Three weight classes were shaken up Saturday night after T.J. Dillashaw, Daniel Cormier, and Robbie Lawler made emphatic statements in their UFC 173 victories.
Dillashaw did the unthinkable by besting bantamweight champion Renan Barao, who was a 9-1 favorite riding a 32-fight win streak. And Dillashaw didn’t just win, he TKO’d the champion – a guy who had never been finished in his entire career.
Cormier, too, used UFC 173 as a part of his highlight reel, by choking out durable MMA legend Dan Henderson in the third round.
As if those standout performances weren’t enough, Lawler took out Jake Ellenberger, a man with dynamite for fists. One knee and a few punches later, Ellenberger was floored and done for the night.
So where do all three go from here?
The bantamweight class has a new champion. Lawler, known as “Ruthless,” showed he’s still championship material after losing a close fight to new welterweight kingpin Johnny Hendricks. Putting away a guy like Ellenberger with strikes is a rare feat, and he likely will be rewarded with another top five fight.
Cormier, who hasn’t lost across two weight classes over a 15-fight win streak, clearly has earned a title shot. The UFC announced Jon Jones will fight Alexander Gustafsson in August, but Cormier’s case for a crack at the light heavyweight belt has been made.
Henderson is notoriously a tough guy to put away, having only been knocked out once in his decorated career, which included multiple championships in different organizations and a TKO victory over MMA legend Fedor Emelianenko. Cormier rag-dolled Henderson around the octagon.
UFC 173 shook up the bantamweight, welterweight, and light heavyweight classes big time. One thing is for sure. Dillashaw, Cormier, and Lawler have big fights coming up, because their performances Saturday night were nothing short of excellent.