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Alexander Volkanovski vs Ilia Topuria – You line 'em up, and I'll mow 'em down – Alexander Volkanovski continues to dominate the featherweight ranks after dispatching the highly touted, extremely entertaining Yair Rodriguez in the third round. Unfortunately, in the mean time, Max Holloway derailed yet another prospect in Arnold Allen, but no fear – the timing is perfect for Ilia Topuria to jump to the front of the queue after putting down a hellacious beating on Josh Emmett. The time is now!
Yair Rodriguez vs Giga Chikadze – Yair Rodriguez was repelled by Alexander 'The Great' Volkanovski, but in truth the warning signs were already there after a loss to Max Holloway and too little time in between. Styles make fights, but in the end Volk bested Holloway by finishing Yair in R3, once again evidencing he's just that little bit better than the Hawaiian. Onwards and upwards for Yair, then, and when the time is right I'd love to see him face off against Giga. Two entertaining strikers, both coming off losses... that's just the excuse we need to put this fight together!
Alexandre Pantoja vs Amir Albazi – I know, I know... we're probably getting yet another Brandon Moreno UFC Flyweight Championship rematch, but I'd love them to finally push this division forwards with a brand new champion against a brand new contender. Amir Albazi squeaked past Kai Kara-France, Pantoja 'squeaked' past Moreno... you can break this down any number of ways, but in order to pay it forward... give us something fresh to look forward to!
Brandon Moreno vs Manel Kape/Kai Kara-France Winner – If KKF wins this, it makes the Moreno fight a harder sell, but if Kape wins, we've got ourselves a fantastic new scrap worthy of being a contender eliminator. If this were a mini-tournament, this would be the half with the potential bangers, with war after war lined up in order to meet the winner of the 'Cannibal' and Albazi. This split could really set the flyweight division on fire, but I just worry they go Pantoja-Moreno II when I feel that route really only produces one stellar fight.
Dricus Du Plessis vs Israel Adesanya (c) – Yes sir! DDP just punched his ticket and earned himself a shot at Adesanya! Whether this meets the pre-ordained timetable or not, I'm not sure, but when it happens... it's gonna be good, and it's gonna be big! Great fight to make – and it's the war for 'Africa'... Yikes!
Robert Whittaker vs Sean Strickland – Now that the chips have fallen where they have, Whittaker-Strickland is the fight that stands out at 185 – a fresh fight, a high level fight, one between two warriors with a lot of heart. That said, if Bobby Knuckles moves up to 205, there are a bunch of fights for him there... maybe starting with Johnny Walker?
Dan Hooker vs Rafael Fiziev – MASSIVE win for Dan Hooker, he has turned it all around after insisting on fighting the best current fighters in the sport. Hooker rode a tough streak winning just 1 of 5 from 2020 through to 2022, but when offered fights against other highly experienced veterans, Hooker apparently snubbed the idea – wanting someone like Turner instead. Fair play, and if Dan wants another elite opponent to try and crack? How about Fiziev, who was recently repelled by Justin Gaethje. You can bet this is a dynamite fight.
Jalin Turner vs Damir Ismagulov – Tough break for Turner, whose offence is pure, but whose spirit and defence can be tested by pure pressure. I'd like to see if he can bounce back against a technical striker like Damir, a man who lost most recently to Grant Dawson in a fight that will look absolutely nothing like this one. This is power vs finesse, and frankly... it's closer than it might have seemed a few short fights ago.
Bo Nickal vs Rodolfo Vieira – Okay, hear me out... there are a ton of match ups that would work for Nickal right now, but aiming for someone like Vieira... that's ambitious, but achievable. Rodolfo is a mat wizard, but Nickal potentially has the ability to dictate the state of play. Vieira is improving on the feet, but hasn't yet shown us too much to be scared of. Experience will be a factor, as Rodolfo is a couple of years deeper in than Bo, but if you've got to make a super saleable PPV main card fight for a blue chip prospect like Bo? This one could be the most marketable one possible. Wrestling vs BJJ. Listen, I'd pump the brakes on Bo, but Vieira really hasn't beaten anyone of note – and stylistically? I like it. Even in defeat, Bo wouldn't look that bad. He's fighting a world class athlete, just like himself. ALTERNATIVELY: Kid gloves? Rebook against Gore.
Val Woodburn vs Dustin Stoltzfus – We didn't really see anything of Woodburn tonight, but the occasion was pretty huge and the assignment very difficult. Put this on an Apex preliminary card and see if we see anything more promising out of Val. Stoltzfus is borderline, so if Val can't beat him, he's probably getting cut. Meanwhile, the winner lives to fight another day.
Robbie Lawler – RETIREMENT! A well-earned retirement from one of the greatest middleweights to ever strap the gloves on! Hell of a way to do it, and I'm sure everyone that's ever watched the sport owes some kind of debt of gratitude for Robbie's awesome body of work. RESPECT.
Niko Price vs Themba Gorimbo – Niko Price is about as close as a man can get to getting cut, but maybe his willingness to stand and trade even with a legend like Lawler gives him another shot? If so, it needs to be way down the pecking order – last chance saloon-type stuff. Give him Themba Gorimbo, who bested Takashi Sato last time out. Gorimbo isn't a highly polished fighter or anything, but it would be a fun little narrative to see him sending some big-record veterans packing. Or not, you know, it's fighting after all – anything can happen!
Tatsuro Taira vs Steven Erceg – I'm not totally sold on Taira – grappling, yes, but his striking is rudimentary and even Chairez managed to end R3 looking like a threat on the ground – which he isn't. That said, Taira is 4-0 and getting the slowest of slow builds. He's only 23, but then, so is Mokaev (later this month, at least) – and you can almost guarantee he fights further up the rankings sooner. Let's see Taira against Steven Erceg, who entered the UFC and went directly into the rankings with a win over David Dvorak. I want to see more of both these two to really gauge where they stand, and how much potential they really have.
Edgar Chairez vs Joshua Van – Joshua Van came in and beat Zhalgas Zhumagulov, whereas Chairez came in on short notice and largely got completely out-grappled – aside from his theatrical guillotine attempts and reasonable striking. Let's see if he can hang with Van on the feet – another young kid showing some good promise.
Denise Gomes vs Cory McKenna – Cory's got a ton of upside, but at just 23 years of age, she can (and should) be taking her time in my opinion. Give her an exciting fight against Denise Gomes, who introduced herself properly to UFC fans after her first defeat in the promotion against Loma Lookboonmee. Gomes is nobody to sleep on, and she showed great finishing ability and power – but she's also shown high volume in her past fights, too. Can Cory hang? I think so. The Welsh fighter is tough as hell, and I think this is a great scrap!
Yazmin Jauregui vs Cheyanne Vlismas – It's a tough one for the highly touted and previously undefeated Jauregui, but she had a good deal of hype that might stick with her a little longer – which is something Cheyanne can appreciate, as her rocky start to life in the UFC is still tinged with a good deal of potential. These two should put on a decent show, and the winner probably comes out smelling like roses once again.
Alonzo Menifield vs Dom Reyes – Granted, Menifield probably isn't Reyes' ideal next opponent coming off a four-fight losing streak, but hey... he's still ranked #14, and Menifield just entered the top 15 at around #14. Reyes remains there to be shot at for as long as he doesn't retire – and wouldn't it be an interesting story if Alonzo bumped off both Crute and Reyes in back-to-back fights?
Jimmy Crute vs Philipe Lins – Will Crute retire? It's a possibility. He doesn't seem to be improving, but he isn't exactly a bad fighter. Can he bounce back against 37 year old Lins, now 3-0 since dropping back to 205? I think he can – but he has to cut out the mistakes and show he still belongs, otherwise he really should call time on his career. It's not easy – but Crute should win here.
Vitor Petrino vs Devin Clark – The super experienced Devin Clark makes for an interesting test for the super athletic rookie, in my opinion. Petrino was able to dictate the Prachnio fight in every facet, but will takedowns remain a viable out against Clark? I'm less sure. If Petrino continues to fight 'instinctually', will he eventually be regarded as low IQ? I'm intrigued, and also acknowledge Clark isn't likely to wreck the young prospect – but he could teach him some valuable lessons, win or lose! Alternatively, for a similar stylistic challenge that's a step up from Prachnio, Petrino could face Modestas Bukauskas.
Marcin Prachnio vs Zhang Mingyang – Two fighters with near-identical numerical records, but with completely different upbringings in the game. Mingyang was supposed to debut against Tyson Pedro after earning a UFC contract on Road to UFC with a win over George Tokkos, but this fight is an equally good range finder. I'm not sure what we'll get from Zhang, but if he can't beat Marcin, his UFC run might not last so long.
Cameron Saaiman vs Daniel Santos – Cameron Saaiman ran through Terrence Mitchell, as the opening replacement opponent tonight turned out to be a dud. Give him Daniel 'Willycat' Santos next – Santos is 2-1, and has impressed against John Castaneda and Johnny Munoz Jr in his most recent 2 outings. Saaiman, naturally, is a hugely intriguing prospect with a lot of eyeballs on him right now, but this isn't the time for the rush job fights the South African seems to want – keep building him up, but against increasingly better opposition. So far Saaiman hasn't fought anyone as good as Santos in my opinion.
Terrence Mitchell vs Steven Koslow – That was a nasty first assignment for Mitchell, but he didn't exactly show a lot of promise either... give him Steven Koslow, only 6-1, yes there is a numerical discrepancy in terms of records, but Mitchell representing Alaska and never having fought outside always poses some serious questions. Does Mitchell show up, or is he not UFC level? We'll find out with this kind of fight.
Jesus Aguilar vs Kleydson Rodrigues – Aguilar could potentially step in at short notice any time after his 17 second KO win, but assuming he gets a hand-picked opponent, how about Kleydson? Rodrigues was supposed to fight Taira only to pull out late, and absolutely smashed Shannon Ross in 59 seconds himself... the parallels are there, and this should be a fun action-packed fight between two 1-1 flyweights.
Shannon Ross – CUT! Lost on Contender Series, got annihilated in under a minute in his 2 UFC outings... it's over. For mercy's sake, it's over.
Esteban Ribovics vs Muhammad Naimov – Naimov picked up a stunning UFC debut win over Jamie Mullarkey, but that victory did seem to go against expectations somewhat. Can Naimov string a couple of impressive wins together, or does Esteban make it two in a row after dispatching Kamuela Kirk? Two promising young fighters, it feels like Ribovics is a little more fancied, but hey... sometimes when a dude gets on a roll, things just fall right for them. Subplot: Can Esteban make amends for his loss to fellow Tajik fighter Loik Radzhabov, or go 0-2?
Kamuela Kirk vs Michal Figlak – Figlak came in with a little hype, but lost his UFC debut to Fares Ziam despite being a pretty good favourite. Can Figlak prove he wasn't just a hype job by rebounding against the very game Kamuela Kirk, or does the Jawaiian bounce back? Kirk has shown he can beat grapplers like Makwan Amirkhani, but can he stun someone at the opposite end of his MMA career like Figlak?
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Get on in here, guys, for your weekly dose of matchmaking toilet time!
Yair Rodriguez vs Giga Chikadze – Yair Rodriguez was repelled by Alexander 'The Great' Volkanovski, but in truth the warning signs were already there after a loss to Max Holloway and too little time in between. Styles make fights, but in the end Volk bested Holloway by finishing Yair in R3, once again evidencing he's just that little bit better than the Hawaiian. Onwards and upwards for Yair, then, and when the time is right I'd love to see him face off against Giga. Two entertaining strikers, both coming off losses... that's just the excuse we need to put this fight together!
Alexandre Pantoja vs Amir Albazi – I know, I know... we're probably getting yet another Brandon Moreno UFC Flyweight Championship rematch, but I'd love them to finally push this division forwards with a brand new champion against a brand new contender. Amir Albazi squeaked past Kai Kara-France, Pantoja 'squeaked' past Moreno... you can break this down any number of ways, but in order to pay it forward... give us something fresh to look forward to!
Brandon Moreno vs Manel Kape/Kai Kara-France Winner – If KKF wins this, it makes the Moreno fight a harder sell, but if Kape wins, we've got ourselves a fantastic new scrap worthy of being a contender eliminator. If this were a mini-tournament, this would be the half with the potential bangers, with war after war lined up in order to meet the winner of the 'Cannibal' and Albazi. This split could really set the flyweight division on fire, but I just worry they go Pantoja-Moreno II when I feel that route really only produces one stellar fight.
Dricus Du Plessis vs Israel Adesanya (c) – Yes sir! DDP just punched his ticket and earned himself a shot at Adesanya! Whether this meets the pre-ordained timetable or not, I'm not sure, but when it happens... it's gonna be good, and it's gonna be big! Great fight to make – and it's the war for 'Africa'... Yikes!
Robert Whittaker vs Sean Strickland – Now that the chips have fallen where they have, Whittaker-Strickland is the fight that stands out at 185 – a fresh fight, a high level fight, one between two warriors with a lot of heart. That said, if Bobby Knuckles moves up to 205, there are a bunch of fights for him there... maybe starting with Johnny Walker?
Dan Hooker vs Rafael Fiziev – MASSIVE win for Dan Hooker, he has turned it all around after insisting on fighting the best current fighters in the sport. Hooker rode a tough streak winning just 1 of 5 from 2020 through to 2022, but when offered fights against other highly experienced veterans, Hooker apparently snubbed the idea – wanting someone like Turner instead. Fair play, and if Dan wants another elite opponent to try and crack? How about Fiziev, who was recently repelled by Justin Gaethje. You can bet this is a dynamite fight.
Jalin Turner vs Damir Ismagulov – Tough break for Turner, whose offence is pure, but whose spirit and defence can be tested by pure pressure. I'd like to see if he can bounce back against a technical striker like Damir, a man who lost most recently to Grant Dawson in a fight that will look absolutely nothing like this one. This is power vs finesse, and frankly... it's closer than it might have seemed a few short fights ago.
Bo Nickal vs Rodolfo Vieira – Okay, hear me out... there are a ton of match ups that would work for Nickal right now, but aiming for someone like Vieira... that's ambitious, but achievable. Rodolfo is a mat wizard, but Nickal potentially has the ability to dictate the state of play. Vieira is improving on the feet, but hasn't yet shown us too much to be scared of. Experience will be a factor, as Rodolfo is a couple of years deeper in than Bo, but if you've got to make a super saleable PPV main card fight for a blue chip prospect like Bo? This one could be the most marketable one possible. Wrestling vs BJJ. Listen, I'd pump the brakes on Bo, but Vieira really hasn't beaten anyone of note – and stylistically? I like it. Even in defeat, Bo wouldn't look that bad. He's fighting a world class athlete, just like himself. ALTERNATIVELY: Kid gloves? Rebook against Gore.
Val Woodburn vs Dustin Stoltzfus – We didn't really see anything of Woodburn tonight, but the occasion was pretty huge and the assignment very difficult. Put this on an Apex preliminary card and see if we see anything more promising out of Val. Stoltzfus is borderline, so if Val can't beat him, he's probably getting cut. Meanwhile, the winner lives to fight another day.
Robbie Lawler – RETIREMENT! A well-earned retirement from one of the greatest middleweights to ever strap the gloves on! Hell of a way to do it, and I'm sure everyone that's ever watched the sport owes some kind of debt of gratitude for Robbie's awesome body of work. RESPECT.
Niko Price vs Themba Gorimbo – Niko Price is about as close as a man can get to getting cut, but maybe his willingness to stand and trade even with a legend like Lawler gives him another shot? If so, it needs to be way down the pecking order – last chance saloon-type stuff. Give him Themba Gorimbo, who bested Takashi Sato last time out. Gorimbo isn't a highly polished fighter or anything, but it would be a fun little narrative to see him sending some big-record veterans packing. Or not, you know, it's fighting after all – anything can happen!
Tatsuro Taira vs Steven Erceg – I'm not totally sold on Taira – grappling, yes, but his striking is rudimentary and even Chairez managed to end R3 looking like a threat on the ground – which he isn't. That said, Taira is 4-0 and getting the slowest of slow builds. He's only 23, but then, so is Mokaev (later this month, at least) – and you can almost guarantee he fights further up the rankings sooner. Let's see Taira against Steven Erceg, who entered the UFC and went directly into the rankings with a win over David Dvorak. I want to see more of both these two to really gauge where they stand, and how much potential they really have.
Edgar Chairez vs Joshua Van – Joshua Van came in and beat Zhalgas Zhumagulov, whereas Chairez came in on short notice and largely got completely out-grappled – aside from his theatrical guillotine attempts and reasonable striking. Let's see if he can hang with Van on the feet – another young kid showing some good promise.
Denise Gomes vs Cory McKenna – Cory's got a ton of upside, but at just 23 years of age, she can (and should) be taking her time in my opinion. Give her an exciting fight against Denise Gomes, who introduced herself properly to UFC fans after her first defeat in the promotion against Loma Lookboonmee. Gomes is nobody to sleep on, and she showed great finishing ability and power – but she's also shown high volume in her past fights, too. Can Cory hang? I think so. The Welsh fighter is tough as hell, and I think this is a great scrap!
Yazmin Jauregui vs Cheyanne Vlismas – It's a tough one for the highly touted and previously undefeated Jauregui, but she had a good deal of hype that might stick with her a little longer – which is something Cheyanne can appreciate, as her rocky start to life in the UFC is still tinged with a good deal of potential. These two should put on a decent show, and the winner probably comes out smelling like roses once again.
Alonzo Menifield vs Dom Reyes – Granted, Menifield probably isn't Reyes' ideal next opponent coming off a four-fight losing streak, but hey... he's still ranked #14, and Menifield just entered the top 15 at around #14. Reyes remains there to be shot at for as long as he doesn't retire – and wouldn't it be an interesting story if Alonzo bumped off both Crute and Reyes in back-to-back fights?
Jimmy Crute vs Philipe Lins – Will Crute retire? It's a possibility. He doesn't seem to be improving, but he isn't exactly a bad fighter. Can he bounce back against 37 year old Lins, now 3-0 since dropping back to 205? I think he can – but he has to cut out the mistakes and show he still belongs, otherwise he really should call time on his career. It's not easy – but Crute should win here.
Vitor Petrino vs Devin Clark – The super experienced Devin Clark makes for an interesting test for the super athletic rookie, in my opinion. Petrino was able to dictate the Prachnio fight in every facet, but will takedowns remain a viable out against Clark? I'm less sure. If Petrino continues to fight 'instinctually', will he eventually be regarded as low IQ? I'm intrigued, and also acknowledge Clark isn't likely to wreck the young prospect – but he could teach him some valuable lessons, win or lose! Alternatively, for a similar stylistic challenge that's a step up from Prachnio, Petrino could face Modestas Bukauskas.
Marcin Prachnio vs Zhang Mingyang – Two fighters with near-identical numerical records, but with completely different upbringings in the game. Mingyang was supposed to debut against Tyson Pedro after earning a UFC contract on Road to UFC with a win over George Tokkos, but this fight is an equally good range finder. I'm not sure what we'll get from Zhang, but if he can't beat Marcin, his UFC run might not last so long.
Cameron Saaiman vs Daniel Santos – Cameron Saaiman ran through Terrence Mitchell, as the opening replacement opponent tonight turned out to be a dud. Give him Daniel 'Willycat' Santos next – Santos is 2-1, and has impressed against John Castaneda and Johnny Munoz Jr in his most recent 2 outings. Saaiman, naturally, is a hugely intriguing prospect with a lot of eyeballs on him right now, but this isn't the time for the rush job fights the South African seems to want – keep building him up, but against increasingly better opposition. So far Saaiman hasn't fought anyone as good as Santos in my opinion.
Terrence Mitchell vs Steven Koslow – That was a nasty first assignment for Mitchell, but he didn't exactly show a lot of promise either... give him Steven Koslow, only 6-1, yes there is a numerical discrepancy in terms of records, but Mitchell representing Alaska and never having fought outside always poses some serious questions. Does Mitchell show up, or is he not UFC level? We'll find out with this kind of fight.
Jesus Aguilar vs Kleydson Rodrigues – Aguilar could potentially step in at short notice any time after his 17 second KO win, but assuming he gets a hand-picked opponent, how about Kleydson? Rodrigues was supposed to fight Taira only to pull out late, and absolutely smashed Shannon Ross in 59 seconds himself... the parallels are there, and this should be a fun action-packed fight between two 1-1 flyweights.
Shannon Ross – CUT! Lost on Contender Series, got annihilated in under a minute in his 2 UFC outings... it's over. For mercy's sake, it's over.
Esteban Ribovics vs Muhammad Naimov – Naimov picked up a stunning UFC debut win over Jamie Mullarkey, but that victory did seem to go against expectations somewhat. Can Naimov string a couple of impressive wins together, or does Esteban make it two in a row after dispatching Kamuela Kirk? Two promising young fighters, it feels like Ribovics is a little more fancied, but hey... sometimes when a dude gets on a roll, things just fall right for them. Subplot: Can Esteban make amends for his loss to fellow Tajik fighter Loik Radzhabov, or go 0-2?
Kamuela Kirk vs Michal Figlak – Figlak came in with a little hype, but lost his UFC debut to Fares Ziam despite being a pretty good favourite. Can Figlak prove he wasn't just a hype job by rebounding against the very game Kamuela Kirk, or does the Jawaiian bounce back? Kirk has shown he can beat grapplers like Makwan Amirkhani, but can he stun someone at the opposite end of his MMA career like Figlak?
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Get on in here, guys, for your weekly dose of matchmaking toilet time!
