The UFC’s first weekday offering in some time produced exciting fights from the first cup of coffee through lunch time. When the dust was settled on the main card, a handful of those left wanting at UFC Fight Island 8 were veterans looking to make a late career run to the belt. With the loss, they’re left wondering what might be next for their careers, and we are going to give you our thoughts on the subject.
Neil Magny
Magny had put together a really impressive run and seemed to be poised for a big jump up the rankings with a win. In the one-sided loss to Michael Chiesa, he was beaten at his own game. Chiesa out-wrestled the Elevation MMA product and was able to control him with relative ease. This certainly leaves questions about how Magny would be able to handle the better wrestlers that sit in the top. A good test to see if he can get that wrestling going again would be Geoff Neal. Neal has stuffed over 90% of the shots on him since he entered the UFC, and is also coming off a loss following a long string of wins.
Neil Magny’s Next Fight: Geoff Neal
Mournir Lazzez
Lazzez had all the hype entering his bout with Warlley Alves, but ultimately came up short in exactly the way everyone was hyping him. Alves worked him over with three consecutive shots to the body that ultimately crumpled the striker. While he took it to a talented striker in his debut, it may be time to set him up with another fun bout in that same way. Sasha Palatnikov is free and coming off of an exciting victory. While they don’t always love matching fighters coming off of a win with those coming off of a loss, the profile of Lazzez and his fight make him still the A-side in a bout with Palatnikov. Plus, regardless of whether or not it would be what they do, it would be fun if they did.
Mournir Lazzez’s Next Fight: Sasha Palatnikov
Roxanne Modafferi
It seems like the long run of Modafferi has left her having fought every one around her in the rankings. A couple of the exceptions are those with fights booked and one of her teammates. The rankings would seem to matter a bit less to Modafferi right now, who has lost two of her last three, seeing her title shot hopes dwindle pretty significantly. The likelihood of the UFC using her to build younger faces in the sport (as they tried and failed to before with Antonina Shevchenko and Maycee Barber) is pretty likely. One of the most marketable faces in that division right now is Alexa Grasso, a fun Mexican striker. Because the grappling of Modafferi may be difficult for a fighter coming up from strawweight, it is the perfect test to see if she’ll be able to hang in this division. Grasso is paired up with Barber right now, but depending on how that goes, Roxy could be the right fight.
Roxanne Modafferi’s Next Fight: Alexa Grasso
Tyson Nam
Tyson Nam has gone on record saying that he hopes that if he doesn’t knock someone out, that they knock him out – after all it is what the fans came to see. With that kind of style, I think it is important to match him with people who are going to oblige him in that kind of fight, as Matt Schnell seemed to this past Wednesday. Another fighter who’d do just that picked up a win on the very same fight card. Su Mudaerji comes to slug and is never in a dull fight. His win of Zarrukh Adashev is exactly the type of fight that Nam wants and is exactly the step up Mudaerji deserves.
Tyson Nam’s Next Fight: Su Mudaerji
