UFC Vegas 37 ended in chaos as Antony Smith submitted Ryan Spann in the first round. In the co-main event, Ion Cutelaba defeated Devin Clark via unanimous decision. Today we will be looking into what is next for the winners of UFC Vegas 37.
Anthony Smith
After his submission win, Smith was overwhelmed with emotion and even got in Spann’s face. An emotional “Lionheart” got on the mic in his post-fight interview and said he is tired of people saying “Anthony Smith sucks.” With that in mind, he took his shot, saying he wants to fight Aleksandar Rakic in his next fight. Rakic posted on Twitter following Smith’s win and said he will be free in December. The rematch makes sense given how Smith has bounced back since losing to Rakic, and because Smith deserves a top-five fighter in his next fight.
Smith’s next fight: Aleksandar Rakic
Ion Cutelaba
Ion Cutelaba injured Devin Clark’s teeth mid-fight. A gritty Clark went to his corner and decided since he had to have surgery anyway, he might as well keep fighting. In the end, Cutelaba took home the W.
The Moldovan snapped a three-fight winless streak with his victory at UFC Vegas 37. Cutelaba proved that his sambo was way stronger than Clark’s wrestling. Next up, Alonzo Menifield’s powerful style would match up perfectly against Cutelaba. Menifield has won two straight, and took his last fight by decision over Ed Herman. Cutelaba used his grappling very well in his last fight and if he uses it against Menifield he could very well start off another winning streak.
Cutelaba’s next fight: Alonzo Menifield
Ariane Lipski
Ariane Lipski snapped her two-fight losing streak with a decision win over Mandy Bohm at UFC Vegas 37. She is 3-4 in the UFC and should be looking to keep winning and working her way up to the rankings. She is in the prime of her career at 27-years old and if she wants to make a run at the title the time to start would be now. JJ Aldrich is 28-years old and is currently riding a two-fight win streak. She is a 3rd-degree black belt in taekwondo and a brown belt in BJJ. Lipski is a blue belt in BJJ and comes from a Muay Thai background. Taekwondo and Muay Thai are always great match-ups striking-wise. A fight between Lipski and Aldrich could be a fight of the night contender.
Lipski’s next fight: JJ Aldrich
Arman Tsarukyan
Arman Tsarukyan finished Christos Giagos in the first round via TKO. This makes Tsarukyan 4-1 in the UFC and puts him on a four-fight winning streak. His only UFC loss was a decision loss to Islam Makhachev. Tsarukyan hasn’t even hit the prime of his career at 24-years old, so he should be looking to get the biggest fight possible and move up in the rankings. Gregor Gillespie’s last fight was a TKO win over Diego Ferreira. Gillespie is ranked number ten in the lightweight division and should be looking to fight an up-and-comer in his next fight. Tsarukyan has great grappling and matches up well with Gillespie.
Tsarukyan’s next fight: Gregor Gillespie
Joaquin Buckley
Joaquin Buckley knocked out Antonio Arroyo in the third round this past weekend. Buckley has knocked out his opponent in 10 of his 13 wins. He is 3-2 in the UFC and his only losses were TKO losses to Kevin Holland and Alessio Di Chirico. His UFC wins include Arroyo, Jordan Wright, and Impa Kasanganay. Three of his four losses are by knockout so he should fight a striker in his next fight to prove he has fixed his weaknesses.
Makhmud Muradov is 3-1 in the UFC and has finished 17 of his 25 professional wins by knockout. Two of his three UFC wins are knockouts over Andrew Sanchez and Trevor Smith. His one UFC loss was a submission loss to Gerald Meerschaert in his last fight a month ago. Muradov is a great boxer and will match up great stylistically with Buckley’s power.
Buckley’s next fight: Makhmud Muradov
