Fights to Make Following UFC Vegas 30

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Ciryl Gane vs Stipe Miocic…. I Guess?

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Ciryl Gane proved himself to be the most interesting contender in the Heavyweight division Saturday afternoon by defeating Alexander Volkov by Unanimous Decision. Gane showed an elusiveness and quickness rarely seen in a man so massive. His ability to move in and out quickly, while landing monstrous Heavyweight shots, is unmatched in the heavier weight classes. Despite being the shorter fighter, he was able to control the distance and disarm the 6’7” Volkov for 25 minutes. This fight was obvious matchmaking, but leaves the UFC with nowhere to turn. Gane was ranked #3 in the world going into the fight, but I find it hard to believe he will move up. Derrick Lewis sits at #2 and is awaiting and Title Shot rematch with the Champion Francis Ngannou. Stipe is the Heavyweight GOAT who will most likely wait for a Title Shot or a money fight. Gane is a handsome dude, but he’s not yet a needle mover. And I haven’t even mentioned Jon Jones looming over the division. Gane is now in a tough spot. He shouldn’t have to fight somebody lower than him, but he doesn’t really have a case to fight anyone higher. A fight with Stipe makes sense rankings wise, but I would be shocked if the Former Champion accepted. Watch for Gane to probably be the backup for Ngannous vs Lewis 2 and most likely face the winner, unless Jon Jones is ready.

Alexander Volkov vs Marcin Tybura

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Alexander Volkov is dangerously close to entering gatekeeper status at Heavyweight. This fight with Gane was his opportunity to put it on the less experienced fighter and showcase himself to the Title picture. Instead, Volkov put on one of his most tentative performances to date. He struggled with the quickness and head movement of Gane and never was able to land anything besides a strong front leg kick. Now Volkov sits as one of the veterans of the division. This loss isn’t his first high profile L, but he always seems to shine when given easier matchups. Due to the lack of exciting contenders climbing the big boy ranks, a fight with fellow veteran Marcin Tybura makes sense. Tybura is currently on the best run of his UFC career with 4 straight wins, including stoppages of Walt Harris and Greg Hardy. Marcin has struggled with the upper echelon of the division in the past, but currently sits at #8 in the division. This fight would test Volkov's biggest weakness, takedown defense, while challenging Tybura with an elite striker. Heavyweight has been the slowest moving division in the UFC for years now, no pun intended. All pun intended. Volkov has now worked his way back to the beginning of a very tall ladder.

Tanner Boser vs Loser of Tai Tuivasa vs Greg Hardy

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Tanner Boser bounced back from a tough Split Decision loss just 3 weeks ago by TKO'ing Ovince St. Preux in the 2nd Round. Boser has shown flashes of being a Top 15 Heavyweight, but has struggled with the veterans of the game. Older fighters like Andrei Arlovksi and Ilir Litifi have been able to outwork and out-experience Boser. This is why a short notice matchup with OSP frightened some fans. But the Canadian controlled the fight and was the sharper, quicker, and more powerful fighter for the entirety of the fight. Boser has now put himself in a position to start talking about the Top 15. Tai Tuivasa and Greg Hardy are both in similar situations. Tai has been ranked inside the Top 10 before, but has struggled with consistency inside the octagon. Hardy has gotten his chances at the Rankings, but has been turned back by more experienced, and frankly, better, fighters. The winner of their fight on July 10th will have likely earned another shot at the bottom of the division, leaving the loser in Boser’s lap. This fight would bring new life to the unranked within the molasses-like Heavyweight division.

Ovince St. Preux vs Any Light Heavyweight

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OSP is not a Heavyweight. He is an above average, probably Top 15, Light Heavyweight, but he’s not a Heavyweight. OSP is a former Interim Light Heavyweight Championship Challenger and a respected veteran at 205. His recent move up into big man territory has been horrendous. He is 0-3 at Heavyweight with stoppage losses to Jamahal Hill and, obviously, Tanner Boser. OSP also dropped at decision to Ben Rothwell who, with all due respect, is certainly not in the prime of his career anymore. OSP needs to move back down to 205. He wasn’t going to make a run at the Title there, but he certainly isn’t at Heavyweight either. He is 5-3 in his last 8 Light Heavyweight fights. A move back down to 205 and some fan friendly, veteran matchups should be what lies ahead for OSP.

Timur Valiev vs Cody Stamann

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Timur Valiev looked like a Top 15 Bantamweight for 2 rounds against Raoni Barcelos. He looked like a human punching bag for the other round. Valiev’s activity was enough to earn him the win on 2 of the judges scorecards. The third judge scored the fight a draw, the score myself and the general public thought was correct. Valiev won the 1st and the 3rd, but if him being basically KO’d twice in the 2nd doesn’t allow for a 10-8 round, I don’t know what does. Anyways, Valiev did earn the win and could be looking at the opportunity to break into the Top 15. I believe a matchup with #15 Cody Stamann makes sense. Stamann has been a borderline ranked contender for most of his career, but has dropped two consecutive bouts to #10 Merab Dvalishvili and #12 Jimmie Rivera. Stamann’s next opponent will likely be looking to take his ranking, and Valiev seems as worthy as anyone else. Timur must improve his defensive striking, but his win against Barcelos was impressive and shows he can hang at 135.

Raoni Barcelos vs Loser of Casey Kenney vs Song Yadong

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In my opinion, Raoni Barcelos did enough to earn a draw. He probably did enough to earn a finish in the 2nd, but Referee Mike Beltran didn’t see it the same way. And the judges didn’t agree with me either! Barcelos came into the fight on a 9 fight winning streak, but was not able to locate Timur Valiev for the majority of the 1st and 3rd rounds. Barcelos was in the hunt for a ranking before this fight and shouldn’t slide too far down the ladder. Casey Kenney and Song Yadong have both tasted the rankings at 135. Kenney is coming off a loss in his most high profile fight to date, a bout with Former Two-Time Bantamweight Champion and 4th best announcer Dominick Cruz. Cruz took the fight 29-28, but Kenney looked impressive and kept up with Cruz’s ridiculous pace. Song Yandong was able to kick it for a while in the rankings after starting his career 5-0, with wins over Vince Morales and “Chito” Vera. His recent loss to Kyler Phillips stripped the number from his name. The winner of Kenney vs Yadong will most likely earn their number back. The loser should square off with Barcelos to determine the best unranked Bantamweight in the division.

Andre Fili vs Shane Burgos

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Andre Fili was a round and a half into one of the best performances of his career Saturday night before accidentally poking Daniel Pineda in the eye, causing a No Contest. Fili had dropped Pineda twice and looked to be in complete control of the fight after a brutal 10-8 round. His combinations looked sharp as ever and Pineda had absolutely nothing for him. Fili is a veteran of the sport and has bounced around the bottom half of the rankings for years. His last two losses have came against ranked fighters, but he has been able to bounce back with a win each time. I think a matchup with #14 Shane Burgos would be a barnburner and makes sense for both men. Fili shouldn’t be penalized for the No Contest. He was looking spectacular and should actually move up the rankings. Burgos is coming off two straight to Josh Emmett and Edson Barboza. He is quickly sliding down the rankings and a matchup with the unranked Fili could serve as a decent barometer for the rest of Burgos’ run. Give Fili the chance to break into the Top 15 and give Burgos a chance to bounce back against somebody with name value amongst the hard core fans.

Daniel Pineda vs Nate Landwehr

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Daniel Pineda escaped with a No Contest after being thoroughly dominated by Andre Fili for about 8 minutes. Pineda wasn’t able to see after an eye poke from Fili in the 2nd Round. Pineda’s inability to see was 100% legitimate, but it doesn’t change the fact that he was probably minutes away from being finished in the fight continued. Pineda broke back into the UFC with a big upset win over Herbert Burns, but since then, he has looked outclassed by the veteran contenders of the division. Cub Swanson finished him and Fili was extremely close to finishing the job as well. Pineda needs to fight somebody lower in the rankings who won’t trick him solely based on veteran savvy. A matchup with the always fun Nate Landwehr would be great. Landwehr has had his ups and down inside the UFC, going 1-2 so far inside the octagon, but he always comes to fight. He has not yet had a boring fight in his career and his personality inside the cage only amplifies the excitement. A scrap between these two men would serve as a fan friendly, bar fight like brawl that could also help sort out the bottom of the Bantamweight division.

Tim Means vs Miguel Baeza

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Tim Means just keeps winning fights man. “The Dirty Bird” will never die! Means was able to put on a striking clinic in a workmanlike Decision victory over Nicholas Dalby. Means was able to push the pace and outwork Dalby. His long striking gave him the advantage in distance management and takedown defense. In what was his 24th UFC appearance, Means showed himself to still be a factor and a tough out at 170. With 3 wins in a row, and 4 of the last 5, now attached to his resume, a fight with prospect Miguel Baeza makes sense. Baeza has looked impressive since winning a contract on Dana White’s Contender Series in June, 2019. He started his UFC run 3-0 with stoppages of Takashi Sato and Matt Brown. Baeza’s step up in competition happened just 3 weeks ago against Santiago Ponzinibbio. Ponzy was able to overwhelm Baeza and drain his gas tank early. Baeza would lose by Unanimous Decision, setting up an avenue for this Means fight. Tim has been turning back contenders for the better part of the last 10 years. Baeza got past the first few tests of his career, but not without trouble, especially in the Matt Brown fight. This fight will show the world how good Miguel Baeza really is and how ageless Tim Means will always remain.

Nicholas Dalby vs Honestly No Clue

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I could’ve searched through the Tapology Top 100 looking for an opponent for Dalby, and I would’ve found one, but trying to explain his weird UFC career seems to suit the situation better. Dalby’s first stint in the UFC ended when he was cut after going 1-2-1. He then dominated Cage Warriors, a respected European promotion, before being resigned to the UFC. Since coming back, he has been able to gain no traction. A win in his debut was followed up by a loss to Jesse Ronson in which Dalby was a massive favorite. He then followed that up by beating but not really beating Daniel Rodriguez, and then losing to Means. When watching Dalby, he feels like the best regional fighter I’ve ever seen. His movement resemble someone that should be elite, but he’s not. To be frank, he’s not even close. So I have no idea what to do with Dalby. He’s going to murk everyone on the regional scene, but probably be underwhelming inside the octagon. So you figure out what to do with him.

Renato Moicano vs Magomed Mustafaev

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It was nice to see Renato Moicano pick up the win on Saturday. He was part of the upper echelon at Featherweight and has now shown himself to be an above average Lightweight as well. Moicano was once part of the Top 10 at Featherweight and looked to be one of the more promising prospects before losses to the elite. Two straight Ls against Former Champ Jose Aldo and "The Korean Zombie" forced the jump to Lightweight. Since the move, Moicano is 2-1. He has not looked small for the division and used his size as an advantage against Jai Herbert. He was able to use his weight to control the grappling positions and dominate Herbert on the ground. Before Moicano’s only Lightweight loss, a TKO L to Rafeal Fiziev, he was scheduled to fight Magomed Mustafaev. This fight still makes sense now to establish a rising contender in the division. Mustafaev holds a win over Fiziev, but is coming off a close decision close to Brad Ridell. The winner of this fight could have a claim towards the Top 15, or at least a shot to break in in their near future.

Jai Herbert vs Marc Diakiese

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Jai Herbert is a hard fighter to get a read on. Heading into his UFC debut, he was a highly touted prospect and the Cage Warriors Lightweight Champion. This status caused him to matchup with established veteran Francisco Trinaldo in his debut. Herbert looked good early on, but was finished in the 3rd by TKO in what would be his first loss in 4 years. However, Jai was supposed to be matched up with Marc Diakiese instead of Trinaldo until the event was cancelled due to Coronavirus. Now, following the loss to Moicano, I think the Diakiese matchup works better than before. Jai must get a win if he wants to remain in the UFC and Diakiese could use an opponent like Herbert. Marc has been battle tested throughout his UFC run. If he is able to bounce back from a loss to Rafeal Fiziev, he could prove himself to still be the prospect people that he was. This fight is between two men looking to cling onto their high level status. The winner can continue on his way, the loser will most likely never be looked at the same. Not to get all dramatic, but it’s true.