The Vanquished: What’s Next for the UFC on ESPN 55 Losers?

Skidding flyweight contender Matheus Nicolau has found himself with the unenviable task of clawing back into the flyweight title picture.

UFC on ESPN 55 served as the interstice between the standard extravagant affair of the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s pay-per-view staging. Even so, the event's positioning before UFC 301 aided the recognition value of the fighters featured on the card. The 13-fight showcase foregrounded seven fighters who collected finishes, and the allocation of four “Performance of the Night” bonuses suggests a handful of fighters seemingly succeeded in making a commendatory impact on decision-makers. The winner’s column slanted deeply towards KO/ TKO triumphs, with a pair of submission wins peppered for good measure. In the aftermath of the event, we look at some matchmaking options for the fighters on the main card who found themselves on the losing side of the bargain.

Tim Means

Means is confronting time’s grip tightening around him. At 40, with demonstrated competence through 51 fights, four losses in five outings suggest that he’s struggling with unfamiliar shadows for the first time in his career. His dismal run persisted with a first-round TKO loss to Uros Medic. The welterweight bruisers battled for control in the clinch while gauging one other’s movement with feints for the better portion of the opening period. However, as Means tried to breach the range with a level change, Medic capitalized on the opportune moment with a perfectly timed uppercut that shut Means down, walking away with a TKO victory at the 2:09 mark of the first round.

It remains to be seen where “The Dirty Bird” fits in the 170-pound mix with this slump. The UFC will likely honor the legacy of the grizzled MMA veteran and perhaps offer him a handful of opportunities before he eventually embraces retirement. In that regard, it might be prudent for the promotion to revisit the 2021 pairing against Danny Roberts. The matchup scheduled for UFC on ESPN 25 fell through when Roberts was ejected due to COVID-19 protocols. Following the cancellation of that bout, “Hot Chocolate” has put together a 1-3 run, sharing the precarious waters of a career slump with Means.

Jonathan Pearce

Pearce couldn’t have asked for a better matchup than David Onama, yet he failed to make the best of it. In the second fight on the main card billing, Onama capitalized on his wrestling reversals, avoiding dicey positions on the canvas while landing the more significant blows throughout the fight. Pearce continued taking the fight to the mat, but Onama kept reversing the position. In doing so, he remained on top for a substantial portion of the rounds, and whenever they got back on their feet, “Silent Assassin” had the better of the exchanges. Ultimately, the judges unanimously scored the bout 29-28 in Onama’s favor.

On his first two-fight losing streak in the UFC, “JSP” needs some career evaluation and better game planning when he decides to return to action. The American pairs well against age bracket mates Jamall Emmers and Bill Algeo, both coming off losses in their respective pairings at UFC on ESPN 54. While Emmers succumbed to a knockout loss to Nate Landwehr, Algeo was at the receiving end of a TKO from Kyle Nelson.

Austen Lane

Lane was the latest casualty in Jhonata Diniz’s all-conclusive, undefeated, frenetic surge. The Brazilian expanded on his 100% finish rate and victorious stretch, steering through Lane’s takedowns and groundwork in the first stanza to procure a finish in the second. The decisive sequence came together when Lane’s straight right was met with a counter left hook that dazed the former NFL defensive end. A couple of straight rights and a jolting left hook sunk Lane into the canvas, marking a triumphant debut for the Brazilian Dana White's Contender Series graduate.

Weathering the sting of a two-fight losing skid, Lane needs to get past this stage of an impasse with a decisive win. A matchup with heavyweight sensation Tai Tuivasa constitutes a slobberknocker fixture, where both fighters have favorable chances to win back lost ground. Tuivasa has only been taking on stiff competition and might relish going up against a fellow big man on the downslope. As for Lane, a victory over a fan-favorite like Tuivasa would ensure his victory generates a reverberating bang amidst echoes of defeat.

Ariane Lipski

It’s a familiar plotline for Lipski, who delivers promise in one stretch and falters when a golden opportunity knocks on her door. Against Karine Silva, she had the window to call for her shot in the top 10 of the flyweight division. Yet, it was Silva who got the better of her Brazilian counterpart through her superior grappling skills. The woman named “Killer” took her foe down seemingly at will, advancing with submission attempts, all while launching noteworthy offense on the ground. The judges issued scores of 30-27 and two for 29-28 in favor of Silva, who improved to 4-0 in the UFC and extended her winning streak to nine.

It would be hard to look beyond the pairing with Miranda Maverick, who occupies the No. 15 spot in the women’s 125-pound ladder. Maverick is coming off a unanimous decision win over Andrea Lee at UFC 298 and would savor the chance to fight someone ranked higher than her. A victory over a talent like Maverick could keep Lipski relevant in the logjammed UFC women’s flyweight division.

Ryan Spann

Spann’s woes continue to take over in full effect, succumbing to a career-worst three-fight losing stretch following his TKO loss against Bogdan Guskov. The first frame largely came down to wrestling, and things picked up in Round 2. As Spann appeared to fatigue, Guskov traded heavy shots in space, catching the oncoming Spann with an uppercut and putting away the American with a hail of fists. With that huge win, Guskov could potentially find himself among the top 10 at 205 pounds or on the outside looking in.

On the other hand, Spann will need a noteworthy win to remain with a number next to his name. To take advantage of his ranked position, the UFC could pair “Superman” against Azamat Murzakanov, an undefeated Russian prospect who hasn’t fought in a year with two collapsed scheduled assignments. He was last booked to take on Khalil Rountree Jr. at UFC on ESPN 52 but was forced out due to illness. Considering the potentially shared timelines of their returns, there is an upside for the promotion no matter which man gets his hand raised. Should it be Spann, emerging triumphant over an undefeated fighter will only cement Spann’s position as a fearsome force at light heavyweight.

Matheus Nicolau

Alex Perez mightily bucked a lengthy losing streak by getting the better of Nicolau with a second-round knockout on the marquee. The former flyweight title challenger showed traces of his former commanding stature, looking like a man on a mission inside the Octagon. From the opening bell, Perez landed the sharper blows while Nicolau was content circling away, responding with occasional offense. In the second stanza, Perez unloaded on a deflecting Nicolau against the cage and cracked him with a right hook that put him away once and for all.

The UFC shouldn’t look past the rematch pairing against Manel Kape for Nicolau—a matchup that has faltered on two occasions since their UFC Fight Night 187 encounter. The third time could be the charm, assuming Kape recovers quickly enough to re-enter the cage against Nicolau. The Brazilian already celebrates a narrow split decision win over Kape, who has rattled off four straight wins since that loss.