Opinion: UFC 235: Jones vs Smith saw three fighters who are the future of UFC
UFC 235: Jones vs Smith is done and dusted, and Jon Jones continued to show why he is known as the most dominant fighter in the world as he picked up a decision win over Anthony Smith. While Jones retained his Light Heavyweight Title, Tyron Woodley was not quite as lucky.
In a fight that went all 5 rounds, Tyron Woodley found himself losing out to Kamaru Usman.
The Nigerian immigrant fighter, Usman promised earlier to bring the UFC to Africa for the very first time. Now, as the new UFC Welterweight Champion, this is a vision that is not quite beyond him.
As the champion, the dominance that Usman has shown to get where he is will prove to be the best part of his reign.
At UFC tonight, Usman showcased all of his skills and made it evident that he was more than capable when it came to his in-Octagon intellect.
With the Championship around his waist, he will be the perfect fighter to help the company expand in an all-new direction.
The fact is, he might have a new challenger in the form of another fighter who made their debut on the same card.
Ben Askren and Kamaru Usman have exchanged barbs leading up to UFC 235. While Askren simply made his debut in this fight, being able to submit Robbie Lawler showed that he had not left his abilities back in ONE Championship.
Askren is yet to meet a challenge that he cannot overcome, and this might be the perfect clash between two fighters who have a lot to settle inside and outside the Octagon.
Will these two be the next to fight each other? That remains to be seen.
Whatever happens, these two are certainly going to be important for the UFC heading into the future.
Leaving alone the main card altogether, the Undercard had several fights which showcased the talent of the fighters.
Zabit Magomedsharipov pulled off yet another win, proving that he will be a force to be reckoned with in the future.
The fighter who proved something else altogether, however, was Johnny Walker.
Walker has been a fighter who has been attracting more and more attention with each of his fights in the UFC.
In his first fight, he finished his opponent with vicious elbows just before 2 minutes of the first round.
His next opponent lasted even less time, with him managing to knock him out in 15 seconds of the first round.
Going up against someone like Misha Cirkunov at UFC 235: Jones vs Smith appeared as if it would be his first real challenge.
Cirkunov is an excellent fighter, but even he could not last in the Octagon. A flying knee from Walker saw him knocked out at only 36 seconds of the 1st round. It left everyone in shock, and Walker is yet to go past the 1st round in clearing his opponents in the UFC.
What made his win even more comical, was that he celebrated it with the worm and that was it for him. He injured himself after the fight while doing the worm and sheepishly confessed during the post-fight interview. Thankfully, he received a bonus of $50,000 for a dramatic KO, which will soothe him at least.
However, putting the comical part aside, Walker has shown exactly how good he is. If he can progress in this manner, he will soon become a top fighter in the UFC.
The future looks bright at the moment after what happened at UFC 235.
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