UFC Vegas 29 had the difficult task of following up a top notch pay-per-view. Still the event delivered lots of fun fights and more than a couple guys made strides in their respective divisions. Today, we take a quick peek at what might be next for a few on the main card.
Chan Sung Jung
Upon winning in the main event, Korean Zombie made it clear that he wants to move forward. With a performance like he had, and after agreeing to fight down in the rankings, he certainly deserves it. Sadly, there just isn’t anybody in front of him free or logical for him to fight. Yair and Max are getting rebooked. Volkanovski and Ortega have a date for the belt. This means we’re either looking at a long layoff, or Zombie is going to have to fight another tough up and comer. If that’s the case, I’d like to see Giga Chikadze get that fight. The striking battle would be fun, plus it would be a nice test of the grappling defense for Giga.
Chan Sung Jung’s Next Fight: Giga Chikadze
Sergey Spivak
Well, well, well, what do we have here? A heavyweight under 30 years old on a 3-fight win streak? Well, we all know what to do with that guy – throw him to Andrei Arlovski.
Arlovski has obviously become the measuring stick for prospects looking to jump into the top 15. Spivak is about at that point and would probably even enter a fight with Arlovksi as a favorite. So let’s see if he can hang with the big boys.
Sergey Spivak’s Next Fight: Andrei Arlovski
Marlon Vera
Vera finds himself in an awkward part of the bantamweight division. 3-2 in his last 5 with a loss to a legend many thought he would be (Jose Aldo). His brawl with Davey Grant probably doesn’t launch him into the top 15 or even get him a ranked opponent. What it does though, is keep him relevant and give him another tough test. Ricky Simon is also 3-2 in his last 5 with a loss to a legend folks thought he’d beat. Line them up and see who can meet the challenge.
Marlon Vera’s Next Fight: Ricky Simon
Seung Woo Choi
Choi, now 3-0, put together perhaps his most impressive performance. He not only knocked out Julian Erosa (who was on a nice little win streak of his own), but he also looked incredible doing so. He was much faster than Erosa and showed that the power is for real. Let’s see him against another prospect, but one who can wrestle a bit. Mike Trizano is 3-1 in the UFC – he fits the bill of the type of fight that would get Choi where he wants to be.
Seung Woo Choi’s Next Fight: Mike Trizano
Bruno Silva
Bruno Silva made his long awaited UFC debut at UFC Vegas 29 and he did not disappoint. After some fun striking exchanges, he scored a takedown and went to work. From the guard he KOed Wellington Turman and turned a lot of middleweights’ heads. While I hate putting two hot prospects against one another, I just can’t help but think about Silva versus Gregory Rodrigues. Both guys throw hands with some underrated grappling. Let’s see which one is the prospect that we should all be focused on.
Bruno Silva’s Next Fight: Gregory Rodrigues
Matt Brown
How many times have people wrote off Matt Brown only to have him do precisely what he did at UFC Vegas 29? He not only beat Dhiego Lima, but he flatlined the Brazilian with a mean right hand. The hitter-quitter was enough to earn a big bonus, but also maybe a big fight too. While Dana White has been pretty sure that Demian Maia is all done in the UFC, we’d love to see him get one more shot. Matt Brown would give us one more fun style clash while also giving Brown a relevant fight, which he is deserving of at this point.
Matt Brown’s Next Fight: Demian Maia
