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The UFC's latest Fight Night is in the books, and it was a fun show. Last night's trip to the Las Vegas APEX was far better than the usual throwaway fare.
UFC Fight Night: Gilbert Burns vs. Michael Morales featured a breakout showing in the headliner, as well as some other strong performances.
So what's next for the stars of last night's event? For a handful of them, big things lie in wait.
Here are five fights to make following UFC Fight Night: Gilbert Burns vs. Michael Morales.
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#5. UFC light-heavyweight bout: Paul Craig vs. Rodolfo Bellato
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Last night's event lost its co-headliner on very late notice, as the light-heavyweight bout between Paul Craig and Rodolfo Bellato was scrapped on the night due to a medical issue.
Bizarrely, it was later revealed that the issue in question was a herpes infection suffered by Bellato. The Brazilian later stated that he never expected it to take him out of the fight.
Either way, the suggestion on the broadcast was that the fight should be re-booked soon, and the UFC would probably be best to do just that.
After all, the pairing made sense, pitting a dangerous but untested prospect in 'Trator' against a man looking to save his octagon career in Craig.
Hopefully, the promotion can put the fight back together before the end of the summer.
#4. UFC middleweight bout: Nursulton Ruziboev vs. Michal Oleksiejczuk
It didn't come via finish, but Nursulton Ruziboev did enough to pick up a pretty solid win over Dustin Stoltzfus last night.
'Black' largely outstruck his opponent across their middleweight bout, and although he found himself in a bit of trouble late on as he tired out, he hung on and claimed a clear-cut decision.
The native of Uzbekistan is now 4-1 in the UFC, with his only loss coming in his lone bout at 170 pounds against Joaquin Buckley.
He's probably not quite ready to step up to the elite level just yet, but it's definitely worth putting him against a strong gatekeeper next time out. A good foe for him, then, could be Michal Oleksiejczuk.
The Polish veteran dispatched Sedriques Dumas in his last fight via TKO, and has eight wins in the octagon dating back to his debut in 2017. With a handful of losses on his ledger too, he's definitely a solid test for anyone looking to make a step up of sorts.
Given Ruziboev's striking style, this fight could also be fun to watch, so it'd be worth adding it to a Fight Night card in the third quarter of 2025, particularly if there's a show scheduled for Europe.
#3. UFC lightweight bout: Mairon Santos vs. Jared Gordon
It was hard not to be impressed by TUF champion Mairon Santos last night. In his first fight in the UFC at 155 pounds, he firmly outpointed Sodiq Yusuff, bullying him in the clinch and outstriking him for three rounds.
'The Legend' appears to have everything needed to succeed at lightweight. Really, the only knock on his win last night was that it came over another fighter moving up from 145 pounds for the first time.
It probably wouldn't be a good idea to push Santos right to the top just yet, but he definitely warrants facing a more experienced opponent next. Therefore, why not match him with Jared Gordon?
'Flash' also won big last night, knocking out Thiago Moises with some serious violence. He's also got a lot of experience, with 16 appearances in the octagon under his belt, and he's fought the likes of Paddy Pimblett, Charles Oliveira and Bobby Green.
Gordon is a solid fighter in all areas and is dangerous, but he's also beatable - making him the perfect opponent for a fighter like Santos at this stage.
#2. UFC welterweight bout: Gilbert Burns vs. Bryan Battle
Former welterweight title challenger Gilbert Burns was on the wrong end of a highlight reel knockout last night. He suffered a bad defeat to prospect Michael Morales in the first round.
'Durinho' has now lost his last four fights in a row, but despite this, it's unlikely the UFC will let him go just yet. Instead, it's more probable that he'll settle into a role as a gatekeeper at 170 pounds, facing up-and-comers rather than elite-level or blue-chip foes.
With that in mind, a good opponent for him next could be Bryan Battle. 'The Butcher', who won TUF 29 in 2021, is currently riding a five-fight unbeaten streak in the UFC and is a strong 12-2-1 overall.
However, Battle has yet to fight a really high-level foe, with Randy Brown - who could also make a solid opponent for Burns - probably being his best win to date.
Therefore, Burns would be the perfect step up for him. If 'The Butcher' could beat him, he'd clearly be ready for an elite-level opponent. If not, Burns would be back in the winning column - and ready to face another hot up-and-comer.
#1. UFC welterweight bout: Michael Morales vs. Ian Machado Garry
Last night's biggest winner was undoubtedly Michael Morales. The unbeaten welterweight prospect scored his sixth UFC win and extended his overall record to 18-0 by taking out Gilbert Burns in the first round.
Morales will now move into the top ten at 170 pounds thanks to this win. More than that, though, the way he took out 'Durinho' was remarkable, as he made it look easy, something nobody else - even current champ Jack Della Maddalena - can say.
So who's next for the Ecuadorian fighter? The promotion could put Morales up against either of the last two titleholders, Leon Edwards and Belal Muhammad, as both men are currently without a fight.
However, it's arguable that Edwards will probably want a rebound fight after losing to Sean Brady, while Muhammad might be a step too far for Morales right now.
Therefore, a better foe for him could be Ian Machado Garry.
Assuming the UFC matches Shavkat Rakhmonov against Brady to decide the next top contender after Islam Makhachev, then Machado Garry will be the odd man out.
A fight with Morales would allow him to attempt to slow the rise of another flashy prospect, as he did recently with Carlos Prates. For Morales, meanwhile, a win over 'The Future' would be huge.
This bout could easily headline a big Fight Night card later in the year, and almost makes too much sense not to book.
