Who's next for UFC 268's winners and losers
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It’s been a while since I played matchmaker around this parts.
So, since there are so many directions in which the UFC could go following UFC 268, let’s play a little game of “Who’s next?!” with the winners and losers from Saturday night.
And away we go …
Kamaru Usman.
Who’s next?! Well, it depends. Yes, I know this is a weird way to start, however, it really does depend. If Leon Edwards wins, it’s obviously him. It has to be. I’m told it’s actually been written in his Jorge Masvidal bout agreement. Heck, I’d argue he should get it regardless of if he wins or loses (anyone remember Alexander Gustafsson getting a title shot after he got knocked out by Anthony Johnson?). But alas, we all know that isn’t going to happen. If Edwards loses, they won’t go back to Masvidal (more on him in a second), so I’m guessing they’d go to Vicente Luque, which would be weird since his resume isn’t as good as Edwards’ and Edwards beat him. Obviously, Khamzat Chimaev is the X-factor in all of this, but it’s too soon for him. The other potential option is Stephen Thompson, who might be fighting on the Dec. 18 card, I’m told. If he wins, he should get the nod over Luque since he also has a win over the Brazilian. One thing I know for certain: it won’t be Canelo Alvarez next.