Stephen Thompson got back in the mix at welterweight at UFC Vegas 17 with a unanimous decision win over Geoff Neal. Jose Aldo was able to get his first bantamweight win over Marlon Vera in the co-main event. Today we will take a look at what is next for the winners of UFC Vegas 17.
Stephen Thompson
Thompson’s win at UFC Vegas 17 puts him on a two-fight winning streak. Thompson looked great winning all five rounds on all three judge’s scorecards. Before the fight, Thompson was ranked number five while Neal was ranked number 11 in the division. Thompson should be looking for another top-five fight in his next fight. After the fight, Thompson called for a fight with Jorge Masvidal. That fight actually makes a lot of sense. Thompson has a win over Masvidal in 2017. Since then, Masvidal broke the internet with his knockout over Ben Askren. While a rematch might seem pointless for Wonderboy, Masvidal has a lot of hype behind him and could shoot Thompson’s popularity through the roof if he manages to beat him again.
Thompson’s next fight: Jorge Masvidal rematch
Jose Aldo
Jose Aldo’s win this past Saturday marks his first win in the bantamweight division. Aldo lost his bantamweight title fight against Petr Yan in July, and that was coming off a controversial loss in his first fight at 135lbs.
The title fight got Aldo the number seven rank in the division. After his win against number 15 ranked Marlon Vera, Aldo should be looking to fight someone in the top ten. However the top ten in the bantamweight division is mostly booked until about March. If Aldo is looking to fight before then, we could see him fight either Marlon Moraes or Rob Font. Moraes just lost to Font this past weekend via TKO. Moraes was ranked number three before the fight meaning he will probably be ranked closer to Aldo once the rankings are updated, and let’s face it, that first fight left a bad taste. Font will likely skyrocket into the top five but that fight could be good to see as well. And probably the better option of the two.
Aldo’s next fight: Rob Font
Rob Font
Rob Font had a breakout performance this past Saturday at UFC Vegas 17. As far as what comes next, we’ve covered that above.
Font’s next fight: Jose Aldo
Michel Pereira
Michel Pereira won a decision over Khaos Williams at UFC Vegas 17. Pereira is 3-2 in the UFC. He is currently riding a two-fight win streak so he should be looking to fight an established name in his next fight. Anthony Pettis would be perfect for the job. Pettis won a decision over Alex Morono this past Saturday as well. Pettis is also currently on a two-fight winning streak just like Pereira. This match-up would be one of the most unique striking matchups in UFC history. Of course, this only works if Pettis stays with the UFC — and stays at welterweight.
Pereira’s next fight: Anthony Pettis
Marcin Tybura
Marcin Tybura was able to TKO Greg Hardy in the second round of their bout at UFC Vegas 17. For Tybura’s next fight he should try to get a rematch with Andrei Arlovski. Although Tybura won their first fight in 2017, Arlovski is currently ranked number 15 while Tybura is unranked (though that may soon change). Arlovski is also on a two-fight win streak at the moment. If Tybura can’t land the rematch, any top 15 fighter would do.
Tybura’s next fight: Andrei Arlovski
