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The UFC’s first show of December is in the books, and surprisingly enough, it was a good one with plenty of brutal finishes.
With several fighters either advancing or reviving their careers last night, what’s next for the stars of UFC Fight Night: Beneil Dariush vs. Arman Tsarukyan?
As per usual, the promotion’s matchmakers have plenty of options for most of the fighters involved last night, making their job a fun one.
Here are five fights to make after UFC Fight Night: Beneil Dariush vs. Arman Tsarukyan.
#5. UFC bantamweight bout: Miesha Tate vs. Holly Holm
Former UFC bantamweight champion Miesha Tate rolled back the years last night, largely whitewashing Julia Avila before finishing her in the third round.
‘Cupcake’ is in an interesting spot now in that she’s still a big name for the promotion, but she’s clearly past her best despite her win last night. After all, she’d lost her previous two bouts in pretty decisive fashion.
Therefore, there’s no point in the matchmakers trying to push her into a fight with a lesser-known up-and-comer. One good idea, on the other hand, could be to rematch her with her old rival Holly Holm.
Tate famously choked Holm out to claim bantamweight gold back in 2016, and ‘The Preacher’s Daughter’ would no doubt like to gain some manner of revenge.
To add, due to their big names, this fight could easily headline or co-headline an event for the promotion, making it well worth booking.
#4. UFC welterweight bout: Sean Brady vs. Ian Garry or Vicente Luque
Welterweight Sean Brady was one of last night’s big winners. After spending a year on the shelf following the first loss of his career to Belal Muhammad, it was hard to know what to expect from him.
However, Brady produced arguably the best showing of his UFC career to date, dismantling veteran Kelvin Gastelum before submitting him in the third round with a kimura.
Brady is already ranked at No.9 in the division, so it only makes sense to match him with another ranked fighter next time out.
One scenario that could work would see him face the winner of the upcoming bout between Ian Garry and Vicente Luque, a fight set to go down next weekend.
Both Garry and Luque have the striking skills to test Brady on the feet, and both fighters appear to have the wrestling ability to at least try to stop Brady’s takedown, too.
Overall, it’d make for a very intriguing bout that could tell us a lot about Brady and his potential opponent going forward.
#3. UFC bantamweight bout: Deiveson Figueiredo vs. Cory Sandhagen
Former UFC flyweight kingpin Deiveson Figueiredo made a successful debut at 135lbs last night, shutting out a very tough opponent in the form of Rob Font.
‘Deus da Guerra’ outworked and outboxed Font over three rounds, hurting him more than once, and dominated him on the ground in the third round for good measure.
The win should put Figueiredo right into the top ten at 135lbs, especially as Font was ranked at No.8. Therefore, a ranked foe makes sense for the Brazilian’s next bout.
With that in mind, why not match him with Cory Sandhagen? ‘The Sandman’ also beat Font in his last fight, and is currently ranked at No.4.
Sure, he’s also been out with a torn triceps following his win over Font and doesn’t yet have a return date, but given that a win over him could lead directly to the title, Figueiredo probably wouldn’t mind waiting too much.
Could ‘Deus da Guerra’ beat a high-quality foe like Sandhagen? It’d be hard to say, but equally, it’d be entertaining to see him try. This would be the perfect headline bout for a Fight Night event in 2024.
#2. UFC lightweight bout: Jalin Turner vs. Benoit Saint-Denis
Jalin Turner might’ve lacked preparation coming into his last-minute bout with Bobby Green last night, but in the end, his gamble paid off.
‘The Tarantula’ utterly destroyed Green in the first round, scoring one of the nastiest knockouts of his entire career in the process.
Turner is currently ranked at No.12, and while it could be difficult to secure him a bout with a top 10-ranked foe, one opponent who could work is No.11-ranked Benoit Saint-Denis.
‘The god of War’ is surging right now, riding a five-fight win streak with five finishes, and seems to be improving all the time.
Quite how he’d deal with the insane length and reach of ‘The Tarantula’ is another thing, though, although the same could be said for how Turner would deal with the French fighter’s ground game.
Overall, this bout would seem certain to produce a nasty finish, and thus it’d be well worth booking for 2024.
#1. UFC lightweight bout: Arman Tsarukyan vs. Justin Gaethje
The biggest winner at last night’s event was almost certainly Arman Tsarukyan. The Armenian took out Beneil Dariush with some serious violence in the first round of their headliner, climbing up into title contention in the process.
What’s next for Tsarukyan now? Realistically, given Dariush was ranked at No.4 coming in, he’s probably just one fight away from a title shot.
Therefore, if we assume that Charles Oliveira is still set to face champ Islam Makhachev next, the only opponent who would make sense is Justin Gaethje.
‘The Highlight’ is currently riding the crest of a wave after beating Dustin Poirier for the ‘BMF’ title, and could have to wait around for his title shot should he want it.
Gaethje doesn’t seem like the type of fighter willing to sit out and wait, though, and so he could easily be coerced into fighting a dangerous foe like Tsarukyan.
If the UFC could put this one together, it could easily act as the co-headliner for a big pay-per-view, and so they should try to book it for 2024, with the winner getting the next shot at 155lbs gold.
