So, What Now?: Fights to Make after UFC Vegas 18

Alexander Volkov vs Winner of Rozenstruik vs Gane

Alexander Volkov put on a master class in Heavyweight striking Saturday night defeating Alistair Overeem by TKO in the 2nd round. If you read my fight preview you would’ve known that was coming. You can all me Mystic Mac! Anyways, Volkov showed an incredible ability to manage range and keep Overeem on the outside of his jab. “The Reem” was never able to get inside and looked tentative from the opening bell. The next logical fight for Volkov is to face the winner of the upcoming February 27th main event Jairzinho Rozenstruik vs. Ciryl Gane. Due to the very clogged nature of the UFC Heavyweight division, Volkov is going to have a tough case getting an opponent ranked higher than him. He is 5th, but holds losses to number 4 Derrick Lewis and number 2 Curtis Blaydes. Rozenstruik currently sits 3rd, but is being tasked with taking out the division’s hottest prospect in Gane. The winner facing Volkov is the best next step in filtering out the division after Derrick Lewis vs Curtis Blaydes February 20th. February is the month of the UFC Heavyweights, and I’m all for it.

(Getty Images)

Alistair Overeem vs Marcin Tybura

In all honesty, I think Overeem should retire. He is already a bonafide legend in the sport with nothing else to prove to the hardcore fan. His dream of finally capturing that UFC gold seems further away than ever after Saturday. But Alistair has been adamant in saying he still loves what he does and will continue win or lose. If the man wants a fight, I think a reasonable bout would be against fellow veteran Heavyweight Marcin Tybura. These two have surprisingly never faced off despite sharing many mutual opponents. Tybura has been in the UFC since April 2016 and holds an overall record of 8-5 in the promotion. He is currently riding his first 4 fight win streak in the promotion after beating everyone’s favorite NFL reject Greg Hardy in December. With his placement at 15th in the Heavyweight division, this would serve as a big fight for both men. If Tybura can come out with a win, it will finally push his name into the top 10 of the division. If Alistair still has anything left in the tank, this is his chance to show us he is still among the elite in the division.

(Cooper Neill/Zuffa LLC. via Getty Images)

Cory Sandhagen vs Winner of Yan vs Sterling - UFC Bantamweight Championship

The sky is blue, grass is green, and Cory Sandhagen deserves a title shot. Sandhagen gave us a RIDICULOUS Knockout of the Year candidate Saturday night, kneeing Frankie Edgar’s head into the shadow realm just 28 seconds into the first round. Sandhagen perfectly timed an upward flying knee for the finish and walked off like it was nothing. Honestly, incredibly badass. Cory was already ranked 3rd in the division and absolutely deserves a shot at the strap. Petr Yan and Aljamain Sterling are set to face off for the belt in March at UFC 259. Either man winning that fight would be a good matchup for Cory. If Yan wins, it is a fresh opponent and an incredibly interesting striking battle. If Sterling wins, Sandhagen will have a chance to shake off his only UFC loss and the worst loss of his career by far. Yan vs Sterling is the right fight to make right now, but not giving Sandhagen the winner after back to back KO of the Year nominees would be a travesty. T.J. Dillashaw has been begging for a title shot in his return fight from suspension, but dog, you got suspending two years for steroids. Get a win first. Cory deserves this.

(Chuck Unger/Zuffa LLC.)

Frankie Edgar vs Marlon Moraes

Frankie is in the same boat as Overeem. If it was up to me he would be sitting with DC and Anik in a suit. But it’s not up to me. Frankie is coming off his 3rd KO loss in his last 6 fights, going 2-4 overall. The durability he built his name on in the past got scooped up and wined and dined by father time. Edgar’s chin isn’t the same as it used to be. Matching that with his size and age, I think he is going to have a very tough time with the young killers of the division. If Edgar does decide to return, a crossroads fight between him and former title challenger Marlon Moraes makes sense. Moraes is coming off 2 straight KO losses to Cory Sandhagen and Rob Font. He has lost 3 of his last 4, should’ve been 4 of his last 4 but judges are dumb sometimes, since challenging for the strap. Marlon is currently ranked 7th the division. Frankie was 4th, but that will obviously plummet after Saturday. The winner of this fight shows they have some dog left, the loser may have a real decision to make.

(Jeff Botari/Zuffa LLC.)

Clay Guida vs Scott Holtzman

Finally, I don’t have to shit on one of the old guys! Clay “The Carpenter” Guida notched another win onto his Hall of Fame UFC career Saturday defeating Michael “I Eat my Shit Whole” Johnson. Clay did a great job of getting inside Johnson’s longer reach to engage the grappling and control the fight. He also landed an impressive number of strikes on the feet throughout the three rounds. In his postfight interview, Clay told the UFC to stop matching him up with veterans and to give him an up and coming contender. Scott “Hot Sauce” Holtzman fits that bill well enough. Holtzman isn’t a young guy at 37 years old, but he is still yet to break into the top 15 of the lightweight division. He has come up short in his highest profile fights against Nik Lentz and Beniel Dariush. A fight with Guida would serve both men well. It would allow them to keep continuing their careers at an older age and would propel one of them back into talks for a top 15 position. Guida is never one to turn down a fight, and Holtzman would be crazy to turn down a big name like Clay.

(Peter Casey/USA Today Sport)

Michael Johnson vs Someone in Bellator or PFL I’ll make this one short and sweet. Michael Johnson’s time in the UFC has run its course. The UFC announced it would be cutting a significant amount of talent in the first quarter of 2021 and Johnson’s release wouldn’t come as a surprise. Honestly, I think a change of scenery would be good for Johnson as well. We’ve seen other fighter like Gegard Mousasi, Anthony Pettis, and Corey Anderson jump ship to other promotions for a bigger contract. Johnson would get paid more than he is now in the UFC because of his name value for a smaller organization.

Alexandre Pantoja vs Alex Perez

Alexandre Pantoja has marked his flag firmly into the top 5 of the UFC Flyweight Division. He defeated the extremely hyped new comer Manel Kape by Unanimous Decision Saturday night and looked impressive doing it. He currently sits at number 5 in the division, but his previous losses and already made bookings will most likely prevent him from moving up in the ranks. The fight that makes the most sense for both men is a matchup with former title challenger Alex Perez. Perez is coming off a first round submission loss to the Champion Deiveson Figueiredo in November. This would be his first fight back and a good chance for both men to inch closer to the belt. The rest of the division stacks up like this. Figueiredo will take on Brandon Moreno in a rematch of their Fight of the Year contender draw in December sometime in the first quarter of 2021. Number 2 and 3 contenders Joseph Benavidez and Askar Askarov are fighting in March. Matching up number 4 and 5 in Perez and Pantoja is only logical. If either man was to win impressively, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see them leapfrog Benavidez or Askarov for a shot at the belt.

(youtube.com/MMAFightingonSBN)

Manel Kape vs Matt Schnell

Sadly, Manel Kape did not live up to the hype Saturday Night. He looked tentative with the big lights on him for the first time. He was not able to explode into shots and was mostly kept at bay by Pantoja for 3 rounds. Kape is still a name the UFC likes and will want to see succeed. A logical next fight is with number 8 ranked Matt Schnell. Schnell is coming off an impressive win over Tyson Nam in January and has won 5 of his last 6 fights. Schnell came out of the gates slowly in the UFC after his appearance on season 24 of The Ultimate Fighter, losing his first two fights in the promotion. Since then, Schnell’s only loss has came to, and stop me if you’ve heard this name, Alexandre Pantoja. It is a smart next fight in the progression of each man’s career and will show the correct level of hype that should be attached to Manel Kape.

Beneil Dariush vs Paul Felder

Beneil Dariush deserves a big fight in the lightweight division. The man is currently on a 6 fight winning streak in the toughest division in the promotion. After his Split, definitely should’ve been Unanimous, Decision win over Diego Ferreira Saturday, Dariush called for some “respect on his name.” He’s starting to sound like Birdman. But he’s right! A great fight for him, the division, and the fans would be a scrap against everyone’s second favorite commentator Paul Felder. Felder is a mainstay in the UFC lightweight division and currently sits at number 9 in the rankings. Dariush sits at 13, but just defeated number 10 Ferreira. Other big names in the division are already matched up, and this fight would finally give Beneil the chance at one of the division’s top names. This could also be his first headlining fight on a UFC Fight Night. Just brainstorming Dana. I love everything about this fight! Book it boys!

Diego Ferreira vs Kevin Lee

Saturday night didn’t go Diego Ferreira’s way. Well one judge thought it did, but that guy might have been smoking the Tyrone Biggums special. Ferreira put up a good fight against Beneil Dariush, but was outworked in the striking most of the fight and controlled on the ground. Kevin Lee is a name that has been floating around the top 10 of the division forever. He is a previous Interim Title challenger with impressive names on his resume including Edson Barboza, Michael Chiesa, and a vicious headkick KO of Gregor Gillespie. Lee, much like Ferreira, hasn’t been able to beat enough big names to stamp himself as a real threat to the division. He has lost 3 or his last 4 fights including a submission loss to Charles Oliveira in March. This fight would basically be a top 10 eliminator. Two men looking to build their name off each other and get another crack at the meat of the Lightweight division. It is also two fighters still currently ranked in the top 15 fighting to keep that number next to their name.

(bloodyelbow.com)