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Last night saw the UFC return to its Las Vegas APEX base, and while the Fight Night event produced won't live long in the memory, it was a fun enough show to watch.
UFC Fight Night: Matheus Nicolau vs. Alex Perez produced a good number of nasty finishes and impressive performances, so what's next for the big winners?
As always, there are plenty of options for the matchmakers to look at.
With this in mind, here are five fights to make after UFC Fight Night: Matheus Nicolau vs. Alex Perez.
#5. UFC welterweight bout: Uros Medic vs. Santiago Ponzinibbio
Uros Medic not only won a $50k bonus last night thanks to his violent win over Tim Means, but he also established himself as one of the most exciting fighters to watch on the current UFC roster.
'The Doctor' is now 4-2 in the octagon, and none of his bouts there have come close to going the distance. Judging from what we've seen, he might not be a title contender, but he's highly likely to produce fireworks every time.
Therefore, there's no point in attempting to shunt him up the ladder just yet, and it makes more sense to pair him off with a like-minded opponent and watch the sparks fly. With that in mind, Santiago Ponzinibbio would work for him.
'Gente Boa' has not fought since his loss to Kevin Holland a year ago, and at the age of 37, his best days are almost definitely behind him. However, the Argentine can absolutely still crack, and given his own excellent finishing rate, a clash with Medic would be almost guaranteed to be entertaining.
Essentially, the UFC could simply pair these two up, pop them on the main card of a Fight Night, and wait for the explosion.
#4. UFC heavyweight bout: Jhonata Diniz vs. Junior Tafa
While it wasn't a flawless victory, Brazilian kickboxer Jhonata Diniz still made the best of his UFC debut last night. He recovered from a tricky first round to dispatch Austen Lane with a brutal left hook in the second round.
The promotion could easily look to shove Diniz up the ladder now based on his slick and powerful striking skills, and the Brazilian could well head into contention quickly.
However, given the thin nature of the heavyweight division, the matchmakers would probably be smarter to let Diniz - hopefully - build himself up with some more knockouts like last night's one.
If that's the case, then Aussie brawler Junior Tafa might be the perfect foe for him. 'The Juggernaut' hits heavily in his own right, but he's definitely more plodding than Diniz appeared to be last night, making him a beatable opponent.
Given that Tafa is also not likely to take the Brazilian down, this would be the perfect opportunity to continue to build his resume, making this bout a worthy one to put together in the near future.
#3. UFC flyweight bout: Karine Silva vs. Tracy Cortez
One fighter who almost certainly entered into the low end of UFC title contention last night was Karine Silva. The flyweight prospect outpointed Ariane Lipski by a country mile, showing herself as a genuine threat to the world's top 125 pounders.
Sure, 'Killer' didn't get the finish she would've liked, but she's already proven herself to be a ruthless finisher in her earlier octagon outings. Failing to put away the tough Lipski is hardly a knock on her skills.
The promotion could easily match the Brazilian with a top ten opponent next time out, but a better foe for her could be No.11 ranked Tracy Cortez, who, like Silva, is unbeaten in the octagon.
Cortez hasn't produced the finishes that 'Killer' has, but she's demonstrated strong skills in all areas and isn't quite as defensively porous as Lipski. That would make her a step up for Silva, and if she could get past her, then 'Killer' would have to move into the top ten.
#2. UFC light-heavyweight bout: Bogdan Guskov vs. Alonzo Menifield or Carlos Ulberg
Uzbekistan's Bogdan Guskov produced fireworks last night. He recovered from a poor first round to draw Ryan Spann into a brawl, where he outgunned him with a harder chin and heavier punches, dispatching him with aplomb in the second stanza.
Guskov is likely to crack the top fifteen after his win, so the UFC could easily pair him with a fighter close to the top ten next time out to see if he could climb again.
However, realistically, the Uzbeki native is still only two fights removed from a pretty crushing loss to Volkan Oezdemir, meaning he might need at least one more fight before he goes after the elite.
A good opponent for him, then, would be the winner of the upcoming bout between Carlos Ulberg and Alonzo Menifield, which is set to take place next month.
Ulberg has won his last five bouts, finishing four of them, while Menifield is currently ranked at No.12 after going unbeaten in his last five, too.
Both men are heavy hitters who love to crack, meaning that a fight with the iron-chinned, hard-hitting Guskov would definitely be fun to watch. Assuming the winner doesn't end up badly banged up, the fight could easily be booked for some point in the late summer.
#1. UFC flyweight bout: Alex Perez vs. Amir Albazi
Despite taking the fight on late notice, Alex Perez upset the apple cart at 125 pounds in last night's headliner, dispatching No.5 ranked flyweight Matheus Nicolau via second-round knockout.
Despite his big win, Perez is a little tricky to book from here. Given that he only lost to current champ Alexandre Pantoja in the summer of 2022, he can't go right into a title shot. In fact, his even more recent loss to Muhammad Mokaev probably keeps him out of contention, period, even if he won big last night.
However, given that Nicolau came into the fight ranked at No.5, it'd probably be unfair to match Perez with a lower-ranked foe next time out.
Given that Pantoja is about to face Steve Erceg in a title defense next month, then, the best foe for Perez might be No.4 ranked Kai Kara-France.
'Don't Blink' has lost his last two fights and has not been seen since a loss to Amir Albazi last June, but his high profile and ranking would still make him a major scalp for someone like Perez who is looking to rebuild his reputation.
If Perez could overcome the New Zealand native, then he'd definitely be firmly back in contention. Add in the fact that the two men were scheduled to fight in 2023 before the bout fell apart, and it makes plenty of sense to match them back up in the future.
