Empire Sports Media

Gavin Tucker

After huge knockout win at UFC Vegas 21, what’s next for Dan Ige?

by

This past Saturday at UFC Vegas 21, we got to see a big matchup in the featherweight division. Top ten contender, Dan Ige (15-3), was set to take on rising contender, Gavin Tucker (13-2). Tucker stepped in for Ryan Hall to take this matchup against Ige.

UFC Vegas 21 was looking like a big opportunity for Gavin Tucker. Originally, Ryan Hall was set to take on Dan Ige, but an injury to his hip forced him out. That’s when Tucker stepped in to take on the top ten featherweight.

With a win, Tucker would vault into the UFC rankings. Riding a three-fight win streak, Tucker was ready to play spoiler. However, Dan Ige was motivated to get back on track after having his six-fight win streak snapped in his last fight.

Ige took on Calvin Kattar during the promotion’s first trip to Fight Island in a headliner. Calvin Kattar proved to be too much for Ige and after the loss, Ige looked to reset. His wife is getting ready to have a baby so he was more motivated than ever heading into Saturday.

The fight promised to deliver a lot of action. Little did we know that the UFC Vegas 21 featherweight contest wouldn’t even last 30 seconds. Shortly after the fight started, Ige landed a blistering right hand that put Tucker out. A very quick night at the office for Dan Ige.

What’s next after UFC Vegas 21?

UFC Vegas 21 was huge for Dan Ige. It was what you look for when you put a top ten contender up against someone unranked. You look for the fighter to show why they are ranked in the top ten and that’s exactly what Dan Ige did.

As mentioned, Ige’s wife is getting ready to have a baby so he will take a little time off from training. Once he’s ready to get back into the swing of things, what should the UFC do in terms of the next opponent for Ige?

In looking at the rankings, I think a perfect opponent would be Chan Sung Jung (16-6). The Korean Zombie is coming off of a loss, but he’s a former UFC title challenger with a ton behind his name. This would be a great next step for Dan Ige and I think many fans would sign up to see this fight.

UFC: Dan Ige now will face Gavin Tucker after Ryan Hall’s injury

by

The UFC has found a new opponent for Dan Ige (14-3). Originally, Ige was supposed to face Ryan Hall (8-1) on March 13th. However, recently, Hall suffered an injury to his hip and had to pull out of the featherweight matchup.

There was initial talk about the promotion pushing back the fight until April or May. That is when Hall will be ready to compete again. However, Dan Ige insisted on staying on the March 13th card due to the fact that he has a baby due in April.

The UFC then went to work on a replacement opponent and they found one. Dan Ige is now going to be taking on Gavin Tucker (13-1) in a few weeks at The APEX. ESPN’s Brett Okamoto was first with the news. Tucker is unranked, but he’s one of the best prospects in the featherweight division.

Dan Ige will be fighting for the first time since his headliner last July against Calvin Kattar. It was a huge opportunity for Ige to leap in the rankings had he won. However, he came up short and lost by unanimous decision. However, he did represent himself well that night.

Ige is currently ninth in the UFC‘s featherweight division. From a rankings perspective, this is a bit of a risky fight taking on Gavin Tucker. However, the promotion is known for loving guys who just want to fight and that’s what Ige wants.

Big UFC opportunity for Gavin Tucker

As mentioned, this is a very big opportunity for Gavin Tucker. Tucker currently isn’t ranked in the UFC’s rankings, but he’s right on the edge. He made his debut with the promotion back in 2017.

After winning in his UFC debut, he dropped his second fight by decision. That loss was also the first and only loss of his career. Since then, Tucker has bounced back nicely with three consecutive wins.

We just saw him back in December at UFC 256 when he defeated Billy Quarantillo by decision. Now, he’s getting someone in the UFC’s top ten. Should Tucker pickup the win, you know he will have a ranking by his name the following week. This should be a fun scrap on March 13th.