The best and worst from UFC 227

#3 Worst: The UFC’s weird matchmaking fetish might be getting worse

Marlon Moraes - not Dominick Cruz or Cejudo - deserves the next shot at Dillashaw

While the results of the final two fights on the card were both fascinating and make for an exciting future, the post-show discussion between Daniel Cormier, Joe Rogan and Jon Anik largely had me shaking my head. Rather than pushing a Bantamweight title fight between TJ Dillashaw and the most-qualified contender right now – Marlon Moraes – the talk turned to a possible 135lbs title shot for either Dominick Cruz or the new Flyweight champ Henry Cejudo.

Either route simply wouldn’t make sense. Cruz does have a previous win over Dillashaw, but he’s been on the shelf since December 2016 and hasn’t actually won a fight since June 2016 – over two years ago. And Cejudo hasn’t fought at 135lbs since 2014, and probably owes Demetrious Johnson a rematch – something discussed by the announcers but seemingly played down by Rogan.

For me, part of the reason that the UFC’s current champions are struggling to resonate with the fans is the fact that the promotion keeps on pushing these so-called ‘Superfights’ rather than simply having champions defend against the best possible contender in their division. After all, that’s what Chuck Liddell, Georges St-Pierre, Matt Hughes and Ronda Rousey did – and all four were high-drawing superstars at their peak.

The fact that when he won his fight with Cub Swanson, Renato Moicano called for an Interim title match with Brian Ortega rather than simply a title shot should tell you a lot. The UFC’s weird, McGregor-inspired matchmaking over the past few years might be finally coming back to bite them.