Now that UFC 222 has come and gone, it’s time to look back at all the fighters competing on the card and whether their stock went up, down, or stayed the same.
Stock Way Up
- Brian Ortega: Ortega was the star of the show as he brutally knocked out Frankie Edgar with a massive uppercut in the first round. Ortega is an incredible fighter and deserves a title shot next against Max Holloway. He’s close to being a top-15 pound-for-pound fighter at this point.
- Alexander Hernandez: An amazing UFC debut for Hernandez, who knocked out Beneil Dariush in the first round. Hernandez was a massive underdog to win this fight and the win over Dariush immediately pushes him into conversation at 155lbs. He couldn’t have had a better performance.
Stock Up
- Cristiane Santos: Cyborg did what was expected, finishing Yana Kunitskaya in mere minutes. Her stock is up once again and a superfight against Amanda Nunes could be next.
- Sean O’Malley: Though he could have lost via injury TKO, the fact O’Malley was able to hold on and take a decision over Andre Soukhamthath showed how tough he is, and we saw in the fight how good his striking is. One of the top prospects at 135lbs.
- Ketlen Vieira: Vieira is now 4-0 in the UFC and is closing in on a title shot at 135lbs. A fight against Raquel Pennington or Marion Reneau next makes sense.
- Ashley Yoder: The only fighter on the card who I think had her stock improved even in defeat. She’s now 0-3 in the UFC but she’s shown she’s a very tough and durable foe and she will likely get one more fight.
- Cody Stamann: Stamann is now 3-0 in the UFC after besting Bryan Caraway by decision. He’s quickly becoming a serious contender at 135lbs and has to be ranked in the top-10 in the division at this point.
Stock Stayed The Same
- Andrei Arlovski: He’s on a two-fight win streak, but I wouldn’t consider Arlovski anything more than a gatekeeper at this point.
- Mackenzie Dern: Though Dern defeated Yoder, I don’t think her stock went up. Her striking didnt look good and her grappling wasn’t as effective as most thought. She has a lot to improve on still.
- John Dodson: Dodson won a split decision over Pedro Munhoz but his stock stays the same. It wasn’t a great fight but he did what he had to do to win it.
- Zak Ottow: Finally Ottow picks up a big knockout win, but since it came over an aging fighter in Mike Pyle, it’s hard to say his stock really went up. He’s an average fighter who got a favorable matchup.
- Bryan Caraway: Though Caraway lost, he put up a good fight against Stamann. He’s not an elite bantamweight, but he’s the gatekeeper to the top-10.
- Jordan Johnson: Johnson is 3-0 in the UFC but all of his win are by decision. He needs a finish to show everyone he’s a top-10 light heavyweight, because right now he looks like a gatekeeper.
Stock Down
- Yana Kunitskaya: She was brought in to lose and that’s exactly what happened. She got crushed and should drop down to 135lbs and try to rebuild her stock.
- Frankie Edgar: It was hard to see Edgar get finished for the first time, especially since it happened in such vicious fashion, but the loss to Ortega has pushed Edgar out of the elite for good. At 36, his days of title contention may be over.
- Andre Soukhamthath: He’s a fun fighter to watch but a 1-3 record in the UFC just doesn’t cut it, and his fight IQ was really sad to watch against O’Malley. He should get one more fight because he’s exciting, but I’m not convinced he’s very good.
- Stefan Struve: Another loss for Struve and this was an ugly one as he didn’t do much of anything in the 15 minutes he was in the cage against Arlovski. He’s now on a two-fight losing streak and he will never be more than a gatekeeper at this point of his career.
- Cat Zingano: That’s three losses in a row for Zingano, and at 35 its’ really hard to see her ever rising to the top of the women’s bantamweight division again. She looks like a fighter well past her prime, and could be on the verge of retirment.
- Pedro Munhoz: He was competitive in the fight with Dodson but ultimately did not prove he belongs in the upper tier of the bantamweight divison. He’s a good fighter, but not a great one.
- CB Dollaway: Yes he did get the win over Hector Lombard by DQ, but a second sooner and this could have been a knockout loss for Dollaway. He’s on a two-fight win streak right now, but I’d have a hard time picking him to beat most middleweights.
- Adam Milstead: Milstead suffered his first official defeat in the Octagon, though he at least was competitive in the fight. Still, he’s winless in his last two bouts and it’s hard to really see him making any noise at 205.
Stock Way Down
- Beneil Dariush: Another KO loss for Dariush, his third knockout defeat in the UFC, and this time it came against a UFC rookie in Hernandez. Dariush is a talented fighter, but that chin is always going to hold him back and after this loss it’s hard to say if he’s even a top-15 lightweight anymore.
- Hector Lombard: With five-straight losses it’s very possible this is the last we’ve seen of Lombard in the UFC. He has been one of the biggest free agent busts in recent memory and he’ll be lucky if the UFC gives him another fight.
- Mike Pyle: There’s no question Pyle’s stock is in the dumpster after the TKO loss to Ottow, but since he’s retiring, there’s no point of kicking him while he’s down. I just really hope this retirement lasts and we don’t see him come back to say Bellator in a few years, because his chin is completely gone at this point.
