UFC 218 Post Event Hangover (and solid fights left to close out December folks...)

A night of several stoppages and despite my initially tepid thoughts on the card (had no reason to believe Aldo would be any more competitive this time than the last) honestly can't complain.

We have a new HW title fight lined up thanks to a crushing looping uppercut delivered to Alistair who saw his win streak carefully constructed over several close fights come crashing down.
Holloway poured it on with no leg kick deficient version of Aldo so as to suggest it was a fluke performance though not many doubted that the first time around.
Oliveira needs to fight at featherweight. Felder got a win over a Featherweight. Alvarez utilized a ton of body punches to wear down and stop the nigh unstoppable Gaethje (Alvarez also laid out the blue print for stopping Gaethje again). A big win for Alvarez because I think Gaethje beats a lot of guys you put in front of him frankly.

I've bagged on plenty of UFC events in the past and on lackluster cards. This card, the Shanghai card, the UFC 217 card, I mean, it's been a stupendous close to the year for the UFC. Despite belts in limbo and The Notorious being off having a kid and fighting Mayweather, the UFC delivered compelling match-ups and top notch events despite a very busy year of planned events. The injury bug actually cancelled two amazingly tantalizing events in the run up to the end of year with Cruz and Edgar out for the time being.

I have to just give credit where credit is due as a guy who is quick to complain when I feel a card is a sotfball toss up to simply fill programming: these past few months have had a very solid event each month. It was an insanely busy run up to the money fight, and a number of compelling Fall events as well as a UFC at MSG in which 3 UFC Belts changed and unprecedented three sets of hands.....and we still have Lawler vs Dos Anjos, Cyborg vs Holm, Cub Swanson, WSOF import Marlon Moraes, Lineker vs Rivera, the return of Carlos Condit....

Despite the most notorious member of the UFC being out of action the entire year essentially, the UFC brought a top notch product with compelling match-ups and has champions people want to see fight and are curious as to what comes next?

Stipe vs Ngannou
Conor vs Someone
GSP @ 185 or retire?
Ferguson vs Khabib?
Holloway vs ?
Cormier vs Oezdemir
Garbrandt rematch Cruz as a title eliminator?
Dillashaw catchweight with Mighty Mouse?

A lot on the line coming up folks.....