The Ultimate Fighting Championship was live from Las Vegas, NV this past Saturday night with UFC 216: Ferguson vs. Lee. It was a very entertaining night of scraps that five out of 11 of them end inside the distance. And with the fights 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
Pearl Gonzalez
Gonzalez made her promotional debut six months ago at UFC 210 in Buffalo, where she was submitted by Cynthia Calvillo in the third round of their bout. In her effort to get back into the win column and pick up her first UFC win, she welcomed promotional newcomer Poliana Botelho to the Octagon this past weekend and she was defeated by unanimous decision after three lackluster rounds of action. Gonzalez was at a disadvantage on the feet, so she did not attempt to compete there and spent the entirety of the bout pressing Botelho against the cage in an unsuccessful attempt to take her down. The loss puts Gonzalez on a two-fight losing skid inside he Octagon, and considering how poor this last performance was, I think there is a fair chance that the UFC will opt to part ways with her. I would say that we are looking at a 50/50 situation here. The main reason they would give her one last shot is that the division is still thin.
Marco Beltran
Beltran came up short in a unanimous decision loss to Matt Schnell at UFC 216 this past Saturday night in Las Vegas and he is now on a three-fight losing streak inside the Octagon. The Mexican started his UFC career off strong with three straight wins, but the three consecutive defeats that followed since have put him on the chopping block, where I think he stands a very good chance of receiving a pink slip from the promotion. I say it is more likely than not that we have seen the last of this 31-year-old inside the Octagon.
