Following an exciting UFC Vegas 6 event last weekend that was full of finishes, we look at who the losers on the card will fight next.
The UFC’s final offering before the monumental heavyweight title trilogy turned out to be one filled with heavy finishes. The main event of UFC Vegas 6 and the undercard all delivered with flash KOs and impressive submissions. Today, we look at what’s next for some of those who were on the wrong end of the results last night.
Aleksei Oleinik
This loss puts Oleinik in an awkward spot. The Russian has won two of three, including beating Fabricio Werdum in there, but nearly all the guys behind him in the rankings are already booked. He could certainly wait for some of that to shake out, but at 43 years old, waiting too long doesn’t make much sense. What would make more sense is to get him in there with an unranked fighter on a hot streak. Marcin Tybura fits the bill, having won his last two fights against some lesser competition. Also, with Tybura’s hands being quite a bit less lethal than Oleinik’s last opponent, it gives him a bit more of a chance to get his game started.
Aleksei Oleinik’s next fight: Marcin Tybura
Omari Akhmedov
Akhmedov’s loss to former champion Chris Weidman is the first in his last seven fights. With wins over fellow ranked fighter Ian Heinisch, I wouldn’t expect too much of a fall for Akhmedov. Given that, his next fight should stay right about the same range. Although it was in a main event against a guy with much more steam, Edmen Shahbazyan is looking at a similar situation. His recent win streak was snapped, leaving him right around the edge of the top 10 coming off of a loss. Given both of their later round woes, it would be interesting to see how the late rounds would look in this one. Plus, it would give us an idea of who is built to stay with the top dogs at middleweight.
Omari Akhmedov’s next fight: Edmen Shahbazyan
Maki Pitolo
At 1-2 in the UFC, Pitolo is probably back to fighting relative newcomers to the promotion. While a loss to Darren Stewart is nothing to be ashamed of, it did show some holes in his game. A good ‘back-to-the-drawing-board’ fight for him would be Kyle Daukaus. Pitolo would comfortably hold an advantage on the feet and it would allow him to show off whether or not he can fend off the attacks of a grappling specialist. The style clash in and of itself would be fun to watch, but it would also tell us a lot about both fighters.
Maki Pitolo’s next fight: Kyle Daukaus
Julija Stoliarenko
The former Invicta FC bantamweight champion didn’t really get the return that she deserved here. She entered the fight on short notice and took on one of the top women in the division. Her first run in the UFC wasn’t all that great either, fighting up at featherweight coming off the Ultimate Fighter. I’d say it’s time to give her the debut fight she deserved all along. Why not match her up with someone who had similar woes. Shana Young took a short notice loss to Macy Chaisson back in February. Give each a chance to have their first fight over again with a full training camp.
Julia Stoliarenko’s next fight: Shana Young
Scott Holtzman
A tough loss here from Holtzman came in the least expected way, a spinning back elbow from a jiu-jitsu world champion. The loss leaves Holtzman about exactly where he was previously – hovering around the top 15, but unable to crack in. Alexander Hernandez, following his loss to Drew Dober, is not in all that different of a spot. Both have the big wins they needed to put them on the map, but not the signature win when it counts. Pairing them up would allow one to get another crack at one of those names afterwards. Plus, with both holding KO power and coming off KO losses, fireworks are sure to dot this matchup.
Scott Holtzman’s next fight: Alexander Hernandez
