Fights to Make Following UFC Vegas 24
- benwilley18
- Apr 19, 2021
- 6 min read
(Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC.)
(C) Israel Adesanya vs #1 Robert Whittaker
(Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC.)
Robert Whittaker put on his 3rd masterclass in a row Saturday night, sweeping Kelvin Gastelum 5 round to 0 on his way to a Unanimous Decision win. This win over Gastelum showed once again why Whittaker is seen as the clear cut #1 Contender in the division. He was originally supposed to face #2 Contender Paulo Costa, and although that fight is still fun, it would be blasphemous to book Whittaker in a non-title fight. He is now coming off 3 straight dominant victories over Darren Till, Jared Cannonier, and now Gastelum. Bobby Knuckles is 11-1 at Middleweight, with his only loss being his first meeting with Stylebender. Adesanya will be returning to Middleweight after a failed bid for Double Champ status against 205 king Jan Blachowicz. Izzy has already beaten most of the Top 10 and will need to begin to cycle through rematches. Whittaker is by far the most deserving, and also the most interesting of those rematches. He had a bit of success against Adesanya in the first meeting and has never looked better. Izzy vs Whittaker, sold out in Australia. Book it!
(Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC.)
Kelvin Gastelum’s stay in the win column was short. After stepping in to replace an injured Paulo Costa, Gastelum was shut down and picked apart on the feet for 25 minutes. He has now lost 4 of his last 5, but is undoubtedly still a Top 10 talent. He is a former Title Challenger who is competitive with the best in the world. Just look at his fight with Adesanya for an example. The problem with that Izzy fight is a problem many fighters have faced. Sometimes when a fighter is part of such an incredible war, like Gastelum vs Izzy, they can come out as a completely changed man. A piece of their spirit can be left in the octagon whether they win or lose. Rory McDonald was never the same after his loss to Robbie Lawler. Neither Lawler or Carlos Condit were ever the same after their war. Maybe Lawler is just the boogieman? Anyways, we’ve seen it happen before. And I think it happened to Kelvin. I think he is still a solid fighter, but I think the Kelvin that was a round away from the Interim Title is gone. With that being said, a logical next matchup for him within the rankings would be the winner of Omari Akhmedov and Brad Taveres. The two men are in the lower half of the Top 15 and Gastelum is going to need a bounce back performance. He has never faced either man and it would be a fresh matchup for the division and both men involved.
Andrei Arlovski vs Alexander Romanov
(Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC.)
Andrei Arlovski was able to snag his 20th UFC win Saturday night in a Unanimous Decision effort over Chase Sherman. Arlovski’s 20 Heavyweight wins are #1 All-Time in the UFC. He continues to be a game opponent for everyone coming through the rankings. His striking and movement are still crisp and Andrei could be a win away from seeing a ranking next to his name again. Alexander Romanov also impressed on Saturday. He was one of the hottest prospects on the card, but the lackluster finish to his bout with Juan Espino left fans wanting more. Arlovski has been the Gatekeeper for prospects into the Top 15 for a few years now and Romanov desperately needs a big name win to wash the taste of his last fight out of our mouths. This fight makes too much sense to not make.
Chase Sherman vs Really? Why?
I don’t want to sound harsh but why is Sherman in the UFC? He went 2-5 over his first run with the promotion, went .500 in Bare Knuckle Boxing, and is now 1-1 in his 2nd stint. After a promising first round for Sherman, Arlovski put his foot down and took over. I’m sure Mick Maynard and Sean Shelby could find this guy another Heavyweight fight, but really? Why?
Jacob Malkoun vs Joaquin Buckley
(Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC.)
Jacob Malkoun absolutely shocked me Saturday night. I thought his night would’ve gone a lot like Ben Askren’s, but it didn’t. At all! After being completely overwhelmed in his first UFC appearance, Malkoun controlled and dominated Abdul Razak Alhassan for 15 minutes. Alhassan is a very strong and athletic striker, but Malkoun was not phased. He pressed forward and controlled the action from bell to bell, never letting Abdul get comfortable. Malkoun is now 1-1 against freakishly athletic strikers, so lets throw him a 3rd one. Joaquin Buckley is known for his spinning back jump kick thing KO over Impa Kasanganay last summer. Since the highlight reel KO, Buckley is 1-1. He KO’d Jordan Wright, but then got KO’d by Alessio Di Chirico. Buckley has shown himself to be a powerful striker, but a matchup with Malkoun would allow us to see his grappling side. It would be a big win for both men and another step closer to the rankings at 185.
Abdul Razak Alhassan vs Maybe Chuck Liddell?
My actual suggestion would be for Abdul Razak Alhassan to get paid for another organization. He opened up his UFC career flaming hot, but its been a flaming hot pile of shit since. To put it lightly. He has looked completely tentative and outclassed in his last few fights. Malkoun was able to dominate him in his debut at Middleweight. Alhassan was previously missing weight for Welterweight and many fans thought a move to 185 was the key. Unfortunately, Saturday night might have been his worst performance yet. Bellator or PFL would die for his name value and power punching. I know there is probably a bag out there for him somewhere.
Tracy Cortez vs #15 Julia Avila
(Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC. via Getty Images)
Tracy Cortez was bumped up to the Main Card after the original Co-Main Event between Jeremy Stephens and Drakkar Klose fell out. Cortez faced off against Women’s MMA veteran Justine Kish and looked impressive. She has able to control Kish and scrap out a Split Decision victory. She is now 3-0 in the UFC since securing a win on Dana White’s Contender Series. With the Bantamweight division being a bit shallow at the moment, I think it is the right time for her to crack the rankings. #15 Julia Avila is last in line amongst the list of elite bantamweights. She is coming off a loss to #13 Sijara Eubanks last year and should likely have to fight to keep her number. Cortez has looked like a bright prospect so far in her career. Don’t be surprised to see her crack the Top 10 before too long.
Justine Kish vs Nicco Montano
(Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC.)
Justine Kish put up a valiant effort Saturday night. Her effort earned her the win in the eyes of 1 judge and 5 of the 13 media members in attendance. She is a long time MMA and UFC veteran, so her stock won’t fall too far after a loss to a hot prospect. A perfect matchup for her next would be Nicco Montano. Montano is the former UFC Flyweight Champion, but she has fallen completely out of the rankings since winning the belt. Montano’s UFC run has been super weird. After she won the Vacant Belt by winning Season 26 of The Ultimate Fighter, a myriad of injuries, plus a suspension, forced the UFC to strip her of her belt. In fact, since winning the belt in 2017, Montano has only fought once, losing a decision to Julianna Pena. Since the Pena loss, she has had 4 fight bookings fall through, all because of an injury or Covid-19 on her side. Montano needs a veteran to welcome her back to the division and Kish would be a competitive fight for her.
Luis Pena vs John Makdessi
(Peter Casey/USA Today Sports)
“Violent Bob Ross” Luis Pena was finally on the right side of a Split Decision. After a razor thin fight with Alex Munoz, Pena was the one awarded the decision. His defensive wrestling and distance striking was enough to earn him rounds 2 and 3. Pena’s elusive sticking style would make for an incredible matchup with John Makdessi. Makdessi is a world-class kickboxer who has been in the UFC since 2010. He 11-7 in the promotion with wins over Ross Pearson, Able Trujillo, and most recently Ignacio Bahamondes. Makdessi is coming off a win against a surging prospect and a matchup with Pena would allow one man to get on a roll. Both these guys need momentum, and one will earn it. The fans will get an awesome scrap.
Alex Munoz vs Austin Hubbard
(Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC.)
Alex Munoz is still in search for his first UFC win. Munoz won over the hearts of 1 judge and 11 of the 16 media members in attendance. While some people were screaming robbery, I actually agreed with the judges for once. I know, like KG said, anything is possible. Anyways, Munoz did not do enough to earn a definitive win over Pena, so he can’t be mad at the judges. And to be fair, it wasn’t a robbery. Couch potatoes need to stop screaming robbery every time there’s a close fight. Munoz’s 2 UFC opponents have been tough ones, so lets give him a guy currently on his same level. Austin Hubbard picked up a nice win over late replacement Dakota Bush on the undercard. Hubbard is 3-3 in his first 6 UFC fights and the time is running out for him to make a serious push. If either one of these men want to crack the Top 15, this would be the fight for them to win.
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