Sean Shelby's Shoes: What's next for Chan Sung Jung and UFC on ESPN+ 12's other key winners?
After every event, fans wonder whom the winners will be matched up with next.
And with another night of UFC action in the rearview mirror, it’s time to look forward, put on a pair of Sean Shelby and Mick Maynard’s shoes, and play UFC matchmaker for UFC on ESPN+ 12’s most noteworthy winning fighters.
Those winners include Chan Sung Jung (15-5 MMA, 5-2 UFC), who defeated Renato Moicano (13-3-1 MMA, 5-2 UFC) by 58-second TKO in the featherweight headliner at Bon Secours Wellness Center in Greenville, S.C., as well as Andrea Lee (11-2 MMA, 3-0 UFC), Luis Pena (7-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) and Deron Winn (6-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC).
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Deron Winn
Should fight: Darren Stewart
Why they should fight: He didn’t get the highlight-reel finish he wanted in his UFC debut, but Winn did make an impression in his first UFC fight. He landed a single-fight middleweight record of 169 significant strikes on opponent Eric Spicely in a unanimous decision win that received “Fight of the Night” honors.
It’s a good start for Winn, who is a teammate and good friend of UFC heavyweight champ Daniel Cormier. He remains undefeated and makes an interesting addition to the 185-round roster. The issue for Winn, though, is that the fights are only going to get harder, and for someone who is extremely undersized for the division at 5-foot-7, he will have to keep finding new ways to get the job done.
Winn would have opportunities and openings in a matchup with someone like Stewart (10-4 MMA, 3-4 UFC), though, who is an aggressive fighter who looks for big finishes. “The Dentist” has more octagon experience than Winn has fights overall, but the talent gap might be much closer.
Luis Pena
Should fight: Alex White
Why they should fight: Pena looked really strong in a third-round TKO of Matt Wiman in his return to the lightweight division, which is where he belongs. Pena failed in dropping to featherweight for his previous fight, and hopefully the performance against Wiman will make him realize that 155 pounds should be his longtime weight class.
For someone with just eight professional fights, “Violent Bob Ross” manhandled a far more experienced opponent in Wiman. Pena seems like someone who could have good potential, but the overarching question of his career will be whether he can break through to the upper echelon of the division or if he’ll just exist as one of the more than 100 lightweights on the UFC roster.
It appears Pena doesn’t want to waste a ton of time finding out the answer to those questions. He said he’s ready for top competition now, and while he may not get someone ranked, there’s no shortage of tough tests with good skillsets. White (13-5 MMA, 4-5 UFC), who is coming off a unanimous decision win over Dan Moret at UFC on ESPN+ 5 in March, is among those names.
Andrea Lee
Should fight: Joanne Calderwood
Why they should fight: She may have been unhappy with her performance in a unanimous decision win over Montana De La Rosa, but fact is Lee is still unbeaten in the octagon and largely had her way with her opponent in a unanimous decision victory.
“KGB” has a skillset that’s going to pose a lot of problems for the women’s flyweight division, and although she’s doesn’t yet look on the level of champ Valentina Shevchenko (who does?), Lee has promising potential and could find herself in a title fight with another one or two wins.
Calderwood (13-4 MMA, 5-4 UFC) might be coming off a loss, but it came in a competitive fight with top contender Katlyn Chookagian and didn’t do massive harm to her stock. “JoJo” is a fan favorite at 125 pounds, and her style would mesh well with Lee and do wonders for the winner.
Chan Sung Jung
Should fight: Jeremy Stephens
Why they should fight: Watch the video above to see why Jung should fight Stephens (28-16 MMA, 15-15 UFC) next.
For complete coverage of UFC on ESPN+ 12, check out the UFC Events section of the site.