In the main event of UFC Vegas 34, Jared Cannonier defeated Kelvin Gastelum by decision. Pushing Cannonier one step closer to getting a crack at the title. Olympian Mark O. Madsen won a split decision in the co-main event against Clay Guida. Today we will be looking into what is next for the winners of UFC Vegas 34.
Jared Cannonier
Cannonier’s next fight should be against Robert Whittaker, but it probably won’t be. Paulo Costa is currently booked for a fight with Marvin Vettori in the near future. Whittaker is the only remaining fighter above Cannonier in the rankings that don’t have a fight coming up. Whittaker is probably going to be fighting for the title in his next fight, though it may not come until next year. With that in mind, Cannonier should be in line to fight the winner of Vettori-Costa. Either way, Cannonier will be looking to take one step closer to getting a title shot in his next fight.
Cannonier’s next fight: Winner of Costa-Vettori
Mark O. Madsen
Mark O. Madsen’s overall MMA record reached 11-0 following his win against Clay Guida. He is now 3-0 in the UFC with wins over two up and comers and a seasoned veteran. For his next fight, Madsen should be looking to get in the cage with someone with a bigger name. Someone like Renato Moicano. Moicano is 2-1 since making the move to lightweight. He is also a submission specialist. It will be interesting to see if Madsen’s wrestling can neutralize the effective grappling of Moicano.
Madsen’s next fight: Renato Moicano
Parker Porter
Parker Porter won a unanimous decision over Chase Sherman this past weekend. Porter just looked like the fresher fighter and was able to exploit Sherman’s fatiuge in the later rounds. Porter is 2-1 in the UFC and is currently riding a two-fight winning streak. Carlos Felipe is 3-1 in the UFC and is currently on a three-fight winning streak. He showed in his last fight with Jake Collier that he has been working really hard on his conditioning. Felipe has also never been knocked out. A power puncher fighting a guy with a really good chin is always going to be a great fight.
Porter’s next fight: Carlos Felipe
Vinc Pichel
Vinc Pichel scored a unanimouos decision victory over Austin Hubbard at UFC Vegas 34. All three judges scored the contest 30-27 meaning Pichel won every single round. Pichel is 7-2 in the UFC and one of the most underrated lightweights on the UFC roster. His next fight should be against Drew Dober. Before going on a two-fight losing streak, Dober was in the top 15. Which means a win over Dober could leave Pichel one win away from cracking the top 15 of the division, if not in it.
Pichel’s next fight: Drew Dober
Alexandre Pantoja
Alexandre Pantoja defeated Brandon Royval via second round submission at UFC Vegas 34 this past weekend. After the fight, Pantoja gave one of the friendliest call-outs in UFC history when he called out flyweight champion Brandon Moreno. Pantoja already has two wins over the champion. One being Pantoja’s fourth UFC fight in 2018 and the other being on the Ultimate Fighter: Tournament of Champions back in 2016. Pantoja is 9-3 in the UFC only losing to Dustin Ortiz, Deiveson Figueiredo, and Askar Askarov. The only reason I’d say Pantoja deserves the title shot over Askarov is because Pantoja is 2-0 since losing to Askarov. Where as Askarov has only fought once since defeating Pantoja. Plus, there’s the history between Pantoja and Moreno to consider.
Pantoja’s next fight: Brandon Moreno – Flyweight Title Fight
