight finishes. He is clearly next in line, and fought 2 weeks ago, so don’t be surprised if this matchup is announced in the next few weeks.

1.Kamaru Usman vs Colby Covington

Kamaru Usman did something that hasn’t been done in a long time. He dominated Tyron Woodley which hasn’t been seen since his 2014 bout against Rory MacDonald. He beat Woodley in every aspect of the fight, mentally and physically. Not much can be said about the fight other than pure dominance and that Usman is on another level many didn’t expect. Dana White confirmed that the former interim champion and #1 Welterweight Colby Covington will get the next shot at the title. The winner of this fight was always going to fight Covington first, but now since we have our answer, we can’t wait to see the the build up has in store.

The Los Angeles Lakers came out of the All-Star break as the 10th seed and ready to play their hardest as they need this playoff push to position themselves as the 8th or 7th seed (preferably 7th so they don’t have to face The Warriors in the 1st round). They took their chip on their shoulders and defeated The Rockets Thursday night after a 19 point deficit in the 3rd quarter. Their record now stands at 29-29 and 2.5 games behind the 8th seed.

LeBron James led the way with 29 points, 11 rebounds and 6 assists. Brandon Ingram added 27 points and 13 rebounds to help secure the victory for the purple and gold. On the other side, James Harden extended his streak to 32games with another 30 point performance but it wasn’t enough as he fouled out late in the 4th quarter. Chris Paul almost had a triple double (23 points, 11 rebounds, 9 assists) but fouled out as well in the final minute of the game.

Playoff Bron Has Been Activated

It didn’t seem like Playoff LeBron would be sufficient against Houston early Thursday night, as Los Angeles shot only 38 percent (19-of-50) from the floor and 26.3 percent (5-of-19) from three-point go. Lakers not named Reggie Bullock shot only 2-of-16 (15.3 percent) from behind the arc during the first two quarters. What’s more, some of those misses were awful.

The Lakers were fortunate, though, to only be down six at halftime given their terrible first-half performance. And even as Houston started second half on a 9-2 run, James stuck with his teammates.

While Los Angeles fell behind by as many as 19, LeBron never gave up.

The Lakers closed the gap by ending the third on a 15-4 run and then completed the comeback by outscoring the Rockets 28-16 in the final period.

While James came up big with eight clutch fourth-quarter points, Ingram and Bullock (14 points, four three-pointers) played a big role in the victory as well.

This marked the second time in four games that Los Angeles rallied from down 18-plus for a win. It also did so in a 129-128 victory against the Boston Celtics on Feb. 7.

What’s Next?

Both teams will be back in action Saturday. Lakers will visit the New Orleans Pelicans, as The Rockets will head to the Bay to face the defending champs Golden State Warriors.