5 fights to make after UFC Fight Night: Vicente Luque vs. Rafael dos Anjos
The UFC’s latest Fight Night event went down last night in Las Vegas, and while it lacked name value, it made up for it with plenty of action.
Following UFC Fight Night: Vicente Luque vs. Rafael dos Anjos, then, what kind of fights should the matchmakers be looking at going forward? As per usual with any event, there are plenty of options for Sean Shelby and Mick Maynard to look at that might make for some good bouts.
With that in mind, here are five fights to make after UFC Fight Night: Vicente Luque vs. Rafael dos Anjos.
#5. UFC bantamweight fight: Marcus McGhee vs. Da’Mon Blackshear
![Da'Mon Blackshear used the rare twister to pick up a win last night [Image Credit: @da_monster94 on Instagram]](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2023/08/fdb29-16919611049461-1920.jpg?w=500)
The UFC’s matchmakers love to pit winning fighters from the same card against one another at some point down the line. With that considered, a fight between bantamweights Marcus McGhee and Da’mon Blackshear might make a lot of sense.
Both men were highly impressive last night. McGhee took his octagon record to 2-0 by brutally knocking out JP Buys, while Blackshear was arguably even more impressive, submitting Jose Johnson with a rare twister.
More importantly, both men are now on a two-fight win streak, and being consummate finishers, it could be argued that the winner could climb up towards contention, even if they wouldn’t crack the top 15.
Overall, this would be the kind of fight that the promotion could easily put onto the main card of a Fight Night event and it wouldn’t look at all out of place.
#4. UFC featherweight bout: Cub Swanson vs. Hakeem Dawodu
The most controversial fight at last night’s event was the co-headliner between featherweights Cub Swanson and Hakeem Dawodu.
Both men put on a show, demonstrating their flashy striking skills as well as their toughness. In many ways, it could be argued that they deserved a $50k bonus for the Fight of the Night.
However, the one thing that seemed slightly off was the result. Most fans felt that Dawodu probably did enough to warrant the nod from the judges, and yet the victory went the way of Swanson, with 29-28 scores for him across the board.
This seemed to surprise the veteran himself, and in his post-fight promo, he was happy to admit that he felt like he lost two rounds of the bout.
Given that, it’d probably be a good idea for the UFC to simply match the two men up again and let them go at it for a second time. It’s not like any other potential fights stand out for them right now, and their first fight was highly entertaining, too.
If neither man suffered any major injuries, in fact, the matchmakers could look to bulk out one of the cards in September or October with this rematch.
#3. UFC light heavyweight bout: Khalil Rountree Jr vs. Nikita Krylov
No.13-ranked light heavyweight Khalil Rountree Jr won his bout in violent fashion last night, stopping former heavyweight contender Chris Daukaus in the first round.
‘The War Horse’ is a somewhat limited fighter, as his clinch and ground games lag behind his striking and he isn’t all that durable.
However, he hits like an absolute truck, and has a killer instinct that most fighters on the roster would probably envy, and that makes him a threat to any fighter at 205 pounds.
Rountree has now won his last four bouts, and so it’s probably fair to give him a step up next time out. Therefore, why not match him with another dangerous, exciting finisher in the form of No.6-ranked Nikita Krylov?
‘The Miner’ is a brilliant grappler and he’s durable too, and so he’d probably come in as the favourite. However, Rountree’s power is the ultimate equaliser, and so the chances of this one going the distance would be slim.
Overall, the UFC could perhaps even headline a smaller Fight Night card at the Las Vegas Apex with this one and watch the fireworks ensue.
#2. UFC welterweight bout: Rafael dos Anjos vs. Geoff Neal
Rafael Dos Anjos lost his headline bout against Vicente Luque last night, and unfortunately, his defeat came in somewhat familiar fashion.
He found himself being outworked and outwrestled by a slightly larger foe, just as he’d done against the likes of Leon Edwards, Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington.
‘RDA’ is a fantastic offensive fighter, but the fact is that at 170 pounds, his wrestling skills and size are always likely to keep him out of proper title contention. With that considered, perhaps it’s time to match him up with a more striking-based foe.
One opponent who could work, then, is No.8-ranked Geoff Neal. ‘Handz of Steel’ was meant to fight Ian Garry next week, but was forced out due to an injury, and has since been replaced by Neil Magny.
Therefore, why not match him with ‘RDA’ when he returns? His hard-hitting style could definitely give the Brazilian some issues, but dos Anjos’ veteran wiles and submission game could also prove to be tricky for Neal, too.
Overall, this would be an excellent fight and could be worth putting onto a main card later in the year.
#1. UFC welterweight bout: Vicente Luque vs. Sean Brady
The big winner at last night’s event was undoubtedly Vicente Luque, who returned from a serious brain injury to outpoint Rafael dos Anjos over five rounds in the headline bout.
‘The Silent Assassin’ showed some new wrinkles in his game in the win, demonstrating an improved wrestling game to stifle ‘RDA’ on the ground for lengthy periods to cement his victory.
Ranked at No.10 in the welterweight division, Luque isn’t quite in contention for the UFC title right now, but a big win could definitely push him towards that status.
Therefore, a solid opponent for him could be No.9-ranked Sean Brady, who was recently forced out of a planned fight with Jack Della Maddalena.
Not only is Brady an excellent fighter, but he’d also be a smart fight for Luque as he’s primarily known for his wrestling and grappling rather than his striking.
This would mean that ‘The Silent Assassin’ would probably be able to protect himself from the effects of his earlier brain injury a little more than if he were matched with a concussive striker.
Therefore, the UFC should definitely put this one together in the near future, with the winner moving towards the top five.