Thirty-six shows housed within the confines of the Apex in Las Vegas, not counting numbered PPV events. That’s the mark passed in this past Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 191, a.k.a. UFC Vegas 36. The number wouldn’t qualify for any sort of special mention, were it not for the fact that it was so obviously built for a London audience that in the end had to settle for watching it on the telly.
At least it was in prime time. In any case, UFC Vegas 36 had some big winners, and more than a few setbacks. While one British star arrived in the form of Paddy Pimblett, another seems to be fading. That would be main event middleweight Darren Till, who was mostly ragdolled by Derek Bunson. What’s next for Till and company? Here’s our take.
Darren Till
Well, that’s 1-2 now for Darren Till in the middleweight division. He didn’t have much of an answer for Derek Bunson’s wrestling, and when he did crack Brunson, he threw caution to the wind and wound up giving away the fight. Fellow British star and retired middleweight champ Michael Bisping has suggested a move back to welterweight for Till. If he can endure the weight cut, it’s not a bad idea, though another dominant wrestler in the form of Kamaru Usman rules the roost there. Still, the way the UFC have dragged their heels on Leon Edwards, Till could get to the title quicker there than his compatriot, so why not? Upon arrival, how about Daniel Rodriguez? He just broke into the rankings and is coming off a big win over Kevin Lee. It would be interesting to see if he can keep the ball rolling.
Till’s next fight: Daniel Rodriguez at welterweight
Sergey Spivak
Sergey Spivak hit a wall at UFC Vegas 36. Or more accurately, Tom Aspinall’s elbow hit him, with a force not dissimilar to a Ford Mustang careening into the side of a building. Previously on a three-fight win streak, Spivak shouldn’t have to deal with too far of a fall here. He may slip out of the top fifteen, however. That’s just the way heavyweight fights go sometimes, and at UFC Vegas 36, Spivak was the nail. Next up? Greg Hardy is coming off a second straight loss from back in July. The Hardy experiment feels like it is running out of steam, and if he can’t get past Spivak, then it probably needs to end.
Spivak’s next fight: Greg Hardy
David Zawada
Germany’s David Zawada is 1-4 in his last five fights, which doesn’t bode well for the welterweight’s future. Especially with the promotion bringing out the chopping block with the Contender Series back in town. Working in Zawada’s favor is a pair of post-fight bonuses in those five bouts, so maybe he gets one more look. If that’s the case, pair him up with Dhiego Lima, who has lost two straight, most recently to Matt “The Immortal” Brown, and see who sticks around.
Zawada’s next fight: Dhiego Lima
Modestas Bukauskas
Bukauskas saw his knee obliterated by a nasty Khalil Rountree Jr. oblique kick in their UFC Vegas 36 light heavyweight fight. Sustaining severe damage, he’ll be on the shelf for a while, and it’s completely unfair to play matchmaker with that in mind. We wish him a speedy recovery.
Bukauskas’ next fight: TBD
Luigi Vendramini
Brazil’s “Italian Stallion” joined the UFC a perfect 8-0 in 2018. Since then, he’s hit hard times, posting a 1-3 record in the promotion. If you’re booking with an eye on building stars, cutting him now doesn’t help make Paddy Pimblett look any better. With that in mind, give him another fight, against someone like Scott Holtzman, who has lost two straight.
Vendramini’s next fight: Scott Holtzman
