UFC 137 winners: What's next?

Nitesh Dutt
CSNBayArea.com

Diaz's win over Penn earned him a shot at GSP
and the UFC welterweight title.

As several fighters celebrated convincing wins this past Saturday night, two legends of the sport called it their swan song. Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic and B.J. Penn both announced their retirements after their respective losses. While two legends left the sport, others looked ahead to what their futures might hold. Let’s take a look at some of the winners’ futures from UFC 137.

Donald Cerrone: After an impressive first-round submission victory over Dennis Siver, Cerrone’s fight streak continued in 2011. And, it is already evident that he will be able to end 2011 on an even higher note. UFC announced he will fight Nate Diaz at UFC 141 on December 30. It’ll be Cerrone’s fifth match this year and a win at 141 could vault him into possible lightweight title talk.

Hatsui Hioki: Hioki’s UFC debut victory over George Roop was quite impressive. The Japanese featherweight star was able to show American MMA fans his skill and it helped build a fan base for the newcomer. His future is difficult to asses because the division is still relatively new in the UFC. Jose Aldo is the champ right now and his next opponent should be Chad Mendes, but don’t be surprised if Hioki leap frogs Mendes or is given the winner of Aldo-Mendes fight.

Roy Nelson: A slimmed down version of Nelson impressed many with his TKO win over Cro Cop, which ended a two-fight skid, and with his new physique. Nelson has always been a fan favorite that many were excited to see on this card. At 35 years of age, his time in the octagon is almost at its end so to hear him request a shot at the title made sense. It is, however, difficult to imagine him getting one but Dana White has been known to reward fighters who have been good to him, the sport and the fans.

Cheick Kongo: Kongo quite honestly had the most disappointing victory of the night. His decision win over Matt Mitrione left many fans disappointed and upset at how the fight played out. Before he can be considered for any other match, his future should be a rematch with Mitrione.

Nick Diaz: After his three-round battle with B.J. Penn, Diaz was quick to call out welterweight champ Georges St. Pierre and that didn’t sit well with the current champion. GSP, who was slated to defend his title against Carlos Condit, was reportedly agitated by Diaz’s comments and told White that he wanted to fight Nick. White then skipped over Condit and made the fight all fans want to see. It was announced during the post-fight presser that it will be Nick Diaz vs. GSP for the welterweight title on Super Bowl weekend.

With some of the fighters having their futures set, some still up in the air and two having futures outside of the octagon, UFC 137 was a historic and newsworthy card.

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