UFC In November: 3 Under-The-Radar Questions Heading Into Promotion’s Events For The Month

November is here, and the UFC has a full slate. It begins this coming Saturday with a Fight Night at the Apex. After that is the massive one, UFC 334 at Madison Square Garden, topped by two title fights. The month ends with a return to Qatar, with not one, not two, but three premier fights.

That being said, here are three urgent questions forward of this stretch.

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3) How Will Stephen Thompson Be Remembered?

Many have not know it until not too long ago, but Stephen Thompson’s UFC 334 struggle against Charles Radtke will truly be the last of his profession. In an interview with Full Mount MMA, the former two-time welterweight challenger defined that coming into parenthood factored into his determination:

“When you have a little one that comes in, it’s such a big responsibility. UFC pulls you away from all that in different directions. I’ve seen professional fighters try to deal with that with a family on top of it, and it’s difficult.”

As Thompson prepares to enter the Octagon for the last time, questions will inevitably abound about what legacy he will go away behind. Is it that of a karate savant who had one of the best win streaks in welterweight historical past, then pushed Tyron Woodley to the restrict twice? Is it that of an motion fighter who introduced one of the most stylistically lovely matchups of the previous ten years? Maybe it is of a man who had a brutal decline after 2020, successful just one of his last six fights?

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However one appears at him, “Wonderboy” is sure to stay on in followers’ recollections. Here is hoping that an analyst job, whether it be in the UFC or the aptly-fashioned Karate Combat, awaits him.

2) Will Brian Ortega Succeed In His UFC Lightweight Debut?

It has been over a 12 months since Brian Ortega fought, and it did not go very nicely. The former featherweight challenger struggled to shed the kilos forward of his conflict with Aljamain Sterling and appeared listless come struggle night time, dropping a unanimous determination.

Now, amid a 1-4 stretch in his last 5 fights, Ortega appears to revitalize his profession ten kilos north. His opponent, Dan Hooker, is himself mired in unhealthy occasions, having been completed in his last three fights. In addition, “The Hangman” appeared uncompetitive in each of them, offering little resistance before folding at the first signal of adversity.

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That makes Hooker as clear-cut a “gimme” opponent as Ortega can get for his divisional debut. Thus, if he someway fails to win, then it could imply the finish for “T-City”.

1) When Will Tatiana Suarez Finally Regain UFC Fans’ Respect?

On papar, Tatiana Suarez’s two-win streak since failing to dethrone Weili Zhang is respectable, as she beat Amanda Lemos and Loopy Godinez to reassert herself as a prime strawweight contender. What stands out, however, is where they performed out.

Both fights took place in the prelims – a main falloff for someone of Suarez’s rating. For most followers, however, it was warranted given how poorly she fared against Zhang. This Saturday, however, she arguably deserved higher.

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After Sean Brady withdrew on Thursday because of a knee harm, logic held that Suarez and Virna Jandiroba, as the highest-ranked fighters left, would be promoted to the primary occasion. Instead, Waldo Cortes-Acosta and Johnny Walker were booked in a makeshift primary occasion. That speaks to how poorly perceived Suarez has become not just among followers, but within the UFC brass as nicely.

Thus, herein lies the downside: what if Suarez wins? That is three straight, and with Zhang still MIA, she will have the strongest case to problem Mackenzie Dern next. The query is, will anyone truly care?

End Of My UFC Rant

There are a lot of more questions to be answered by this month’s UFC occasions, and those are not even the greatest ones.

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Ciryl Gane is coming into his first struggle since being promoted to undisputed UFC heavyweight champion. His title fights since he unsuccessfully tried to unseat Francis Ngannou have been marred by controversy, but can he mount a clean protection against Josh Hokit?

Meanwhile, Hokit has been at best polarizing outside the cage, but his in-cage performances have had some hailing him as a much-needed savior determine at heavyweight. Can he fulfill his potential against his most daunting opponent yet?

Finally, there is the state of what occurs to girls’s bantamweight after Kayla Harrison and Amanda Nunes struggle. The most believable principle has been that both will retire regardless of who wins, but current signings and spectacular performances have proven that there is still hope for their division.

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