Jon Jones is still a prospect. It just that he's a prospect for pound-for-pound number one and not just light heavyweight champion – Jones athletic pedigree is at a level that nobody else in the UFC can match. MMA as a sport is still in its infancy and the money is not at a level that it can draw athletes like Jon Jones away from football or basketball on a consistent basis. Because of that, his freakish ability makes him a threat against anyone, and, at only 23 years old, he could ultimately go down as the best ever before everything is said and done (and even if not the best ever, he is a possible double-weight champion).
Rashad Evans should be getting his cut to middleweight ready now – Evans has said he won't fight his close friend and training partner Jones. Since Jones is now the top contender in Evans weight class and Evans is a smaller light heavyweight, he should be getting ready to cut to middleweight and make a run at the winner of the Anderson Silva-GSP superfight (assuming it eventually happens).
Anderson Silva should fight Yushin Okami before Georges St. Pierre – I believe this not because Silva needs to prove anything against Okami. Its more that with GSP wanting additional time to bulk up to be a legit middleweight it will leave Silva with close to a year off. Putting him in the cage with Okami during the summer leaves plenty of time for him to get healthy and put in a full training camp before a possible year end fight with GSP.
Who would've ever thought we would see a fight end on a Steven Seagal movie kick? - That was just a ridiculous kick and certainly one of the more impressive knockouts we have seen in a long time.
Forrest Griffin is not going to like the fight that seems to be in his future – I see Lyoto Machida in Griffin's future and that just seems to be an awful matchup for Griffin. Though a win would put him right in the thick of title contention.
Where does Rich Franklin go from here? - Franklin has now hit a dead end in two weight classes and seems destined for the senior circuit considering he has lost to Anderson Silva twice, Vitor Belfort, Dan Henderson and Griffin. Maybe he fights the winner of the Lil Nog-Ortiz fight but I don't see any real major fights for him. He also may have another trip to Europe as a weak headliner in his future.
Miguel Torres may lose a few fans, but he will regain his bantamweight title in the process – Torres finally fought with some self control and a gameplan after years of crazy brawls that finally caught up to him. If he is able to continue to use his incredible reach advantage, a return to the Bantamweight Title is a good bet.
Donald Cerrone is not a title caliber fighter, but there is a place for him in the UFC – Cerrone came over from the UFC and promptly won fight of the night in his first outing. He will never be a title contender, but a career not unlike that of Chris Lytle making a ton of money with bonuses and having a solid job even in the event of losses is not a bad place to be. The guy never puts on a boring fight.
Should Vitor Belfort consider going back to Light Heavyweight? - Having been dispatched by Silva in short order, Belfort is also at a crossroads. Being a former champion at 205 and holding a win over Franklin, Belfort is realistically not too far from title contention at that weight class. Three wins could get him there and it will take at least that to get back to that level at middleweight as well... Where the result would be the same.
Ryan Bader is still a future Light Heavyweight Champ – Someday fairly soon, I think the 23 year old Jon Jones will continue growing into his frame and be forced to move up to heavyweight. At that point, Bader's wrestling could easily re-emerge as a title threat in the only division where wrestlers have really struggled in the UFC. Despite the one-sided loss, it is only one loss.
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