UFC 237 went down last night from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, which saw a new strawweight champion be crowned. Jessica Andrade knocked out Rose Namajunas with a slam which was followed up by punches. Meanwhile, in the co-main event, Jared Cannonier TKO’d Anderson Silva via leg kicks in the first round after attacking his lead leg the entire round.
Elsewhere on the main card, Alexander Volkanovski showed why he is the top contender in the featherweight division as he grinded out a decision win over Jose Aldo.
Here is what we think should be next for those six fighters.
Jessica Andrade
Jessica Andrade is the new strawweight champion and just the fourth the division has known. The Brazilian was getting picked apart in the first round, but after attempting a slam in the first which sort of worked, she went after it again in the second. As Namajunas was working on an armbar the champ got slammed on her head and TKO’d after it.
Now, the question is who should Andrade fight in her first title defense. There is plenty of options but the most logical one is taking on the winner of Tatiana Suarez vs. Nina Ansaroff in their UFC 238 fight in June. Suarez and Ansaroff are fighting to be the number one contender and deserve the chance to fight for the title.
Rose Namajunas
Rose Namajunas had a ton of success in this UFC 237 fight up until the slam. And, following the fight, it sounded like she isn’t sure about her fighting future. She talked about how much pressure was off her shoulders and said she thought maybe this would be her last fight.
Right now, after those comments, it seems like Namajunas needs time to think about her future. So it is too hard to say who she should fight as there is no timetable when she will return — if ever.
Alexander Volkanovski
Alexander Volkanovski went into Brazil and took out a Brazilian legend in Jose Aldo. Volkanovski fought a perfect fight where he pressured Aldo and made the former champion seem uncomfortable. Although he couldn’t get the finish, this win proved he is the top contender in the featherweight division.
The next fight for him has to be for the title. There’s no debating it.
Jose Aldo
Where Jose Aldo goes from here is up in the air. He looked like he turned back the clock in knockout wins over Jeremy Stephens and Renato Moicano. However, he just couldn’t get it going at UFC 237. What should be next for the Brazilian is to take on a rising fighter in the rankings to test out there skills like a Josh Emmett. The 34-year-old is coming off of an impressive win over Michael Johnson and deserves a shot at the former champion.
Jared Cannonier
Jared Cannonier went into Brazil and finished Anderson Silva in the first round. He attacked the Brazilian’s leg the entire round and finally, that leg gave out.
Now, Cannonier deserves someone in the top-seven or possibly top-five. Someone that makes sense is Kelvin Gastelum, but if he gets booked against Jack Hermansson, a fight against Chris Weidman also makes sense. No matter what, the win over Silva sets up Cannonier to get into title contention.
Anderson Silva
Anderson Silva, who is arguably the greatest fighter of all-time, lost a fight by a leg injury. Now, the future of the 44-year-old is up in the air. The UFC needs to be smart with his matchmaking if he so desires to return, but for now, it is too soon to tell if the legend will fight again.
Who do you want to see the stars of UFC 237 fight next?
This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 5/12/2019.