What’s next for the stars of UFC 247?

By Cole Shelton - February 10, 2020

In the main event of UFC 247, Jon Jones was taking on the undefeated challenger in Dominick Reyes. The co-main attraction saw flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko looking to continue her reign as she battled Katlyn Chookagian.

Jon Jones, Dominick Reyes

In the end, neither titles changed hands as Jones edged out a very close decision while Shevchenko earned a TKO win.

Now, following, UFC 247, here is what we think should be next for the fighters involved in the title fights.

Jon Jones

For the second fight in a row, many fans and media thought Jon Jones had lost when the fight went to the scorecards. “Bones” had success in the fourth and fifth rounds but the second and third rounds were toss-ups, but the champ did enough to win by unanimous decision at UFC 247.

Following yet another title defense for Jon Jones, he should take on the winner of this weekend’s card between Corey Anderson and Jan Blachowicz. It is a matchup between two fighters Jones has yet to fight, which is getting rare in the light heavyweight division.

The timing also works out very well that the card can happen in the summer and set up Jones to have three fights in 2020.

Dominick Reyes

Dominick Reyes did better much better than many expected at UFC 247. Some even thought he won including the likes of Daniel Cormier and Dana White, who revealed he had it 3-1 Reyes heading into the fifth round.

Although Reyes put up a good fight, it is very rare a challenger gets an immediate rematch when they lose. Even Alexander Gustafsson, who had a split-decision loss to Jon Jones back in 2013, had to wait five years for the rematch.

Now, Reyes should take on Thiago Santos who is also coming off a very close decision loss to Jon Jones. He had knee surgery and should be able to return sometime this summer which is a good timeframe for Reyes. The winner of that could very well earn another crack at “Bones.”

Valentina Shevchenko

Valentina Shevchenko continues to show there is a major gap between her and the rest of the contenders at flyweight. The 31-year-old has now defended her title three times and became the first person to finish Katlyn Chookagian.

Although people are pushing for Shevchenko vs. Amanda Nunes 3 next, White has been reluctant to book that fight. And, given the bout happened only two years ago, it could be even bigger if Shevchenko defends her title a few more times. So, the next challenger should be Joanne Calderwood.

Calderwood is ranked third in the division and coming off a win over Andrea Lee at UFC 242 in what was presumed as a number one contender bout. Shevchenko-Calderwood can headline a Fight Night card or be a co-main on a pay-per-view in May or June.

Katlyn Chookagian

Katlyn Chookagian was the clear number one contender at flyweight, but she didn’t show much against Shevchenko at UFC 247. The champion dominated Chookagian on the feet and on the ground to earn a TKO win.

Now, following the loss, Chookagian should battle sixth-ranked Viviane Araujo, who’s coming off a decision loss to Jessica Eye. Before that, she beat Alexis Davis by decision, and knocked out Talita Bernardo at bantamweight. Whoever wins between the two could enter a number one contender bout, while the other would be forced to fight lower in the rankings.

Who do you think should be next for these four fights after UFC 247?

This article first appeared on BJPENN.com on 2/10/2020. 

This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM


Topics:

dominick reyes Jon Jones Katlyn Chookagian UFC Valentina Shevchenko