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Last night saw the UFC visit Nashville for its latest Fight Night event, and despite a lack of fanfare, the show was generally decent.
The big question now, of course, is what comes next for the UFC fighters who picked up big wins last night. For some of them, a title shot may lie in the future, while for others, a bout against a highly ranked foe will have to suffice.
Here are five fights to make following UFC Fight Night: Cory Sandhagen vs. Rob Font.
#5. UFC bantamweight bout: Rob Font vs. Umar Nurmagomedov
Last night’s event would initially have been headlined by a bantamweight bout between Cory Sandhagen and Umar Nurmagomedov, giving the undefeated Dagestani his toughest test to date.
Unfortunately, an injury forced Nurmagomedov out of the clash, forcing Rob Font to step into the void instead. The UFC could easily re-book Sandhagen vs. Nurmagomedov, but it actually might make more sense to put Font against the No.11-ranked 135lber instead.
The Dagestani is clearly a fresh, highly rated prospect, and last night showed that Font has a serious hole in the form of his ground game, something Nurmagomedov could look to exploit.
If he could defeat the Boston-based fighter, then Nurmagomedov would almost certainly warrant a big push up the ladder.
At this stage, despite being ranked at No.7, Font should be considered a gatekeeper, and so this fight makes perfect sense.
#4. UFC featherweight bout: Diego Lopes vs. Nate Landwehr
Diego Lopes was undoubtedly one of the most impressive fighters on last night’s card, as he dispatched Gavin Tucker with a slick armbar/triangle combination, becoming the first man to ever tap him out.
Lopes is an interesting case in that he’s already fought a ranked 145lber in the octagon. He was defeated by the No.10-ranked Movsar Evloev in his UFC debut in May, but gave the Russian a hell of a test in the process.
With that considered, the matchmakers could easily throw the Brazilian in with another ranked foe next time out. However, it might be smarter to look for him to build some momentum first.
Therefore, a good opponent for him could be Nate Landwehr. ‘The Train’ isn’t ranked in the top 15, but he’s a violent brawler who can provide anyone in the division with a tricky test.
If Lopes could get past him as easily as he got past Tucker, it’d be hard not to view him as a genuine title contender. Either way, the fight would be a lot of fun to watch, and would be well worth booking.
#3. UFC light heavyweight bout: Dustin Jacoby vs. Alonzo Menifield
Dustin Jacoby might be ranked at No.15 in the UFC’s light heavyweight division right now, but given that he’d lost his last two fights, he arguably saved his octagon career with his win over Kennedy Nzechukwu last night.
The win was an impressive one, as the hard-hitting former kickboxer switched the lights off on ‘The African Savage’ inside the first round.
With that considered, it’s probably worth matching Jacoby with a fellow ranked opponent for his next bout, and so one foe that could make sense is Alonzo Menifield.
‘Atomic’ is ranked one spot above Jacoby at No.14, but more importantly, he’s an explosive striker who would make for an exciting fight with the former professional kickboxer.
The winner wouldn’t move into title contention, but the fight would likely produce fireworks, and in that sense, it’d be well worth putting together.
#2. UFC bantamweight bout: Cory Sandhagen vs. Merab Dvalishvili
Cory Sandhagen’s win over Rob Font last night was his third in a row, and after the fight, he called for an immediate shot at the UFC bantamweight title.
Unfortunately for ‘The Sandman’, that feels unlikely to happen. Not only did Sandhagen largely fail to impress the crowd with his grinding win, he also isn’t likely to be given a second crack at current champ Aljamain Sterling, who whitewashed him back in 2020.
If Sean O’Malley can defeat ‘Funk Master’ at UFC 292 in a couple of weeks, Sandhagen could slide into position for the next title shot, but given his lack of star power, even that isn’t probable.
Therefore, why not put him up against Merab Dvalishvili? The No.1-ranked contender may well be the top bantamweight in the world, but won’t face off with his teammate Sterling any time soon.
If Sandhagen could knock ‘The Machine’ off, then a title shot would be almost certain for him. If ‘The Sandman’ really has the gold in his sights, this is the fight he needs to take next.
#1. UFC strawweight title: Tatiana Suarez vs. Weili Zhang or Amanda Lemos
The biggest winner last night was definitely Tatiana Suarez. The TUF 23 winner took her UFC record to 7-0 by choking out former strawweight champion Jessica Andrade, and more importantly, she made it look easy.
Suarez has essentially whitewashed every foe she’s faced thus far in her octagon career. ‘Bate Estaca’ was actually the second former titleholder she’s dispatched, as she already destroyed two-time champ Carla Esparza back in 2018.
Basically, the only fight worth taking for Suarez at this stage would be one with the UFC strawweight title on the line, and that means a bout against either Weili Zhang or Amanda Lemos.
The two women will do battle for Zhang’s title later this month, and while realistically, Suarez rather than Lemos would be a more intriguing foe for ‘Magnum’, she’ll probably have to wait a few months at least for her shot.
Regardless, with the way she dispatched Andrade, Suarez looked very much like a future champion, and at this stage, it’s simply about getting her into a position to take the gold.
