With two title fights and some high profile names to boot, UFC 235 was preceded by some lofty expectations. But thanks to efforts from fighters like Diego Sanchez, Johnny Walker, and Kamaru Usman, it absolutely delivered.
Let’s take a look at the biggest winners from the event:
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Ben Askren
It didn’t start out well for Ben Askren, but he weathered Robbie Lawler’s furious storm to remain unbeaten in MMA.
Say what you will about Askren, but he gets the job done. Although his victory over Lawler is controversial, it will stand as a W regardless. And he’s certainly content to take it.
As for what’s next for Askren, UFC President Dana White suggested he and Lawler run it back, though the former Bellator and ONE champ himself has ambitions to fight the winner of Darren Till and Jorge Masvidal’s upcoming fight.
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Kamaru Usman
Kamaru Usman’s performance to capture the welterweight title at UFC 235 was absolutely flawless.
With the win, Usman remains unbeaten inside the Octagon and improves his overall record to 15-1. He thoroughly dominated the former champion Tyron Woodley for the entire 25 minutes of their fight, making it look easy at times.
Dana White has stated that former interim welterweight champion Colby Covington would be the first to challenge Usman for the title, though things could certainly get complicated. We’ll see.
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Johnny Walker
Johnny Walker is pure entertaining, both inside and outside the cage.
The 26-year-old Brazilian defeated Misha Cirkunov with a flying knee just 36 seconds into the first round on Saturday night. This charismatic light heavyweight is one of the real bright spots in the sport of MMA.
Walker (17-3) was sitting at No.15 in the division but he should see a decent bump in position due to his UFC 235 victory.
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Edmen Shahbazyan
There is a new face on the middleweight scene to keep an eye out for — the 21-year-old Edmen Shahbazyan.
Shahbazyan continues his accent in the 185-pound division as he absolutely melted Charles Byrd with elbows at 38 seconds of the first round.
The win makes it three straight in the Octagon for the young Shahbazyan who will likely be looking at a top 15 opponent next.
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Jon Jones
He may not have finished Anthony Smith, but Jon Jones was dominant in his performance on Saturday night.
Going 25 minutes with another high-level UFC fighter is no easy feat. Yet Jones made it look like just that. Jones improves his overall record to 24-1 and he adds to his claim to the GOAT title.
Dan Hooker is hoping to face Beneil Dariush next.
Hooker has been rehabbing the broken arm he sustained during his win over Jalin Turner from last July. He reinjured the arm in his training camp for Bobby Green which was supposed to take place last December.
Stephen Thompson feels the UFC wouldn’t have any shortage of NMF title challengers if the promotion introduces a friendly-focused championship.
Thompson is one of the most decorated kickboxers to ever compete in the UFC Octagon. Despite a recent loss to Shavkat Rakhmonov, he remains one of the top welterweight contenders, and is targeting a UFC comeback for later this year.
Dave Lovell, the head coach of Leon Edwards expects his fighter to defend his welterweight title in Manchester against Belal Muhammad.
Edwards has not fought since UFC 296 in December when he beat Colby Covington by decision to defend his title. The Brit had been trying to get a fight, and he was reportedly offered fights at UFC 300 against Islam Makhachev, Shavkat Rakhmonov, and Khamzat Chimaev but none came to fruition.
Justin Gaethje wasn’t going to say no to trading with Max Holloway in the final seconds of their UFC 300 fight.
‘The Highlight’ returned to the octagon on the main card of the historic card earlier this month. There, Justin Gaethje looked to make the first defense of his ceremonial ‘BMF’ title against Max Holloway. The fight was a rare lightweight appearance for the Hawaiian, and he didn’t disappoint. Despite entering the fight as an underdog, Holloway put on a show.
Former UFC welterweight title challenger Stephen Thompson has responded to Michael ‘Venom’ Page’s recent remarks about a possible UFC booking.
Thompson is one of the top karate-focused fighters to ever crossover into MMA. He’s awaiting his next UFC booking as he looks to get back on track after a loss to Shavkat Rakhmonov at UFC 296.
UFC Hall of Famer Ronda Rousey wishes UFC commentator Joe Rogan and other media personalities would apologize for their past criticism of how she handled losses.
Rousey is arguably one of the greatest UFC fighters of all time after pioneering the promotion’s dip into women’s MMA. She headlined the UFC’s first all-female main event, defeating Liz Carmouche for the bantamweight championship at UFC 157.
UFC lightweight contender Arman Tsarukyan didn’t take long to respond to Michael Chandler’s stance that declining a short-notice title fight at UFC 302 was a mistake.
Tsarukyan earned the biggest win of his UFC career by defeating former lightweight champion Charles Oliveira at UFC 300. He won the fight by split decision and earned No. 1 lightweight contender status.
UFC bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley has given his thoughts on Aljamain Sterling’s dominant decision win over Calvin Kattar.
At UFC 300, Aljamain Sterling defeated Calvin Kattar in convincing fashion. He battered him from pillar to post, largely through his dominant ground game. Now, many are left to wonder what’s next for him following his successful featherweight debut.
