This past weekend in The APEX at UFC Vegas 110, we saw a matchup between two rising featherweight contenders in the main event. Steve Garcia (19-5) was looking to continue his win streak against a fellow rising contender in David Onama (14-3).
While both of these guys entered the octagon riding win streaks, it felt like there was more momentum behind Steve Garcia. He had finished a bunch of opponents in a row and then got a big time win over Calvin Kattar earlier this year.
David Onama on the other hand had one three straight decisions including a very close decision over Giga Chikadze earlier this year. I was in attendance for that one at UFC Kansas City and didn’t come away overly impressed. With that, I really favored Garcia in this matchup.
While Onama has very good striking and really solid technique, I figured he would struggle with the power and pressure of Garcia. I also didn’t love Onama as the fight went into the later rounds and ultimately, it didn’t even get a chance to get there as Garcia finished the fight in the first round.
What’s next after UFC Vegas 110?
After falling short on Saturday and having his four-fight win streak snapped, David Onama is still ranked at 145. He’s currently ranked 14th in the division and he might find himself defending that spot in his next fight.
In terms of his next opponent, I think that the UFC could go a couple of different ways. If they give Onama a ranked opponent, someone like Dan Ige makes a lot of sense. Ige is coming off a loss and he’s ranked right next to Onama. Feels like a fight where the winner would re-establish themselves while the loser would likely lose their spot in the rankings.
Another option that I like is the guy who just lost to Dan Ige earlier this year in Sean Woodson. Woodson had gone 6-0-1 in seven fights prior to losing to Ige in their fight back in April. He’s right there still on the cusp of a ranking and I think a matchup with him and Onama would be a fun matchup with a ranking on the line.
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