Fights To Make After UFC Tampa
Last night saw the final fight night of the year and it was an action-packed card that saw many fighters raise their stock and some lower theirs alike. With that now comes the question, what's next? I went over a few possible matchups that I would like to see next for the fighters we saw compete last night.
Joaquin Buckley vs. Ian Garry
I know Buckley made a great callout of Kamaru Usman in his post-fight interview but with rumors of him being matched up with Jack Della Maddalena, I thought why not give this matchup another try with a little added backstory now? I get that the circumstances have changed since this fight was first booked with Buckley winning and Garry losing but I think it important to consider Garry was fighting down to begin with and his stock is also at an all-time high despite the loss to Shavkat Rakhmonov with how close that fight played out.
Cub Swanson vs. Sodiq Yusuff
Swanson has reached a stage in his career where he should just get fun striking matches and that is exactly what this one is as Yusuff is a dangerous striker who has had some incredible battles in the past including his Dana White's Contender Series fight with Mike Davis. This matchup would be a guaranteed fight-of-the-night contender on any card and is a slam dunk booking.
Manel Kape vs. Brandon Royval
Last night felt like we finally got to see Kape live up to his potential although it was a considerable step down in competition which gives me hesitation about giving him a title shot. Royval meanwhile holds the number one contender spot but with two previous losses to the champ Alexandre Pantoja, he needs another big win to make himself undeniable for another chance at the title making this fight a perfect fight to determine a new challenger.
Daniel Marcos vs. Jonathan Martinez
Marcos maintained his undefeated record and showed a bit more offensive grappling than he has in the past last night but I still want to see him against another striker and with Martinez in a position where he will likely need to defend his ranking I like this matchup a lot. Also worth noting that Martinez earned his shot at the rankings with his win over Martinez which could now be the case for Marcos.
Navajo Stirling vs. Devin Clark
It wasn't the dream debut that Stirling hoped for last night but with his lack of experience, it is to be expected that there is some work to do on his skillset. It may be a bit early to test him against someone as experienced as Clark but if he wants to make a push anytime soon this is the type of matchup I would like to see him take to prove he can handle high pace wrestling.
Michael Johnson vs. Matt Frevola
Johnson proved he is still as dangerous as ever last night with a highlight knockout against an opponent who Frevola knocked out faster some time ago. So with these two having been booked earlier this year before an injury caused it to be canceled, I'd like to see them rebook this one as both men are dangerous and fun strikers who are sure to put on a show.
Joel Alvarez vs. Benoit Saint-Denis
It is time Alvarez got a ranked opponent and coming off a pair of stoppage losses the once very hyped Saint-Denis needs a big win to turn things back around making this matchup of pure violence a logical next move for both men. This matchup would also test the striking defense of Saint-Denis and the takedown defense of Alvarez both of which have proven questionable at times.
What would you like to see next for last night's winners? Let us know in the comments!
