3 Biggest Takeaways From UFC Tampa

It was an entertaining evening of fights. Here are the 3 biggest implications from the results!

3. Marlon Vera Deserves A Big Fight

Marlon 'Chito' Vera put on a very impressive performance last night when he systematically picked apart Andre Ewell and finished him in the 3rd to earn a POTN Bonus and get his hand raised for the 5th time in a row. Vera has put together a very impressive 5 fight win-streak, all of which were finishes. Vera has taken out solid UFC fighters like Frankie Saenz and Guido Cannetti but he has yet to get a ranked opponent or really a platform to show his stuff. Although he had 4 straight finishes going into his fight with Ewell, the UFC brass decided to stick him on the Fight Pass Prelims. With this being said, I would be shocked if the UFC matchmakers don't give the 26 year-old from Ecuador a bigger and better opportunity to entertain the masses.

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2. Cub Swanson Still Has Some Gas In The Tank

Regardless of if you're a fan of Cub Swanson it was hard not to smile along with him during his post-fight interview last night. After taking 4 consecutive hard losses in row Cub Swanson appeared to be circling the drain when the UFC had matched him up with would-be Jiu-Jitsu phenom, Kron Gracie. Swanson defied all the critics when he entered that octagon last night. Swanson fought like the seasoned veteran he is, preventing the fight from becoming a grappling exchange and instead kept it standing where he was very successful - even at times looking like the Cub Swanson from 4 years ago. With his last couple opponents it is easy to see that the UFC are trying to turn Cub into a gatekeeper in the Featherweight division. We can expect his next opponent to be a prospect with a bright future; however, if Cub can keep putting on performances like last night then we could see him keeping that gate closed for a couple more years to come.

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1. Joanna Wants Her Belt Back

Joanna Jedrzejcyk embraced her inner-boogeywoman last night against Michelle Waterson and more lethal than she ever has. Joanna continuously pelted Michelle with leg kicks and her patented high volume that she is known for - every 2 strikes Waterson would get off seemed to be answered by 4 or 5 from Joanna. After the dominant win, Jedrzejcyk called for a title shot against Zhang which is very likely when you look at the current landscape of the Straweight division. Rose's next fight is unknown, Andrade just lost convincingly to Zhang, Suarez is a potential option however it is much more likely that the UFC go with the bigger draw and more entertaining fight (striker vs striker as opposed to striker vs wrestler). We can expect Joanna Jedrzejcyk to give all she has left to get her title back.