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This past weekend, the UFC came to Perth, Western Australia for UFC 221. The event saw twelve fights, six finishes, many new stars, and the main event winner in Yoel Romero.
The burning questions solely focus on the future bouts for the top competitors from the show Down Under. Keeping that in mind, here are 5 fights to make in the fallo of the PPV:
#5 Luke Rockhold vs. Alexander Gustafsson
The move up to Light Heavyweight seems like the ideal choice for Rockhold. The American has won gold in the middleweight division but coming off his latest loss to Yoel Romero he really has nothing else to prove in the division.
Alexander Gustafsson has also had some big opportunities at Light Heavyweight gold against Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier but came up short on both occasions. The Swede though has turned it up in his last two bouts including his last performance against Glover Teixeira in which he knocked the Brazilian out in the 5th round.
This fight would make a lot of sense being Rockhold needing a new scenery and with the current Light-Heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier preparing for a super fight against Heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic, it holds the division back and gives this fight some time to happen. Gustafsson has already taken to social media to call out Rockhold as well.
#4 Curtis Blaydes vs. Derrick Lewis/Marcin Tybura winner
After losing his UFC debut to recent title challenger Francis N'Gannou, Blaydes has gone on to win his next four fights. His recent win came over the legendary Super Samoan Mark Hunt and is by far the biggest win of his career.
Derrick Lewis and Marcin Tybura will do battle this Sunday in the co-main event of UFC Fight Night 126. Both these guys are coming off a loss as Lewis lost to Mark Hunt and Tybura lost to Fabricio Werdum. A win here will put them back in the race for the title.
This bout is the most sensible option for Blaydes as a fight with Werdum would be a premature decision and Alistair Overeem would need to take a step back and fight someone a bit further down the rankings.
#3 Tai Tuivasa vs. Daniel Spitz
Tuivasa has moved to 2-0 in the UFC while making waves in the Heavyweight division with two impressive finishes in both his UFC bouts. Despite Tuivasa doing so well early it's important not to rush him too quick.
As for Spitz, the American is 1-1 in the UFC. He would lose his debut to Marc Godbeer but would go on to get an impressive knockout against Anthony Hamilton in a mere 24 seconds. At only 27 years old, Spitz has a bright future in the UFC.
You could see Tuivasa getting a lower ranked opponent in his next fight, however the Australian is still young and should not to be rushed to the top. A fight with Spitz, who is no pushover himself, and would create quite a challenge for Tuivasa, is a win-win situation for everyone. A win for the entertaining Tuivasa would open the door for a match against a ranked opponent.
#2 Israel Adesanya vs. Trevin Giles
Adesanya impressed in his UFC debut with a second-round stoppage due to strikes followed by an awesome promo in the post-fight interview. The high-level kickboxing would help Isreal in stopping 13 of 16 takedowns before getting the finish. Adesanya could be a huge future star.
Trevin Giles is a former Legacy Fighting Alliance (LFA) stand-out and made his UFC debut in July of last year. He recently moved to 2-0 in the UFC last December and is another guy fans have their eyes on.
Both these guys are undefeated with a combined record of 22-0 with a total of 21 finishes between the two. These two are looked at as the future of the middleweight division and a victory would do wonders for their future.
#1 Alexander Volkanovski vs. Arnold Allen
Volkanovski is coming off a dominant performance against fellow undefeated fighter Jeremy Kennedy, where Volkanovski got the TKO finish in the second round. Volkanovski is one of the best up-and-comers coming out of Austrailia and arguably one of the better unranked featherweights currently active.
Arnold Allen is 3-0 in the UFC and had the chance to make it 4-0 just like Volkanovski when he was set to fight Enrique Barzola January 20th for UFC 220. However, visa issues played spoilsport and led to his ouster. Allen is another top prospect and one of the best UK based featherweights.
You can easily see Volkanovski get a ranked opponent in his next bout and he would very much deserve it. With that being said, a match-up with Allen would without a doubt catapult the winner into the top 15. Both are ready take step up in terms of competition and a fight between the two would surely be a solid affair.
