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Another UFC card has passed us by and with it comes a host of possibilities moving forward for both the victors and the unfortunate fighters who were defeated.
The UFC Vegas 24 card had some memorable moments. During the prelims, Tony Gravely defeated Anthony Birchak in an action-filled opening bout, Gerald Meerschaert added yet another submission win to his record and two heavyweight behemoths clashed in the prelim headliner.
The main card also brought us several talking points. Highly regarded prospect Luis Pena returned to winning ways, Jacob Malkoun neutralized knockout machine Abdul Razak Alhassan, Andrei Arlovski showed he hasn't lost a step and Robert Whittaker edged closer to a rematch with Israel Adesanya with yet another middleweight masterclass.
So, what are the next steps we should see after some of those results? Here are five fights that should be booked following the events at UFC Vegas 24.
#5 Tracy Cortez vs. Maryna Moroz - UFC women's flyweight
Tracy Cortez has always been one of the most promising prospects in women's MMA. At UFC Vegas 24, she established herself as a legitimate contender and a real threat to the rest of the flyweight division.
At the age of just 27, Cortez is highly regarded and showed exactly why against Justine Kish last Saturday. The Mexican-American secured a split decision win and extended her impressive winning streak to nine.
Cortez is without a doubt ready to be matched-up against a ranked opponent and fight an established name. However, with several of the top-15 already scheduled to fight, it stands to reason Cortez will need to face another name before ascending to face the likes of Grasso, Lauren Murphy and Cynthia Calvillo.
One name that makes sense is Maryna Moroz. Not only does the Ukrainian possess an impressive skillset and submission skills that could challenge Cortez on the ground, but she's also faced some of the division's best.
'Iron Lady' boasts a win over top contender Joanne Calderwood, who had been set to fight for the title in 2020 before Valentina Shevchenko withdrew through injury. Muroz has also entered the octagon with names like Carla Esparza and Angela Hill.
Riding a two-fight win streak, Muroz is on a similar uphill trajectory as Cortez, and a fight between the two to see who ascends up the division makes sense.
#4 Luis Pena vs. Jamie Mullarkey - UFC lightweight
You don’t see many 6"3" lightweights. Luis Pena has a unique frame for the 155-pound division and coupled with his versatility and immense talent, the man they call “Violent Bob Ross” is a real prospect in the division.
The 27-year-old has had his fair share of bad luck. Injuries and split decisions have affected his time in the UFC and Pena’s 3-3 record leading up to his UFC Vegas 24 fight didn't tell the tale of his MMA abilities.
Last Saturday, Pena needed to secure a win and begin what needs to be a consistent run of victories. In a close and competitive fight against Alex Munoz, he did just that.
Pena rebounded from his submission defeat against Khama Worthy with an impressive striking display against Munoz. Now Pena needs to string some wins together to make the success many have touted him for since he was on TUF a reality.
A matchup between Pena and Jamie Mullarkey is an appealing prospect. Heading into his UFC debut in 2019, Mullarkey was one of the most promising new prospects in the promotion. With a 12-2 record, the Australian was a former lightweight champion under the promotional banners of SFMMA and UFN and a featherweight champion with BRACE and AFC.
Two defeats in his first two walks to the octagon stalled his rise, but a vicious knockout of Khama Worthy at UFC 260 last month brought him his first UFC win.
With Mullarkey and Pena both recording rebound wins this year and looking to prove themselves as future stars in the lightweight division, this matchup would be an intriguing one.
#3 Andrei Arlovski vs. Alexandr Romanov - UFC heavyweight
In a satisfying turn of events, the two heavyweight winners from UFC Vegas 24 facing each other next makes perfect sense. A matchup between Alexandr Romanov and Andrei Arlovski is something we could be seeing in the near future.
Andrei Arlovski's conditioning and cardio at 42-years-old should be applauded. Across an incredible 53-fight career, Arlovski boasts 31 wins, the latest of which came over Chase Sherman last Saturday.
Arlovski's desire to compete is clear. After a loss against Tom Apsinall stopped him winning a third consecutive fight, Arlovski was eager to get back into the octagon again as quickly as he could and return to the win column. The former UFC heavyweight champion did exactly that in the event's co-main.
Romanov, meanwhile, faced Juan Espino in the featured prelim contest. On paper, the battle between the two heavyweight behemoths was one of the most exciting matchups on the card. Perhaps not delivering to quite the extent many had expected, the strength and grappling skills both possess ended up almost canceling each other out.
Nevertheless, it was an intriguing fight and seeing it cut short after a groin shot was a real shame. With the strike deemed to have been accidental by referee Mark Smith, the bout still went to the judges' scorecards and the Moldovan took home the technical split decision win.
I'd anticipated a Romanov win, pushing him into a position where he'd face a ranked opponent like Blagoy Ivanov. The way the fight ended means he may need another victory to cement himself as a top-15.
It's clear Arlovski has a lot left to give inside the octagon and his performance last weekend showed he still has the ability to be a problem for heavyweights outside of the rankings. For Romanov, a fight with a former champion like Arlovski might be just what he needs to ascend up in the UFC's heaviest weight class.
#2 Kelvin Gastelum vs. Jared Cannonier - UFC middleweight
At UFC Vegas 24, against the clear top contender in the middleweight division, Kelvin Gastelum showed heart and determination. After a poor run of form across the last few years, stepping in to replace Paulo Costa for last weekend's main event was something everyone acknowledged as a courageous move.
Despite breaking onto the UFC scene in a convincing way and going on to earn an interim UFC middleweight title shot, Gastelum has struggled since 2019 and has slid down towards the back end of the division's top-10.
After an incredible Fight of the Year with Israel Adesanya, the 29-year-old fell to two more consecutive losses to Darren Till and Jack Hermansson. A victory over Ian Heinisch at UFC 258 in February brought Gastelum back into the win column, but a defeat to Robert Whittaker last Saturday has left Gastelum needing to rebound once again.
One possible opponent for Gastelum's next fight in the UFC is Jared Cannonier. Like Gastelum, Cannonier's last fight ended in defeat to Robert Whittaker.
'The Killa Gorilla' established himself as a top contender after a hat-trick of wins over David Branch, Anderson Silva and Jack Hermansson prior to 2020. Defeat against Whittaker and a fractured arm left Cannonier without a title shot and on the sidelines.
He said at the back end of last year he anticipated a March return but wouldn't rush back. Should he be ready to go in the coming months, a UFC return against Gastelum makes sense for both parties.
#1 Robert Whittaker vs. Israel Adesanya 2 - UFC middleweight
Robert Whittaker is simply too good. At UFC Vegas 24, the Australian gave us another technical masterclass, something he seems to treat us to every time he steps inside the UFC octagon at the moment. Against Kelvin Gastelum, 'The Reaper' was utterly dominant.
Having prepared for Paulo Costa, you'd have been forgiven for suggesting Whittaker might have struggled, having had to adjust to a new opponent, but that wasn't the case. Whittaker looked as ready and prepared as he could. On the feet he was impressive and was a touch faster than Gastelum for the duration of the fight..
For every strike Gastelum managed to connect with, Whittaker would land two or three. He was a step ahead across the entire 25 minutes.
The biggest takeaway from the UFC's latest card was that Robert Whittaker is the clear number one contender in the middleweight division. A portion of the MMA community hasn't been keen on a rematch for Whittaker (who knows why?), but more and more fans and fighters alike now believe the 30-year-old has a chance at reclaiming the 185-pound title.
Ever since losing his UFC middleweight gold to Israel Adesanya, a rematch has felt inevitable. After three dominant wins over Darren Till, Jared Cannonier and now Gastelum, a blockbuster second meeting between Whittaker and 'The Last Stylebender' is the logical next step in the middleweight division.
