5 fights to make after UFC Fight Night: Sean Strickland vs. Abus Magomedov
The UFC’s latest Fight Night event is in the bag, and despite a largely weaker card in terms of name value, the show delivered some excellent action overall.
Which fights should the UFC’s matchmakers look to put together after this weekend’s event, then? As always, there are plenty of viable options.
Here are five fights to make following UFC Fight Night: Sean Strickland vs. Abus Magomedov.
#5. UFC lightweight bout: Benoit Saint-Denis vs. Elves Brener
The UFC loves to match two winning fighters against each other, and so one viable fight to make coming out of last night’s event could pit lightweights Benoit Saint-Denis and Elves Brener against one another.
Neither man was expected to win last night. Faced with more highly regarded and explosive foes in Ismael Bonfim and Guram Kutateladze, respectively, both Saint-Denis and Brener showed some serious skill to pull through.
Of the two, it’s arguable that France’s Saint-Denis was more impressive, as he whitewashed Bonfim, while Brener had to come from behind to defeat Kutateladze in the third round.
That's @BenoitSt_Denis third finish in a row! #UFCVegas76 https://t.co/5Y3tqmV3cw
However, the Brazilian would almost certainly test Saint-Denis, as the Frenchman prefers to grapple, while Brener was able to essentially shut Kutateladze down in that department this weekend.
Overall, the winner of this one might not be propelled into the top 15, but they’d certainly earn another fight to take them up to that level.
#4. UFC welterweight bout: Michael Morales vs. Nicolas Dalby
While he didn’t get the finish he was probably after, Ecuadorian welterweight Michael Morales was still impressive in his win over veteran Max Griffin last night.
Griffin has never been an easy out for young fighters, but Morales was able to outpoint him using his heavier punches and solid takedown defense.
Step up in competition but Michael Morales passed the test! #UFCVegas76 https://t.co/u2B03FaSih
The Ecuadorian is perhaps not quite ready for an elite-level foe just yet, but at the age of 24, he’s got plenty of time on his side. He clearly needs a step up, though – and that step up could come in the form of Nicolas Dalby.
The Danish fighter is 5-1 with one No Contest since returning to the UFC in 2019, and is currently riding a three-fight win streak, having outpointed Muslim Salikhov last month.
Dalby isn’t the best finisher, but he’s definitely got the striking ability to push Morales hard, and his veteran wiles and toughness would make him a great opponent for the young Ecuadorian fighter.
#3. UFC welterweight bout: Rinat Fakhretdinov vs. Neil Magny
Surging welterweight contender Rinat Fakhretdinov scored a huge victory last night when he spoiled the UFC return of former lightweight title challenger Kevin Lee.
It took the Russian fighter just 55 seconds to drop ‘The Motown Phenom’ with punches before securing a guillotine choke to leave him unconscious. Remarkably, ‘The Gladiator’ is now on a 20-fight win streak.
#UFCVegas76It doesn’t get tighter than this 😳 #UFCVegas76 https://t.co/sEajHKnxSg
Judging by this, it’s time to give Fakhretdinov a major step up, probably by matching him with a top 15-ranked opponent. With that in mind, there’s only one name that comes instantly to the forefront: the welterweight division’s top gatekeeper, Neil Magny.
‘The Haitian Sensation’ turned back the challenge of another prospect in Phil Rowe last month, and still tends to beat any non-elite fighters that he faces.
Is Fakhretdinov an elite-level fighter? Right now, he seems to have the potential, but nobody can really be sure. A fight with Magny would prove it either way, making it a fascinating bout to book in the near future.
#2. UFC lightweight bout: Grant Dawson vs. Rafael Fiziev
Given that he came into last night’s event at 7-0-1 in the UFC, it was hard to believe that Grant Dawson wasn’t ranked higher than No.15 in the lightweight division.
After his total whitewash of the No.12-ranked Damir Ismagulov, though, it’s hard to see him not climbing up towards the top ten this week.
‘KGD’ completely dominated Ismagulov on the ground, racking up 12 minutes of control time, and while he didn’t finish his foe, it was hard not to be impressed by him.
#UFCVegas76
12 minutes and 24 seconds of control time 🔒
As @DawsonGrant20y1 rises in the ranks, who would you match him up with? 📝 #UFCVegas76 https://t.co/SMfdV3poGy
Dawson clearly needs a step up, and thankfully, there is no shortage of options for him in the 155-pound division. One decent option could definitely be Rafael Fiziev, who is currently ranked at No.6.
‘Ataman’ climbed into his lofty spot on the back of his violent striking game, but whether he’d be able to deal with Dawson’s dangerous grappling skills is a fair question to ask.
Essentially, if Dawson could win this, he’d have to be considered a genuine title contender, making it a clash well-worth making for ‘KGD’.
#1. UFC middleweight bout: Sean Strickland vs. Paulo Costa or Ikram Aliskerov
In the aftermath of his impressive KO victory over Abus Magomedov, Sean Strickland was quick to call for a shot at the UFC middleweight title.
However, given that Magomedov had just one fight inside the octagon prior to last night’s clash with ‘Tarzan’, it’d be hard to justify giving Strickland that shot right now, particularly as he is ranked at No.7.
Not backing down from any challenge 👀
Who should @SStricklandMMA be matched up with next? 🤔 #UFCVegas76 https://t.co/vOZNa7L3sN
Essentially, Strickland probably needs at least one more fight with someone ranked above him to earn a title shot. Therefore, a good pick would be the winner of the upcoming fight between Paulo Costa and Ikram Aliskerov.
The fight is scheduled for UFC 291 on July 29, and is likely to be part of the pay-per-view main card. Despite claiming just one win since 2019, Costa is still ranked at No.6, and so a victory over him would be huge for Strickland.
Aliskerov, of course, is unranked, but if he were to beat ‘The Eraser’ then it’d be hard not to move him up into the top ten in his own right.
Given that both Costa and Aliskerov love to strike, a fight for either man against ‘Tarzan’ would definitely work for the back end of 2023.