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Merab Dvalishvili vs Umar Nurmagomedov – Even though Merab has a point that Umar has only really beaten one top bantamweight, I’m just not that bothered about it. Line this fight up and get it done, in America of course, and may the best man win. This should be absolutely epic. If Merab can derail Umar, he derails the entire Nurmagomedov lineage. That’s no small feat.
Sean O’Malley vs Deiveson Figueiredo – Honestly, I really don’t imagine Figgy sits it out the whole time, even though he theoretically could, I just don’t think that’s his style. I also think he could get a good payday fighting the former Bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley in a headliner, or a five-round co-main on a PPV. And what a fight this would be, damn!
Valentina Shevchenko vs Manon Fiorot – Valentina went full-GSP tonight in order to regain her Flyweight title, it wasn’t the most exhilarating performance, but it was a shut-out. There won’t be an immediate fourth fight between these two so lop-sided was the action, but Grasso did still threaten with subs. Manon probably didn’t enjoy watching that too much as she’ll know Valentina won’t be coming for a striking battle when these two meet – Fiorot will have to defend many a takedown attempt if this was anything to go by. Still, Manon has fight-altering striking.
Alexa Grasso vs Natalia Silva – Natalia Silva, the surging Brazilian who ripped through Jessica Andrade will be looking to take the next step towards the title – and the UFC could do worse than to line this fight up to forge a fresh contender. Yes, there is Fiorot, and sure, Rose and Maycee are circling, but this division has no reason to run out of challengers any time soon. Grasso vs Natalia? Book it!
Diego Lopes vs Alexander Volkanovski – A title shot? No, I don’t think so, not yet, but Diego is definitely due a contender eliminator. One of the UFC’s greatest mainstays, Volkanovski, is rocking after multiple defeats lately, albeit against the best of the best. Imagine this as a co-main on any PPV – it’s a ‘yes please’ fight, and one I honestly don’t think Volk would shy away from – nor should he. Volk is plenty good enough to win this.
Brian Ortega vs Josh Emmett – 39 year old Emmett damn near picked up a murder charge when he brutalized Bryce Mitchell, and there’s every reason for him to think he could do the same to the double-tough Brian Ortega… but I somewhat doubt it given how tough Ortega is, and because he has much better boxing than Bryce. Ortega’s defeat tonight throws him into the ‘near retirement’ circuit in my eyes, so this fight makes sense. If he wants to avoid future legacy match ups, then he needs to win this one and win it well.
Esteban Ribovics vs Ignacio Bahamondes – Esteban not only showed his toughness and great chin, but his excellent striking against a taller opponent who used his reach and mixed up his striking very well. This is a massive win in a very memorable fight on a major stage. Ignacio just beat a guy like this, though, with huge power who likes to throw from the inside, only Ribovics is way better than Manuel Torres. More of the same? Maybe. But way harder for both. Book it! Winner gets a ranked opponent.
Daniel Zellhuber vs Elves Brener – Both fighters are 3-2 in the UFC, both coming off a loss (Brener: two losses). Still, this is an undeniably high level fight, and has carnage written all over it. Zellhuber may have lost tonight, but what a showing in a potential FOTY candidate – I want more! Neither will shy away from trading, neither is hurt too bad by a loss because let’s face it… neither is getting released any time soon! Worry about the loser of this building back later. Plenty of time for all that as Zellhuber is just 25, Brener just 26. Yes sir.
Ronaldo Rodriguez vs Cody Durden – This Ronaldo kid is tough, but he’s got some serious deficiencies on the feet, and some of the scorecards here were utterly egregious! 29-27? Yeah, I don’t think so, guys… Nonetheless, the heart and toughness this young man showed were second to none, and he helped arrest the slide of Mexican fighters on this Noche card, so full credit. Give him Cody Durden. Yes, Durden did beat Matt Schnell to move up the rankings, but he’s also lost to the two guys directly above him, and… he’s a bulldozer wrestler/grappler type, which I think would make this a tasty, tasty stylistic fight! Rodriguez sure can grapple, but his striking, not so great. Same can easily be said for Cody without this being a mirror match and potential bore.
Ode Osbourne vs Alessandro Costa – You can’t cut Ode after that, even if he did sort of wilt late on. ‘Nono’ Costa has only lost to super legit guys like Albazi and Erceg in the UFC, while beating Flick and Borjas. You know who operates in between those levels? Ode Osbourne. And it will be fun.
Norma Dumont vs Raquel Pennington/Julianna Pena Loser – Norma enters the top 5 with a brutally efficient performance against #5 Irene Aldana – that was a one-sided beatdown even if the cut was the result of a clash of heads. Norma looks like a real problem at 135 now she’s sorted her weight issues out, and I’d like to see her lined up to face the loser of the upcoming title fight. We probably know the winner of Kayla/Ketlen gets the next shot, so no sweat rushing Norma anywhere – except the top 3, that is!
Irene Aldana vs Mayra Bueno Silva – Aldana got pieced up tonight, coming out looking like she’d been in a car crash! Mayra Bueno Silva is another top-ranked bantamweight who has struggled against the elite, losing back-to-back fights to Pennington and Chiasson. In that regard, they’ve both been used as stepping stones recently (by Norma and Macy respectively), so it’s imperative they both try to bounce back ASAP. Good luck, and may the best veteran win!
Ignacio Bahamondes vs Esteban Ribovics (See Above)
Manuel Torres vs Yanal Ashmouz – Manuel Torres drops to 3-1 in the UFC, but I don’t think it sets him back too far. He’s a first round finisher, a beast, a heavy hitter, but he got sloppy tonight trying to negotiate that range advantage of the 6’3 Bahamondes. Rushing in didn’t work, but he’ll have to get better at that – in most situation, he’s fine. Give him the elusive Ashmouz, a guy who can crack, but also slips a little of offence. Supposedly that’s why they call him “Red Fox”. I see someone getting KNOCKED OUT here, and it’s probably a better fight than Ashmouz-Peek proved to be.
Ketlen Souza vs Bruna Brasil – Wow, Souza locked up that RNC in double quick time and pulled off an upset against the well-hyped Yazmin Jauregui! Credit to her, she choked Yazmin out, didn’t like how long she held it, but… it wasn’t the most extreme I’ve ever seen. Give her compatriot Bruna Brasil who put in a really sharp performance against Molly McCann in another fighter’s backyard. These Brazilians have earned the chance to try to put together a smart little win streak, and bonus fact: both beat Marnic Mann.
Yazmin Jauregui vs Victoria Dudakova – Yazmin has walked in a pretty big favourite in all of her UFC fights so far and isn’t really looking like good value for that. She’s been finished in R1 twice, once by TKO against an unfancied Brazilian, now by Sub by an unfancied Brazilian. Maybe Yazmin isn’t that good? With Russian Dudakova, perhaps the fans saw the upset defeat against Sam Hughes coming, as she wasn’t as big a favourite as she might have been had more overlooked Hughes – but these two have suffered a similar narrative. Now let’s put them against each other in a must win for both. Pressure’s on, girls. You cannot afford to lose, and that’s when this sport is at it’s most magical!
Joshua Van vs Jimmy Flick – I think for Van, it’s all about getting cage time. Guy has good boxing, he has a little bit of wrestling to fall back on, but he’s looking a little undercooked when he’s losing to Charles Johnson and struggling early against Chairez. Still, look, this guy got knocked out only a month ago, and came back in against everyone’s better judgement and won against a big dude – big credit to him! But slow it down, give him a different look now, he could potentially box Jimmy Flick up, but Flick gives him a different look entirely. He’s tough as nails, can hit submissions out of nowhere, he’s a good, experienced test for Van without rushing him towards the top 15.
Edgar Chairez vs Felipe Bunes – Felipe Bunes lost to Joshua Van in his UFC debut and hasn’t been seen since, the 13-7 Brazilian now lying towards the bottom of the pack in all honesty. Chairez isn’t so low, but his only UFC win is over another Brazilian (Daniel Lacerda) and he missed weight for that one. Neither has much credit in the bank, but if they bring the fight here and someone scores something memorable, all the better!
Raul Rosas Jr vs Da’Mon Blackshear – Raul looked less impressive than usual I think because he tried to show he could box when he wasn’t really very good at it. He had no real issues taking Aori Qileng down in R1 and R3, though, and deservedly got the win. I’d like to see him face a guy next who personifies ‘man strength’ in the powerful and athletic Da’Mon Blackshear. Blackshear minds his P’s and Q’s and knows what he’s doing in there, but I don’t think Raul would be overmatched. It’s brave, but feels right IMO.
Aori Qileng vs Cameron Saaiman – Not a great display for Aori Qileng, quite possibly the weakest 30+ fight veteran in the UFC. Give him another young fighter in Cameron Saaiman next, the South African trying to snap a 2-fight skid after losing to Christian Rodriguez and Payton Talbott. I think this is a much better stylistic fight for Aori Qileng, Saaiman more likely to stand and trade, and I can see someone potentially scoring a tasty TKO! I do not believe this goes the distance, even if Aori Qileng is reasonably durable.
Sean O’Malley vs Deiveson Figueiredo – Honestly, I really don’t imagine Figgy sits it out the whole time, even though he theoretically could, I just don’t think that’s his style. I also think he could get a good payday fighting the former Bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley in a headliner, or a five-round co-main on a PPV. And what a fight this would be, damn!
Valentina Shevchenko vs Manon Fiorot – Valentina went full-GSP tonight in order to regain her Flyweight title, it wasn’t the most exhilarating performance, but it was a shut-out. There won’t be an immediate fourth fight between these two so lop-sided was the action, but Grasso did still threaten with subs. Manon probably didn’t enjoy watching that too much as she’ll know Valentina won’t be coming for a striking battle when these two meet – Fiorot will have to defend many a takedown attempt if this was anything to go by. Still, Manon has fight-altering striking.
Alexa Grasso vs Natalia Silva – Natalia Silva, the surging Brazilian who ripped through Jessica Andrade will be looking to take the next step towards the title – and the UFC could do worse than to line this fight up to forge a fresh contender. Yes, there is Fiorot, and sure, Rose and Maycee are circling, but this division has no reason to run out of challengers any time soon. Grasso vs Natalia? Book it!
Diego Lopes vs Alexander Volkanovski – A title shot? No, I don’t think so, not yet, but Diego is definitely due a contender eliminator. One of the UFC’s greatest mainstays, Volkanovski, is rocking after multiple defeats lately, albeit against the best of the best. Imagine this as a co-main on any PPV – it’s a ‘yes please’ fight, and one I honestly don’t think Volk would shy away from – nor should he. Volk is plenty good enough to win this.
Brian Ortega vs Josh Emmett – 39 year old Emmett damn near picked up a murder charge when he brutalized Bryce Mitchell, and there’s every reason for him to think he could do the same to the double-tough Brian Ortega… but I somewhat doubt it given how tough Ortega is, and because he has much better boxing than Bryce. Ortega’s defeat tonight throws him into the ‘near retirement’ circuit in my eyes, so this fight makes sense. If he wants to avoid future legacy match ups, then he needs to win this one and win it well.
Esteban Ribovics vs Ignacio Bahamondes – Esteban not only showed his toughness and great chin, but his excellent striking against a taller opponent who used his reach and mixed up his striking very well. This is a massive win in a very memorable fight on a major stage. Ignacio just beat a guy like this, though, with huge power who likes to throw from the inside, only Ribovics is way better than Manuel Torres. More of the same? Maybe. But way harder for both. Book it! Winner gets a ranked opponent.
Daniel Zellhuber vs Elves Brener – Both fighters are 3-2 in the UFC, both coming off a loss (Brener: two losses). Still, this is an undeniably high level fight, and has carnage written all over it. Zellhuber may have lost tonight, but what a showing in a potential FOTY candidate – I want more! Neither will shy away from trading, neither is hurt too bad by a loss because let’s face it… neither is getting released any time soon! Worry about the loser of this building back later. Plenty of time for all that as Zellhuber is just 25, Brener just 26. Yes sir.
Ronaldo Rodriguez vs Cody Durden – This Ronaldo kid is tough, but he’s got some serious deficiencies on the feet, and some of the scorecards here were utterly egregious! 29-27? Yeah, I don’t think so, guys… Nonetheless, the heart and toughness this young man showed were second to none, and he helped arrest the slide of Mexican fighters on this Noche card, so full credit. Give him Cody Durden. Yes, Durden did beat Matt Schnell to move up the rankings, but he’s also lost to the two guys directly above him, and… he’s a bulldozer wrestler/grappler type, which I think would make this a tasty, tasty stylistic fight! Rodriguez sure can grapple, but his striking, not so great. Same can easily be said for Cody without this being a mirror match and potential bore.
Ode Osbourne vs Alessandro Costa – You can’t cut Ode after that, even if he did sort of wilt late on. ‘Nono’ Costa has only lost to super legit guys like Albazi and Erceg in the UFC, while beating Flick and Borjas. You know who operates in between those levels? Ode Osbourne. And it will be fun.
Norma Dumont vs Raquel Pennington/Julianna Pena Loser – Norma enters the top 5 with a brutally efficient performance against #5 Irene Aldana – that was a one-sided beatdown even if the cut was the result of a clash of heads. Norma looks like a real problem at 135 now she’s sorted her weight issues out, and I’d like to see her lined up to face the loser of the upcoming title fight. We probably know the winner of Kayla/Ketlen gets the next shot, so no sweat rushing Norma anywhere – except the top 3, that is!
Irene Aldana vs Mayra Bueno Silva – Aldana got pieced up tonight, coming out looking like she’d been in a car crash! Mayra Bueno Silva is another top-ranked bantamweight who has struggled against the elite, losing back-to-back fights to Pennington and Chiasson. In that regard, they’ve both been used as stepping stones recently (by Norma and Macy respectively), so it’s imperative they both try to bounce back ASAP. Good luck, and may the best veteran win!
Ignacio Bahamondes vs Esteban Ribovics (See Above)
Manuel Torres vs Yanal Ashmouz – Manuel Torres drops to 3-1 in the UFC, but I don’t think it sets him back too far. He’s a first round finisher, a beast, a heavy hitter, but he got sloppy tonight trying to negotiate that range advantage of the 6’3 Bahamondes. Rushing in didn’t work, but he’ll have to get better at that – in most situation, he’s fine. Give him the elusive Ashmouz, a guy who can crack, but also slips a little of offence. Supposedly that’s why they call him “Red Fox”. I see someone getting KNOCKED OUT here, and it’s probably a better fight than Ashmouz-Peek proved to be.
Ketlen Souza vs Bruna Brasil – Wow, Souza locked up that RNC in double quick time and pulled off an upset against the well-hyped Yazmin Jauregui! Credit to her, she choked Yazmin out, didn’t like how long she held it, but… it wasn’t the most extreme I’ve ever seen. Give her compatriot Bruna Brasil who put in a really sharp performance against Molly McCann in another fighter’s backyard. These Brazilians have earned the chance to try to put together a smart little win streak, and bonus fact: both beat Marnic Mann.
Yazmin Jauregui vs Victoria Dudakova – Yazmin has walked in a pretty big favourite in all of her UFC fights so far and isn’t really looking like good value for that. She’s been finished in R1 twice, once by TKO against an unfancied Brazilian, now by Sub by an unfancied Brazilian. Maybe Yazmin isn’t that good? With Russian Dudakova, perhaps the fans saw the upset defeat against Sam Hughes coming, as she wasn’t as big a favourite as she might have been had more overlooked Hughes – but these two have suffered a similar narrative. Now let’s put them against each other in a must win for both. Pressure’s on, girls. You cannot afford to lose, and that’s when this sport is at it’s most magical!
Joshua Van vs Jimmy Flick – I think for Van, it’s all about getting cage time. Guy has good boxing, he has a little bit of wrestling to fall back on, but he’s looking a little undercooked when he’s losing to Charles Johnson and struggling early against Chairez. Still, look, this guy got knocked out only a month ago, and came back in against everyone’s better judgement and won against a big dude – big credit to him! But slow it down, give him a different look now, he could potentially box Jimmy Flick up, but Flick gives him a different look entirely. He’s tough as nails, can hit submissions out of nowhere, he’s a good, experienced test for Van without rushing him towards the top 15.
Edgar Chairez vs Felipe Bunes – Felipe Bunes lost to Joshua Van in his UFC debut and hasn’t been seen since, the 13-7 Brazilian now lying towards the bottom of the pack in all honesty. Chairez isn’t so low, but his only UFC win is over another Brazilian (Daniel Lacerda) and he missed weight for that one. Neither has much credit in the bank, but if they bring the fight here and someone scores something memorable, all the better!
Raul Rosas Jr vs Da’Mon Blackshear – Raul looked less impressive than usual I think because he tried to show he could box when he wasn’t really very good at it. He had no real issues taking Aori Qileng down in R1 and R3, though, and deservedly got the win. I’d like to see him face a guy next who personifies ‘man strength’ in the powerful and athletic Da’Mon Blackshear. Blackshear minds his P’s and Q’s and knows what he’s doing in there, but I don’t think Raul would be overmatched. It’s brave, but feels right IMO.
Aori Qileng vs Cameron Saaiman – Not a great display for Aori Qileng, quite possibly the weakest 30+ fight veteran in the UFC. Give him another young fighter in Cameron Saaiman next, the South African trying to snap a 2-fight skid after losing to Christian Rodriguez and Payton Talbott. I think this is a much better stylistic fight for Aori Qileng, Saaiman more likely to stand and trade, and I can see someone potentially scoring a tasty TKO! I do not believe this goes the distance, even if Aori Qileng is reasonably durable.
