The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) was live from Oklahoma City, OK for the third time in promotional history last Sunday (June 25, 2017) with UFC Fight Night 112: Chiesa vs. Lee. It was a solid night of scraps that saw five of 13 bouts end inside the distance, and with the action now in our rear view, let’s take a look at which of the evening’s competitors we may no longer see going to work inside the Octagon…
ON THE CHOPPING BLOCK
Johny Hendricks
Hendricks was dropped with a head-kick and finished off with uppercuts for a second-round TKO defeat against Tim Boetsch, and given the fact that the former UFC welterweight champion missed weight for this middleweight matchup, I think there is a decent chance that the promotion will be opting to cut their ties with him. He is 1-1 at 185-pounds and 1-4 in his last five outings inside the Octagon overall. I don’t see him having a bright future in the UFC’s middleweight division if they do decide to give him another chance. At this point, I think it is 60/40 that we see him inside a Bellator cage his next time out rather than the UFC’s Octagon.
Joachim Christenson
Christenson was dropped and finished by promotional newcomer Dominic Reyes for a first-round TKO defeat, coming in just less than a minute into the stanza. The loss puts Christensen on a two-fight deficit inside the Octagon and makes him 1-3 in the promotion. I would say it is 55/45 that we see him back inside the Octagon, and the only reason I lean towards him sticking around is because the division is razor-thin.
BJ Penn
Penn had his moments, but he ultimately came up short in a majority decision loss to Dennis Siver, making it five straight defeats for “The Prodigy” inside the Octagon. Following Sunday night’s defeat, I think there is a good chance that the UFC decides to part ways with him contractually, should he ask for another bout. I think we have seen the last of Penn in the organization, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see him inside a Bellator cage within the next year or so.
