After coming up short at UFC Vegas 44, what’s next for Rob Font?

Dec 15, 2018; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Rob Font (red gloves) before his fight against Sergio Pettis (blue gloves) during UFC Fight Night at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports

This past weekend at UFC Vegas 44, we saw a pivotal matchup in the bantamweight division. Top contenders went head-to-head as Rob Font (19-5) took on former UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo (31-7) in the main event.

When the fight started, I was incredibly impressed with Rob Font. Font immediately put his foot on the gas to try and make Aldo uncomfortable. There have been questions regarding Aldo’s gas tank throughout his career and Font was looking to expose that.

Late in the first round, Aldo was already bleeding from his nose. Font was frustrating him with his pace and pressure. However, everything changed once Aldo connected near the end of the first round.

Aldo was able to rock and drop Font and the feel of the fight completely shifted. Heading into UFC Vegas 44, I picked Aldo due to the power advantage. However, even I didn’t think it would be so destructive in terms of the impact it had on Font.

It appeared that every time Aldo hit Font cleanly, it hurt him. As a result, Aldo walked to a lopsided decision victory at UFC Vegas 44. That said, it’s worth noting that the fight was much closer than the scorecards would indicate.

What’s next after UFC Vegas 44?

As mentioned, Rob Font looked really good in spots at UFC Vegas 44. His boxing looked crisp and his cardio was on point. However, he just had no answer for the power and speed of Aldo whenever Aldo would fire back at him.

Fortunately for Font, there are a few things he can tighten up to get past this and I think he will. This isn’t the last you’ve seen of Rob Font. With that in mind, what should the UFC do with Rob Font after his loss to Jose Aldo?

I think the stars align for a matchup between Font and Cory Sandhagen (14-4). Both of these contenders are near the very top of the division, but both have lost their most recent fight. The promotion should pair these two together and whoever wins could jump right back into a title eliminator matchup.